So we analyzed more than 20 large internet service providers (ISPs) and their download speeds, upload speeds, latency, data caps, prices, and availability. We used our fastest ISPs report and latency data to see which providers made the cut. We picked Xfinity, AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios Home Internet, Spectrum, and Optimum as the victors in this skirmish. But some other ISPs, including local providers, might be a better teammate. So let’s go ham and “Leeroy Jenkiiinnnsss!” straight into our top 10 internet providers for gaming. So here’s what you should look for when choosing an ISP for gaming so you don’t d/c before it’s gg. Ready? Queue it up! So, even though the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends a measly 3–4 Mbps for gaming, we recommend much faster download speeds than that.1 Why? Because you’ll likely need the extra speed to watch a YouTube video while you game. And you don’t want to lag out when your buddy catches up on the latest plays his football team made over the weekend. And your mom might be watching Facebook cat videos on her phone while you try to earn Play of the Game on Overwatch. Even though this is far above the FCC’s minimum recommended speed, we still lagged while playing games like World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth if someone streamed football or downloaded a PDF file. Yuck. If you want to become the next Twitch star, you’re gonna need some upload speed to keep your fans happy. Twitch recommends 3–6 Mbps upload speeds for livestreaming, but just like download speeds, more is usually better. Our resident video expert over at the Reviews.org YouTube channel, Craig, recommends aiming for 10 Mbps or faster upload speeds. Having faster upload speeds lets you publish your videos faster—and it lets you handle longer videos with larger file sizes without pulling out your hair over 2004-style wait times. “If your file is more than 500 MB or so, 10+ Mbps will serve better. When I had 10 Mbps, it took about 30–45 minutes per video to upload,” says Craig. Latency isn’t really under your control, but you can kind of get an idea of how much latency, or lag, an ISP will have based on its connection type and past performance. Average latency by internet connection type
Satellite: 594–624 ms DSL: 11–40 ms Cable: 15–27 ms Fiber: 10–17 ms
If you’re not sure what your latency is on your current internet connection, take our free internet speed test to find out. Test Your Latency & Internet Speed Once you get your speed results, click Details to see your minimum and maximum latency plus jitter. (A high jitter score is just as bad as high latency—it’s probably causing that lag.) The main drawback for Starlink is it’s still not available everywhere, so you’ll need to check if it’s available in your region. Starlink is currently available in parts of the US and Canada and hopes to be worldwide by the end of 2023. For most of us, the usual 1 TB of monthly data most ISPs offer should be enough. But you should always double-check data caps when searching for a new ISP, because some providers won’t give you more than a handful of gigabytes each month. And if your home is full of gamers, first off, lucky you. We’re jealous. But the more gamers you have, the more data you’ll need to keep up with everyone’s downloads. So go for unlimited data where you can. Last but not least, internet power users will want unlimited data too. That includes anyone who hosts a server or downloads large files (like PDFs, videos, and photos) on a regular basis. When it comes to internet speed, Xfinity is the highest-rated cable internet provider in our latest speed report. And as far as service coverage goes, Xfinity serves the third largest number of zip codes across the US, or 18.92%. That means, you’re more likely to find Xfinity internet in your area than other smaller ISPs. We had to request a call through the Xfinity app, then wait. Then wait once we got a call and the agent looked into our issue. Then wait some more while we waited to be connected with a new, senior-level agent. It’s the same story no matter where you go, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Then there’s Xfinity’s 1.2 TB data cap. Sure, you can upgrade to unlimited data, but it’ll cost you extra. Last thing: We’re not big fans of cable internet’s slower upload speeds. Depending on which Xfinity plan you get, you might be stuck with 10 Mbps upload speeds. That’s not nearly enough if you want to stream games to your Twitch audience or upload YouTube videos of your gaming commentary. AT&T Fiber gives you a leg up on your competition with a sweet, sweet fiber connection. But just like Verizon Fios Home Internet, it’s not available everywhere. Though you can get it on the West Coast—Cali friends, rejoice! But with its DSL service included, AT&T services 23.33% of US zip codes—that’s the largest coverage area aside from satellite ISPs. (And AT&T uses newer DSL tech, so it might be okay for some RPG adventures.) It comes with a full-fiber connection and earned seventh place in our list of the fastest ISPs in the US, perfect for logging on and mopping the floor with raid bosses. We’ve also heard nothing but good things about Verizon’s customer service. All our friends lucky enough to grab this internet provider have said every interaction with Verizon Fios Home Internet’s customer service was easy mode—from installation to troubleshooting. Verizon Fios Home Internet’s latency score for January–March 2021 is 13.0 ms. So our eyes lit up when we saw that Verizon Fios lets you customize your internet speed and TV package. Our fave is the 500 Mbps internet + Your Fios TV combo—but you can customize your own to your heart’s desire. Customize Your Verizon Fios TV and Internet Combo It doesn’t specify how much data you get with its internet plans—but we have a hunch that it’s unlimited data. So don’t worry about downloading that patch, new expansion, or 18 new games during a Steam sale. (Who, us?) That small service area means that West Coast and Midwest gamers can’t get in on the fantastic service this ISP provides. (Though you might be able to check out Verizon 5G Home Internet instead.) Order any Verizon Fios Internet plan and enjoy up to a year of free Walmart+ membership. You’ll get even more perks with Verizon’s 1 Gig plan.
