Most games — whether it’s a PC game or console game — rely on an internet connection, whether it’s for playing online or downloading games and updates. Gamers need a reliable and fast internet connection to get the most out of their experience.
While a fast-speed internet plan can help to make your gaming sessions smooth and lag free, there’s often much more to consider than just signing up to a fast internet plan. Some internet providers offer gamer-specific plans or additional services to level up your experience, while fast NBN speed tiers can also deliver a better performance. Read on for what to look out for in a gaming-ready NBN plan.
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NBN offers you might like
The following table shows a selection of sponsored unlimited data Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50), and Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners..
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $63.90) Typical evening speed of 50Mbps
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Unlimited Data/month |
$63.90 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $65) Typical evening speed of 50Mbps
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Unlimited Data/month |
$65 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $69) Typical evening speed of 98Mbps
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Unlimited Data/month |
$69 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
Unlimited Home Standard (NBN 50) Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Unlimited Home Fast (NBN 100) Plans
The table below shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
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Best internet provider for gaming
A good online gaming experience needs a steady internet connection. While many NBN providers now offer fast NBN plans — along with easier access to 5G internet and faster satellite connections like Starlink — there aren’t too many providers offering gaming-specific plans or extras.
However, some providers may offer extras on your NBN plan that could optimise your gaming experience beyond fast speeds. So, if you’re after the best internet for gaming in Australia, the below providers might be worth checking out.
Aussie Broadband internet plans for gamers
If you’re looking for specific internet for gaming, one of the few providers tailoring its plans to the gamer demographic is Aussie Broadband. The telco has optimised its NBN services to offer faster gaming with lower latency and provides real-time data to customers, including direct peering and ping times.
Aussie Broadband offers international transit links to major gaming regions such as the US and Southeast Asia to help minimise latency. It also offers direct peering to services, with links to Twitch and Blizzard in Sydney. Valve and Microsoft links are available in Melbourne, along with Google links across different states.
While Aussie Broadband offers a wide range of NBN plans to suit different user needs, such as NBN plans for seniors and slower speed tiers including NBN 12 and NBN 25, gamers can sign up to its selection of Pro NBN plans.
These Pro plans are more than just fast NBN plans. You’ll get faster upload speeds in addition to fast download speeds, along with a free static IP. You’ll have the choice between the Super-Fast Pro plan with 250Mbps download and 100Mbps upload speeds, the Hyper-Fast Pro plan with 500Mbps download and 200Mbps upload speeds, or the Ultra-Fast Pro plan with 1000Mbps download and 400Mbps upload speeds. Keep in mind that these plans are currently only available to homes with an FTTP NBN connection. However, if you don’t have FTTP, your home may be eligible for a free NBN fibre upgrade.
The following table shows a selection of published Aussie Broadband NBN plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Telstra NBN plans for gamers
Telstra may not have a specific gaming plan, but it offers an ‘Internet Optimiser’ feature on its NBN plans at no extra cost. The Internet Optimiser allows you to prioritise your online traffic however you want, such as for online gaming, and works to reduce lag by selecting servers with the lowest ping. You can also see which devices are draining your bandwidth, manage your kids’ online time and much more.
The following table shows a selection of published Telstra NBN plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Superloop internet plans for gaming
While Superloop doesn’t offer gaming specific plans, it does offer the two fastest NBN speed tiers. Superloop also provides a standard NBN 100/20 plan along with NBN 100/40 for customers after faster upload speeds.
One perk is that Superloop offers a free speed boost on select plans that can upgrade your NBN speed. This means you’ll be able to boost your NBN speed to the speed tier above the plan you’re currently on for 24 hours (except for NBN 1000, which is the fastest speed tier available). For those on NBN 25 plans, you’ll be boosted to NBN 50 speeds. Customers on NBN 50 plans will be boosted to NBN 100/40, those on NBN 100/20 or 100/40 will be boosted up to NBN 250, while those on NBN 250 will get a boost up to NBN 1000.
However, Superloop lists that only FTTP and HFC connections are eligible for NBN 250 and NBN 1000 speeds, so some speed boosts will be dependent on your home’s NBN connection type.
