Best broadband for gaming: High speeds and low latency
Dan Howdle • January 9th, 2026
Two things are important when it comes to broadband for gamers: outright speed and latency. Happily, with the advent of Full Fibre, both of these things are tied to one another. Full Fibre offers both speed and very, very low latency. Here are the best gamer-friendly broadband deals available this week.
1. Virgin Media Gig1 Fibre Broadband
£140 Bill Credit • £30.99 per month • Zero upfront cost
Virgin Media’s top-of-the-line broadband package. It’s quite simply the fastest widely available broadband in the UK with blistering average download speeds of 1130Mbps and they're expanding their coverage all the time.
Gig1 Fibre Broadband
Fixed price until March 2026 bill
1.1Gb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£30.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
£140 bill credit, meaning no charge for the first four months, then month five is reduced.
2. Plusnet Full Fibre 900
£160 Reward Card • £32.99 per month • Zero upfront cost
Plusnet's top-of-the-range full fibre package. Expect average downloads of 900Mbps (even the guaranteed minimum is an incredible 500Mbps) from a package which for most will be one of the very fastest available.
Full Fibre 900
First month payable upfront
910Mb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£32.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
Once activated you'll receive claim information by email and must claim within 2 months, then activate within 3 months of it being issued.
Easily compare the best deals, providers and speeds where you live. It's free and takes less than a minute to check your postcode.
3. Sky Full Fibre Gigafast
£100 gift card • £34 per month • No upfront cost
Sky's Full Fibre Gigafast is Sky's absolute top-of-the-range package. It comes with the latest route and it offers incredibly fast download and upload speeds of 900Mbps and 100Mbps respectively. We think it’s probably too much for the average household but that said, if you can afford the comfort of such huge bandwidth, why not get it?
Full Fibre Gigafast
600Mbps speed guarantee£5 fee refunded to first bill
900Mb
Average speed
Pay as you go calls
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£34.00 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
You will be sent instructions on how to choose your Gift Card up to 120 days after your purchase. You will have 90 days to claim your Gift Card by sending it to your email or mobile phone.
4. Virgin Media Gig2 Fibre Broadband + Netflix
£49.99 per month • Zero upfront cost
Virgin Media Gig2 is the newest addition to Virgin's fibre broadband packages. Gig2 offers download speeds of 2Gbps with the option to add symmetrical upload speeds at extra cost. It is rather pricey, but then there are few other ways to get such speeds. Availability is also quite limited for now.
Gig2 Fibre Broadband + Netflix
Fixed price until March 2026 bill
2Gb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£49.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
Our expert advisors have access to special offers and can create a personalised package just for you. Give us a call!
Call 0330 221 9424Broadband deals for gamers – what to look for
If you play games online, the right broadband deal can make a huge difference to how smooth things feel, especially when it comes to speed, since the size of game downloads these days are no joke! But for gaming stability is also key: low latency and avoiding any annoying slowdowns at busy times. The good news is that many Full Fibre packages tick all the important boxes.
The best gamer-friendly deals tend to offer fast, consistent download speeds and ideally with no hidden catches. There are a few key things worth keeping an eye on, in fact:
- Low latency – Look for Full Fibre where possible, as it usually keeps ping times low and stable. If it's not available where you live, Virgin Media is the next best option
- Consistent speeds – A steady connection is more important than headline numbers, especially if more than one person in your home is gaming or streaming at the same time
- No upfront cost – You shouldn’t need to pay installation or activation fees on most gaming-capable packages
- Generous upload speeds – Handy for cloud saves, multiplayer hosting, sharing clips, streaming your gameplay or even hosting a game server
- Fixed-price period – A guaranteed monthly cost for 12–24 months means no surprise rises while you’re regining champion mid-season
- Good router or Wi-Fi kit – Some providers include better hardware that helps reduce lag and improve your in-home Wi-Fi stability
What speed do gamers actually need?
In the past a 30-40Mbps connection may have been good enough for online multiplayer (and still is), but these days game download sizes are ballooning to astronomical proportions, and online competitive play demands low latency and high stability. A modern AAA title can easily be 80-100GB or more. For example, recent Call Of Duty games have had install sizes of around 230GB at in some cases! That's insane, and on Standard Fibre, you're going to be waiting a very long time for that while hogging the entire household's broadband.
So, while you'll be fine with 100-150Mbps for gameplay and streaming, if you want to download fast, avoid waiting around, and handle multiple users or devices, you’ll want the fastest connection you can get – ideally Full Fibre at 500Mbps, 900Mbps or even 2Gbps levels. It’s about future-proofing and reducing downtime before your game begins, while at the same time not hogging the bandwidth of the entire household.
