Best Internet for Gaming 2026
Why suffer the defeat of stutter and lag when you can level up with a low-latency connection
Aug 7, 2026 | Share 
Gaming, Internet Speed Guides
Lowest latency
Starting at:
$35/mo.*
w/ autopay. Plus taxes/fees.
Avg. latency:
9.42 ms
Speed range:
300–2,000Mbps
View Plans for T-Mobile FiberStraight-up pricing
Starting at:
$49.99/mo.*
w/ autopay. Plus taxes/fees.
Avg. latency:
19.34 ms
Speed range:
300–5,000Mbps
View Plans for Verizon Home InternetLong-term pricing
Starting at:
$45/mo.*
for 5 yrs.
Avg. latency:
19.39 ms
Speed range:
300–2,000Mbps
View Plans for XfinityOffers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See T-Mobile Fiber disclaimers | Verizon Fios disclaimers | Xfinity disclaimers.
Our pick: Which internet service is best for gaming?
We picked T-Mobile Fiber as the best internet service for gaming based on its average latency. It’s the lowest in our proprietary data collected for our latest Annual Internet Service Provider Review series. Low latency is important in online gaming, ensuring that players are synchronized with gaming servers, player movements aren’t delayed, and input lag is kept to a bare minimum.
If you can’t get T-Mobile Fiber, Optimum has the second-lowest latency in our 2026 data, followed by Astound, Verizon Fios, and Xfinity. Ideally, you want a latency of 20 milliseconds or less, which all five achieve.
In this roundup:
Compare internet providers | Lowest latency | Multi-gig speeds | Variety | Straight-up pricing | Long-term pricing | Other providers for gaming | My verdict | FAQ | Methodology
In this roundup:
The 5 best internet providers for gaming
- Lowest latency: T-Mobile Fiber
- Multi-gig speeds: Optimum
- Variety: Astound
- Straight-up pricing: Verizon Fios
- Long-term pricing: Xfinity
Is T-Mobile Fiber available where you live?
Enter your zip code below to see if T-Mobile’s game-changing fiber internet is in your area.
Compare the top internet providers for gaming
| Provider | Starting price* | Speed range | Average latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Fiber | $35/mo. w/ AutoPay. Plus taxes/fees. Disclaimers | 300–2,000Mbps | 9.42 ms |
| Optimum | $30/mo. for 5 yrs. Disclaimers | 300–8,000Mbps | 17.48 ms |
| Astound | $30/mo. for 12 mos. Disclaimers | 300–5,000Mbps | 17.55 ms |
| Verizon Fios | $49.99/mo. Disclaimers | 300–5,000Mbps | 19.34 ms |
| Xfinity | $45/mo. for 5 yrs. Disclaimers | 300–2,000Mbps | 19.39 ms |
* Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Lowest latency—T-Mobile Fiber
Starting at:
$35/mo.*
with AutoPay. Plus taxes/fees.
Connection type: Fiber
Average latency: 9.42 ms
Average speed: 323.05Mbps
T-Mobile Fiber is relatively “new” on our internet provider and services list, although it’s been around for several years. T-Mobile officially announced its fiber internet in 2025 after acquiring Metronet and Lumos. The footprint is still relatively small compared to others like AT&T Fiber, but well worth the wait.
T-Mobile Fiber customers get access to low-latency internet based on our proprietary data, a discount when you bundle internet with mobile, and cool perks through the T-Mobile Tuesdays program. T-Mobile also doesn’t have promotional pricing, so price increases typically only happen when operational expenses and the cost of living increase.
T-Mobile Fiber plans
| Plan | Price* | Download speed |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber 300 | $35/mo. with AutoPay. Plus taxes/fees. | 300Mbps |
| Fiber 1 Gig | $50/mo. with AutoPay. Plus taxes/fees. | 1,000Mbps |
| Fiber 2 Gig | $70/mo. with AutoPay. Plus taxes/fees. | 2,000Mbps |
* Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Multi-gig speeds: Optimum
Starting at:
$30/mo.*
for 5 yrs.