Customers on the NBN 50, NBN 100/20, NBN 100/40 and NBN 250 plans receive five free My Speed Boost days each month, whereas customers on NBN 25 will need to pay for any speed boost. If you want additional speed boosts, you’ll need to pay $2 per boost.
Superloop advertises its My Speed Boost add-on as being beneficial for gaming, along with streaming, live sports and working from home. This could be a good option for that peace of mind if you’ve planned a long session playing a high-intensity online multiplayer game.
The following table shows a selection of published Superloop NBN plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers.
Exetel internet plans for gaming
Exetel, which is owned by Superloop, offers the same My Speed Boost add on to its NBN plans. Customers on the NBN 50, NBN 100/20, NBN 100/40 and NBN 250 plans will be eligible for five free speed boosts each month, however you can also purchase a speed boost for $2 per day.
It’s worth noting that Exetel doesn’t offer an NBN 1000 plan, however customers on NBN 250 plans will get a boost of 500Mbps download and 50Mbps upload speeds.
The following table shows a selection of published Exetel NBN plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers.
Optus internet plans for gamers
While Optus had previously offered a gaming-specific plan, this is no longer available. However, its Family Entertainer NBN plan offers added extras such as a WiFi booster to improve your home’s internet connection, which could be useful in households with multiple gamers.
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited Optus plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
How do internet providers compare for gaming?
While everyone’s experience with their internet provider will be different, it can help to compare a range of providers and their performance to see what kind of experience you can expect.
Steam is an online community for downloading games and share content, and regularly ranks Aussie internet providers. These rankings have been updated as of October 2024.
- Aussie Broadband: 81.1Mbps
- Belong: 39.3Mbps
- Exetel: 59.7Mbps
- iiNet: 49.2Mbps
- Optus: 52.1Mbps
- Starlink: 75.8Mbps
- Superloop: 89.8Mbps
- TPG: 47.3Mbps
- Telstra: 44.3Mbps
- Vocus (Dodo & iPrimus): 47.3Mbps
Best NBN speeds for gaming
As you would expect, often the best NBN speeds for gaming are the fastest speeds available. A fast speed will typically provide a smoother and speedier performance, which is especially useful for cloud-based gaming. A faster speed can also mean that your gaming session or downloads aren’t interrupted when other people in your household are also online (especially in multi-gamer households).
NBN Co recommends its Home Ultrafast (NBN 1000) speed tier as the best for all your gaming needs, while Home Superfast (NBN 250) will offer a smooth gaming experience. Home Fast speeds (NBN 100) are also good for a consistent gaming experience, even when others are online.
However, those faster speeds are usually only available to homes with certain NBN connection types — usually Fibre to The Premises (FTTP) or selected Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connections. Gamers with other NBN connections, especially those in apartments, might be limited to a Home Standard (NBN 50) speed as the fastest speed tier available to them. While you can still game online, you might find downloads are a bit slower and you could experience lag during busy periods, such as evening peak times and when multiple people in your household are online at once.
This is why it’s important to know what NBN connection type you have, so you can find out which NBN plans are available to you.
If you have access to faster NBN speeds at your home, you can compare a range of fast-speed NBN plans in the below tables.
The following tables show a selection of unlimited Home Superfast (NBN 250) plans on Canstar Blue’s database listed in order of standard monthly cost, from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
The following tables show a selection of unlimited Home Ultrafast (NBN 1000) plans on Canstar Blue’s database listed in order of standard monthly cost, from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
What to look for in the best gaming internet plans
It’s tempting to simply find the cheapest NBN plan and hope for the best, but if you’re serious about gaming – or just want the best performance you can get – there is a more to consider. Below are some of the factors that can affect your overall online gaming experience.
Low latency or ‘ping’ times
At the end of the day, the internet is basically sending packets of data from the end user to the server and back again. Online gaming requires this to happen faster than your everyday internet user may need. In gaming this could be the difference between winning and losing! Things that affect ping time are:
- Your distance to the server: Your home may be in Brisbane, but your internet provider may route traffic through Sydney, for example. This may result in a slower ping time, and it will take longer for your online gaming movements to register on-screen (i.e. lag).
- Cheaper providers: Some providers may only route traffic through one city only – however other providers can route traffic through most capital cities.
