The Best Gaming ISPs for Canada 2023

Throughput on an web connection is significant, nevertheless it isn’t all the things. In the case of a hair-trigger second in a recreation, it is the standard that counts. You want a connection that strikes packets within the shortest period of time (measured in milliseconds—that’s referred to as latency) and does so constantly (jitter is the consistency measure for latency).

Every year, we take these two numbers, supplied by a whole bunch of 1000’s of outcomes for our PCMag Speed Test(Opens in a new window), and calculate the typical of every for the ISPs. We add them to calculate the PCMag Gaming High quality Index—a single quantity that enables a direct comparability between the ISPs’ connection circumstances. The bottom rating wins, in contrast to our Fastest ISPs story by which the very best quantity wins. For comparability, we present each scores within the interactive charts under. Excessive pace doesn’t at all times imply prime quality.

The rule is that we should obtain at the least 100 accomplished exams from an ISP to incorporate it in our outcomes, no matter its location. (We additionally want 100 exams for a particular location, once we’re evaluating these.) The outcomes under come from 277,723 exams performed in Canada between December 1, 2021 and December 5, 2022. We break down the outcomes into two lists: one for the key suppliers (firms with at the least half one million clients throughout a number of provinces), and all of the ISPs, which incorporates each residential ISP that receives a minimal of 100 exams.

(For extra, together with our full methodology, learn The Best US Gaming ISPs for 2023.)

Canada’s Finest Gaming ISPs

For the seven years we have been doing this story, the crown for the Finest Gaming ISP in Canada has jumped from supplier to supplier. However this yr, each our main ISP winner and the highest placer for all ISPs in Canada are the identical as final yr. Within the main ISP class, Bell Canada was one of many first to crack 20 on our Gaming High quality Index, successful final yr with a rating of 19.9. This yr, it drops to a stellar 16.4.

Proper behind Bell is Telus, enhancing its second-place rating from 22.5 to 18.3 on its fiber community. Bell and Telus every escape DSL clients from fiber-optic clients in our reported knowledge. You’ll be able to see the standard of the DSL connections on the chart—and it isn’t dangerous, even in contrast with the cable firms. Rogers and different cable suppliers don’t escape the cable from the fiber geoIP knowledge utilized in our outcomes, although, so their scores are seemingly a mixture of applied sciences (Rogers, then again, does escape wi-fi clients).

That stated, Rogers jumps into third place although its Gaming High quality Index elevated a bit; it’s because Shaw Communications’ rating went up much more. With Cogeco enhancing some extent, Shaw pushes into fifth.

In all ISPs, Valley Fiber positioned second two years in the past with a rating of 8.9, received first place final yr with 5.9, and holds the spot once more this time round, regardless of inching again as much as 7.2.

Traditionally, for Finest Gaming ISP total, the report belongs to Beanfield Metroconnect, with its rating of three.3 in 2021. And for pace, it is nonetheless arduous to beat Beanfield (click on the Pace Index tab above to see). However for high quality, the latency-plus-jitter rating to beat is once more reserved for the Manitobans utilizing Valley Fiber.

New to the gaming-quality high 10 listing for all ISPs this yr are Lakeland Networks within the Muskoka District in Ontario, in second place with a rating of 13.5 (it additionally made the lower for Fastest ISPs this previous summer time), and MNSi Web, of Windsor, Ontario, in fourth place with 15.1. Swift can be new—it is a supplier bought in 2021 by the bigger Xplore (previously Xplorenet), which additionally seems in our outcomes however did not make the highest 10. Novus, a supplier for multi-dwelling items in Vancouver, nabbed second place final yr however dropped to ninth this yr.

It is at all times fascinating to notice that in Canada, some huge gamers—on this case, Bell Canada and Telus—can nonetheless rating properly sufficient for gaming high quality to make our listing, together with the smaller gamers. We don’t see that in the US.

The Finest Gaming High quality by Province

In Canada, we don’t obtain sufficient take a look at outcomes from probably the most distant provinces to incorporate them. (Sorry, Yukon Territory and Nunavut avid gamers.) However the extra closely populated provinces present loads. Three years in the past, the information pegged Newfoundland and Labrador as the very best with a 27.3 Gaming High quality Index. Final yr, the title went to Manitoba with a rating of 31.2, thanks largely to the take a look at scores supplied by Valley Fiber.

As we head into 2023, Manitoba slips to second place. On high is British Columbia, with 33.8.

The 2 firms pushing that common right down to a successful rating are Telus, which has a 19.1 index in BC, in addition to Novus, with 19.2.

That raises the query: Which ISPs are the very best in every province? Right here’s the interactive warmth map:

Bell Canada is the chief in 4 provinces, with Telus main within the two most southwestern provinces. Different are the beforehand talked about Valley Fiber (Manitoba) and Lakeland Networks (Ontario), in addition to a pair that don’t get loads of play in any other case—Eastlink, in Prince Edward Island, and Northwestel, within the Northwest Territories.

The Finest Gaming ISPs in Main Cities

On the lookout for a serious metro space that provides a top-notch connectivity expertise? We have ranked the 5 largest cities (by inhabitants) within the nation. You’ll be able to search by way of the listing within the desk under.

The best-quality ISP we see within the 5 metro areas is a stunner, a 3.2 Gaming High quality Index rating from the fiber customers of Bell Canada in Montreal.  Second-best is Telus’ fiber service in Edmonton at 13.4, the highest gaming ISP in that metropolis. Telus additionally takes Calgary, with a rating of 15.8. In Vancouver, the very best gaming connection is with Novus, with a rating of 18.6. Toronto, the most important metropolis within the nation, has a shocking Finest Gaming ISP: CIK Telecom steps up with a 20.9 on the Gaming High quality Index. Telus seems in 4 out of the 5 cities in our outcomes; the one different ISP in that many cities is Starlink satellite tv for pc, until you rely wi-fi service Bell Mobility.

Check Your Web Pace

All of the scores listed here are based mostly on measurements gathered by way of the PCMag Speed Test tool(Opens in a new window), which you’ll be able to check out under. For the very best outcomes, run it on a PC related by way of Ethernet. Make sure you disable your VPN and pause streaming on your own home community throughout testing. The take a look at offers us along with your geoIP location, ISP title, obtain pace, add pace, jitter, and latency.