Online gaming has exploded in popularity, but internet security threats and restrictions can ruin the experience. Using a virtual private network (VPN) allows gamers to boost performance, access more games, and protect their devices. This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to know about gaming VPNs.
What is a Gaming VPN?
A gaming VPN routes your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server run by the VPN provider. This hides your IP address, encodes your data, and allows you to bypass network restrictions. The top gaming VPNs have superfast servers optimized to reduce lag and latency while gaming.
Key gaming VPN benefits:
- Hide your IP address and physical location
- Reduce lag, latency, and ping times
- Prevent DDoS and doxing attacks
- Bypass ISP throttling and data caps
- Access geo-blocked games and content
- Encrypt communications and data
- Connect securely on public WiFi
10 Best Gaming VPNs for 2023
Quick Comparison Table
| VPN | Speed | Servers | Security | Compatibility | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All devices | $$$ | 9.8/10 |
| NordVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All devices | $$ | 9.7/10 |
| Surfshark | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All devices | $ | 9.5/10 |
| CyberGhost | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Windows, iOS | $$ | 9.3/10 |
| Hotspot Shield | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Windows, iOS | $ | 9.2/10 |
| IPVanish | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All devices | $$ | 9.1/10 |
| Private Internet | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Windows, iOS | $$ | 9.0/10 |
| VyprVPN | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | All devices | $ | 8.7/10 |
| HideMyAss | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Windows, iOS | $ | 8.5/10 |
| TunnelBear | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | All devices | $ | 8.2/10 |
In-Depth VPN Reviews and Analysis
Below you‘ll find detailed assessments of each VPN‘s strengths and weaknesses for gaming.
ExpressVPN – Best Overall
Speed: Extremely fast with unlimited bandwidth
Servers: 3,000+ servers in 94 countries
Security: Best-in-class 256-bit AES encryption
- Pros: Blazing speeds perfect for gaming, low ping times, MediaStreamer unblocks streaming sites, split tunneling capability, works with all gaming devices/platforms.
- Cons: Slightly more expensive than competitors
With unmatched speeds, the highest security standards, and excellent unblocking capabilities, ExpressVPN tops our list as the best gaming VPN available in 2023.
NordVPN – Fastest Servers
Speed: Ultra-fast specialized gaming servers
Servers: 5,600+ servers in 60 countries
Security: Military-grade encryption, strict no-logs policy
- Pros: Optimized gaming servers provide fantastic speeds, CyberSec ad-blocking, P2P support, works with all major gaming platforms.
- Cons: No split tunneling feature.
While ExpressVPN edges it out in pure speed, NordVPN operates specialty gaming servers that are blazingly quick. It also offers advanced security, is very affordable, and has apps for every platform. An outstanding, fast gaming VPN.
Surfshark – Most Affordable
Speed: Quick speeds with unlimited bandwidth
Servers: 3,200+ servers in 65 countries
Security: AES-256-GCM encryption, private DNS & leak protection
- Pros: Easy to use apps, allows unlimited devices, solid performance for gaming, low cost.
- Cons: Smaller server network than top competitors.
For budget-minded gamers, Surfshark combines good speeds and security with the best pricing available. It allows unlimited device connections for a single subscription, making it a great family choice.
CyberGhost – User-Friendly Apps
Speed: Fast enough for gaming
Servers: 7,400+ servers in 91 countries
Security: AES 256-bit encryption
- Pros: Feature-loaded apps, blocks ads & malware, automatic server selection based on gaming, 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Cons: Slower peak speeds than leading options.
CyberGhost is a gamer-friendly VPN with intuitive apps that automatically choose the best servers for gaming, streaming, and torrenting. Decent speeds and great choice for novice VPN users.
Hotspot Shield – Extreme Speed
Speed: Crazy fast with Catapult Hydra protocol
Servers: 1,800+ servers in 80 countries
Security: AES 256-bit encryption
- Pros: Next-gen Hydra protocol enables blazing speeds perfect for gaming, blocks malware and trackers, convenient browser extensions.
- Cons: No Linux support, fewer server locations than competition.
