Most everyone realizes that antivirus and firewalls are must-have protection. But when protection interferes with online gaming, it can be sorely tempting to disable that protection in favor of uninterrupted play. These antivirus scanners tackle the unique problems of gamers so you can play without sacrificing performance or protection. In addition to being game friendly, each of the scanners below has demonstrated superior detection capabilities through certification bodies such as Virus Bulletin, ICSA Labs, and Checkmark, as well as independent testing from AV-Test.org and AV-Comparatives.org.

Avira Premium Security Suite

Avira Premium Security Suite has low impact on system performance but offers a full range of protection, from antivirus and spyware protection, to firewall, email scanning, phishing filter and rootkit detection. Beginning in August 2007, Avira Premium Security Suite also offers "Game Mode" - the ability to put the protection in auto-pilot so you're not disturbed by warning dialogs while playing online. Plus, a proceed of each sale goes to the Auerbach Foundation, supporting various charitable and social organizations, so you can game better and feel better at the same time.

Eset NOD32 Antivirus

Eset's NOD32 antivirus software features a tiny system footprint and extremely fast scanning throughput, ideal for hard core gamers who want to squeeze every bit of performance they can out of their systems. However, it's a standalone virus scanner which still needs to be boosted by a firewall.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite

ZoneAlarm Internet Security doesn't have quite the low impact footprint of Avira or Nod32, but it does offer Game Mode. Like Avira, a simple right click option on the system tray icon will put ZoneAlarm in 'auto pilot' so it will silently make most decisions and you can play uninterrupted. The small trade-off in performance is a bit of extra protection. In addition to the standard fare of antivirus, firewall, and spyware protection, ZoneAlarm Internet Security also includes specific IM protection, parental controls, privacy, and wireless protection. Plus it includes specific protection and policy control for IM communications.