Connection type: Cable and fiber
Average latency: 17.48 ms
Average speed: 254.62Mbps
Optimum is a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) internet provider. It offers both cable and fiber as “last mile” connections, but the 8Gbps plan is fiber-only (for now). Optimum’s fiber-to-the-home internet is generally available only in Texas and in the New York area.
Optimum scored the second-lowest latency in our proprietary data, making it the best cable internet provider for gaming. And while new customers benefit from five-year promotional pricing, large price hikes start in the sixth year.
Optimum plans
| Plan | Price* | Download speed |
|---|---|---|
| 300 Mbps Internet | $30/mo. for 5 yrs. | 300Mbps |
| 500 Mbps Internet | $40/mo. for 5 yrs. | 500Mbps |
| 1 Gig Internet | $50/mo. for 5 yrs. | 940Mbps |
| 2 Gig Internet | $60/mo. for 5 yrs. | 2,000Mbps |
| 8 Gig Internet | $90/mo. for 5 yrs. | 8,000Mbps |
* Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Best variety: Astound
Starting at:
$30/mo.*
for 12 mos.
Connection type: Cable and fiber
Average latency: 17.55ms
Average speed: 221.23Mbps
Astound is another HFC internet provider. It’s far less available than Optimum and Xfinity, and it provides more cable connections than fiber ones. It formerly managed four separate networks (Wave, Grande, enTouch, and RCN) that have since merged, spanning the West Coast, Texas, the Chicago area, and the Northeast.
Astound has the third-lowest latency in our proprietary data for 2026, scoring better than a lot of fiber-only internet providers and services. Like Optimum, it’s a good example of how an HFC network can be just as good for gaming as fiber. And as with most other HFC providers, you get promotional pricing for at least the first year, and then the standard rate kicks in.
Astound plans
| Plan | Price* | Download speed |
|---|---|---|
| 300 Mbps Internet | $30/mo. for 12 mos. | 300Mbps |
| 600 Mbps Internet | $45/mo. for 12 mos. | 600Mbps |
| 1000 Mbps Internet | $60/mo. for 12 mos. | 1,000Mbps |
| 1500 Mbps Internet | $70/mo. for 12 mos. | 1,500Mbps |
| 2000 Mbps Internet | $90/mo. for 12 mos. | 2,000Mbps |
| 5000 Mbps Internet | $175/mo. for 12 mos. | 5,000Mbps |
* Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Straight-up pricing: Verizon Fios
Starting at:
$49.99/mo.*
Connection type: Fiber
Average latency: 19.34
Average speed: 231.44Mbps
Verizon’s fiber internet scored the fourth-lowest latency in our proprietary data collected for 2026. It’s mainly available in the Northeast, but thanks to its acquisition of Frontier (which has a latency average of 26.3ms and is mentioned later in this roundup), its fiber footprint is a lot bigger, expanding into Florida, Illinois, Texas, and beyond.
That said, pricing and speed will vary between the two internet providers until Frontier fully merges into Verizon. Neither company offers promotional pricing, so the price you pay only increases with the economy. Frontier has the fastest plan of the two at 7Gbps, so gamers may see the plan officially join the Verizon Fios lineup in the near future.
Verizon Fios plans
| Plan | Price* | Download speed |
|---|---|---|
| Fios 300 Mbps | $49.99/mo. | 300Mbps |
| Fios 500 Mbps | $74.99/mo. | 500Mbps |
| Fios 1 Gig | $89.99/mo. | 940Mbps |
| Fios 2 Gig | $109.99/mo. | 2,000Mbps |
| Fios 5 Gig | $119.99/mo. | 5,000Mbps |
* Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Best long-term pricing: Xfinity
Starting at:
$45/mo.*
for 5 yrs.
Connection type: Cable and fiber
Average latency: 19.39ms
Average speed: 277.03Mbps
Xfinity is our third HFC internet provider in the top five with a super-low average latency. It’s the most widely available provider in our top five, covering most of the eastern half of the U.S. and in scattered parts of the western half (mostly in Washington and California). The brand is owned by Comcast, which is probably why you see Xfinity commercials aired on NBC.
