Best VPNs for Gaming

With the help of VPN services, you can discover new opportunities in gaming, get discounts and special offers, and get rid of local restrictions. But with so many VPNs on the market, how do you know which one is right for you?

If you’re looking for a VPN that can handle your gaming needs, we’ve got you covered. In this blog post, we’ll share our picks for the best VPNs for gaming. We’ll also provide tips on how to use these VPNs to enhance your gaming experience. So read on to learn more!

Why Choose a VPN for Gaming?

With the rise of online gaming, many gamers are looking for ways to improve their gameplay and reduce lags. One way to do this is by using a VPN for gaming. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, can help reduce lags by routing your game traffic through a different server. This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to play an online game unavailable in your country.

Gaming VPN globally helps in two things:

  • Bypass restrictions
  • Hide personal information

Vpn can be handy when you try to bypass the games restriction in some countries. The ban may be due to censorship, age ratings, or government policy. So, using VPN, players can play banned in their country games and not experience difficulties.

VPN helps you connect to countries where the content you are interested in is not prohibited, and you get unlimited access to the game. In addition, you can also unlock special events, customizations, or other in-game bonuses that are available in specific countries. You can also get better regional deals and buy games more cheaply.

As for hiding personal data, everything is very simple. VPN fully encrypts your current IP address and encodes the data you transmit on the network. Thus, your identity will be completely hidden, and nobody will attack you.

The Best VPN Services for Gaming

The Best VPN Services for Gaming

What determines the gaming experience? Most often, it depends on the quality of the Internet, the fullness of the game content, the player’s game skills, gaming equipment, and the player’s ability to play this game. Let’s say you bought a cool gaming mouse, gamepad, or keyboard with the best response but suddenly notice that your game is unavailable in your region. There is a solution – a VPN for games.

However, using a random VPN is not the best solution. When choosing a service, you have specific ideas and expectations. And, of course, you want to justify them. It is worth going deeper and studying this topic in more detail to avoid making a mistake and getting into an unpleasant situation. In this case, you will be fully aware of the possibilities of VPN and will know how to protect yourself. The most important thing you should pay attention to is speed.

In the game, you must show a pleasing result without lagging. So you should choose a VPN that will allow you to be on the level, not let the team down and not give the enemy a chance.

It is also better not to waste your time looking for free VPNs, as they often have minimal features and a high risk of losing personal data. Better search for a paid but effective service that will provide you with speed and anonymity and will show high performance.

Thus, you will save time and nerves and have really rich functionality, as well as protect yourself from using your data without your consent.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the best VPNs for Gaming in 2023.

Surfshark

One of the fastest VPNs for gaming, provides users with a new experience in the gaming environment and offers 1700 servers all over the planet. The service makes the gaming process the most comfortable by lowering the ping rate to a minimum, which favorably affects the gaming process. Also, you can use unlimited devices on one account if you want to play with your friends online. This means that one pays, and everyone can play.

It is also worth noting that the application has an intuitive interface. It is easy to use and does not confuse the user during operation. Everything is transparent and understandable. And in case your VPN connection is cut off, you can use the kill switch and completely turn off your Internet connection.

This VPN is not suitable for torrenting games. It may show a slow download speed, greatly slowing the game downloading.

As for the pricing policy, this service offers three plans:

  • Two-year plan – $2.49 per month.
  • Annual subscription – $3.99 per month.
  • Monthly subscription – $12.95.

NordVPN

If, for whatever reason, torrenting is your best bet for getting content from a network, you should consider using this Provider. Among other options, the VPN shows the best results while downloading and uploading files for gaming.

But unfortunately, NordVPN shows poor performance when it’s used while you are scrolling the web pages. You can download any Netflix series safely with almost no loss of connection speed, but you will be unavailable to scroll the web pages without lags.

NordVPN also allows users to play without ping spikes but does not provide an unlimited number of devices per account.

As for the pricing policy of the service, the following can be noted:

  • The two-year plan is $3.09 per month.
  • Annual subscription – $4.99 per month.
  • Monthly subscription – $11.99.

It is also important to note that the service offers a free trial for three months to new users. Also, it is useful that you get instructions on installing a VPN for gaming consoles along with the additional free months of use.

ExpressVPN

This is a cross-platform service with which you can improve the gaming experience on literally any device where you can run the game. The VPN is available for games on Mac, Windows, iOS, Linux, PS, Xbox, and Nintendo. You can also install a VPN on the router and not worry about installing the service on each device.

