Gaming broadband

Here at Top 10 Broadband, we realise that online gamers need three things from their ISP: broadband compatible with their console, fast broadband to make the experience as slick as possible and high or no-limit monthly downloads.

The following broadband ISPs are ideal for gamers.

Sort packages by: All packages Bestsellers		Speed	Downloads	Contract	Monthly cost
#1	PlusNet Pro for Gaming Gaming traffic prioritised. Free line rental, wireless router, off-peak calls & static IP More info…	up to 8Mb	15Gb	12months	£9.99 (first 3 months) Sign up »
2	O2 Broadband Standard Free wireless router. Discounted for all existing O2 customers More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£7.50 (£12.50 for non-O2 customers) Sign up »
3	Tiscali Option 1 Free wireless router, connection & weekend calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£4.49 (first 3 months) Sign up »
4	TalkTalk Global Off-Peak Inclusive broadband & off-peak calls. Sign up on 0800 049 7864 More info…	up to 8Mb	40Gb	18months	£3.25 (first 3 months, line rental £10.50) Sign up »
5	Virgin Media M Phone (Cable) Fibre optic broadband with free weekend calls, modem & PCguard More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£4.50 (landline £11) Sign up »
6	AOL Broadband Wireless Off-Peak Free wireless router & off-peak calls. Sign up on 0800 049 1283 More info…	up to 8Mb	10Gb	18months	£4.99 (for 3 months, price can vary on area) Sign up »
7	Be Unlimited Free wireless modem, static IP & technical support More info…	up to 24Mb	Unlimited	3months	£18.00 Sign up »
8	BT Option 1 Free off-peak UK calls. Optional on-demand digital TV (BT Vision) More info…	up to 8Mb	10Gb	18months	£7.95 (first 3 months) Sign up »
9	O2 Broadband Premium Free wireless router. Discounted for all existing O2 customers More info…	up to 16Mb	Unlimited	12months	£10.00 (£15 for non-O2 customers) Sign up »
10	Virgin Media M (Cable) Fibre optic broadband with a free modem & PCGuard. Landline not required More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£9.00 Sign up »
11	PlusNet Option 1 Free line rental, modem, off-peak calls, VoIP & overnight usage More info…	up to 8Mb	1Gb	12months	£4.99 (first 3 months) Sign up »
12	AOL Broadband Wireless Flexi Off-Peak Free wireless router & off-peak calls. No minimum contract. Sign up on 0800 049 1283 More info…	up to 8Mb	10Gb	1month	£4.99 (first 3 months, price can vary on area) Sign up »
13	Tiscali Talk 1 Free line rental, wireless router & weekend calls More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	12months	£9.99 (first 3 months) Sign up »
14	Virgin Media L Phone (Cable) Fibre optic broadband with free wireless router & weekend calls More info…	up to 10Mb	Unlimited	12months	£8.00 (first 6 months, £11 line rental) Sign up »
15	BT Option 2 Free wireless HomeHub & off-peak UK calls. Optional BT Vision & free TV recorder More info…	up to 8Mb	15Gb	18months	£13.99 (for 3 months) Sign up »
16	Eclipse Home Lite Free to switch & free static IP More info…	up to 8Mb	1Gb	18months	£9.95 (first 3 months) Sign up »
17	Virgin Media XL Phone (Cable) Fibre optic broadband with free wireless router & weekend calls More info…	up to 20Mb	Unlimited	12months	£10.00 (first 6 months, £11 line rental) Sign up »
18	O2 Broadband Ultimate Free wireless router. Discounted for all existing O2 customers More info…	up to 20Mb	Unlimited	12months	£15.00 (£20 for non-O2 customers) Sign up »
19	TalkTalk UK Weekend Free weekend calls to UK landlines. Sign up on 0800 049 7864 More info…	up to 8Mb	40Gb	18months	£4.99 (line rental £10.50) Sign up »
20	BT Option 3 Free wireless HomeHub, HubPhone & off-peak UK calls. Optional BT Vision & free TV recorder More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	18months	£15.99 (for 3 months) Sign up »
21	Orange Home Select Free wireless modem, calls to UK landlines & 30 countries More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	18months	£10.00 (first 3 months) Sign up »
22	Orange Home Max Free line rental, free calls, VoIP & wireless LiveBox modem More info…	up to 8Mb	Unlimited	18months	£12.00 (first 3 months) Sign up »
23	UK Online Lite 33:1 contention ratio & free email address More info…	up to 2Mb	Unlimited	12months	£14.99 Sign up »
24	Virgin Media XL (Cable) Fibre optic broadband with free wireless router. Landline not required More info…	up to 20Mb	Unlimited	12months	£26.00 Sign up »
25	Virgin Media L (Cable) Fibre optic broadband with free wireless router. Landline not required More info…	up to 10Mb	Unlimited	12months	£16.00 Sign up »

Gaming broadband explained

Although still a relatively small sector of the videogame industry, internet gaming is increasing in popularity exponentially, and it has never been easier to get involved. This guide will take you through a few things to take in consideration if you decide that you want to start gaming on the internet.

Factors to consider:

Speed- obviously you are looking for as fast a connection as possible.
Download allowance- download limits are soon reached when gaming intensively, so if you‘re a high internet user you might prefer an unlimited package.
Avoid ISPs that use datastream- such as Tiscali and Bulldog as the internet speed slows down as the telephone exchange becomes busier with datastream.

What platform do you want to play on?

PC - Connecting to the internet is simple enough.
PSP, PS3, Wii or DS- Pretty simple to connect too and these three have wireless capability - just make sure your wireless router is compatible.
Xbox 360- You're going to need to buy a wireless adapter, or connect directly to a modem.
Playstation 2, or Xbox, or older- You may have to buy additional hardware such as a network adaptor.

Note: - Some internet games require subscription payments even after you have bought the game. Mostly these are MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) such as the very popular World of Warcraft, this is because when you play these games you involve yourself in a community that needs maintenance, hence the subscription.

However if you just want to race someone on the other side of the world on Mario Kart DS, then your DS will connect immediately through a wireless network straight out of the box.