The specialized Hydra protocol gives Hotspot Shield a speed advantage, delivering some of the fastest VPN gaming performance available today.
IPVanish – Low Ping Times
Speed: Rapid connectivity
Servers: 1,900+ servers in 75 countries
Security: 256-bit AES encryption
- Pros: Very low ping times ideal for competitive gaming, allows P2P file sharing, saves bandwidth by blocking ads & trackers, great apps.
- Cons: No split tunneling feature, owned by StackPath.
IPVanish is a fast, highly configurable VPN tuned to provide the best experience possible for online gaming, making it a top choice.
The rest of our top gaming VPN picks offer very solid options for most gamers, although they trail behind in certain areas:
- Private Internet Access – Extreme security but slower speeds
- VyprVPN – Good performance but fewer servers
- HideMyAss – Fast but based in a 5 eyes country
- TunnelBear – Easy to use with limited configuration
Now let‘s explore how to choose the best gaming VPN for your personal needs and how to optimize it for maximum performance.
Choosing the Right Gaming VPN
With hundreds of VPN providers on the market, picking the right one can feel overwhelming. Keep these key factors in mind while deciding:
Internet Speeds & Bandwidth
Solid peak internet speeds and unlimited data bandwidth allow uninterrupted gaming without lag or buffering issues.
Low-Latency Servers
Choose a VPN gaming server that is geographically close to your location for the best ping times, reducing latency.
Supported Platforms
Make sure the VPN has native apps for all your gaming devices – Windows PC, macOS, iOS, Android, gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, etc.
Security Protocols
Look for top-tier protocols like WireGuard or OpenVPN combined with AES 256-bit encryption and additional leak protection.
Server Locations
More server locations means you can geo-spoof more easily and find better connections for multiplayer gaming.
Budget
Gaming VPNs range from about $2 up to $13 per month for full access. Determine how much you‘re willing to spend for premium performance and features.
Optimizing Your VPN for Gaming
Tweaking these settings will help maximize VPN gaming functionality:
-
Enable split-tunneling so you can decide which apps send traffic through the VPN tunnel while allowing other connectivity to bypass it. This prevents overloading the VPN while gaming.
-
Use WireGuard protocol if available, as it offers extremely fast speeds perfect for gaming.
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Connect to nearest server to achieve much lower ping times critical in competitive multiplayer matches.
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Set Internet Kill Switch to prevent data leaks if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
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Enable CyberSec ad-blocking to save bandwidth for gaming by preventing ads & malware.
Unblocking Geo-Restricted Games and Content
Modern games engage in all kinds of annoying region locking and geo-blocking. A quality gaming VPN allows you to bypass these restrictions.
Common examples include:
- Playing games in Early Access only available in certain countries
- Accessing special gaming events and tournaments worldwide
- Downloading region-exclusive game DLC and mods
- Playing titles banned or censored in your country
- Playing cross-platform games blocked in your region
- Buying games cheaper from different regional shops
With a gaming VPN server in an open country, you can bypass geo-restrictions, unblock gaming content, and access everything.
Securing Your Internet Connection
Online games provide big targets for DDoS attacks and doxing attempts used to boot players offline and steal personal data. A VPN protects against these threats.
Stop DDoS Attacks
DDoS attackers overwhelm your internet connection making online gaming impossible. By hiding your IP address, a quality gaming VPN acts as an impenetrable shield versus these attacks.
Prevent Doxing
Multiplayer games especially expose your IP address to other gamers. Doxing grabs your IP then leverages it to steal personal information. A VPN hides your IP address and physical location completely preventing doxing.
Avoid Bandwidth Throttling and Data Caps
Greedy internet providers often impose bandwidth throttling which heavily slows down connections after hitting a certain data usage cap. This destroys online gaming functionality.
Gaming VPNs route your traffic through encrypted tunnels keeping providers unaware of data usage. No throttling means consistent full gaming speeds.
Optimal VPN Protocols for Gaming
VPNs rely on protocols to encrypt connections. Selecting the right protocol improves gaming performance.
WireGuard offers the best speeds with incredibly low latency perfect for gaming using state-of-the-art cryptography.
