If you're gaming regularly and looking for a new internet plan, you'll want to prioritise speed and reliability for things like downloads and online play. Here's everything you need to know about locking in the best NBN plan for the gamer in your life.
What should you look for in an NBN plan for gaming?
While there's no single best NBN plan for gaming, you'll want to account for things like price and speed. You should get a good gaming experience with the vast majority of telcos on the market, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Price
Sometimes you just want a cheap internet plan, rather than a fancy one. Aussie Broadband, Exetel, iiNet, SpinTel, Superloop, Swoop, Telstra, and TPG are a few of our top picks for NBN providers for gaming (in alphabetical order).
Compare the cheapest plans from these providers across speed tiers below:
Note: NBN 500 plans are only available to those with a HFC or FTTP connection.
Note: NBN 750 plans are only available to those with a HFC or FTTP connection.
Note: NBN 1000 plans are only available to those with an HFC or FTTP connection.
Note: NBN 2000 plans are only available to those with an HFC or FTTP connection.
Speed
For gamers, the biggest benefit of a faster internet connection is improved speeds while you're downloading or updating games. This is particularly useful when you're staring down the barrel at a 50GB plus download.
On an average ADSL2+ connection, it used to take 12 or so hours to download a 50GB game. On an NBN 100 plan, this drops to just over an hour. If you're on an HFC or FTTP connection with an NBN 500 plan, you're looking at under 15 minutes for the same download. On an NBN 1000 plan, you might be able to download a game as quickly as seven minutes.
However, not all NBN plans are equal. Because NBN providers buy network capacity from NBN Co peak hour speeds can vary between them. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) requires NBN providers to disclose the speed you'll actually get if you sign up with them. This is called a typical evening speed, and they refer to the speeds you can reasonably expect to get in peak hours - between 7pm and 11pm.
There are factors that can affect what speeds you’re able to get. These include the technology you're using to connect to the NBN, the hardware in your home, and abnormally high usage in your area.
If you're still on an FTTC or FTTN connection, you're likely eligible for a free upgrade to FTTP. This can be triggered by ordering an NBN 500 plan or faster from an eligible provider. In addition to offering faster speeds, FTTP also tends to be more reliable, which can help when gaming online. Read more about requesting a free FTTP upgrade here.
Here are the providers offering the fastest typical evening speeds on NBN plans.
Note: NBN 750 plans are only available to those with a HFC or FTTP connection.
Note: NBN 500, NBN 750, NBN 1000 and NBN 2000 plans are only available to those with an HFC or FTTP connection.
Note: NBN 500, NBN 750, NBN 1000 and NBN 2000 plans are only available to those with an HFC or FTTP connection.
Reliability
How often your ISP deals with outages can affect your gaming performance, which is why it's important to pick a reliable provider.
No one wants an internet connection that drops out, but it's difficult to gauge how reliable a provider is. Thankfully, each quarter, the ACCC tracks and reports outages that last over 30 seconds for 10 providers.
The average daily rate of outages on NBN plans was 0.33 outages per day. The ACCC said that 96% of households experienced less than one outage a day. 69% of outages didn't last longer than three minutes, and as such, they were less likely to have had a big impact on most users.
Here's how providers
featured in the report stacked up:
| Provider | % of households that experienced no outages |
|---|---|
| iiNet | 49% |
| Superloop | 43% |
| Aussie Broadband | 38% |
| Exetel | 41% |
| Dodo | 33% |
| iPrimus | 33% |
| TPG | 38% |
| Telstra | 59% |
| Optus | 61% |
| Leaptel | 64% |
Latency
Latency is the most important metric when it comes to online gaming performance. Latency, also known as ping, refers to the time it takes your computer to talk to the game server. The lower your latency, the smoother your gameplay experience.
Unfortunately, ping is often largely out of your control. It will depend on your distance to your local exchange or node, where the server you're connecting to is based, how your ISP routes traffic around the world, and your provider's international capacity.
Playing games with Australian servers may reduce ping. Many games already feature lag compensation to provide a better experience but selecting an Australian server will help reduce ping further. After all, it's faster for you to connect to another computer within Australia rather than one based in the US.
Upgrading to a faster internet connection will have a negligible effect on your ping. While it can mean a faster connection between your computer and your provider's network, you're still relying on your provider's network for the connection to the game's server.
That being said, the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Report looks at providers with the fastest latency for fixed-line NBN plans. Here's how they stacked up in the most recent report:
| Provider | All Hours | Busy Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Exetel | 6.9ms | 7.1ms |
| Leaptel | 7.4ms | 7.5ms |
| Superloop | 8.4ms | 8.5ms |
| Optus | 9.4ms | 9.5ms |
| TPG | 9.8ms | 10.4ms |
| Telstra | 9.7ms | 9.9ms |
| Aussie Broadband | 9.8ms | 10.1ms |
| Dodo | 9.9ms | 10.1ms |
| iPrimus | 9.9ms | 10.1ms |
| iiNet | 11.6ms | 11.6ms |
It's worth highlighting the scale of the ACCC's testing. The last report with latency data came from a month-long testing period spanning March 2026.
If your latency seems unusually high, the problem can often be boiled down to one of three factors: a poor-quality line connecting you to the exchange or node, a dodgy modem, or poor WiFi.
We go into solutions for stabilising your home network in our guide to whether you need a new modem or not.
What are the best NBN plans and providers for gaming?
