Best Internet Providers for Gaming 2022

With the increasing population of online gamers, especially now that most of them can monetize playing over live streaming, many people have been seeking high-speed internet that can provide them with less lag and smoother gameplay. Now that internet service providers have recognized this demand, many of them have been trying to attract new customers by offering tempting introductory plans and freebies. So, if you are one of them, you might be in for an exciting ride.

But before anything else, you have to understand that achieving the best online gaming experience does not end with having high-speed internet. You will also need to have high-end gaming hardware that can sustain the game you’re playing, especially if you are into games like Valorant, League of Legends, and Call of Duty. So, don’t be surprised if your gameplay is still not as good as expected even after you upgraded your internet connection if you don’t have a decent gaming device.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the best internet providers for gaming this year and compare them one by one.

Cox Communications

Cox is the only internet provider that offers a gaming-centered internet plan. Elite Gamer is Cox’s internet plan for online gaming. It guarantees to reduce ping and jitter by continuously finding faster routes to the server you want to connect to during gaming. Compared to other internet plans from other internet providers, this plan is surely the best choice.

Elite Gamer costs an extra $7 per month or none at all if you are renting Cox’s Panoramic Wi-Fi Gateway, its version of an all-in-one modem and router. This feature is compatible with many PC games, such as Grand Theft Auto V, League of Legends, Minecraft, PUBG, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, World of Warcraft, Valorant, Dota 2, and many more.

Using the service is also easy. You only need to download the Elite Gamer application to your device, log in using your Cox username and password, and launch the game you want to play. What’s exciting is you can use this app simultaneously with anyone. Your friend or siblings can simply download the app and play a game simultaneously with you.

However, you also have to know that if you want to get the Elite Gamer for free by renting the Panoramic Wi-Fi Gateway, then you should know that this network establishes a second public Wi-Fi network different from your home’s network. With this, other people can use that network as a hotspot. Fortunately, you can turn it off by logging into your Cox account, as that feature is on by default.

AT&T Fiber

Let’s start with a good deal that gets you six months of free online gaming with a Google Stadia Pro membership, the company’s online game streaming service. AT&T is offering Stadia Pro for free for six months if you sign up for a fiber internet plan or upgrade an existing AT&T DSL plan to 300Mbps, 500Mbps, or 1,000Mbps AT&T Fiber plan. After that, you’ll have to pay $10 per month for the premium edition of Google’s gaming service, which includes unique discounts and enables 4K HDR video output.

In addition to the free membership, AT&T is giving a $20 bundle that includes a Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra video streamer. That’s a fantastic value; the same bundle from Google would cost you at least $100.

Furthermore, AT&T Fiber is one of our top-recommended internet services, with high-speed plans starting at $35 per month for the first year, no commitments or data limitations, and a variety of other compelling offers to entice you to sign up. For example, new AT&T Fiber customers will receive a $200 Visa Rewards card, which is one of the most generous promotions available right now.

 Verizon Fios

Almost every gamer is hoping to have a fiber optic internet as it is known to be the fastest internet we have right now. Fortunately, if you live in the Northeast area, you can access Verizon Fios Home Internet. This internet plan has the best average latency, which is exactly what you need for a seamless online gaming experience.

Currently, Verizon offers three fiber internet plans with similar upload and download speeds. You can opt for the Internet 300 plan, which gives you identical upload and download speeds of up to 300 Mbps, so you don’t have to worry about upload latency—the level of security cable internet providers cannot guarantee.

In comparison to Xfinity and Google Fiber, Verizon Fios does not offer speeds of more than a gigabit. Despite this, Verizon has a wider fiber footprint than AT&T, as 65 percent of its service area has fiber, while AT&T’s fiber covers 31 percent of its service area. That said, choosing Verizon Fios for internet gaming or live streaming is always a great option.

 Spectrum

The downside of fiber optic internet is its coverage. So, if your area is not covered by any fiber internet providers, your best choice will be cable internet. Spectrum is one of the biggest cable internet providers in the United States, and it’s also one of the most reliable and accessible. Its incredible speeds, simple pricing, and unlimited data are highly ideal for online gaming.

It’s also an excellent provider if you want to combine your internet plan with TV streaming add-ons. Spectrum is not the cheapest internet provider, especially if you’re eyeing to have at least a gig for your gaming needs. However, you will still get what you pay for even though the prices can be steep.

The promotional rate will last for 12 months or one year, then expect a $25 price increase. Fortunately, Spectrum does not require any type of contract that restricts you from switching to a different provider. It also does not include data caps, so you can maximize your gaming experience without worrying about throttled speeds.

