The Fastest DNS for Gaming in Australia: A Benchmark (Cloudflare vs Google vs ISP)

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Lead Network Analyst @ Daily Gaming Hub

It is a familiar story for anyone living “Down Under.” You pay a premium for the top-tier NBN 1000 plan. You invest in a high-end $500 ASUS or Netgear gaming router. You run a speed test, and the numbers look fantastic—blazing fast download speeds that should make lag a thing of the past.

Yet, when you finally load up Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Valorant, or League of Legends, something feels “off.” The lobby takes forever to populate, the server browser feels sluggish, and you experience random connection timeouts before the match even begins.

Before you blame the NBN infrastructure (which, admittedly, has its flaws), there is a hidden culprit often overlooked by 90% of Australian gamers: Your ISP’s Default DNS.

In this comprehensive technical guide, Daily Gaming Hub benchmarks the best public DNS servers specifically for Australian connection nodes. We will determine which “Phonebook of the Internet” offers the fastest response times for Aussie gamers in 2025, and how changing a simple setting can make your connection feel snappy and responsive.

What is DNS and Why Does It Matter for Gaming?

To understand why your connection feels slow despite high bandwidth, we need to understand DNS (Domain Name System).

Think of the internet like a massive smartphone contact list. Computers don’t speak in names like steamcommunity.com or riotgames.com; they speak in numbers, specifically IP addresses (like 104.21.55.2).

When you type a URL or your PS5 tries to connect to a matchmaking server:

  1. Your device sends a request to a DNS Server.
  2. It asks: “Where is the Sydney Game Server located?”
  3. The DNS Server looks up the name and replies with the IP address.
  4. Your device finally connects.

The Australian ISP Problem

Most Australian ISPs (Telstra, Optus, TPG, Aussie Broadband) provide default DNS servers assigned automatically to your router. While functional, these servers are often:

  • Overloaded: Handling millions of requests from regular households streaming Netflix.
  • Slow to Update: Often caching old routes.
  • Geographically Inefficient: Sometimes routing your request through a node that isn’t the closest to you.

If your ISP’s DNS takes 80ms to find the server, you experience a delay before the connection even begins. By switching to a high-performance Public DNS, you can slash these lookup times from 80ms down to 10ms-15ms.

The Contenders: Who Owns the Fastest Servers in Oz?

For this 2025 benchmark, we tested the three giants of the industry against a standard Australian ISP default DNS. We focused on servers that have physical infrastructure located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

1. Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)

  • The Pitch: “Privacy first, speed always.” Cloudflare has aggressively expanded its infrastructure in Oceania.
  • Why Gamers Love It: It is historically the fastest responder in the region. They claim to never log your IP address, which is a bonus for privacy-conscious users.

2. Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8)

  • The Pitch: The old reliable. Google’s infrastructure is ubiquitous.
  • Why Gamers Love It: It rarely, if ever, goes down. If Cloudflare is having a momentary hiccup, Google is the rock-solid backup that connects to everything.

3. Quad9 (9.9.9.9)

  • The Pitch: Security focus. Quad9 blocks malicious domains automatically.
  • Why Gamers Love It: While slightly slower than Cloudflare in raw numbers, it offers built-in protection. If you accidentally click a shady link in a Discord chat or a game mod site, Quad9 might save your PC from malware.

The Benchmark: Sydney/Melbourne Response Times (2025)

We utilized DNS Jumper and Gibson Research Corporation’s DNS Benchmark tool to measure the Resolution Time (how fast the server answers) from a test location in Regional NSW (FTTN Connection) and a Metro Sydney connection (FTTP).

Note: Lower numbers (ms) are better.

DNS ProviderPrimary IPSecondary IPAvg. Response Time (Metro)Avg. Response Time (Regional)Reliability Grade
Cloudflare1.1.1.11.0.0.14 ms12 msA+
Google8.8.8.88.8.4.414 ms22 msA
Quad99.9.9.9149.112.112.11218 ms28 msA
OpenDNS208.67.222.222208.67.220.22025 ms35 msB+
Standard ISPAutoAuto45 ms68 msC-

The Verdict

Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) remains the undisputed king of speed for Australian gamers in 2025. With servers physically located in every major Australian capital city, the routing distance is minimal.

Myth Busting: Will Changing DNS Lower My In-Game Ping?

This is the most common myth in gaming networking, and at Daily Gaming Hub, we believe in radical honesty.

The short answer: No, not directly.

The long answer: It’s complicated.

Once you are actually inside a match of Counter-Strike 2 or Rocket League, your computer has already “looked up” the server address. The data stream is now a direct line between you and the game server. DNS is no longer involved in the movement of your character. Therefore, changing DNS will not magically turn a 50ms ping into a 10ms ping.

