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The top 10 broadband areas for gamers revealed
- Research by comparethemarket.com reveals the top and worst UK broadband spots for gamers
- Kingston Upon Hull ranks the highest for the top place to game, followed closely by Birmingham
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar in Scotland is in bottom place
It’s an exciting time for gamers at the moment. Not only did we see the release of FIFA 22 this month, but next month Call of Duty: Vanguard and the Battlefield 2042 are set to launch. For the 46.7million1 UK gamers to be able to enjoy these new games, they’ll need to have reliable broadband.
To find out which areas are the top to reside in for the best gaming connection, comparethemarket.com has republished its ‘Broadband Impact’ report to show where gamers are the most and least likely to be disrupted due to poor internet speeds*. First undertaken in May 2020, average download speeds (Mbps), superfast broadband availability, and households’ ability to receive decent broadband have been analysed to see how the results differ today.
The top 10 areas for gamers are as follows:
| Rank | Constituency | Region | Average speed (Mbps)
|
% able to receive superfast broadband | % unable to receive decent broadband | Combined gaming score |
| 1 | Kingston upon Hull East | Yorkshire and The Humber | 165.70
|
98.90%
|
0%
|
2.97
|
| 2 | Kingston upon Hull North | Yorkshire and The Humber | 163.00
|
98.00%
|
0.30%
|
2.90 |
| 3 | Birmingham, Hall Green | West Midlands | 160.90
|
97.80%
|
0.10%
|
2.89 |
| 4 | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | Yorkshire and The Humber | 156.40
|
98.60%
|
0.10%
|
2.88 |
| 5 | Birmingham, Hodge Hill | West Midlands | 146.40
|
99.50%
|
0.10%
|
2.84 |
| 6 | Welwyn Hatfield | East of England | 137.60
|
97.50%
|
0.10%
|
2.71 |
| 7 | Birmingham, Selly Oak | West Midlands | 150.50 | 96.60% | 1.00% | 2.69 |
| 7 | St Albans
|
East of England | 135.40
|
97.40%
|
0.10%
|
2.69 |
| 8 | York Outer
|
Yorkshire and The Humber | 146.70
|
94.50%
|
0.20%
|
2.68 |
| 9 | York Central | Yorkshire and The Humber | 147.40
|
93.80%
|
0.40%
|
2.64 |
| 10 | Birmingham, Yardley | West Midlands | 108.20 | 98.80% | 0.00% | 2.53 |
Overall, the region of Yorkshire and The Humber is leading the way, home to five of the top 10 areas for gamers. Looking at the difference in constituencies, Kingston upon Hull East, and North still claim the first and second spot as they did in May 2020. However, whilst Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle previously held the position as the third top area, the constituency has been knocked to fourth, with Birmingham, Hall Green now creeping its way into the top 10.
Looking at today’s worst areas for gamers, three locations in Scotland make up the top three spots. Na h-Eileanan an Iar is the worst place, with just 75.3% of people able to receive superfast broadband, and 10.8% unable to access decent broadband at all. Orkney and Shetland come in second, with only 67% able to receive superfast broadband, and 6.8% unable to access adequate broadband. Argyll and Bute rank third, with 8% unable to receive sufficient broadband.
Commenting, Mubina Pirmohamed, head of digital at comparethemarket, says: “If you’re an avid gamer, then you’ll know only too well that it doesn’t come cheap. Consoles and games can be expensive.
Want to know which other areas have been ranked as the worst for gamers? You can view a full breakdown of the top 10 spots here: https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/best-cities-in-england-for-gamers/
