What the heck is a gaming browser, and do you need one?

Even some of the most elite gamers haven’t heard of the term “gaming browser.” That’s mostly because there’s only one true gaming browser in the market today: Opera GX. Even so, most browsers can be set up specifically to accentuate your gaming experience.

But is it worth going to all that trouble? Why not just jump on the bandwagon and use Google Chrome instead? Here I unpack why you might want to take the plunge on an alternative…

Benefits of using a gaming browser

A simple glimpse of the features available in Opera GX makes it clear that it’s no ordinary browser designed to just surf the web. Sure, it has a search engine, but it also has a comprehensive list of features made especially to enhance your gaming experience, be they hardware or software tools.

While other browsers like Firefox, Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Coowon lack Opera GX’s level of control for hardware optimization, they too can give you better access to your games and more personalization and privacy than Google Chrome. Plus, they use a lot less of your CPU and RAM (usually less than 10 percent) — Google Chrome by comparison is notoriously resource heavy, often tying down 40 to 50 percent of your CPU and RAM.

Better hardware performance

Squeezing every ounce of performance out of your hardware can make a big difference to how smoothly your games run and that can equate to better gaming performance.

While you may not have the most ripped hardware in town, you still want to get as much bang for your buck by optimizing what you have.

Amongst browsers, Opera GX rules the roost for hardware optimization. It’s relatively lightweight, taking up only about 6 percent of your CPU’s capacity. Limiting your CPU cores through the browser can reduce that even further. You can also limit the RAM and network usage, thereby directing these critical resources to where they count the most — your games.

Restricting the RAM usage for minimal background tasks and open tabs can deliver an 80 percent reduction in RAM usage according to Opera GX parent company, Opera Norway. That’s a saving that can have a big impact on your performance.

Better access to games, apps, and news

Getting quick access to your games, gaming news, and gaming apps can save you tons of time searching for and locating these things.

Opera GX Corner allows you to download and play games directly from the browser, while also providing gaming news snippets and a calendar that you can use to keep on top of upcoming releases. It also has a sidebar for your Discord chats and Twitch stream. You also have access to a video pop-up window, messenger, and pinboard.

Other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Coowon also fare well in this regard with plenty of gaming-specific extensions and add-ons to elevate your gaming experience.

The Firefox Steam Web Integration extension, for example, allows you integrate into your browser a whole lot of information from Steam, like wishlists and trading cards, without having to look it up manually (as described below).

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Another extension, SteamDB, gives you quick and easy access to the Steam database to analyze trending games and other useful statistics.

Microsoft Edge has a dedicated gaming homepage with plenty of gaming news as well as videos and information about upcoming esports tournaments. There’s no doubt this browser is the best option if you intend on playing Xbox Game Pass in Windows, since it’s made to work for that.

Microsoft Edge also has a great feature called Clarity Boost which improves clarity in games. Like the Safari browser on Apple devices, Edge also supports 4K projection for games and surround sound too.

Deeper personalization

If you’re anything like me, you’re going to want to personalize your browser to look and feel like it’s an extension of your gaming den.

Opera GX’s default theme is already deeply gamified, but you can add your own touches, choosing among a range of themes and colors. There’s also Dark Mode which makes using the browser in dim light a whole lot easier on the eyes.

Firefox also has a Dark Mode, and you can find a bunch of free custom themes, skins, and search bar settings to personalize its look. If you’re a gamer that likes to multitask, the browser includes a picture-in-picture mode which is ideal for gamers that like to keep a walkthrough video open while trying to complete a game.

If you want more than just an aesthetic bump up, though, the browser Vivaldi is hard to beat. It allows you to basically build your own UI from the ground up, choosing how complicated or simple you want it to be.

This browser has advanced tab management that allows you to group your tabs together or organize them for quicker access. It also supports a split screen mode for when you’re sizing up gamer reviews about a game, or watching multiple Lets Plays at once.

More security and privacy

Most of the browser options I’ve mentioned do very well for privacy and security. Opera GX for example has a built in VPN as well as fraud and malware protection, and a tracker blocker and ad blocker for stopping annoying pop-ups.

Opera Norway also claims to adhere to the GDPR regulations regarding data privacy, which gives you some peace of mind that your data isn’t being harvested and used unscrupulously.

Pexels: Pixabay

If I had to choose an alternative browser for privacy, though, I’d go with either Brave or Firefox. Brave blocks cookies and cross-site traffic. Additionally, it provides protection from malware and its fingerprint randomization features prevent users being identified based on their browser preferences.

Firefox has excellent tracker blocking that can block cross-site cookies, social media trackers, and autoplays. Therefore, it’s also a great option for keeping your personal profile safe while you’re gaming.

Time to load up a new browser…

As you can see there are some big benefits to using a gaming browser — notwithstanding their lighter use of your PC’s hardware. If you’re planning on making the switch, I urge you to try more than one before you land on a favorite. Experimenting can help you find the ideal fit for your needs.