What internet speed do I need for gaming?

By Alex Choros

Last updated 08 June 2022

Downloading new video games can be one of the most demanding things you can do with your internet connection, but what about online gaming? In this guide, we'll take a look at just how fast your connection needs to be for a great gaming experience.

What internet speed do I need for online gaming?

Online gaming requires less internet speed than you think. While different games have different speed requirements, most games can be played with 3Mbps of download and 3Mbps of upload.

For a reliable online gaming experience, NBN 12 plans could definitely be too slow for some games as they only have 1Mbps of upload. It’s worth remembering that NBN is a shared resource - every device in your home uses the same internet connection. If someone is uploading a file to Google Drive at the same time you're playing an online game, it could impact your performance. As such, we'd typically recommend an NBN 50 plan for gaming, at a minimum. These plans have 50Mbps of download and, more importantly, 20Mbps of upload, giving you a solid buffer.

Here's a selection of popular NBN 50 plans:

#1	Exetel	Exetel Extra-value nbn50 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months - $60.99/mth for first 6 months, then $79.99/mth. $60.99/mth Min. cost $60.99 Go to Site	$60.99/mth Min. cost $60.99	Go to Site
#2	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Value Plus NBN nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $23/mth off for the first 6 mths, $59.90/month for first 6 months, then $82.90/month + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Go to Site	$59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90	Go to Site
#3	Buddy Telco Editor's Pick	Buddy Telco Editor's Pick Value nbn - Unlimited nbn® 49/16 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $63/month for first 6 months, then $75/month. Use promo code BUDDY50. Offer ends 18.05.25 $63/mth Min. cost $63 Go to Site	$63/mth Min. cost $63	Go to Site
#4	TPG	TPG nbn50 Unlimited Plan nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get Price Beat Guarantee + $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth. T&Cs apply. $69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99 Go to Site	$69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99	Go to Site
#5	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Silver Unlimited nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $59.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $78.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Go to Site	$59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90	Go to Site
#6	iiNet	iiNet nbn50 Liimitless nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $15/mth off for 6 mths – $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth. Use code SAVE15FOR6. Ends 06.05.25 $69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99 Go to Site	$69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99	Go to Site
#7	Dodo	Dodo nbn50 Unlimited Plan nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data 12mths Deal: Incl. $15/mth discount for 12 months based on the standard price $83.90/mth. Ends 29.04.25. T&Cs apply. $68.90/mth Min. cost $68.90 Go to Site*	$68.90/mth Min. cost $68.90	Go to Site
#8	Superloop	Superloop Extra-value nbn50/20 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $14/mth off for 6 months! $67/mth for 6 mths, then $81/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $67/mth Min. cost $67 Go to Site	$67/mth Min. cost $67	Go to Site
#9	Telstra	Telstra Upfront Internet Plan Essential nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data $105/mth Min. cost $105 Link not supplied	$105/mth Min. cost $105	Link not supplied
#10	iPrimus	iPrimus Standard Plus nbn50 Plan nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data $84/mth Min. cost $84 Go to Site	$84/mth Min. cost $84	Go to Site

What internet speed do I need for downloading games?

While games don't necessarily require a high speed connection to play online, a faster plan can really help if you're downloading new games regularly. Many "blockbuster" titles regularly exceed 50GB, and there's a big difference between downloading 50GB on an NBN 50 plan and an NBN 1000 plan (if you're lucky enough to be able to get one).

Here's how long it would take to download a couple of popular games on NBN 50, NBN 100, NBN 250, and NBN 1000 plans, assuming you're getting your plan's maximum speeds.

What's the difference in download times?

How much of a difference does a faster NBN connection make to your download times? Below we've got a list of popular games you might download paired with how long it would take to download them on the fastest NBN speed tiers.

Game	NBN 50	NBN 100	NBN 250	NBN 1000
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (approx. 6.7GB)	19 min	9.5 min	4 min	57 sec
Fortnite (approx. 25GB)	1 hour, 14 min	37 min	15 min	3.5 min
Elden Ring (approx. 49GB)	2 hours, 20 min	1 hour, 10 min	28 min	7 min
Forza Horizon 5 (approx. 103GB)	4 hours, 55 min	2 hour, 27 min	59 min	15 min

And here's a selection of the fastest NBN 100 plans. Tap the dropdown menu to change speed tiers.