Google Fiber

2,000 Mbps download rates are possible with Google Fiber, making it the world’s fastest home fiber optic internet service. However, it’s only available in a small portion of the United States; only 1.3 percent of the country is covered. In addition to Atlanta, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City, there are currently 11 areas where Google Fiber is offered.

Google Fiber’s main rival is AT&T when it comes to speed. However, AT&T’s greater fiber footprint and ultra-fast 5 Gbps plan distinguish it from the competition. For a 3 Gbps connection, Xfinity’s X3 package costs $299.95 per month, although Google Fiber costs $10 less per month with the same offering.

Surprisingly, Google Fiber’s average latency is more than twice as long as Verizon Fios’s at 27.4 ms, although Google promises higher speeds. Unlike Verizon, which offers upload speeds of up to 880 Mbps, Google Fiber has a cap of 1,000 Mbps on all tiers. Xfinity’s Gigabit X3 package, on the other hand, costs a whopping $299.95 per month but offers upload speeds of up to 3,000 Mbps. If Google Fiber is available in your area, we strongly recommend you consider it for your online gaming needs.

Xfinity

34.2 percent of Americans are covered by Xfinity, making it the third-largest internet service provider in the country. Xfinity’s main competitor is Spectrum Internet, which offers a slightly higher latency than Xfinity.

Cable internet options from Xfinity may deliver download speeds of up to 1,200 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 35 Mbps. However, only .02 percent of Xfinity’s network has access to its fiber-optic service. It’s also pricey and requires a lot of time and money to set up. So, even if we would mostly recommend fiber over cable internet, we don’t really recommend this plan.

Xfinity has a monthly data limitation of 1.2 TB, so if you install digital games instead of physical ones, this could be a problem, especially when installing updates that exceed 100 GB. Unlimited data is available for an additional $30 each month, but that adds up to $360 annually. Nonetheless, we still recommend  Xfinity if you don’t have access to fiber or Spectrum.

Bottom Line

High-speed internet is essential for gaming. But, with many providers claiming they are the “best” or “fastest,” it makes it hard for the people to filter what’s the most reliable service. So, if you’ve been having a hard time searching for the best internet provider for gaming, refer to the comparison above and choose what’s the best for you.

Best Internet Providers for Gaming 2022

With the increasing population of online gamers, especially now that most of them can monetize playing over live streaming, many people have been seeking high-speed internet that can provide them with less lag and smoother gameplay. Now that internet service providers have recognized this demand, many of them have been trying to attract new customers by offering tempting introductory plans and freebies. So, if you are one of them, you might be in for an exciting ride.

But before anything else, you have to understand that achieving the best online gaming experience does not end with having high-speed internet. You will also need to have high-end gaming hardware that can sustain the game you’re playing, especially if you are into games like Valorant, League of Legends, and Call of Duty. So, don’t be surprised if your gameplay is still not as good as expected even after you upgraded your internet connection if you don’t have a decent gaming device.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the best internet providers for gaming this year and compare them one by one.

Cox Communications

Cox is the only internet provider that offers a gaming-centered internet plan. Elite Gamer is Cox’s internet plan for online gaming. It guarantees to reduce ping and jitter by continuously finding faster routes to the server you want to connect to during gaming. Compared to other internet plans from other internet providers, this plan is surely the best choice.

Elite Gamer costs an extra $7 per month or none at all if you are renting Cox’s Panoramic Wi-Fi Gateway, its version of an all-in-one modem and router. This feature is compatible with many PC games, such as Grand Theft Auto V, League of Legends, Minecraft, PUBG, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, World of Warcraft, Valorant, Dota 2, and many more.

Using the service is also easy. You only need to download the Elite Gamer application to your device, log in using your Cox username and password, and launch the game you want to play. What’s exciting is you can use this app simultaneously with anyone. Your friend or siblings can simply download the app and play a game simultaneously with you.

However, you also have to know that if you want to get the Elite Gamer for free by renting the Panoramic Wi-Fi Gateway, then you should know that this network establishes a second public Wi-Fi network different from your home’s network. With this, other people can use that network as a hotspot. Fortunately, you can turn it off by logging into your Cox account, as that feature is on by default.

AT&T Fiber

Let’s start with a good deal that gets you six months of free online gaming with a Google Stadia Pro membership, the company’s online game streaming service. AT&T is offering Stadia Pro for free for six months if you sign up for a fiber internet plan or upgrade an existing AT&T DSL plan to 300Mbps, 500Mbps, or 1,000Mbps AT&T Fiber plan. After that, you’ll have to pay $10 per month for the premium edition of Google’s gaming service, which includes unique discounts and enables 4K HDR video output.

