Online gaming has never been more popular than it is nowadays. According to research compiled by Limelight Networks, online video gamers in the United States spend an average of 7+ hours playing games each week. Whether you are playing an online board game, fighting to survive in a team death-match, or racing to win the first spot on a track, you always need a high-speed internet connection that delivers minimum latency rate and consistent speeds. This brings us to the topic at hand, which internet provider offers the best internet plan for online gaming. If you are looking to subscribe to a high-speed internet service that optimizes your gameplay, then you have come to the right place because, in this guide, we will list all the top-performing providers for online gaming. So, without further ado, let us get started.
Top Internet Providers for Online Gaming 2021
- Charter Spectrum
- Frontier
- Comcast Xfinity
- Optimum
What is Latency and Ping Rate?
Being an avid gamer, latency is probably your biggest concern when it comes to choosing an internet provider. Latency is the time it takes for your internet connection to send data to the game server. Ping, on the other hand, is the reaction time of the server for the data you sent. So, the lower the latency and ping rate, the better the graphics and the gameplay. Latency and ping play a major role in fast-paced online games such as Burnout Revenge and Call of Duty.
-
Charter Spectrum
Spectrum earned the No. 1 spot for online gaming. The company offers amazing internet speeds to uphold your gameplay in HD resolution. The best part is that all Spectrum internet packages come with unlimited data, which means that you are free to play as many games as you like without keeping track of your internet usage. The basic internet plan by Spectrum delivers 100 Mbps of download speeds and starts at $49.99 per month. Nevertheless, the fastest internet plan, popularly known as Spectrum Internet Gig, transmits ultra-high internet speeds that go up to 940 Mbps, which is enough to support any online game. In addition to this, when you subscribe to one of Spectrum internet plans, you get to enjoy free access to its nationwide hotspots so that you can play games even when you are commuting. Although Spectrum internet delivers a moderately high latency rate of 22 milliseconds, the provider is widely available in the country to suit the needs of most households with gamers.
-
Frontier
Frontier ranks second in the list of top internet providers for online gaming 2021. The company is known for providing more playtime and significantly less buffering. According to the FCC, Frontier is the only ISP that exhibits extremely low latency, which is 9.0 milliseconds. This means that with Frontier, you will definitely experience smooth gameplay without any interruptions. Frontier internet plans start from $24.99 per month and go up to $74.99 per month. The fastest internet plan by this provider offers speeds that can go up to 940 Mbps. However, one drawback of Frontier is its unavailability in every state and region. The company is currently offering its incredible internet service in 33 states but it will certainly expand to more districts in the upcoming years.
-
Comcast Xfinity
Xfinity by Comcast is the third-best cable and fiber internet provider for online gaming. Internet speeds by Xfinity can go up to 2000 Mbps, which is more than enough to power all your online gaming as well as other activities. Xfinity internet plans have a latency rate of 18 milliseconds and the provider’s internet plans range between a price bracket of $30 to $300+. Unfortunately, like most internet providers, Xfinity also limits its data usage to 1200 MBs, which means that you will have to purchase additional data once you reach your monthly data cap.
-
Optimum
Optimum rests at the fourth-best position on the list of top internet providers of 2021. The company uses a Hybrid Fiber Coaxial infrastructure to deliver its internet service with as low latency as 15 milliseconds. Under this particular system, internet data is transmitted to the end-users through fiber-optic lines and it automatically switches over to cable wires where fiber internet is not available. This way, users get to enjoy an uninterrupted high-speed internet facility with consistent speeds and low latency rates. Moreover, Optimum does not cap its internet usage allowing users to consume as much data as they like. In addition to this, the provider promotes a no-contract policy, which means that users are free to cancel their subscription any time they want without having the need to pay an early termination fee.
Final Words
These are the best internet service providers for online gaming. Make sure to check the provider’s availability in your area before comparing their plans. That is all for today, stay tuned for more insightful updates.