- More users: Having more users on the one connection can also dramatically worsen ping scores.
A better ping score is more important than broadband speed. Ping scores are highly variable, and as such are not as readily advertised by providers. Unfortunately, you can’t really know if you have a good or poor ping score before you sign up to an internet plan. You may want sign up to a month-to-month internet plan to see what your service is like first, so you can easily switch if you’re disappointed.
Distance from the exchange
This may more specifically apply to ADSL customers, but the distance from your internet exchange to your home may affect your end broadband speed. This is because of the cabling required to go to your home.
Distances within 1km of the exchange can achieve up to the full 24Mbps speed specification. However, there is a sharp drop-off with connections more than 3km away, and residences 5km away or more tend to achieve a maximum speed of just 2-3Mbps.
Luckily, many suburban internet exchanges are quite close together, and cast a net of less than 5km. While it’s hardly advisable to move house just to be closer to an exchange, it is something to research and consider when moving or buying a new home.
Your console’s speed requirements
The two major online gaming consoles, the Xbox Series S and the PlayStation 5, rate minimum requirements slightly differently.
- Xbox Series S recommends a minimum download speed of 3Mbps and a ping rate of less than 150ms.
- While PlayStation does not specify any minimums, it is reported that the minimum speeds are 5Mbps and 100ms ping.
Both companies recommend connecting via Ethernet cable, as opposed to WiFi. In any case, these speed minimums should be quite easily achievable, but the ping scores can be blown out of the water by shared bandwidth, peak times, using WiFi, and so on.
Bandwidth
The ‘6pm slowdown’ is real. Peak times — between 7pm and 11pm — can slow down speeds dramatically, as can having multiple devices connected to WiFi. If your housemate started streaming Netflix while you started gaming and your experience lowers in quality, two people sharing the connection may be the issue.
Buying the fastest plan you can afford, however, can ensure there’s enough bandwidth to go around for everyone. Bandwidth literally refers to having enough ‘pipe’ or space for your internet speed requirements. You may have a fast ping, but if there’s not enough bandwidth there’s not enough ‘pipe’ to send those packets of data.
Larger households, where multiple devices are often used at once, will likely need a faster NBN connection. While NBN 1000 and NBN 250 may offer the best speed performances, NBN 100 is also more readily available and can be a cheaper option if you’re after fast speeds. Keep in mind that not all homes will be able to sign up to an NBN 100 plan depending on their NBN connection type, so you may have to settle for NBN 50 speeds instead.
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Advertised speeds vs typical evening speeds
The fastest NBN download speed available to Australians is 1000Mbps. However, between the hours of 7pm and 11pm, speeds can slow dramatically. Speed is not as important as ping, but if you need to do some hefty game downloads, peak times may not be the ideal time to do so.
Peak slowdown has been so drastic that the ACCC has even stipulated that some internet providers must compensate customers for advertising speeds that were simply not achieved. In addition, the ACCC has recommended that providers now list ‘typical evening speeds’ for their various NBN plans: this refers to the speeds that you’ll probably experience in peak busy times, between the hours of 7pm and 11pm.
Typical evening speeds are a much better indicator of how fast your plan will actually be than simply ‘NBN 50’, ‘NBN 100’ etc., as these names only refer to the maximum speeds available on each tier in megabits per second. Your plan may be theoretically capable of 1000Mbps speeds, but realistically you’re unlikely to experience those speeds yourself.
A plan’s typical evening speed is calculated by each individual provider, based on average speeds achieved by customers during peak hours. While a lower evening speed should not necessarily scare you off, it could be a good indicator of how congested each provider gets during peak times.
Do I need the best internet for gaming?
If you’re unhappy with your current online gaming experience and your internet provider, it may be time to think about switching. However, there are a few things that you might want to keep in mind:
- Cheapest isn’t always best – cheap plans often come on the slower NBN speed tiers, and only a few traffic routes (i.e. through an interstate city instead of your own)
- Choose a fast enough internet speed to meet your household needs
- Ping or latency is more important than outright download speeds
- Using an Ethernet connection instead of WiFi can help improve speed and connection
While it doesn’t seem like there’s much you can do about slow internet speeds, there are in fact a few steps you can take to make sure you’re getting what you need from your internet connection.
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