300 Mbps: Walmart+ for 3 months 500 Mbps: Walmart+ for 6 months1 Gig - Streaming: Walmart+ for 12 months$300 off Stream TV Soundbar or Soundbar ProDisney+ for 6 monthsFree router rental
Overall, Spectrum brings decent speeds to the table, ranking 5th out of 10 internet providers we analyzed in our fastest ISPs report. It’s also widely available across the US, including often overlooked states like Ohio and Maine. On top of that, Spectrum comes with unlimited data. So no more stressing about downloading that new game at the end of the month. You’re good to go. As for latency, it averaged 33.0 ms in January–March of 2021. So you should be able to go ham without rubberbanding all over the place. You should also note that Spectrum Internet is a cable connection. But all of its plans come with at least 10 Mbps* of upload speed, which is enough to livestream or upload YouTube videos. All that aside, Spectrum’s up to 300* and up to 500 Mbps* plans ring in at decent prices for the speed you get. And while some ISPs focus on serving big cities, Optimum set up camp in small towns like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. So if you share a city with 1,000 other people, Optimum might be there to get you online. Along with zippy speeds, Optimum also boasts an average latency of 18.0 ms for the first quarter of 2021. We also picked internet providers that are more commonly available across the US. Yes, that’s why Google Fiber didn’t make our top five even though its internet service is stellar. (Google Fiber is limited to a few large cities in the US, so if you can’t get it in your area, that stellar service doesn’t mean much.) Using an Ethernet cable to connect to your modem or router gets you faster speeds, which are critical when playing any online game or first-person shooter (FPS). If you have two gamers in your household, you may want to bump that up to 150 or even 200 Mbps. Take a peek at our internet speed guide to find out if you really need 1,000 Mbps—or if you could pay less for slower speeds. If your ping is off the charts, we have some tips that can help you fix high latency. Depending on where you live, all of our top 10 ISPs for gaming should offer a plan with 100 Mbps or faster download speeds. But we recommend one of our top five providers if you can get it: Xfinity, AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios Home Internet, Spectrum, or Optimum. The exact speeds really depend on how many people you share your internet with, as well as how many connected devices are online in your home. Check out our guide to internet speed for help figuring out how much speed you need for PUBG. Cat-7 cables should support enough bandwidth for gaming. But if you need more, a Cat-8 cable like the Smolink 10-foot Cat-8 cable* supports 40 Gbps transmission speeds. If durability is a concern, look for a nylon-braided cable, like this one from UGREEN.* Look for internet plans in your area with speeds of at least 50 to 100 Mbps, and try to use an Ethernet cable for gaming if at all possible. P.S. Check out our guide to getting the right internet speed for your Xbox Series X. Check to see which of these providers are in your area, and look for plans with 50–100 Mbps download speeds. We’ve got a whole guide to picking the right internet speed for your console gaming. Just watch out for its 1.2 TB data cap and low upload speeds. You’ll get symmetrical 300 Mbps upload speeds with the Internet 300/300 plan, along with what’s probably unlimited data. (But Verizon neither confirms nor denies this.) CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
