The Best Gaming Routers 2023

Reduce lag, amp up your network speed and make sure your gaming packets get prioritized.

What makes a router a gaming router to reduce lag? There is no strict definition, but you'll probably know one when you see one. Gaming routers usually sport aggressive angles and a plethora of antennas. RGB lights are often in the mix as well. MSI's RadiX AXE6600 is a good recent example.

But aesthetics aside, what makes a router a gaming router, let alone the best gaming router? In general, with a gaming router, you can expect higher-end internal hardware than budget offerings, including extra bands to handle more devices and often a faster CPU and more RAM to juggle a larger device load.

Usually, features aimed at gamers are also included in the user interface to help prioritize gaming traffic and packets. And extra granular controls are tossed in for tweaking and streamlining your network performance to ensure it best serves your gaming needs. Unsurprisingly, this typically comes at a higher cost than most mainstream routers. But spending more and making the right choice can make for a better gaming experience with less lag, especially if your home network and Internet bandwidth are split between several users and dozens of devices.

All that said, a gaming router might be overkill for most people, particularly if you’re in a small apartment or house, without several people clamoring for your limited internet bandwidth. If that sounds like you, consider a more mainstream router and spend the extra money on a better CPU, graphics card, or a bigger SSD so you can install more games.

Also, keep in mind that while the best gaming router can prioritize your gaming packets and limit lag, it won't give you better, faster Internet than what you're currently paying for, or make you substantially better at competitive gaming. A properly configured gaming router will, at the very least, make sure that the reason you won or lost has more to do with your skillset (or lack thereof) than anything else.

For much more on this subject, check out our guide to shopping for the right gaming router. But we'll cover some of the basic considerations below.