Xfinity has a five-year price guarantee, but what you’ll pay after that period is unclear. Most providers disclose their standard monthly rate after a promotional or guaranteed pricing period ends, but Xfinity’s broadband labels don’t. Regardless, Xfinity is one of the few HFC providers currently implementing low-latency technology to reduce input lag and rubber-banding during online gaming.
Other internet providers recommended for gaming
| Starting price* | Speed range | Average latency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziply Fiber | $35/mo. for 12 mos. w/ paperless and ACH/debit card autopay Disclaimers | 100–50,000Mbps | 20.78 |
| Cox | $55/mo. for 24 mos. Disclaimers | 300–2,000Mbps | 22.09 |
| Breezeline | $20/mo. for 24 mos. Disclaimers | 100–2,500Mbps | 23.01 |
| Frontier | $29.99/mo. for 12 mos. w/ Auto Pay and Paperless Bill Disclaimers | 200–7,000Mbps | 26.3 |
| Spectrum | $30/mo. 1 yr. price guarantee Disclaimers | 300–2,000Mbps | 27.55 |
* Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
If our list of the top five internet providers or services isn’t available, these five also deliver excellent low-latency performance. While an average latency of 20ms or less is ideal at the provider level, 100ms is generally considered the upper end of a fair connection. Keep in mind, however, that your total latency also includes delays beyond your provider’s network, such as routing across the internet to the game server or online service.
My take: Wired internet is ideal for gaming
Any professional gamer will say that wired internet is ideal for gaming.
Residential fiber internet is the best of the three home internet types (fiber, cable, and DSL), as it uses a passive network, meaning it has fewer powered devices in the field than all-coax and HFC networks.
By design, fiber should be more reliable than cable, but our reliability data shows a mixture of fiber and cable in our top five results:
- GFiber: Fiber
- Breezeline: Cable and fiber
- AT&T Fiber: Fiber
- Buckeye Broadband: Cable and fiber
- Quantum Fiber: Fiber
Gamers should stick with an internet provider or service that has the lowest latency possible. Unfortunately, that information isn’t provided at checkout, so gamers need to do their research before they commit to a plan.
Based on our 2026 data, T-Mobile Fiber has the lowest latency, but its availability is very limited for now. Chances are high that gamers have access to Xfinity or Optimum, both of which have notable pros and cons.
Just keep in mind that our latency numbers are provider-specific and don’t include additional latencies between the provider or service and the remote server.
FAQ about internet for gaming
What is latency?
What should you look for in the best internet for gaming?
What makes an internet connection good for online gaming?
What's a good upload speed for gaming?
What's a good download speed for gaming?
Why are the required download speeds larger than uploads?
Is fiber the best internet for gaming?
Methodology
We provide an internet speed test used by millions of people across the U.S. The results are collected by our speed test for each internet provider and are averaged together every three months. We use this data to generate an integrated speed score (ISS) to compare internet providers in terms of speed—our list of the fastest internet providers is a good example.
In this case, we compared internet providers based on latency because you don’t need a lot of upload and download speed to play games online. Internet providers typically advertise their maximum speeds only, so gamers won’t know if they can get better latency with a different provider unless they switch.
By pulling the latency averages from our proprietary data, we can compare internet providers and suggest the best internet connections for gamers.
Plans disclaimers
Astound plans
300 Mbps Internet | 600 Mbps Internet | 1000 Mbps Internet | 1500 Mbps Internet — Observed speeds may vary | One-time fees extra | Restrictions apply | Not available in all areas | New residential customers only
2000 Mbps Internet | 5000 Mbps Internet — Limited Availability | Observed speeds may vary | One-time fees extra | Restrictions apply | Not available in all areas | New residential customers only
Breezeline plans
Internet 100 — This Monthly Price is an introductory rate. This Monthly Price expires after 24 month(s) and will revert to $45 per month. This Monthly Price does not require a contract. Includes $10 EcoSave/Auto Pay discount.
