Sometimes it’s tough to get overly excited about a modern PC gaming setup. Take gaming routers for example. We all utilize them (yes, I know they’re technically more than just a router – there’s a switch and a wireless access point in the box, too), but they just sit on a shelf or on the floor somewhere, being poked at by bored cats. They just do what they’re supposed to do, and we rarely give them a second thought until, of course, they ruin the Steam download.
I had similar feelings until I recently reviewed three modern TP-Link devices: two mesh systems, the Deco BE68 and Deco BE25 BE5000, and the Archer BE9700. Using two Intel Core Ultra 200S gaming PCs to test their wireless performance, I was extremely impressed with how straightforward they were to set up, how ridiculously speedy they were to utilize, and, perhaps most importantly, how affordable they were compared to first-generation Wi-Fi 7 gaming routers.
Take the Archer BE9700. You can buy one of them for $200 at Best Buy. It’s really very little money for such an capable Wi-Fi 7 router. Heck, you can’t even buy a completely modern, half-decent graphics card for that amount of money.
As someone who has exclusively used an ISP-supplied router for the past decade, I was shocked at how much better the BE9700 was than my standard box. I’m not just talking about raw speed (downloading Steam at 1.1Gbps over Wi-Fi in my office was a real eye-opener), but how much better everyone the wireless network in my house worked on this router.
No stutters, no hiccups, just unrivaled connectivity anywhere in your home. Even non-Wi-Fi 7 devices were much happier with all the modern routers I tested.
So maybe it’s time for us to actually make more of a fuss about routers than we already do. Sure, they won’t turn your budget gaming PC into a glowing RTX 5090 monster, but they will make your digital life a little smoother and more enjoyable. It’s not news that would make headlines, but it’s still worth hearing.
Best Gaming Routers 2025
The best gaming routers
Best Overall/Best Wi-Fi 7
If you’re looking for the absolute pinnacle of networking goodness, TP-Link’s Archer GE800 is for you. Featuring the modern Wi-Fi 7 standard and an aesthetic that’s nothing brief of Dark Side chic, it’s the fastest, most feature-packed router you can buy today.
Read more
The best mid-range
You want all the latest Wi-Fi 7 features and great wireless performance, but without the hefty price tag. Then you need TP-Link’s Archer BE9700 because its capabilities are more than enough for most users’ needs, yet it costs significantly less than any high-end model.
Read more
The best budget
If you’re not a fan of the latest wireless standards, this Asus TUF router with 6 Wi-Fi ports will be all you need to transfer data on the network. It’s a quick and inexpensive solution, and you can do it Really do you need something more?
Read more
The best mesh
If you want to fill your home with speedy Wi-Fi 7 routers that are straightforward to set up and utilize, packed with all the latest features, and won’t break your bank account, then the TP-Link Deco BE68 will be the perfect choice. You can get faster mesh systems, but they are much more costly.
Read more
The best budget net
Mesh systems are very costly, right? Definitely not, and in the case of TP-Link Deco BE25, you can buy three nodes for the price of one established gaming router. Despite using Wi-Fi 7, you won’t get the 6 GHz band, but it will be more than enough for most users.
Read more
Preferably wired
Got a bunch of “stuff” that needs to be physically connected to your router, like a million IoT devices, each with its own controller, that inexplicably refuse to be restricted to Wi-Fi? We hear you, and so does Asus with the RT-BE88U.
Read more
The best Wi-Fi 6E
You need brand modern devices to really take advantage of all the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, but the 6E standard has a different level of performance compared to Wi-Fi 6, and TP-Link’s Archer AXE75 won’t break the bank because it’s the last generation.
Read more
