If you’re a gamer, you probably tend to use your Internet browser not only for tasks, such as playing music or shopping online, but for watching gameplay videos or playing online. This list highlights a few gaming browsers that can make your gaming experience on Windows more rewarding.
Tip: need a new browser on your Mac? Check out the best Safari alternatives for Mac.
Content
- Why You Need a Gaming Browser
- 1. Best Overall: Opera GX
- 2. Best for Privacy: Brave
- 3. Best for Speed: Mozilla Firefox
- 4. Best for Features: Vivaldi
- 5. Best Lightweight: Wave Browser
- 6. Best Anti-Google: Iridium
- 7. Best for Cloud Gaming: Microsoft Edge
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why You Need a Gaming Browser
You may be comfortable using Google Chrome or Safari for all of your browsing needs. After all, they’re two of the most popular internet browsers. But as fast and seamless as they are, they’re not targeted toward gamers.
Gaming browsers are designed with features in mind that address issues typically encountered by gamers. Running out of system memory due to a RAM-hungry browser such as Chrome, or not being able to customize a browser, are just a few of them.
If you haven’t used one of the browsers in our list below, we encourage you to give them a try. You’ll better appreciate the many advantages they provide during your gaming sessions and general browsing.
Good to know: bored with Chrome? It could be time to ditch it for your new favorite browser, Arc.
1. Best Overall: Opera GX
Developed by the team behind the popular Opera browser, Opera GX is packed with features that will appeal to every gamer. It was one of the very first dedicated gaming browsers and still remains a favorite. It lets you stay connected, even while you’re immersed in gaming, via integrated apps, such as Facebook, Telegram, Twitch, Discord, and Spotify. It also packs options to transfer files between your computer and phone with Flow and cleans up your browser with GX Cleaner – both of which are super handy.
Being a gaming-focused browser, it lets users stay on top of upcoming game releases and the best deals in the GX Corner. You can also limit CPU, RAM, and network usage for uninterrupted gaming. In addition to having a built-in VPN and ad blocking, it allows unlimited visual and audio customization while supporting Corsair iCUE, Logitech Lightsync, and more for RGB integration.
Good to know: not much of a gamer? Find out the best option for non-gamers: Opera GX or Chrome.
2. Best for Privacy: Brave
For gamers, Brave is a great option, due to its speed and protection from malware. The advertising model, based on BAT rewards and the native crypto wallet, can further raise its appeal to some gamers and crypto enthusiasts. Brave offers many more features that may just make it your new favorite browser.
Besides the highlight, which is the out-of-the-box protection from third-party ads, cookies, and trackers, Brave has built-in onion routing and custom filter lists for enhanced privacy. Gamers using Chrome may feel right at home, as Brave is built on a Chromium base. You get all the features and functionality of Chrome without the disadvantages. There’s also a built-in firewall and VPN for getting around annoying geo-restricted sites.
Tip: struggling with resource-heavy browsers? Check out the best lightweight browsers for Windows.
3. Best for Speed: Mozilla Firefox
Despite not being designed exclusively as a gaming browser, Mozilla Firefox has much to offer to gamers who prefer speed, privacy, and customization above all else. Plus, the huge list of Firefox add-ons and plugins further extends its functionality. Firefox’s WebRender uses your GPU to render tabs faster, improving your overall experience.
Besides speed, privacy is another big pillar when it comes to Firefox, thanks to built-in blocking of third-party trackers and cookies. The UI is customizable, and the available extensions offer limitless functionality. Firefox View allows you to browse seamlessly across multiple devices. There’s also a pop-out video player for media playback while you’re gaming.
Tip: Firefox dragging your system down? Learn how to reduce Firefox memory or CPU usage.
4. Best for Features: Vivaldi
Vivaldi offers gamers plenty of multitasking and resource management to be considered a worthy alternative, and is targeted toward more tech-savvy users. Consequently, gamers will find many of its features useful, especially the ones that enable multitasking and customization. For instance, Vivaldi has three distinct modes: Essentials, Classic, and Fully Loaded, each targeting a distinct type of use. The first option could prove to be the most useful for gamers, providing a bare-bones browser environment that’s perfect for online gaming sessions.
