Best Gaming Routers (2022): Top Picks From Asus, Netgear & More

It doesn’t matter how skilled you are or how robust your gaming rig is. If you have slow or unstable internet connection, there’s no way you can perform your best when you’re gaming online. If you’re determined to always finish first, it’s worth investing in a gaming router that will maintain a fast connection at all times, even if you’re competing for the bandwidth at home. To help you pick out the best gaming router for your gaming needs, here’s a roundup of the top models on the market, including picks from leading brands like Asus, Netgear, and TP-Link.

Best Gaming Routers Comparison Chart

Name	Asus RT-AX86U	Netgear Nighthawk XR1000	TP-Link Archer C5400X
Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price
Wi-Fi Speed	Wi-Fi 6 dual-band	Wi-Fi 6 dual-band	802.11ac tri-band
Peak Throughput	929.7Mbps	860.7Mbps	859.5 Mbps
Antennas	3x removable	4x removable	8x removable
Ports	2 USB 3.0, 1 WAN, 1 Multi-Gig WAN, 4 LAN gigabit per second	1 USB 3.0, 1 WAN, 4 LAN gigabit per second	1 USB 2.0, 1 WAN, 8 1-Gbps LAN
Dimensions	9.0 x 6.7 x 3.1 inches	11.6 x 7.9 x 2.5 inches	11.2 x 11.2 x 7.6 inches

Asus RT-AX86U

The best Wi-Fi 6 gaming router.

If you want the best-performing gaming router out there, the Asus RT-AX86U is the powerhouse you’re looking for. This Wi-Fi 6 model has an insane peak throughput of 929.7 Mbps which is just a tiny bit shy of the golden 1 Gbps mark. This kind of speed should be more than enough for all of your gaming devices combined even if there are a lot of walls and floors to get through at your house. Aside from its impressive speed and industry-leading performance, it also comes with a bunch of features that gamers will appreciate.

For starters, it offers great protection from malware which is great not just for your gaming experience but also for the rest of your entire home network. You get to enjoy a lifetime of security updates without having to pay for a subscription which is mighty generous of Asus. They even throw in a two-year warranty for you for extra peace of mind. Other things to love about this gaming router is its port aggregation, multi-gig input, and options to customize.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000

Runner up Wi-Fi 6 gaming router.

The Netgear Nighthawk XR1000, another high-performing Wi-Fi 6 gaming router, is a worthy runner-up to the Asus RT-AX86U. It’s perfect for low-latency gaming thanks to its peak throughput of 860.7 Mbps. Aside from its superb performance, it comes with a dashboard crammed with a ton of customization options. There are several ways to optimize the performance of the router such as sorting connections by location or ping rate, identifying the apps that use up the most data, and monitoring the usage of your CPU.

It has an impressive range of 105 feet as well, making it ideal for those who live in larger spaces. Even if your gaming room is tucked away in a hard-to-reach corner of the house, the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 should be able to give you the fast and reliable connection that you need. To top things off, you get malware protection for your entire home network.

TP-Link Archer C5400X

The best Wi-Fi 5 gaming router.

If you don’t need Wi-Fi 6 speeds or aren’t willing to shell out extra money for it, the TP-Link Archer C5400X is an impressive Wi-Fi 5 gaming router that should be enough for your gaming needs. It has one of the most impressive 802.11ac performances you’ll see on a single networking device, plus it’s able to deliver 1Gbps through its 2.4GHz band and 2.167Gbps through each of its two 5GHz bands. To top things off, it will give you up to 100 feet of coverage, allowing you to game in whichever nook or cranny of your house. It comes with a security software as well to prevent malware.

While there are plenty of things to love about this model such as its tri-band design, high peak throughput, and excellent allocation of bandwidth, its design can be off-putting for some. It’s quite big and clunky with a black and red color way and eight antennas poking out of it so it can be quite hard to conceal.

Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852)

The best mesh router for gaming.

If you live in a big house and you don’t think a single router will be enough to support your gaming needs, it might be best to invest in a mesh router like the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 RBK852. It wasn’t designed specifically for gaming, explaining why it lacks the features that the other models on this list have, but it does deliver the best throughput in its category. Thanks to its tri-band design, it provides coverage of up to 5,000 square feet which is impressive considering it’s only made up of a satellite extension and a base unit. It’s definitely the one to beat when it comes to Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers.

Aside from its excellent coverage, fast speeds, and multi-device support, it’s also compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant. This way, you can easily control settings even when you’re in the middle of an intense game.

Verdict

Having a gaming router at home will give you the competitive edge you need.

Asus RT-AX86U

The best Wi-Fi 6 gaming router

TP-Link Archer C5400X

The best Wi-Fi 5 gaming router

If your slow and unstable connection at home has been affecting your gaming performance, a gaming router will give you the competitive edge you need. We can’t recommend the Asus RT-AX86U enough for its unparalleled Wi-Fi 6 performance with the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 as its close runner-up. But if you have a more conservative budget and are content with Wi-Fi 5 speeds, the TP-Link Archer C5400X is the best in its category. It has a tri-band design, high peak throughput, and excellent coverage. As for the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6RBK852, it’s not exactly designed for gaming but it’s an ideal mesh router if you live in a big home with lots of space to cover.

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