This post is a collection of the best gaming routers I’ve reviewed.
There’s no concrete definition of what constitutes a “gaming router”; but all listed below meet at least two of my qualifying criteria.
While you can generally play online games with any router, one of these will give you an edge in getting connected, plus the much-needed placebo effect — you know that you’re already well-equipped, possibly better-geared than the other guy.
Dong’s note: I first published this post on January 29, 2021, and updated it on June 24, 2022, with up-to-date options.
Best gaming routers of 2022: The list
All routers on this list are excellent for general use. On top of that, they collectively check all the gaming boxes.
They are listed here on reviewed orders with the latest on top — the number in front of their name is not for ranking but just numerical.
11. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000: The ultimate gaming router
Again, in case you didn’t read the intro: This is the latest member of this list. The number is not the ranking.
The Asus GT-AXE16000 is the pinnacle of home networking, and gaming is just the icing on the cake. This is the ultimate router you can safely get — that’s if you can afford it.
Note: By itself, Asus has the largest selection of gaming routers — not all are listed here, but you can read about them in this post on Asus Wi-Fi broadcasters.
Pros
Powerful hardware, Quad-band with Wi-Fi 6E support, three Multi-Gig ports (one 2.5Gbps and two 10Gbps)
Stellar performance throughout
Excellent set of game-related, online protection and monitoring features, full AiMesh 2.0 support
Unmatched port flexibility, including interchangeable WAN, Dual-WAN, and LAN/WAN Link Aggregations
Beautiful ROG Aura lighting
Cons
Expensive, NAS performance (when hosting a storage device) could be better
Awkward backhaul band design in a wireless AiMesh setup, no UNII4 (5.9GHz) support, no SFP+
Bulky design, not wall-mountable
10. TP-Link Archer GX90: The latest among gaming routers that “look the part”
The GX90 is somewhat a replacement for the Archer AX11000 (below). It is also somewhat of a pseudo gaming router since it doesn’t have any game-related novelty — it has a nice look plus a comprehensive QoS feature.
Pros
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance
Excellent feature set and network settings
Robust full web user interface
Nice design and comparatively affordable
Cons
Single Multi-Gig port; no Dual-WAN or Link Aggregation
USB-based storage performance could be better
9. Asus ROG STRIX GS-AX5400: Representing a new gaming product line
The GS-AX5400 is an excellent new (gaming) router. It represents the new ROG STRIX product line and is a better version of the similar GS-AX3000.
Pros
Excellent overall performance
Complete AiMesh 2.0 support, including system-wide Guest network
Robust web interface, well-designed mobile app, no login account required
Lots of useful features, including those for gamers
Cool-looking front-facing AURA Game light
Cons
No Multi-Gig port or Gamer VPN (WTFast)
Performance as a NAS server could be better
The ROG logo doesn’t light up, a bit boring
8. Asus GT-AXE11000: Wi-Fi 6E is a still blur, but gamering is a sure thing
The GT-AXE11000, the first Wi-Fi 6E router, is not an upgrade to the GT-AX11000 (below), nor is it a downgrade to the GT-AXE16000 (above) — the three share similar designs.
It’s part of Asus’s ROG Rapture family of aging gear and includes all game-related features. While not as powerful as the GT-AXE16000, it’s comparable on the gaming front.
Pros
Tri-band with Wi-Fi 6E support
Excellent 5GHz and 2.4GHz performance
Excellent set of game-related, online protection and monitoring features, full AiMesh 2.0 support
2.5Gbps LAN/WAN port, Dual-WAN, and LAN/WAN Link Aggregations
Cons
Wi-Fi 6E is not fully available
Only one 2.5Gbps port, no 10Gbps port
Bulky design, not wall-mountable, buggy firmware (at launch)
7. Asus RT-AX92U: The little router that could
The Asus RT-AX92U is an interesting case. It was a bit of controversy at launch due to the odd hardware specs and shoddy firmware. Later on, though, Asus improved it a great deal via updates. As for gaming, it’s the affordable mini version of the GT-AX11000 (below).
Pros
Compact design, tri-band specs
Good performance, large coverage
Excellent set of features, including online protection, WTFast VPN for gamers, and system-wide Guest network when working as a mesh
Link Aggregation and Dual-WAN support, wall-mountable
Cons
Wi-Fi 6 available only on one of the 5GHz bands
6. Netgear XR1000: A sophisticated gaming router
The XR1000 is a Wi-Fi 6 upgrade to the XR500 below. It’s the second gaming router based on game-centric DumaOS firmware and has fantastic gaming features, including an improved Geo-Filter with polygon mode and Ping heatmap.
