The best gaming routers serve as the central processing unit for your home and PC setup. What good is gaming if you can not connect to the internet? It is how you get, play, and discuss games. A strong Wi-Fi signal or an ethernet connection is essential for a stable gaming setup.

For this to work, you can not have spotty coverage or a bad router that can not handle all the wireless devices that one household can accumulate. The router you choose must provide the fastest speeds and the most stable connection regardless of what is connected to it.

Yes, a wired connection is always preferable for your gaming rig, but household logistics can sometimes prevent this from happening. While a wired connection is always faster, the latest wireless kits can easily match the speed and latency of a hard-wired connection. If your motherboard lacks wireless networking capabilities, a USB Wi-Fi adapter will suffice as a workaround.

If you are using one of the best gaming laptops(opens in a new tab), you should have Wi-Fi because some gaming laptops’ only connection option is a wireless connection. Getting your network up and running is critical for a modern smart home to improve connectivity to your Smart TV, consoles, tablets, smartphones, and everything else that requires an internet connection. A Wi-Fi range extender (opens in a new tab) can also be a lifesaver if your house is spread out over many long hallways.

1. Asus RT-AX88U

SPECIFICATIONS

• Speed: AX6000
• Wi-Fi: 6 (802.11ax)
• LAN Ports: 8
• Antennas: 4
• Processor: Quad-core 1.8 GHz
• Dimensions: 4.65 x 2.91 x 1.3 in
• Weight: 6.76 lb (801 g)

The Asus RT-AX88U(opens in new tab) is the best high-end router option. It has next-generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) technology and eight Gigabit Ethernet ports that support link aggregation. This is supported by the usual excellent AsusWRT interface, which allows granular control over every conceivable setting. There is also class-leading Adaptive QoS, Trend Micro antivirus, and the WTFast GPN—all with lifetime subscriptions included—which are standouts among competing routers.

While the 2.4 GHz speeds are adequate, the RT-AX88U shines at 5 GHz speeds. Furthermore, this router outperforms the competition when it comes to gaming in a congested environment. Sure, next-generation super router’ performance costs a whopping $346, but given these benchmarks, it is understandable.

2. Netgear Nighthawk XR700

SPECIFICATIONS

• Speed: AD7200 (Tri-band 4600(AD) + 1733(5 GHz)+ 800(2.4 GHz) Mbps wireless speed)
• Wi-Fi: 5 (802.11ac)
• LAN Ports: 7
• Antennas: 4
• Processor: Quad-core 1.7 GHz
• Dimensions: 15.33 x 12.49 x 5.32 inch
• Weight: 4.11 lb (1.86 kg)

The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 is a worthy successor to the XR500, which impressed us last year as the fastest router we would test to that point (opens in new tab). Both are part of the company’s ‘Nighthawk Pro Gaming’ networking line, but the XR700 outperforms its predecessor. The XR700 has all the right ingredients, including one WAN and six LAN ports for enough wired connections, link aggregation support (opens in new tab), and even a 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for insane Ethernet bandwidth. Let us get this out of the way first. With all of the wireless market attention focused on 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6(opens in new tab), the XR700 uses a combination of the last generation 802.11ac/Wi-Fi 5 wireless and 802.11ad technology(opens in new tab) (the 60 GHz frequency one), which has not yet become mainstream. Beamforming is also supported by four active antennas.

Another highlight of the XR700 is the gaming-focused Duma OS, which includes Geo-Filter technology to connect to the nearest server when gaming. The XR700 provides granular bandwidth control, prioritizes throughput by device for both upload and download separately, and assigns a specific percentage to each device to balance the load, preventing any single device from becoming a bandwidth hog.

Starting with the 2.4 GHz frequency, the XR700 is a strong all-around performer in our tests, with some of the fastest scores to date of 284 Mbps at close range and 225 Mbps on our far test. This trend continued with strong 325 Mbps and 332 Mbps scores at close and far ranges in our 5 GHz testing.

3. ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000

SPECIFICATIONS

• Speed: AX11000 (Tri-band 2.4 GHz – 1148 Mbps x 1, 5 GHz – 4,804Mbps x 2)
• Wi-Fi: 6 (802.11ax)
• LAN Ports: 4
• Antennas: 8
• Processor: Quad-core 1.8 GHz
• Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.5 x 2.4 inch
• Weight: 3.8 lb (1.72 kg)

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is intended to be the class-leading, “best of the best” gaming router, and based on the hardware specifications, it delivers—big time. It promises a lot, building on the previous routers in this series, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300(opens in new tab), and adding Wi-Fi 6 technology(opens in new tab). This router has a dedicated 2.5G Base-T port for increased wired bandwidth and four Gigabit LAN ports, but we prefer the eight ports offered by other Asus routers (opens in new tab).

On the wireless front, this is a Wi-Fi 6 tri-band solution with more than 10 Gigabits of wireless bandwidth and DFS bands to prevent interference. Additional gaming-centric features include integrated WTFast, VPN Fusion to separate gaming traffic from VPN for maximum throughput, Dynamic QoS to prioritize gaming traffic, Games Radar (no, not that one) to check ping times to different game servers to minimize latency and Aura’s RGB for those who prefer a more colorful environment.

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 impressed us greatly during our testing. While the 2.4 GHz speeds on the far test are respectable at 171 Mbps, the 5 GHz speeds are exceptional, with one of the fastest throughput speeds of any router so far at 334 Mbps. Oh, and we do not even have an 802.11ax USB Wi-Fi adapter yet, so the client is using 802.11ac gear. Yes, this router is truly exceptional.

4. TP-Link Archer C5400X

SPECIFICATIONS

• Speed: AC5400
• Wi-Fi: 5 (802.11ac)
• LAN Ports: 8
• Antennas: 8
• Processor: Quad-core 1.8 GHz
• Dimensions: 11.34 x 11.34 x 7.24 in (241 x 241 x 55 mm)
• Weight: 3 lb (1.16 kg)

TP-latest Link’s high-end gaming router is a significant improvement over previous models, and it now ranks among the best gaming routers available, particularly in the 5GHz range, where it excels. We gave the TP-Link Archer C5400X(opens in new tab) near-top marks in our review. We like how simple it is to set up and use the C5400X while still providing powerful features, such as the ability to easily manage QoS, the inclusion of network security (via Trend Micro), and the ability to not only blacklist but also allow specific devices.

In terms of throughput speeds, the Archer C5400X delivers 117 Mbps near and 112 Mbps far at 2.4GHz, which is somewhat middling, while at 5GHz, it performs extremely well, clocking 344 Mbps near and 347 Mbps far. It is market-leading in this regard.

What disappoints, if anything, is the lack of specific technology to reduce latency, as seen in competing models at the same price, such as the Netgear XR500. It is nearly identical in terms of ports and antennae to the excellent Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300, but it does not quite deliver the same performance. It is, however, a less expensive and highly recommended gaming router that is surprisingly simple to set up and manage.

5. Netgear Nighthawk AX4

SPECIFICATIONS

• Speed: AX3000 (Dual-band 2400(5 GHz)+ 600(2.4 GHz) Mbps wireless speed)
• Wi-Fi: 6 (802.11ax)
• LAN Ports: 4
• Antennas: 2
• Processor: Dual-core
• Dimensions: 14.17 x 8.46 x 2.36 in (360 x 215 x 60 mm)
• Weight: 1.36 lb (618 g)

Wi-Fi 6 is becoming more prevalent across product lines, and the Nighthawk AX4 is an excellent example of what this spec can achieve, even on a lower-cost router. The Nighthawk AX4 lacks the flashy colored stripes and LEDs found on higher-end gear. It is horizontal, with two external antennas, four Gigabit LAN ports, a single USB port, and a row of green indicator LEDs.

The interface is handled by the Nighthawk app, which can also be accessed via a web portal. This is also more generic, as you will not find the DumaOS here, but the more familiar Netgear one. There is also QoS (a simple on/off switch) for gaming. To optimize the experience, there is still no granular control to better balance gaming needs and video streaming across multiple connected devices.

In testing, the AX4 achieved excellent throughput results, with close testing speeds of 344 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency and 345 Mbps on the 5 GHz frequency. The far testing was also impressive, with 222 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 309 Mbps on 5 GHz, indicating the Wi-Fi 6 spec value. The Netgear AX4 is an appealing option for those looking for the throughput that Wi-Fi 6 provides at a lower cost than most.

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