Gaming hardware today is more responsive and more sensitive than ever. We have mice with unthinkable polling rates, keyboards with instantaneous actuation, and monitors with minimal latency. But in recent years, Wi-Fi 7 has quietly arisen to become an crucial part of a gamer's arsenal. With everything—from the latest iPhone 16, to AMD and Intel mobos, AI NUCs, PCs, and the shiny new PS5 Pro—utilising the new generation of Wi-Fi technology, it's time to start thinking about a Wi-Fi 7 router to take advantage of it all.
A high-quality gaming router will prevent dropped connections, ping spikes, and slowdowns during those critical moments in online matches—whether your groundsliding past a doorway in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, or trying to outfox your opponent in League of Legends. Veteran hardware manufacturer ASUS knows this, and is here with a whole armoury of gaming routers for all budgets and needs. Here are the best of 'em.
WiFi 7 brings many massive upgrades over its predecessor: up to 46 Gbps data transfer speeds (versus 9.6 Gbps for WiFi 6), the new 320 MHz channels double the channel bandwidth to allow more devices to operate at optimal network speeds at the same time, and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) allowing devices to use the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands simultaneously for seamless networking performance. Jumping onboard with WiFi 7 is a big step up, and will futureproof you for years to come.
The headliner of Asus' WiFi 7 router collection is the ROG Rapture GT-BE19000. It features all the bells and whistles of WiFi 7, including 320 MHz channel bandwidth and Multi-link Operation for up to 2.4X wireless gaming speeds and extra-low gaming latency. Among its high-speed ethernet ports, you have a physical 10G port dedicated for gaming whereby it will take priority over the others while you're playing. You can also create a dedicated SSID or VLAN for your gaming network, and easily set up a subnetwork or VLAN for your IoT devices, favourite VPN services or even your kid’s room.
If you have a large home you want to evenly spread your network throughout, then look no further than the ROG Rapture GT-BE98. It has all the same gaming features as the GT-BE19000, but with two 5 GHz bands, one of which you can allocate as a dedicated wireless backhaul with ASUS AiMesh technology to create a mesh network with any compatible ASUS router, easily giving you seamless roaming across multiple floors.
For apartments, you can't go wrong with the ASUS RT-BE86U, which along with 6800Mbps throughput, enhanced 160 MHz, dual-band MLO, and 4K QAM, has abundant ethernet options thanks to a 10G WAN/LAN port and four 2.5G LAN ports. ASUS offers complete AiMesh compatibility between its WiFi 7 and WiFi 6 routers, so if you own a WiFi 6 ASUS extendable router think twice before you throw it away. You can repurpose it as a WiFi node and extend your home network under one SSID with comprehensive ASUS network security suite support. Meanwhile, this WiFi node is unrivalled by any repeater as it serves as a main router with top-tier hardware and signal range.
And finally, we have the enthusiast's and eSports player's choice: the ASUS RT-BE88U. With a total network capacity of 34G distributed across a 10G SFP+ port, a 10G port, four 2.5G ports and four Gigabit ports, it's guaranteed to handle the wired gaming load of every player on your eSports team (or a studio relying on a high-bandwidth multi-gig local network).
While WiFi 7 is the future, WiFi 6 has got plenty of life left in it yet, and offers enough network capacity and functionality to cater to everyday gaming needs (plus, it's more budget-friendly!). ASUS has you covered on this front too.
The best WiFi 6 router in the ASUS armoury is the ASUS RT-AX82U. With up to 5400Mbps speeds, a dedicated Mobile Game Mode to reduce lag and latency during sessions, and parental controls to control your kids' game time, it offers a great all-round gaming package. It supports AiMesh too, letting you set up a mesh network to ensure smooth signal throughout your home. Customisable RGB lighting on the front of the router turns a normally nondescript device into a slick light feature of any gamer's room.
The ROG Rapture GT6 is your best bet for covering a larger space. Along with all the great features of WiFi 6, this router uses nine powerful internal smart antennae and ASUS RangeBoost technology to offer solid WiFi performance (or upgrade to a two-pack for 5800 sq. ft. of coverage). It also includes Triple Level Game Acceleration, which optimises network traffic, from gaming devices to gamer GPNs, during those gaming sessions where every millisecond matters.
And for the budget-conscious gamer or casual gamer, there are the TUF Gaming AX4200 and TUF Gaming AX3000. These are great if you want a durable dual-band router with no faff required in getting it set up and ready for gaming or everyday networking tasks. If you do want to get a bit more hands-on with them, however, then you can use ASUS AiMesh technology to create a mesh network throughout your home, ensuring stable WiFi connection throughout.
