Our team of internet plan experts has reviewed over 200 plans across 29 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.
Our panel of broadband experts compared plans across 5 different categories.
Each plan is assessed on value for money, typical evening speeds (download and upload), latency, option to BYO modem and customer support.
We use a range of independent metrics to assess provider performance, including the ACCC's quarterly Measuring Broadband Australia program and the ACMA's telco complaints-handling performance report. We also give weighting to how real Australians rated each provider in the Finder Broadband Awards 2025.
Here's a detailed overview of each of the factors we measure:
Value for money. We assess each plan's features and compare its monthly cost to the plan type average. Promotional discounts of 6 months or more receive additional weighting.
Typical evening speeds: Plans are given extra weighting if their typical evening speeds routinely hit the maximum during busy hours.
Latency: We only consider plans with a very low latency (15ms and under).
Option to BYO modem. Plans with the choice to BYO modem are weighted more favourably than those without this option.
Technical support. Providers receive extra weighting based on the number of customer complaints they receive and how quickly they resolve technical issues compared to the national average.
The provider's ranking in the ACCC's Broadband Performance report These rankings are updated quarterly and rank providers across a range of metrics including typical evening speeds, latency and average number of service outages.
Finder Score: All NBN plans in our database receive a score out of 10. Additional weighting is given to plans with a Finder Score over 9.
How to choose a good gaming plan
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.
Gaming plan checklist
Before we dive into the details, here's a quick list of what your gaming plan needs.
Low latency (ping): Aim for under 20ms for lag-free competitive gaming.
Fast download speeds: Get an NBN 100 plan or higher, especially if you download large game files often.
Fast upload speeds: 15Mbps minimum for twitch streaming and fast-paced games with voice chat.
Reliability during peak hours: Always check a plan's typical evening speeds. Ideally, this number should match the maximum.
Strong technical support: Choose a provider that resolves issues quickly. (You can find this info in the ACMA's complaints-handling performance report.)
Connection type: Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) are best for online gaming. (If you're on a slower connection, check if you're eligible for an upgrade.)
Modem/router quality: Does the included model have gamer-friendly features (QoS, dual-band, Wi-Fi 6)? Or will you need to BYO?
Gamer perks: Some plans come with gamer-centric features like static IPs, priority routing and temporary speed boosts.
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.
Which providers have the lowest latency?
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.
Here are the results from the ACCC's latest 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.
What is a good internet speed for gaming?
The NBN currently offers 6 speed tiers, ranging from 12Mbps all the way up to 1000Mbps.
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.
Did you know?
If you think of data flowing into your house like water through a pipe, each person hooked up will only get a fraction of that flow. The more people connected, the less water each has access to.
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 speeds & reliability
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.
Here's how close each provider gets to their max speeds during the busiest hour of the day, as outlined in the ACCC's latest Measuring Broadband Australia Report.
Network outages
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.)
Here are the ACCC's latest records for outages:
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.
Which NBN provider has the fastest customer support?
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.
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.
Telco
Average days
Moose
1
Dodo
1
Amaysim
1
TPG Internet
2
More Telecom
3
Mate
3
Tangerine Telecom
3
Telechoice
3
Exetel
4
Superloop Broadband
4
Vodafone
5
iiNet
5
Aussie Broadband
5
Primus
5
Optus
6
Spintel
7
Internode
7
Southern Phone
8
Telstra
9
Activ8me
10
Tips to make your gaming plan faster
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:
Use an ethernet cable. Wi-Fi is convenient, but can be highly variable. To make sure your connection is as stable as it can be, run an ethernet cable directly from your router to your PC, gaming laptop or console.
Invest in a gaming router. The router you use can matter when it comes to performance. Getting a gaming-specific router can reduce the chance of lag from your home network set-up.
Play on local servers. Ping is king when it comes to online gaming, so make sure you're playing on servers that are as geographically close to you as possible. Many popular games will have Australian servers that will deliver the best results.
Compare all gaming plans
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 currently don't have that product, but here are others to consider:
How we picked these
How the Finder Score helps you find a better broadband plans
We designed the Finder Score to simplify your search for the best NBN and Home Wireless plans. By analysing hundreds of options from over 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.
Frequently asked questions
Not really. Most online games will continue to run smoothly on a slower plan. It will take signficantly longer to download games, however.
While both are important, a high latency will affect online gaming more than low download speeds, especially while playing action games that require quick reaction times.
For casual gamers, anything below 100ms will be more than sufficient. For competitive multiplayer action titles, your ping should be no higher than 20ms (the lower the better.)
If your home has strong 5G coverage, you can absolutely play online games through mobile internet. Just be aware that your connection will be less stable than fixed-line internet.
Playing online games requires signficantly less data than video streaming. Depending on the title, you're looking at between 20MB and 400MB per hour, with most games hovering around 40MB.
Of course, you also need to download the games before playing. This can exceed 200GB for a single download (it's a good thing most plans now come with unlimited data.)
Chris Jager is a seasoned journalist with over 15 years of experience in the Australian tech industry. He has contributed his expertise to top tech publications like PC World, Gizmodo, Business Insider, and Lifehacker Australia, where he also served as editor for five years. Chris holds a Bachelor of Communications in Journalism from the University of Western Sydney and is widely regarded as a trusted voice in the tech space.
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We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
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