Few internet providers in Australia offer add-ons and other services specifically for gamers, like Telstra's gaming geo-filter and network priority feature and Aussie Broadband's real-time network data.
Telstra
Telstra's Internet Optimiser is a free addition to Telstra's NBN plans, but you'll need one of Telstra's modems, like the Smart Modem 4, to use it. This modem needs to have been bundled with the plan, rather than added seperately to one of Telstra's internet-only plans.
Internet Optimiser enables features like networking monitoring, and blocking certain devices, but it also has some features that can help gamers.
- Gaming geo-filter: Select the region you want to connect to for better response times. Filter out servers that might be too far from your home.
- Network priority: Prioritise online activities, including gaming, browsing or streaming.
Existing Telstra NBN customers can activate Internet Optimiser via the My Telstra app and then adjust it to put online gaming first. Telstra's NBN 1000 customers can't use Internet Optimiser.
These Telstra NBN plans work with Internet Optimiser:
Telstra NBN plans don't have CGNAT, and customers can get a static IP for $10 per month. These aren't necessary for gaming, but can be helpful if you want to host your own gaming servers.
Aussie Broadband
Rather than providing add-ons or tools, Aussie Broadband highlights a focus on gaming optimisation as a part of its day-to-day operations. Aussie offers:
- Access to real-time network data, including ping times
- International links so you're routed as directly as possible to minimise latency
- Direct links with Steam and Twitch, so you spend less time installing any updates
Here are Aussie Broadband's NBN plans:
|
#1
|
Aussie Broadband
All Fixed Line nbn®
$70/mth
Min. cost $70
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP, HFC
$79/mth
Min. cost $79
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
$79/mth
Min. cost $79
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP
$114/mth
Min. cost $114
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
$114/mth
Min. cost $114
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP, HFC
$119/mth
Min. cost $119
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP, HFC
$129/mth
Min. cost $129
Link not supplied
|
|
#8
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP
$136/mth
Min. cost $136
Link not supplied
|
|
#9
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP
$160/mth
Min. cost $160
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
Aussie Broadband
FTTP
$189/mth
Min. cost $189
Link not supplied
|
Aussie Broadband customers can opt out of CGNAT for free, and get a static IP for $5 per month. These aren't necessary for gaming, but can be helpful if you want to host your own gaming servers.
How much data do you need for gaming?
Most NBN plans are unlimited, so you won't have to worry about running out of data, per se. However, like unlimited mobile plans, you've only got a certain amount of data (your download allowance) to play with before you're dropped down to a lower speed.
If you're buying more than one game a month, you'll need to ensure you have a decent monthly download allowance - especially if you're purchasing titles digitally. The majority of new "blockbuster" titles now measure in over the 50GB mark, at least when it comes to PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. Elden Ring is 60GB, God of War Ragnarok clocks in at 80GB, while Forza Horizon 6 is a whopping 145GB.
Of course, your download needs will vary depending on what kind of gamer you are. If you own an original Nintendo Switch, most digital downloads are smaller than 10GB. Nintendo Switch 2 games are a little larger; Mario Kart World is just under 25GB, for example. Indie games and titles for iPhone, iPad and Android often measure in at under 1GB, but some can be a bit larger these days.
If you're the kind of person who just plays a single game non-stop - say Dota 2, Fortnite, or Overwatch - you'll only have to worry about keeping one game up to date. Playing games online uses data too, but a comparatively small amount. In a title like Overwatch, you can expect to use around 135MB in an hour. Others can require a larger amount. See our guide on how much data you need for gaming to learn more.
According to recent data from Steam, here's the average download rate for Steam clients on popular providers. While the average download rate sits at 110.5 Mbps, certain providers (like Superloop) go above and beyond at 166.7Mbps.
| Provider | Average Download Rate |
|---|---|
| Telstra | 92.9 Mbps |
| Aussie Broadband | 143.2 Mbps |
| TPG | 109.3 Mbps |
| Optus | 96.3 Mbps |
| Superloop | 166.7 Mbps |
| Starlink | 106.8 Mbps |
| Vocus | 79.8 Mbps |
| Origin | 105 Mbps |
| Leaptel | 185.2 Mbps |
| Exetel | 126.1 Mbps |
Internet and gaming FAQs
Do I need a static IP for gaming?
You don't need a static IP for gaming. A static IP can be helpful if you're trying to host your own server, however.
Is NBN 25 enough for gaming?
An NBN 25 is the minimum speed tier you'd need for online gaming. However, it would be best suited for a single-person household.
Is NBN 50 good for gaming?
An NBN 50 plan is a reliable choice for online gaming - it's more than fast enough to play games online, and you'll still be able to download updates and patches at a reasonably fast speed.
Do I need an unlimited data internet plan for gaming?
Online gaming isn't very data-demanding, but an unlimited internet plan can help if you're regularly downloading large new-release titles. Most NBN plans are unlimited now, anyway.
What equipment do I need for gaming online?
If you haven't upgraded your modem or router for a while, there's a chance you may need networking hardware to get the maximum speeds your plan is capable of, especially if you're looking at NBN 500 or faster.
WiFi 5 may be fast enough for NBN 1000 speeds, but if you're buying a new device, you'll want WiFi 6 at a minimum. There are now also plenty of affordable WiFi 7 routers on the market. If you're still using a WiFi 4 modem or router (also known as WiFi 802.11n), you'll definitely want to upgrade.
Alex Choros
Thousands of internet plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.
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