Although this is one of the fastest VPNs for gaming, it is not cheap since it has all the necessary tools to get the job done including:

  • High speed
  • A large number of servers
  • Simple interface
  • Proprietary security protocol
  • VPN with no lag experience

Overall, VPN service does not provide extraordinary and exclusive features. Still, it is a reliable, stable solution for remote and online games.

Three subscription options are available to the user:

  • $9.99 per month for a six-month subscription
  • $8.32 per month for purchasing an annual subscription
  • $12.95 for a monthly subscription

Also, app developers often offer beneficial discounts and promotions for new and old users.

CyberGhost

This cross-platform and fastest VPN for gaming offers a solution for all systems, from phones and computers to consoles and TV boxes. So, using the VPN service for gaming has become even easier and more affordable.

It is perhaps the largest project, with over 6900 servers in 90 countries. You can also take advantage of a 45-day demo with a money-back guarantee. So, the premium application offers not three classic subscription options but 4. In addition to monthly, annual, and two-year subscriptions, there is a three-year subscription to the service, but sometimes it can be unavailable.

The last option allows users to cooperate with the company at the lowest prices and count on long-term support and stability.

While connection issues can sometimes occur, you can always switch to a different server and have a great gaming experience. Also, unfortunately, the service does not offer an unlimited number of devices per account. You will always have access to only 7 devices per account.

If we consider the pricing policy, you will have access to:

  • 1 month for $6.99.
  • $2.43 per month for an annual subscription.
  • $5.17 per month for 3 months.

You can also create your VPN service IP address for $3.80 per month.

IPVanish

Like the others listed above, this popular VPN service offers no lag work, cross-platforming, 24/7 support for all clients, a free 30-day demo, and more than 1600 servers in 59 countries.

Although this service is at the very bottom of the list, the VPN still offers high speed for online games and torrents, allows you to bypass geolocation blocking, and the service is easy to use.

However, it also has weaknesses. The mobile application can sometimes show an error, and the service is based in the United States, making it part of the Five Eyes system. The service itself does not keep logs, and in the case of a court sue, it simply will not have anything to show.

As for the pricing policy of the service:

  • A month of use will cost you $10.99.
  • The quarterly plan will cost $4.44 per month.
  • The annual plan costs $3.33 per month.

Important Tip Regarding PS4/5

If there are no particular problems with playing using a VPN on a computer, then using a VPN on gaming consoles can cause a lot of difficulties for players.

Firstly, it is essential to consider that modern consoles are not just devices for launching games but also built-in stores with regional references. You won’t have any problems if you run games with a VPN on PS4/5.

However, we would not advise you to enable VPN on PS4/5 to buy games in cheaper regions. The problem is that according to the rules of the PlayStation, it is forbidden to do this, and you can get a ban on your account. In addition, your account may be blocked not temporarily but forever. And this means you will forever lose access to online gaming and downloading.

However, it is known that there were cases when the user filed an appeal and won the case. But such cases are extremely rare and cannot guarantee your success.

How to Set up a VPN for Gaming on Your Device

How to Set up a VPN for Gaming on Your Device

The popularity of online gaming has led to the rise of VPN services for gamers. A VPN for gaming can improve your ping times and protect your personal information from being hacked. 

In this paragraph, we’ll show you how to set up a VPN for gaming on your device.

Mac/Windows/Linux:

  1. Sign up for a VPN account on the official website. You can do it for free. Download the VPN client for your device from the provider’s website. For Mac, it should be a DMG file, .exe for Windows, and .deb for Linux.
  2. Unzip the downloaded file and open it.
  3. Install the client by double-clicking on the icon and following the instructions. There may also be cases when you do not need to install an application on a MacBook, but you just need to drag the application to the desktop.
  4. Once installed, launch the VPN client and log in using your personal data. If the app doesn’t launch, you need to open settings, then privacy, and give permission to run apps from unverified sources.
  5. Select the server you wish to connect to from the list of available servers.
  6. Click “Connect” to establish a connection with the selected server.

IOS/ Android:

  1. Installation on phones will be slightly different from the computer version. First, you need to create an account on the official website of the VPN provider.
  2. Then, go to Google Play and App Store for Android and IOS, respectively. You can also download VPN applications not from Google Play but simply by downloading .apk files from the Internet. However, this method does not guarantee security since the file could be modified, and malicious code could be put into it.
  3. Download the app from the official store/internet.
  4. Launch the app and sign in to your account.
  5. After that, you can select a country and use the service.

How to Select and Test VPN for Gaming

A gaming VPN can make a big difference in your online gaming experience. You can get around restrictions and lag by rerouting your connection through a server in a different location.