Pros
Sophisticated game-centric firmware
Fast Wi-Fi speeds and reliable performance
Robust web UI, beautiful hardware design
Useful mobile app, wall-mountable
Cons
Expensive but underpowered – items of the web interface can take a long time to fully load
Limited Wi-Fi settings, sluggish user interface
Mobile app can’t manage any gaming features
No multi-gig port, Dual-WAN or Link Aggregation
Online protection and VPN require subscriptions
Buggy — firmware needs some serious updates; no mesh option
5. Asus RT-AX82U: Possibly the coolest-looking gaming router
The Asus RT-AX82U is the RT-AX86U (below) with slightly lesser hardware. In return, it uniquely has a fantastic-looking programmable front lighting that will turn heads! If you’re into bling, this is the gaming router for you.
Pros
Beautiful design with tons of helpful networking, game-related features, and settings
Robust web UI, well-designed mobile app
Cons
No support for WTFast Gamer VPN
No multi-gig network port
Network storage performance (when hosting a portable drive) could use some improvement
4. Asus RT-AX86U: One of the best dual-band Wi-Fi 6 routers
Asus RT-AX86U is an excellent router — it was named the best dual-band router for almost two years. As for gaming, it has lots of features, including a set of robust pre-programmed settings, a game LAN port, and more.
Pros
Fast performance, excellent range, reliable
Tons of helpful networking features and settings
Useful settings for online gaming
Robust web UI, well-designed mobile app
Multi-Gig, WAN/LAN Link Aggregation support
Excellent NAS performance and features when hosting a storage device
Cons
Single, low-speed (2.5Gbps) Multi-Gig port
Gaming features turn Adaptive QoS off
No support for WTFast Gamer VPN
3. TP-Link Archer AX11000: A chicken who thinks it’s a duck
Yes, this is the one I called “fake.” But the TP-Link Archer AX11000 looks like a gaming router, and it has a robust QoS where you can quickly turn on prioritization for gaming.
Pros
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance
2.5 Gbps WAN port with eight Gigabit LAN ports
160 MHz channel bandwidth support
Excellent, Antivirus, QoS, and Parental Control features
Robust full web user interface, helpful mobile app
Eye-catching and convenient hardware design
USB-C ready, wall-mountable
Cons
Misleading gaming veneer, no actual gaming-specific features
No multi-gig LAN port, bulky design
Not mesh-ready (at launch)
Artificial” “Game” items make the interface unnecessarily confusing
Mobile app requires a login account
2. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000: The ultimate gamers’ edition of a Wi-Fi 6 router
The GT-AX11000 is the first Wi-Fi 6 router for gamers, and it delivers. Among other things, it has built-in support for WTFast gamer VPN, which allows it to be part of a unique VPN where you can enjoy certain games with extremely low lags.
Pros
Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance with an excellent range
Lots of useful features for home users
Unique and effective settings for online gaming
Multi-Gig network port, Dual-WAN, Link Aggregation
Cons
Bulky design, loose antennas, non-wall-mountable
Fewer LAN ports than the previous model
Long boot-up time, buggy (at launch), fluctuating Wi-Fi throughputs
1. Netgear XR500: A gaming router at heart
The Netgear XR500 is the only Wi-Fi 5 router on this list. It’s the first router in the US that runs DumaOS, a special firmware made by the U.K. firm Netduma which develops special gaming routers — it even got the latest DumaOS 3.0 version via firmware update. Wi-Fi 5 is on the way out, but as a gaming machine, the XR500 still works great today.
Pros
DumaOS delivers comprehensive and effective QoS and online gaming features with a robust web interface
Excellent overall performance
Easy to set up and fun to use
Cons
No built-in security to protect the entire network from online threats
Content filtering can’t block secure website sites such as Facebook or Youtube
Best gaming routers: Hardware specifications and Wi-Fi performance
I tested all of these routers the way I do all Wi-Fi broadcasters. I also tried their gaming features via wired and wireless connections without a retail or mesh extender.
It’s best to use a game console (or PC) via a wired connection. If you have to use Wi-Fi, make sure the device connects directly to the very first broadcaster of your home if you have more than one Wi-Fi hub.
Extra note on gaming and Wi-Fi
For the best online experience — including online gaming or whenever you want to make sure the connection is the most reliable and with the lowest latency — it’s always best to get your home wired.
After that, connect your gaming rig to your network via a network cable. No matter how fast, Wi-Fi is always less ideal and will put a few extra milliseconds, or even a lot, on your broadband’s latency.