Vivaldi also offers features like tab hibernation, tab stacking, tab grouping, split-screen in a single tab, note-taking, and translation, that make it different from many others on this list. There are many themes to choose from, and you can make your own, too. It has built-in blocking for trackers and ads and provides a pop-out video feature as well. For Razer fans, Razer Chroma integration is available for more immersion. Based on Chromium, it also has access to many familiar extensions.
Tip: get rid of annoying cookies consent pop-ups in your browser with these tools.
5. Best Lightweight: Wave Browser
You may not have heard about the Wave browser, but it’s one of the most lightweight and fastest web browsers. The Wave browser prioritizes resource optimization and productivity above all else – things gamers would find incredibly useful. There’s also a built-in ad blocker, so you don’t need to install additional extensions. Based on Chromium, Wave might not be the fastest, but it’s right up there among the best.
One of the biggest highlights of this browser is the split-screen feature that could allow you to view a Twitch stream and chat windows together. All of your social apps, like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, are quickly accessible in the sidebar. Other nifty features, like PDF annotation, file conversion, and note-taking add up to make the browser quite versatile for gamers, as well as non-gamers.
6. Best Anti-Google: Iridium
If you’ve had enough of sharing your data with Google, Iridium could be your next browser. It’s an attempt by a German team to remove much of Google’s overreach from your web browsing. Even though it’s based on Chromium, it implements a host of transparency and privacy features to keep your data secure. Being devoid of almost all Google services, it’s also faster than Chrome.
Iridium boots in an instant to a blank-looking page. It might seem empty, but the minimalist interface keeps it light on your resources. Both RAM usage and CPU usage remain pretty low, even if you open multiple tabs. Iridium can be termed “Chrome-lite,” but due to the lack of integration with Google services, you can’t sync your browser history or save your login information for different sites.
Good to know: need to be assured of online safety? These are the best Chrome security and privacy extensions to stay safe online.
7. Best for Cloud Gaming: Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge may not come to your mind when you think of a gaming browser, but there are some real benefits. Besides the obvious benefits of being built right into Windows, Edge is one of the most lightweight and snappy browsers you’ll ever use. Compared to Chrome or Brave, it just runs smoother and faster. The Copilot features may or may not interest you, but there’s a lot more here than meets the eye.
Another highlight is Clarity Boost, which enhances the clarity of games when you’re using Xbox Cloud Gaming in the browser. Online game streaming is prone to network issues and artifacts, so having this feature really helps. There’s also an option for gamers to enable a dedicated gaming homepage for gaming-related news and information about upcoming releases and esports tournaments.
Tip: need a browser for your Linux PC? Check out the best web browsers for Linux.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do browsers use so much RAM?
Modern internet browsers with more features than ever need all the CPU bandwidth and RAM they can get to provide a great user experience. This often ends up consuming too much memory and, in fact, hurts the experience on relatively lower-spec machines. Some of the methods that fix high memory usage can help you reduce browser memory usage.
Which browser uses the least RAM?
It may come as a surprise that Microsoft Edge uses the least amount of memory, leaving even lightweight browsers like Brave behind. You can quickly check how much RAM your browser is using by opening the Processes tab in Task Manager.
Which browser is the most battery-efficient?
If you’re a laptop gamer, your best bet is using Microsoft Edge. Keep reading for more tips on how to make your laptop’s battery last longer while gaming.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Tanveer Singh.
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Tanveer Singh
After a 7-year corporate stint, Tanveer found his love for writing and tech too much to resist. An MBA in Marketing and the owner of a PC building business, he writes on PC hardware, technology, video games, and Windows. When not scouring the web for ideas, he can be found building PCs, watching anime, or playing Smash Karts on his RTX 3080 (sigh).
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