Our team of internet plan experts has reviewed almost 300 plans across 43 providers to compile this list. Each recommendation is based on a mix of real-world performance data, customer surveys and Finder Score results, with extra weighing given to latency, typical evening speeds and price.
296 NBN plans analysed
43 providers considered
765 Australians surveyed
If you (or a family member) are serious about online gaming, a basic internet plan isn't going to cut it.
Instead, you need a plan with low latency, fast speeds and a reliably stable connection - preferably backed with a gamer-friendly modem.
Before we dive into the details, here's a quick list of what your gaming plan needs.
In gaming terms, latency is the time delay between sending a request (such as pressing your controller button) and receiving a response onscreen. This is measured in milliseconds (ms) and is also known as 'ping'.
Lower latency means faster response times, which is crucial for fast-paced action games like Call of Duty and Tekken.
A high latency (over 100ms) can make online games nearly unplayable due to unreliable framerates and frequent connection dropouts.
For lightning-fast reaction times, you'll want to keep your ping below 20ms.
Latency is chiefly determined by your distance to the game server, but your internet provider also plays a role.
Some providers are less efficient at routing traffic even when you're geographically close to the server.
Each quarter, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) published latency metrics for fixed-line NBN providers until the programme ended in June 2026.
Here are the results from the ACCC's broadband performance report:
All of these providers are within the recommended 10–20ms latency range for online gaming.
However, a few extra milliseconds can make all the difference during competitive play.
For peace of mind, stick to providers with a sub-10ms ping time, as shown in the chart above.
The NBN currently offers 8 speed tiers, ranging from 12Mbps all the way up to 2000Mbps. The table below covers the most common tiers.
It may come as a surprise to learn that you don't actually need fast internet speeds to play online games. (Lag is primarily caused by your connection type and distance to the server.)
With that said, a faster plan allows you to download large files more quickly. If you're purchasing online games on the regular, the extra speeds are worth it.
Here's how long it takes to download a 50GB game on each NBN speed tier:
| Speed tier | Maximum download speed | Time to download a 50GB game |
|---|---|---|
| NBN 12 (Basic I) | 12Mbps | 8-9 hours |
| NBN 25 (Basic II) | 25Mbps | 4-5 hours |
| NBN 50 (Standard) | 50Mbps | 2-3 hours |
| NBN 100 (Fast) | 100Mbps | 1-2 hours |
| NBN 250 (Superfast) | 250Mbps | 20-30 minutes |
| NBN 1000 (Ultrafast) | 1000Mbps | 5-10 minutes |
Another benefit of high-speed internet is more bandwidth. This determines how much data your network can handle at the same time.
An NBN 25 plan might work just fine for one gamer, but once you have 2–3 people trying to play and download games at the same time, your connection will slow to a crawl due to limited bandwidth.
If your household has multiple gamers with their own PCs and consoles, consider NBN 100 or higher.
Typical evening speed is the most reliable indicator of a plan's performance. The lower the number, the higher the likelihood your connection will slow down in the evening when everyone's online.
To avoid lag during peak hours, choose a plan with typical evening speeds that stay as close to the advertised maximum as possible.
In addition to typical evening speeds, you also need to compare each provider's outage frequency. (Reliable speeds aren't much good if your internet keeps going down.)
You might also want to consider an NBN plan with 4G/5G back-up. These plans will let you keep playing via mobile broadband when the NBN drops out.
Reliable customer service is essential when choosing a gaming plan, yet it is often completely overlooked.
There are few things more frustrating than waiting days for an internet fix, especially when communication is poor.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) monitors and ranks the complaints-handling performance of every NBN provider.
Providers who resolve customer complaints the quickest include Moose, Dodo, TPG Internet, Exetel and Superloop Broadband. All took less than 4 days to resolve a customer complaint on average.
While some factors can't be controlled when it comes to getting faster and more reliable speeds for your gaming, here are a couple of tips on how you could try to enhance your connection from home:
The plans in this table provide approximate speeds of 50Mbps and above. Click on Price and Typical download speed to see the cheapest and fastest plans, respectively.
We designed the Finder Score to simplify your search for the best NBN and Home Wireless plans. By analysing hundreds of options from 40+ providers, we evaluate pricing, speeds, data allowances and plan features. Each factor is weighted and combined to generate a score out of 10 — helping you quickly spot the most competitive plans on the market. Read the full breakdown.
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