#1	Southern Phone	Southern Phone nbn Fast nbn® 100/19 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $24/mth off for 12 months! $65/mth for 12 months, then $89/mth. Offer ends 05.08.25 $65/mth Min. cost $65 Link not supplied	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Link not supplied
#2	SpinTel Editor's Pick	SpinTel Editor's Pick NBN Unlimited Premium 100 nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $16.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $65/mth for first 6 months, then $81.95/mth $65/mth Min. cost $65 Go to Site	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Go to Site
#3	Moose NBN	Moose NBN nbn 100/20 Elite nbn® 100/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months, then $84.80/month. Ends 30.06.25 $65.80/mth Min. cost $65.80 Link not supplied	$65.80/mth Min. cost $65.80	Link not supplied
#4	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Gold Unlimited nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $65.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $83.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90 Go to Site	$65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90	Go to Site
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Speedy NBN nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for the first 6 mths, $65.90/mth for first 6 months, then $85.90/mth + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90 Go to Site	$65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90	Go to Site
#6	Exetel	Exetel Family nbn100/20 nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months - $65.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth $65.99/mth Min. cost $65.99 Go to Site	$65.99/mth Min. cost $65.99	Go to Site
#7	amaysim	amaysim Unlimited nbn Fast As nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for first 6 months (Incl. Standard Intro Offer), $70/mth for first 6 months, then $90/mth. Ends 30.04.25 $70/mth Min. cost $70 Link not supplied	$70/mth Min. cost $70	Link not supplied
#8	Swoop	Swoop nbn® Home Fast nbn® 100/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $22/mth off for 6 months with code LOVE22, $72/mth for first 6 mths then $94/mth. Ends 30.04.25 $72/mth Min. cost $72 Link not supplied	$72/mth Min. cost $72	Link not supplied
#9	Dodo	Dodo nbn100 Unlimited Plan nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data 12mths Deal: Incl. $15/mth discount for 12 months based on the standard price $88.90/mth. Ends 29.04.25. T&Cs apply. $73.90/mth Min. cost $73.90 Go to Site*	$73.90/mth Min. cost $73.90	Go to Site
#10	Superloop	Superloop Family nbn100/20 nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $14/mth off 6 months! $75/mth for 6 mths, then $89/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $75/mth Min. cost $75 Go to Site	$75/mth Min. cost $75	Go to Site

Why do I get lag in my games?

Lag in online games is the more common term for a ping spike. Ping refers to the time it takes data to get from your computer and the game server. This is also referred to as latency, and is measured in milliseconds.

Broadly speaking, the speed of your internet connection doesn't impact your ping or cause lag spikes. The main exception to this is if your internet connection is slower than it needs to be for the game you're trying to play.

Connection type can also make a difference. As a rule of thumb, NBN plans will have a faster ping / lower latency than mobile broadband, 4G home internet, or 5G home internet plans. This shouldn't matter too much for casual gaming, however. Satellite internet has the highest latency of any connection type, and in some cases, might be too high for online gaming.

Otherwise, ping is often 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 ISP's international capacity.

However, many games do feature lag compensation to provide a more cohesive experience. Popular games often also have Australian servers, which results in a lower latency experience. Since you're connecting to another computer in Australia, you're able to do so faster than if you were trying to connect to a computer in the United States.

Your home network can also affect your gaming performance, but these problems tend to manifest as stability issues or drop-outs. If you've got an unstable internet connection, 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.

Optus and Telstra have NBN add-ons designed for gamers. Game Path by Optus and Game Optimiser by Telstra aim to reduce latency in much the same way, by identifying and using the fastest route between your connection and the server for online gaming.

Telstra Game Optimiser runs on its Smart Modem and therefore the benefits can suit any device you may be playing on. This does however mean you're stuck using Telstra's default modem.

On the other hand, Optus Game Path is a Windows 10 application so it will only benefit you if you're using a Windows 10 machine.

Both products are available for an additional $10 per month on top of your NBN plan with the respective providers.

MyRepublic also has gamer-focused plans that will cost you an extra $10 per month when compared to its standard options. The telco says these plans are optimised for gaming, and as such, will prioritise gaming traffic.

FAQ

Is NBN 50 good for gaming?

An NBN 50 plan is a reliable choice for online gaming - it's more than fast 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 plan can help if you're regularly downloading large new release titles. The vast majority of NBN plans are unlimited now, anyway.

Can I blame my internet connection for being bad at online gaming?

It's probably not the problem, but sure, you do you.

But really, can I blame the lag?

You do you.