OpenVPN balances good speeds and security across platforms. Many customizable settings provide a very stable, reliable gaming connection.
IKEv2 focuses heavily on mobile devices with smooth performance even over cellular networks like LTE and 5G. A great gaming option for phones and tablets.
L2TP/IPSec provides the most basic VPN connectivity without much complexity. Very simple to set up but slower than other protocols.
Gaming VPN Applications
While desktop VPNs work well for PC gaming, mobile gaming continues growing rapidly every year. The top providers offer dedicated gaming VPN apps for iOS and Android full of time-saving features:
- One-tap connect makes establishing a secure connection incredibly easy.
- Smart server recommendations automatically select the fastest nearby servers ideal for gaming.
- Internet kill switches maintain protection by cutting internet access if the VPN drops.
- Split-tunneling allows assigning specific apps to use the VPN tunnel while skipping it for others.
- WebRTC and IPv6 leak protection keep all internet traffic flowing through the encrypted tunnel.
- Encryption algorithms like AES-256 scramble data making it unreadable for hackers.
- Ad-blocking and anti-malware tools preserve bandwidth for gaming instead of wasting it on junk content.
- Bandwidth saving options like compression further optimize connectivity.
- Connection protocols can often be changed to improve speeds or stability.
Getting the Most Out of Console Gaming
Core console gaming happens on Xbox and PlayStation. Creating the ideal setup means a bit more effort but achieves the best experience.
Console VPN Router
The easiest way is connecting your Xbox or PlayStation directly to a VPN secured router. Encrypts all device traffic while freeing up console resources.
VPN Compatible Router Firmware
Advanced users can flash their existing router using DD-WRT, Tomato or PfSense firmware to activate VPN pass-through support.
Manual VPN Connection
Configuring VPN tunnel access directly integrated with your console‘s network settings is extremely tedious but technically possible on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Requires advanced networking skills.
Remote Play with VPN
If the above options still fail due to strict platform restrictions, enable Remote Play to stream a console game session over the internet to a VPN protected PC or mobile device ensuring security.
FAQs – Gaming VPN Questions
Let‘s answer some frequently asked questions about utilizing VPNs for online gaming:
Are gaming VPNs legal?
Yes, VPNs are completely legal in most countries. Some repressive regimes like China do criminalize usage to maintain censorship. Always confirm local laws before connecting through a VPN.
Can using a VPN get my gaming accounts banned?
Generally no, as long as you respect the gaming company‘s terms of service. Avoid cheating, hacking, bots, harassment, and similar bannable offenses.
Do gaming VPNs really improve performance?
Absolutely. By hiding your IP address and encrypting traffic, VPNs provide much lower latency, quicker speeds, increased security, less lag and fewer disconnections benefitting any type of online multiplayer game.
What‘s the downside to gaming VPNs?
No major downside apart from slightly increased setup complexity for novice users new to VPN services. Performance impacts are negligible across quality VPN providers.
Can I get a free gaming VPN?
Limited options exist but lack the technology to keep up with high-bandwidth multiplayer gaming demands. Investing a little on premium gaming VPNs ensures you get the right features and functionality.
Conclusion – Enhance Your Gaming Experience
Online gaming grows more competitive and restrictive each year. Hacks, botnets running distributed denial of service attacks, hardware failures and software crashes happen frequently. ISPs often throttle bandwidth preventing low latency connections critical for gameplay. Strict geo-blocking limits worldwide player bases segregating friends. Virtual private networks provide solutions to overcome all these problems.
This guide covered the leading gaming VPN contenders offering the best combination of speed, security and accessibility. We broke down their strengths and weaknesses to help determine the right fit for your needs and budget. While ExpressVPN ranked number one in our testing, quality alternatives like NordVPN and Surfshark pack superb performance at lower price points.
Secure your online gameplay, defeat geo-blocks, minimize lag, defeat DDoS attacks, avoid throttling and unlock a better, unrestricted internet experience with an optimized gaming VPN.
What gaming VPN do you use and recommend? Let us know in the comments below!
