Gaming broadband
You’re only as good as your internet connection when you’re gaming. Raid, race, battle and play like a boss with our lightning-fast broadband.
Enter your postcode to see what you can get:
Here's what you can get at your home
VIP access to The Cave with Priority
Just for having our broadband, you can enjoy free sessions in our exclusive gaming lounge at The O2. Use the Priority app to learn more about Gamepad and secure your spot for you and up to three of your crew.
You like in-game chat
Fast download and upload speeds make for a smoother and clearer voice chat experience. Handy for communicating tactics, strategising or simply hanging out with your fellow gamers in-real time.
You want to save download time
The faster your gaming broadband connection, the sooner you can set up your game, ready to play. Use our download time calculator to see how fast you can complete your game downloads, patches and upgrades on gaming WiFi speeds.
You’re a live streamer
The higher the quality of your gaming stream (HD, 4K), the more competitive your upload speed needs to be, especially if you’re sharing your home internet with others. Our gigabit broadband offers upload speeds three times faster than the UK’s average.
What should I consider when looking at broadband for gaming?
Look at the sustained speeds of the broadband package. Peak upload and download speeds are less important for smooth gameplay than having a consistent and stable connection.
- Download speeds affect how fast you can download games and updates, so consider speeds of at least 365Mbps or higher.
- Fast upload speeds are important for multiplayer games, streaming and sharing gameplay videos.
You want low ping. It’s how long it takes for you to send a packet of data from your device to the server and get it back again. Between 50 milliseconds and 100 milliseconds is good as there’s very little delay between your actions and the effect on the game.
Unlimited broadband plans are great for gamers to avoid extra usage charges. Gaming can use a lot of data, especially when you’re downloading large game updates, so the more generous your gaming broadband data allowance, the better.
Consider bundling broadband and TV, as you can sometimes make cost savings by taking more than one service from the same provider. Compare our various types of broadband packages to find what deal’s best for you and your gaming.
WiFi Max promises download speeds of at least 30Mbps in every room or £100 bill credit back. Coverage comes included with our Gig1 and Volt broadband deals, at no extra cost, which is why these are some of our best broadband packages for gaming. Or you can easily add the service to the rest of our deals for extra peace of mind.
If looking for new broadband has you re-thinking your gaming setup, you’ll want to know about O2 Recycle. Gamers like you are trading in consoles for cash and getting paid for unwanted PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch (OLED) and Xbox Series X. Why not check how much yours could be worth?
What gaming broadband speed is right for me?
The more gamers you have in your household, the faster you would want to go, especially if you play Virtual Reality games or live stream in high-quality 4K.
- M125 and M250 Broadband are ideal speeds for online gaming and live streaming on console or PC.
- M350 and M500 Broadband are great for live streaming and gaming, even in multi-player households.
- Play to the max with boss-level broadband. Gig1 offers our best speeds for gaming and powers even the busiest homes with reliable connections.
How gaming broadband could give you the edge
Level up your streaming
Superfast upload speeds give you reliable connectivity to broadcast live in HD directly to sites such as Twitch or YouTube Gaming.
Good reaction times
If you have high ping rate, your reaction time in the game could be longer than usual and that can mean the difference between winning or losing. Low latency broadband helps because there’s less of a delay.
No more blame game
You can play to your heart’s content knowing that there’s still plenty of bandwidth for the rest of the household to stream music and movies smoothly while you’re gaming.
We're award-winning!†
†Virgin Fibre areas only. Best Broadband Experience Award: GWS network award based on national tests Dec ’23-May ’24 comparing major UK providers’ average scores in respect of speed, reliability, latency, packet loss & video streaming. To verify, see https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/awards. User speed depends on broadband package choice.
FAQs
If you’re a single gamer living on your own, you may need a minimum gaming broadband speed of M125. If you live with others you’ll probably want to go faster, and by that we mean average speeds of at least 362Mbps for downloading and 36Mbps for uploading. Our M350, M500 and Gig1 Fibre Broadband speeds can power several devices at the same time and are great for gaming in a busy household.
An Ethernet cable will always provide the best possible broadband connection and gaming experience. We’d recommend the CAT9 type (or higher) for gaming consoles or any high-speed connected devices. Compared to using gaming WiFi, a physical connection is less likely to be affected by other factors in the home such as electrical noise or distance from the WiFi Hub.
How much data you need to download and play an online game varies. For example, voice-chatting on the Discord app or using patches might bump up your hourly usage. But really, gaming uses next to no broadband bandwidth compared to streaming and that’s good news for anyone wondering “What game should I play?” – take your pick!
