Microsoft Edge claims to be the best browser for gamers. Opera GX was built specifically for gamers. Every Web developer I’ve ever met religiously uses Mozilla Firefox. Here, we compare them to see which browser is the best choice.
Microsoft Edge claims to be the best browser for gamers, in part due to its clarity boost feature. (Source: Microsoft)
Microsoft proudly claims on the product page for Microsoft Edge that it is the best browser for gamers. It offers a large array of perks and great performance, making it a solid choice for gamers. But, how does it shape up against other browsers, specifically for the gamer demographic? Let’s take a look.
Perks of Microsoft Edge
Everyone poked fun at Internet Explorer while it was still around—but the newer Microsoft Edge refuses to be on the receiving end of jokes. Edge outpaced other browsers in a JetStream 1.1 benchmark test by one industry reviewer. Edge is competitive in performance, but Microsoft offered these extra features to help give it a boost:
- Clarity boost, a feature that improves video stream quality and game graphics, which is fantastic for cloud gaming on the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
- Microsoft Edge Surf, a fun little offline minigame to pass the time while Internet is down, like the Chrome Dino game.
- Gaming home page to show Xbox news. Signing into an Xbox account will show additional information.
- Games menu, a page that helps gamers discover free new games and old classics.
- Efficiency mode, which reduces browser resources when a game is launched.
It’s easy to see why console gamers would go all-in with Microsoft. For anybody w“ho has Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the clarity boost to graphics would easily sway any gamers towards Edge. Surf and the home page are fun little add-ons, but improving game performance and cloud gaming easily make Edge a contender.
Opera GX
Opera leveled up their browser specifically for gamers in their new version, Opera GX. It offers a sleek UI, a home page dedicated to free games and good deals, and a dedicated tab for Discord, which is quickly becoming a popular communication platform for gamers. Also, there are a few features that are simple improvements, like a forced Dark mode and a built-in ad blocker.
Where Opera GX truly shines is its GX Control and Network limiter. Users limit the number of hardware resources used by the browser to focus on games. The Network limiter can free up browser bandwidth to be used for other tasks like downloading files.
Firefox
Mozilla’s Firefox is an open-source browser. That alone sets it apart from the crowd—Edge and Opera GX don’t make any of their code public. For gamers with a focus on privacy and knowing what the browser is doing, Firefox is a surefire choice.
Being the default option boosts Chrome’s and Safari’s usage, but many people have swapped to Firefox or Edge because they prefer it. (Source: StatCounter)
There are plenty of reasons the tech-savvy crowd jumped ships to Firefox. Gamers have, too, because Firefox is light on system memory. Essentially all other big browsers run on Chromium, which can eat through RAM like nothing when a lot of tabs are open. Firefox only uses four processes, regardless of tab numbers, keeping RAM usage down, which will make plenty of gamers happy.
The verdict
Microsoft Edge is the best browser for console gamers who are already using other Microsoft products. If I was an avid Xbox fan, I would jump ships. Having good performance and low RAM usage is important for gamers, but the clarity boost for cloud gaming is a fantastic feature for people with budget systems. Efficiency mode, combined with the clarity boost, makes Edge a fantastic browser for console gamers who want updates on their favorite games.
Hard-core gamers—the demographic who buys RTX 4090s—might still prefer Firefox. Edge and
Opera GX put up stiff competition, especially with how they offer users a way to limit RAM to improve game performance. But despite all their bells and whistles, these two browsers are still on Chromium. Firefox is the most resource-efficient browser, and users don’t need a dial to keep RAM usage low, as it already happens.