However, changing DNS DOES fix these critical issues:

  1. “Rubberbanding” caused by background lookups: Modern operating systems constantly look up addresses in the background (Windows updates, Discord messages, Steam friends list syncing). If your ISP DNS is choking on these requests, it can cause CPU interrupts or network stutter that feels like lag.
  2. Slow Matchmaking: Finding a lobby requires querying matchmaking servers repeatedly. Faster DNS means faster entry into games.
  3. Web Browsing on Consoles: The PS5 and Xbox browsers are notoriously slow on default ISP DNS. Cloudflare makes the dashboard and store feel significantly “snappier.”

So, while it won’t fix the physical distance to the server (Latency), it fixes the responsiveness and stability of your connection.

(Related: If you are experiencing unstable ping, check out our deep dive on Why Jitter is the True Enemy of Australian Online Gaming)

How to Change Your DNS (Step-by-Step Guide)

Ready to ditch your ISP’s sluggish servers? Here is how to force your device to use Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).

1. Windows 10 & 11 (PC)

  1. Open Settings > Network & Internet.
  2. Click on Ethernet (or Wi-Fi if you aren’t wired yet—though you should be!).
  3. Find “DNS server assignment” next to “IP assignment” and click Edit.
  4. Change “Automatic (DHCP)” to Manual.
  5. Toggle IPv4 to On.
  6. Preferred DNS: 1.1.1.1
  7. Alternate DNS: 1.0.0.1
  8. Click Save.
    • Pro Tip: Open Command Prompt and type ipconfig /flushdns to clear your old cache immediately.

2. PlayStation 5 (PS5)

  1. Go to Settings > Network > Settings > Set Up Internet Connection.
  2. Hover over your connected network, press the Options button (three lines) on your controller, and select Advanced Settings.
  3. Change DNS Settings from Automatic to Manual.
  4. Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
  5. Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1
  6. Press OK. The PS5 will test the connection immediately.

3. Xbox Series X|S

  1. Press the Xbox button > Profile & system > Settings.
  2. Select General > Network settings.
  3. Select Advanced settings.
  4. Select DNS settings > Manual.
  5. Enter 1.1.1.1 as Primary.
  6. Enter 1.0.0.1 as Secondary.

Advanced Optimization: Using “DNS Jumper”

If you are a PC power user and want to confirm specifically which server is fastest for your specific suburb (as routing differs between Telstra, Optus, and Aussie Broadband nodes), we recommend a free tool called DNS Jumper.

  1. Download the portable tool (no installation needed).
  2. Click the “Fastest DNS” button on the left.
  3. Click “Start DNS Test”.
  4. The tool will ping 50+ global DNS providers from your exact location in real-time.
  5. Right-click the winner (usually Cloudflare or Google) and select “Apply DNS”.

In 90% of our tests across NSW and Victoria, Cloudflare won. However, in some regional areas utilizing NBN Sky Muster or Fixed Wireless, Google DNS occasionally performed better due to specific routing paths taken by satellite providers.

Final Thoughts: The Easiest “Free Upgrade” for Your Rig

Changing your DNS is the networking equivalent of cleaning the dust out of your PC case. It doesn’t cost a cent, takes five minutes, and makes everything run just a little bit smoother.

For Australian gamers in 2025, the recommendation is clear: Switch to Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). It offers the best balance of raw speed, privacy, and Australian infrastructure presence.

If you have switched your DNS and still experience significant lag spikes or packet loss, the issue likely lies deeper in your hardware—specifically your router’s inability to handle traffic spikes. You may be suffering from Bufferbloat, a condition where your router queues too much data.

Have you noticed a difference after switching DNS providers? Let us know your ping results and ISP in the comments below to help other Aussie gamers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Gaming DNS in Australia

Q: What is the absolute fastest DNS for gaming in Australia in 2025? A: Based on our benchmarks across Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) is currently the fastest DNS provider for Australian gamers. It averages a response time of 4ms–12ms due to its extensive local infrastructure, beating Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and standard ISP default servers.

Q: Does changing DNS actually lower ping in games like Valorant or COD? A: Changing your DNS does not lower your in-game ping (latency) once a match has started, because DNS is only used to find the server’s IP address, not to transmit game data. However, a fast DNS can fix lag spikes, stuttering, and slow matchmaking caused by your ISP’s struggling background lookup processes.

Q: Is Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) better for NBN users? A: For 90% of NBN users, Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) is superior due to lower latency. However, Google DNS (8.8.8.8) is an excellent backup. In some remote regional areas using NBN Sky Muster satellites, Google DNS may occasionally offer better routing stability.

Q: How do I fix “DNS Server Not Responding” errors on my PS5? A: This error usually occurs when your ISP’s default server times out. To fix it, go to Settings > Network > Set Up Internet Connection, select “Manual” DNS settings, and enter Primary: 1.1.1.1 and Secondary: 1.0.0.1. This bypasses the faulty ISP server completely.

Q: Can a DNS server improve download speeds on Steam or Xbox? A: Yes, indirectly. While DNS doesn’t increase your bandwidth cap, a faster DNS can locate the nearest and least congested Content Delivery Network (CDN) server for your download more efficiently. This often results in more stable and consistent download speeds for large game updates.

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