Internet 200 — This Monthly Price is an introductory rate. This Monthly Price expires after 24 month(s) and will revert to $55 per month. This Monthly Price does not require a contract. Includes $10 EcoSave/Auto Pay discount.
Internet 500 — This Monthly Price is an introductory rate. This Monthly Price expires after 24 month(s) and will revert to $65 per month. This Monthly Price does not require a contract. Includes $10 EcoSave/Auto Pay discount.
Internet 1 Gig — This Monthly Price is an introductory rate. This Monthly Price expires after 24 month(s) and will revert to $75 per month. This Monthly Price does not require a contract. Includes $10 EcoSave/Auto Pay discount.
Cox plans
All plans — Excludes taxes and fees. No annual contract. For 24 mos.
Frontier plans
Fiber 200 — per mo. w/ Auto Pay for 12 mos.
Fiber 500 — w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 500/500 Mbps. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.
Fiber 1 Gig — w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 1000/1000 Mbps. Location dependent. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.
Fiber 2 Gig — w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 2000/2000 Mbps. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.
Fiber 5 Gig — w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 5000/5000. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.
Fiber 7 Gig — w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 7000/7000. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.
Optimum plans
300 Mbps Internet — w/ $10/mo. elig. Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas.
500 Mbps Internet — w/ $10/mo. elig. Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas.
1 Gig Internet — w/ $10/mo. elig. Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection up to 940 Mbps. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. Prepaid Card: Card terms & expiration apply.
2 Gig Internet | 8 Gig Fiber Internet — w/ $10/mo. elig. Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. Prepaid Card: Card terms & expiration apply.
Spectrum Internet plans
All plans — Limited time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum services within past 30 days) and in good standing with Spectrum. Service activation fee required; taxes extra in select states. SPECTRUM INTERNET: Standard rates apply after promo period. Additional charge for installation. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Capable modem required for all Gig speeds. For a list of capable modems, visit Spectrum.net/modem. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. ©2026 Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Internet Performance: Spectrum Internet® is powered by fiber and connected to the premises by coaxial lines.
Internet Gig | Internet 2 Gig — Spectrum Advanced WiFi included in price.
Internet 2 Gig — Invincible WIFI included in price.
T-Mobile Fiber Internet plans
All plans — w/AutoPay taxes and fees apply.
Verizon Fios plans
All fiber plans — Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Consumer data usage is subject to the usage restrictions set forth in Verizon’s terms of service; visit: https://www.verizon.com/support/customer-agreement/ for more information about 5G Home and LTE Home Internet or https://www.verizon.com/about/terms-conditions/verizon-customer-agreement for Fios internet.
Xfinity plans
All plans — Internet price guaranteed for 5 years. Price includes $10/mo autopay and paperless discount.
Ziply fiber plans
Fiber 100/100 | Fiber 300/300 | Fiber Internet Gig | Fiber Internet 2 Gig — For 12 months w/ paperless and autopay. No annual contract required. For new residential customers only. No annual contract required. Prices shown are before taxes and fees and require autopay and paperless billing. Service may not be available in all areas. Speeds shown for wired connections. Observable speeds will vary.
Fiber Internet 5 Gig | Fiber Internet 10 Gig | Fiber Internet 50 Gig — For 12 months w/ paperless and autopay. For new residential customers only. No annual contract required. Prices shown are before taxes and fees and require autopay and paperless billing. Service may not be available in all areas. Speeds shown for wired connections. Observable speeds will vary.
Author - Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish has more than a decade of experience working as a writer, editor, and product tester. He began writing about computer hardware and soon branched out to other devices and services such as networking equipment, phones and tablets, game consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom’s Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others. At HighSpeedInternet.com, he focuses on network equipment testing and review.
Editor - Jessica Brooksby
Jessica loves bringing her passion for the written word and her love of tech into one space at HighSpeedInternet.com. She works with the team’s writers to revise strong, user-focused content so every reader can find the tech that works for them. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University and seven years of creative and editorial experience. Outside of work, she spends her time gaming, reading, painting, and buying an excessive amount of Legend of Zelda merchandise.
Related Posts
