WiFi Router of the Year: Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

Sure, we have plenty of excellent router choices in our Best Gaming Router Guide, with the latest features, including fast speeds, support for MU-MIMO, and have tested and proven Quality of Service (QoS) settings when it comes to gaming. However, when you want to choose the top end piece of gear, that makes no apologies and will take your network to truly the next level, then go with the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 Gaming WiFi Router.

The GT-AC5300 pushes the hardware to the max, comparing favorably to many computers of the last decade, with a 1.8 GHz 64-bit quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Then add an integrated eight port Ethernet switch with two of the ports dedicated to gaming traffic, support for dual WAN, and two high speed USB 3.0 ports. Of course the WiFi is tri-band with N1000/AC2167/AC2167 speeds, with the second 5GHz band specifically designated to prioritize gaming traffic. This router also has integrated security features from Trend Micro including Security Assessment and Malicious Site Blocking.

Gear of the Year

Check out the complete list of all of our award winners for 2017. (The list will be updated daily as the winners are announced.)

The GT-AC5300 also exhibits overkill when it comes to gaming. It includes the WTFast gaming private network integrated into the router. For gaming priority, in our network congestion testing, out of over a dozen routers tested, it delivered the game at the highest FPS and lowest latency, bar none, and also the video streams with the lowest video packet loss. Finally, this router can track both network ping and ping deviation over time, and has a Game Radar feature to select the best servers.

When it comes to choosing a router that is at the pinnacle of gaming performance, that you will not outgrow faster than a headshot in a first person shooter, the GT-AC5300 is the clear choice.