In addition to the free membership, AT&T is giving a $20 bundle that includes a Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra video streamer. That’s a fantastic value; the same bundle from Google would cost you at least $100.

Furthermore, AT&T Fiber is one of our top-recommended internet services, with high-speed plans starting at $35 per month for the first year, no commitments or data limitations, and a variety of other compelling offers to entice you to sign up. For example, new AT&T Fiber customers will receive a $200 Visa Rewards card, which is one of the most generous promotions available right now.

 Verizon Fios

Almost every gamer is hoping to have a fiber optic internet as it is known to be the fastest internet we have right now. Fortunately, if you live in the Northeast area, you can access Verizon Fios Home Internet. This internet plan has the best average latency, which is exactly what you need for a seamless online gaming experience.

Currently, Verizon offers three fiber internet plans with similar upload and download speeds. You can opt for the Internet 300 plan, which gives you identical upload and download speeds of up to 300 Mbps, so you don’t have to worry about upload latency—the level of security cable internet providers cannot guarantee.

In comparison to Xfinity and Google Fiber, Verizon Fios does not offer speeds of more than a gigabit. Despite this, Verizon has a wider fiber footprint than AT&T, as 65 percent of its service area has fiber, while AT&T’s fiber covers 31 percent of its service area. That said, choosing Verizon Fios for internet gaming or live streaming is always a great option.

 Spectrum

The downside of fiber optic internet is its coverage. So, if your area is not covered by any fiber internet providers, your best choice will be cable internet. Spectrum is one of the biggest cable internet providers in the United States, and it’s also one of the most reliable and accessible. Its incredible speeds, simple pricing, and unlimited data are highly ideal for online gaming.

It’s also an excellent provider if you want to combine your internet plan with TV streaming add-ons. Spectrum is not the cheapest internet provider, especially if you’re eyeing to have at least a gig for your gaming needs. However, you will still get what you pay for even though the prices can be steep.

The promotional rate will last for 12 months or one year, then expect a $25 price increase. Fortunately, Spectrum does not require any type of contract that restricts you from switching to a different provider. It also does not include data caps, so you can maximize your gaming experience without worrying about throttled speeds.

Google Fiber

2,000 Mbps download rates are possible with Google Fiber, making it the world’s fastest home fiber optic internet service. However, it’s only available in a small portion of the United States; only 1.3 percent of the country is covered. In addition to Atlanta, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City, there are currently 11 areas where Google Fiber is offered.

Google Fiber’s main rival is AT&T when it comes to speed. However, AT&T’s greater fiber footprint and ultra-fast 5 Gbps plan distinguish it from the competition. For a 3 Gbps connection, Xfinity’s X3 package costs $299.95 per month, although Google Fiber costs $10 less per month with the same offering.

Surprisingly, Google Fiber’s average latency is more than twice as long as Verizon Fios’s at 27.4 ms, although Google promises higher speeds. Unlike Verizon, which offers upload speeds of up to 880 Mbps, Google Fiber has a cap of 1,000 Mbps on all tiers. Xfinity’s Gigabit X3 package, on the other hand, costs a whopping $299.95 per month but offers upload speeds of up to 3,000 Mbps. If Google Fiber is available in your area, we strongly recommend you consider it for your online gaming needs.

Xfinity

34.2 percent of Americans are covered by Xfinity, making it the third-largest internet service provider in the country. Xfinity’s main competitor is Spectrum Internet, which offers a slightly higher latency than Xfinity.

Cable internet options from Xfinity may deliver download speeds of up to 1,200 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 35 Mbps. However, only .02 percent of Xfinity’s network has access to its fiber-optic service. It’s also pricey and requires a lot of time and money to set up. So, even if we would mostly recommend fiber over cable internet, we don’t really recommend this plan.

Xfinity has a monthly data limitation of 1.2 TB, so if you install digital games instead of physical ones, this could be a problem, especially when installing updates that exceed 100 GB. Unlimited data is available for an additional $30 each month, but that adds up to $360 annually. Nonetheless, we still recommend  Xfinity if you don’t have access to fiber or Spectrum.

Bottom Line

High-speed internet is essential for gaming. But, with many providers claiming they are the “best” or “fastest,” it makes it hard for the people to filter what’s the most reliable service. So, if you’ve been having a hard time searching for the best internet provider for gaming, refer to the comparison above and choose what’s the best for you.