In gaming or any real-time communication applications, reliability and low latency are actually more critical than fast speeds. So it’s more a question of wired vs Wi-Fi than Wi-Fi 5 vs Wi-Fi 6.
But we can’t use wires all the time. That said, here’s the rule in Wi-Fi for gaming: Avoid multiple hops.
Specifically, here is the order of best practice when connecting your gaming device to the network via Wi-Fi:
- Use a single broadcaster — just one Wi-Fi router or access point.
- If you must use multiple broadcasters (like a mesh system) then:
- Use a network cable to link them together (wired backhaul).
- If you must use a wireless mesh then:
- Connect the game console directly to the very first broadcaster — the primary router — of your home. Or
- Connect the gaming device to the first mesh satellite node using a network cable. Also, in this case, it’s best to use tri-band mesh hardware.
- Avoid the daisy-chain mesh setup.
- Avoid using extenders. If you must use one, make sure it’s a tri-band.
Again, the idea is that the Wi-Fi signal should not have to hop wirelessly through one extra hub before it gets to your device — you’ll get significantly worse latency after each additional hop.
Best gaming routers: Wi-Fi performance
I got the 5GHz numbers below via a 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 160MHz client and a 4×4 Wi-Fi 5 client.
Best gaming routers: Hardware specifications
Looking to compare these routers side by side? The table of hardware specifications below will help.
Note: This is a wide table. Make sure you scroll horizontally.
| Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 | TP-Link Archer AX6600 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router |
Asus ROG STRIX GS-AX5400 Dual-band Gaming Router |
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 Wi-Fi 6E Gaming Router |
Asus RT-AX92U AX6100 Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 Router |
Netgear XR1000 Nighthawk Wi-Fi 6 Pro Gaming Router |
Asus RT-AX82U AX5400 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router |
Asus RT-AX86U AX5700 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router |
TP-Link Archer AX11000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router |
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router |
Netgear XR500 Nighthawk Pro Gaming Wi-Fi 5 Router |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | GT-AXE16000 | Archer GX90 | GS-AX5400 | GT-AXE11000 | RT-AX92U | XR1000 | RT-AX82U | RT-AX86U | Archer AX11000 | GT-AX11000 | XR500 |
| Wi-Fi Technology | Quad-band AXE16000 | Tri-band AX6600 | Dual-band AX5400 | Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E AX11000 |
Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 AX6100 |
Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 AX5400 |
Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 AX5400 |
Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 AX5700 |
Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 AX11000 |
Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 AX11000 |
Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5 AC2600 |
| 1st Band (2.4GHz) |
4×4 Wi-Fi 6 Up to 1148Mbps |
2×2 AX Up to 574Mbps |
2×2 AX Up to 574Mbps |
4×4 Wi-Fi 6 Up to 1148Mbps |
2×2 Wi-Fi 4 Up to 400Mbps |
2×2 AX Up to 574Mbps |
2×2 AX Up to 574Mbps |
3×3 AX Up to 861Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 1148Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 1148Mbps |
4×4 AC Up to 800Mbps |
| 2nd Band (5GHz) |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
5GHz 2×2 AX: Up to 1201Mbps | 5GHz 4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
5GHz 4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
2×2 AC Up to 867Mbps |
5GHz 4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AX 6 Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AC Up to 1733Mbps |
| 3rd Band (6GHz) |
4×4 AXE Up to 4804Mbps |
None | None | 4×4 AXE Up to 4804Mbps |
None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| 4rth Band (5GHz) |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
None | None | 4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
None | None | None | 4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
4×4 AX Up to 4804Mbps |
None |
| Backward Compatibility | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n |