But with so many choices on the market, how do you select the right one? And once you’ve made your choice, how can you be sure it’s working correctly?

In this block, we’ll show you how to select and test a gaming VPN so that you can enjoy the best possible gaming experience.

How to Choose a VPN for Gaming

There are a few key things to look for when selecting a gaming VPN:

  • Low Latency: Ping measures how long it takes for data to travel from your device to the gaming server and back again. A low ping means a faster connection and a better gaming experience.
  • High Bandwidth: Bandwidth measures how much data can go through a connection in a given time. Higher bandwidth means a smoother gaming experience with less lag.
  • Security: A good gaming VPN will encrypt your connection to protect your data from hackers. Look for a VPN with strong encryption methods, such as AES 256-bit encryption.
  • Compatibility: Ensure that the VPN you select is compatible with your gaming platform. Many VPNs work with Windows, but not all work with consoles like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

How to Test Your Gaming VPN Connection

After selecting a gaming VPN, it’s essential to test your connection to ensure it’s working correctly. Here are a few things to look for:

  • Ping: Run a ping test to check the latency of your connection. You can do this by opening a command prompt (for Windows) or terminal (for Mac) and typing “ping.” followed by the IP address or domain name of the gaming server you’re trying to connect to. A good gaming VPN will have a low ping time, typically under 100 milliseconds, giving you no lag VPN experience.
  • Bandwidth: Run a bandwidth test to check the speed of your connection. You can do this by visiting a website like Speedtest.net and selecting a server near the location of the gaming server you’re trying to connect to. A good gaming VPN will have high bandwidth, typically over 10 Mbps.
  • Security: Check if your connection is encrypted by visiting a website like WhatIsMyIPAddress.com. If your VPN is working properly, you should see the IP address of the VPN server, not your own.
  • Compatibility: Make sure your VPN is compatible with your gaming platform by trying to connect to the gaming server using the VPN client. The VPN is compatible with your platform if you can connect and play without issues.

The fastest VPN for gaming can make a big difference in your online gaming experience by reducing lags and providing a more secure connection. When selecting a gaming VPN, look for one that offers low latency, high bandwidth, and strong security. And be sure to test your connection before using it to play games.

Can a VPN Reduce Ping for Gaming?

Can a VPN Reduce Ping for Gaming?

The answer to this question is both yes and no. A VPN can reduce ping for gaming in some cases, but it may actually increase it in others. It all depends on how the VPN is configured and what type of connection you have.

Using a VPN will not likely impact your ping if you have a fast broadband connection. It might even improve it slightly as your traffic will be encrypted and, therefore, more secure. However, using a VPN could slow things down further if you have a slower connection.

Ultimately, whether or not a VPN will help to reduce your ping for gaming comes down to experimentation. Try connecting to different servers and see which gives you the best results. You may also want to try connecting to a server in a different country to see if that impacts your ping.

What to Know About VPN When Getting Prohibited Content?

One vital thing few people consider when using VPN services is to unblock content prohibited in your country.

So, if you are using VPN to bypass blocking in your country, carefully study the bill that concerns the use of VPN and access to prohibited content before using it. In some countries, like China or Russia, VPN services are entirely prohibited at the state level, and you can get a fine for using them. However, you do not have to worry about such things if your country does not have the features of an authoritarian state. Most often, VPNs are banned where dictatorship flourishes.

You should also pay attention to what types of penalties your country provides for access to prohibited content. You may also have to pay big fines for this.

Bottom Line

As you can see, choosing a VPN service for gaming depends on many factors. When choosing a service, avoid free providers and thoroughly test VPNs. And with our top 5, you can never go wrong with choosing the right service.

FAQ

  1. Can you get banned for using a VPN on Fortnite?

    Using a VPN-provided IP address, you can avoid either of the bans set by Fortnite. The ban occurs when you are caught playing on Fortnite servers while using a VPN. This is a temporary ban that only applies to the IP address.

  2. Is it legal to use a VPN for gaming?

    Using a VPN is not a violation of any laws unless the state prohibits the service. However, with the help of a VPN, you can use services prohibited in your country, so using such a service can bring problems with the law.

  3. What is DDoS in gaming?

    A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack occurs when you send illegitimate data requests to a specific server, disrupting the server and causing it to respond extremely slowly.

  4. Can a VPN reduce ping for gaming?

    The ping rate of your online games is reduced by using a VPN. VPN packets typically take a more direct route than standard ISP packets. Using a VPN will provide you with a smoother and faster internet connection.