Why not play around and see which times are best for you based on your gaming habits and preferences. You may have a smoother experience during off-peak hours, such as late morning or early afternoon on weekdays, when fewer players are online or using gaming WiFi due to being at work or school.
Online games such as first-person shooters, real-time strategy games and multiplayer online battle arenas feel more responsive and enjoyable to play on a fast, reliable gaming broadband.
- Less delay between your actions and the effect on the game – You can play with more precision on a fast connection, whereas a slow speed can cause lag in games.
- You can react quickly and instinctively to what’s happening – Fast gaming broadband with a low ping can help you see where you are on the map and what other gamers are up to in real-time.
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The legal stuff
*Monthly price of Virgin Media’s main services and O2 Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to any add-ons you may have selected, out-of-bundle charges or admin costs, which may increase separately. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details.
Virgin Media £50 bill credit: This offer is available to new Virgin Media customers ordering M500 Fibre Broadband online. This bill credit will be applied to your first bill. Any that’s left over will be applied to your following bills until it’s all used. This offer runs between 18th October and 11.59pm on 6th November 2024.
Virgin Media £75 bill credit: This offer is available to new Virgin Media customers ordering Gig1 Fibre Broadband online. This bill credit will be applied to your first bill. Any that’s left over will be applied to your following bills until it’s all used. This offer runs between 18th October and 11.59pm on 6th November 2024.
Virgin Media M500 Fibre Broadband: New customers only with existing O2 contract. Minimum term applies to your broadband service, check basket for details. M500 Fibre Broadband (average download speed 516Mbps). 18-month minimum term product: £32.99* a month for 18 months, then £72* a month thereafter. Offer ends 04/11/24. Monthly price will increase each April by Retail Index Price +3.9% Broadband only. If you cancel your service during your minimum term an early disconnection fee will apply. If you upgrade any aspect of the service, standard pricing will apply to that upgrade. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw or amend the pricing if you change any part of your package. Virgin Media reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer unless stated by Virgin Media. Eligible Virgin Fibre areas only. Virgin TV 360 and, for the time being, home phone is not available in new network expansion areas. Subject to survey, network capacity and a credit check. No set-up fee for self-install, Technician installation costs £30.
Virgin Media M500 Fibre Broadband (Speed Boost to Gig1) ‘Save £126’: achieved by £7 per month saving over 18 months compared to current price for Gig1 (Broadband Only) for non-O2 customers.
No setup fee
This promotion means you won’t pay the usual setup fee of £35. No setup fee is available on all bundles, broadband & phone, and broadband only packages. If you can set up using a Self-Install pack, but choose to use an engineer for the installation, you’ll still be charged £30 for this service.
These prices are for new customers only.
Virgin Media services are only available in eligible Virgin Media network areas. Virgin TV 360 and, for the time being, home phone are not available in new network expansion areas.
All of the products on this page are subject to survey, network capacity and a credit check.
Each service has a minimum contract length that’s shown in your basket.
If you take a bundle with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll have separate contracts and bills – one for Virgin Media, and another for O2.
- Offers are subject to eligibility and availability.
- Read the terms on the Priority app or at o2.co.uk/terms
Get fast, reliable WiFi gliding through every room or money back
Eligible Virgin Fibre areas only. WiFi Guarantee available with M50 broadband or faster. £8p/m extra or included with Gig1, Gig2 or Volt. At least 30Mbps download speeds in every room or £100 one-off credit. Up to 3 WiFi Pods if needed. Exclusions & legal stuff apply.
†To verify, see: https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/awards. Best Broadband Experience Award: GWS network award based on national tests Dec ’23-May ’24 comparing major UK providers’ average scores in respect of speed, reliability, latency, packet loss & video streaming. User speed depends on broadband package choice. Virgin Fibre areas only. Best Combined Connectivity Experience: based on GWS test results Dec '23-May '24 comparing data connectivity performance of major UK mobile operators and their associated ISP partners to form a combined score across both mobile network and WiFi experience. Best in Test: based on umlaut Fixed Broadband Benchmark 2023 comparing major UK ISPs on download speed, upload speed, latency and stability. Uswitch Most Popular Broadband Provider: based on Uswitch consumer research Dec 2022 - Jan 2023 conducted by Opinium comparing broadband sales volumes and overall customer satisfaction of major UK ISP operators, split equally to form a combined score.