| AP Mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mesh-ready | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | Yes (OneMesh) | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | No | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | Yes (OneMesh) | Yes (AiMesh 2.0) | No |
| Gigabit Port | 4x LAN | 1x LAN/WAN 3x LAN |
4x LAN, 1x WAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | 8× LAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN | 4x LAN, 1x WAN |
| Multi-Gig Port | 1x 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN 2x 10Gbps LAN/WAN |
1x 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN | None | 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN | None | None | None | 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN | 1× 2.5Gbps WAN | 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN | None |
| LAN Link Aggregation | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (LAN ports 1 and 2) | Yes (LAN1 + LAN2) | None | Yes (LAN 1 and LAN 2) | Yes (LAN ports 1 and 2) | Yes (LAN 2 + LAN 3) | Yes (LAN ports 1 and 2) | None |
| WAN Link Aggregation | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (WAN + LAN4) | Yes (WAN + LAN4) | None | Yes (WAN + LAN4) | Yes (WAN + LAN4) | No | Yes (WAN + LAN4) | None |
| Dual-WAN | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (WAN + USB or LAN4 or 2.5Gbps) |
Yes (WAN + LAN 1, or WAN + USB) | None | Yes (WAN + LAN4 or USB) | Yes (WAN + LAN4 or USB) | No | Yes (WAN + USB or LAN4 or 2.5Gbps) |
None |
| USB | 1× USB 3.0 Port 1× USB 2.0 Port |
1× USB 3.0 Port 1× USB 2.0 Port |
1x USB 3.0 | 2x USB 3.0 | 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 | 1x USB 3.0 | 1x USB 3.0 | 2x USB 3.0 | 1× USB-C 3.0, 1× USB-A 3.0 |
2x USB 3.0 | 2x USB 3.0 |
| Mobile App | Asus Router | TP-Link Tether | Asus Router | Asus Router | Asus Router | Netgear Nighthawk | Asus Router | Asus Router | TP-Link Tether | Asus Router | None |
| Gaming Features | Aura Gaming Light Gaming Port Game Boost Gear Accelerator Mobile Game Mode OpenNAT ROG First VPN Fusion WTF Gamer VPN |
Fancy-looking hardware and web interface QoS |
Aura Gaming Light Gaming Port Game Boost Gear Accelerator Mobile Game Mode OpenNAT ROG First VPN Fusion |
Aura Gaming Light Gaming Port Game Boost Gear Accelerator Mobile Game Mode OpenNAT ROG First VPN Fusion OutFox |
WTFast VPN Game Boost Open NAT Mobile Game Mode QoS |
DumaOS 2.0 Geo-Filter Ping Heatmap QoS |
Dedicated Game Port Game Boost Open NAT Mobile Game Mode QoS Aura Lighting |
Dedicated Game Port Game Boost Open NAT Mobile Game Mode QoS |
Fancy-looking hardware and web interface QoS |
WTFast VPN Game Boost Open NAT Mobile Game Mode QoS Aura Lighting |
DumaOS Geo-Filter QoS |
| Processing Power | 2.0 GHz quad-core CPU, 256MB Flash, 2GB RAM |
1.5 GHz Quad-Core CPU | 1.5 GHz Tri-core CPU, 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM |
1.8 GHz quad-core CPU, 256MB Flash, 1GB RAM |
1.8Ghz dual-core CPU, 512 MB RAM, 256 MB Flash |
1.5 GHz tri-core CPU, 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM |
1.5 GHz tri-core CPU, 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM |
1.8 GHz quad-core CPU, 256 MB Flash, 1 GB RAM |
1.8 GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU, 512 MB Flash, 1 GB RAM |
1.8 GHz quad-core CPU, 256MB Flash, 1GB RAM |
1.7GHz dual-core CPU, 256MB Flash, 512MB RAM |
| Dimensions (no antennas) |
10.4 x 10.4 x 2.9 in (26.4 x 26.4x 7.4 cm) |
8.3 × 8.3 × 2.0 in (21.2 × 21.2 × 5.18 cm) |
10.56 x 7.08 x 6.53 in (26.8 x 18 x 16 cm) |
10.4 x 10.4 x 2.9 in (26.4 x 26.4x 7.4 cm) |
6.1 x 6.1 x 2.07 in (15.5 x 15.5 x 5.26 cm) |
11.61 x 7.87 x 2.51 in (29.5 x 20 x 6.4 cm) |
10.83 x 7.26 x 6.5 in (27.5 x 18.4 x 16.5 cm) |
9.52 x 3.93 x 12.79 inc. (24.2 x 10 x 32.5 cm) |
9.5 x 9.5 x 2.2 in (24.1 x 24.1 x 5.5 cm) |
9.5 x 9.5 x 2.4 in (24.1 x 24.1 x 6.1 cm) |
12.7 x 9.6 x 2.2 in (32.2 x 24.4x 5.5 cm) |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs (2.4kg) | 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg) | 1.55 lbs (701.3 g) | 3.94 lbs (1.79 kg) | 1.43 lbs (651 g) | 1.32 lb (.6 kg) | 1.63 lbs (740 g) | 1.8 lbs (814.5 g) | 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg) | 3.8 lbs (1.73 kg) | 1.77lbs (801g) |
| Price (at review) |
$699 | $249.99 | $250 | $550 | $210 | $300 | $230 | $250 | $350 | $450 | $250 |