Virtual private networks can unlock the door to the entire (internet) world, blocked websites, breezing past country-restricted content while making sure that the users are completely anonymous on the web. These networks are also used by gamers all across the world as without them some gamers don’t get access to the latest single or multiplayer titles when they are released.
That mostly comes down to country rules and regulations on licensing, censorship, or age ratings. And sometimes they never get released in a country and connecting a VPN outside that country fixes roadblocks, letting the gamers get full access to any game available. Sometimes certain gaming deals vary per location, and a VPN offers access to all of them.
Even some regulations or certain trade-related conflicts result in the ban of games in certain countries. With the help of VPNs, one can access those games which are banned for some reason in their country.
A VPN for gaming provides essential protection for the streamers, it can hide their IP address and private information from prying eyes. At times in multiplayer games distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks run rampant and VPN prevents the gamers from being vulnerable to these attacks. In all, all gamers should be inclined to a VPN for gaming.
Some Internet Service Providers throttle the bandwidth. This slowing down of bandwidth for whatever reason actually affects when you stream or play games that consume a lot of data. VPNs on the other hand encrypt your data and helps to avoid data throttling.
Gamers often require a high-speed internet connection with optimized ping and unmatchable speed. Using a VPN sometimes affects the quality of gameplay. As such, we have retrenched the VPNs that offer you unmatchable speed when you are connected, so that you can enjoy gaming and forget about the connection.
Why Do you need a VPN for Gaming (Benefits of VPN for Gaming):
- Accessing or Unblocking Geo Restricted Games
- Bypassing IP Bans
- Reduced Ping and Lags in few cases
- Avoids ISP Throttling that reduces bandwidth and speed
- Play Games safely on public wi-fi
- Early Access to newly released games
- Play Games that are banned in your location
- Avoid DDoS attacks and keeps you safe
List of the Best VPNs for Gaming in 2024
There are a lot of VPN services available in the market and choosing anyone among them is a great deal. And to make this work easier we have created a list of the best gaming VPNs that will take your gaming around the globe.
- Surfshark
- NordVPN
- ExpressVPN
- CyberGhost
- ProtonVPN
- Private Internet Access (PIA)
- PrivateVPN
- IPVanishVPN
- VyprVPN
- StrongVPN
Surfshark
Surfshark is a very popular VPN service provider that is a great choice for gaming. In case when there are multiple gamers in one household then Surfshark is the best option as you just need to make one account and every router, PC, smartphone, console, you name it can use the VPN. It is very easy to use and the app interface and size are very minimal.
- Hides your IP and allows bypassing IP bans
- Protects from DDoS attacks
- Early access to games
- Offers Multiple Geo Locations
- Incredible Speed
NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for gaming. It can improve your internet speed as it is known to offer ultra-fast speeds. It has servers in multiple countries allowing the gamers to connect in 57+ countries. It also claims to hide data traffic and avoid bandwidth throttling which means there will be less lag while gaming. Some of the reasons that make it a perfect choice for gaming are- that it is one of the fastest VPN servers, has stable connections throughout, and gives gaming console support.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is an excellent VPN service platform. And some of the reasons that make it an essential requirement for online gamers are- that it boosts connectivity, provides powerful protection, prevents throttling, lets you play on all devices and lets you get all the DLC games and play any of your favorite on the go. ExpressVPN offers blazing-fast speeds, unlimited bandwidth for the ultimate gaming experience, and DDoS protection. It has the best servers with reliable connections and is incredibly helpful in gaming.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another amazing VPN for gaming that works on Mac, Linux, Windows, iOS, Android, Android TV, Chrome, Smart TV, Playstation, Xbox, Firefox, and routers. It provides great customer support 24/7 and a trial period of 45 days. Some of the reasons to use it are- that it has a huge number of servers, strong server connections, and is available in a long list of countries. CyberGhost is a premium service that unless you opt for the three-year annual plan comes at a bit of a premium price. And the ability to navigate through CyberGhost’s thousands of servers means if one isn’t offering you a consistent speed, the next one will do.
ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is much more than just a gaming VPN. It is a private service that is amazing for streaming too. ProtonVPN excels in its connection speeds, it has speeds of up to 740Mbps on the WireGuard and has an impressive 460Mbps when using OpenVPN. ProtonVPN offers a secure VPN server for gaming in over 60 countries. ProtonVPN can keep it up with whatever you are doing but not quite as fast as NordVPN or ExpressVPN. But this is generally not noticed in practice. It is very fast on both OpenVPN and WireGuard, great for streaming, and offers excellent privacy credentials. It is a great VPN server that minimizes lag and disruption while gaming.
Private Internet Access (PIA)
Private Internet Access is otherwise known as PIA. And if you are looking for servers and more servers then Private Internet access is the right choice for you. It has around 10,000 severs and offers a great speed. Over about a decade of experience, PIA unsurprisingly prides itself on privacy. This VPN helps you overcome the geo-restrictions and access the opponents from various locations and enables connections with 10-devices simultaneously.
PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is not one of the fastest VPNs but the speed it has is still good, especially when a small server network is considered. It is having easy-to-use apps for beginners that offers a simple model for connection and provides you with hassle-free gaming. PrivateVPN offers unlimited bandwidth, allows 10-devices simultaneous connections, and works with CoD series (including Vanguard, Warzone, and Black Ops), Roblox, PUBG, GTA, and Super Smash Bros, Minecraft, Fortnite, and more.
IPVanishVPN
IPVanish offers unlimited device connections, stable servers, excellent internet speeds, and an attractive “gamer” user interface. It is however not a VPN made with gamers in mind but it has a cool black and green (akin to Razer) user interface and it also shows a constant graph of your internet speed. It lets the users sort the VPN’s servers by ping rate and allows users to look for the best server offering below 50ms. IPVanishVPN offers unlimited connections and makes a great choice for those who have a substantial number of gaming devices.
VyprVPN
VyprVPN is one of the other best gaming VPNs available. Using it you can game without fear of a DDoS attack that can shut you down. The VPN DDoS protection works to keep your data and network safe from attacks and threats. It offers over 300,000+ IP addresses and ensures that your true IP is not targeted and NAT Firewall permits you to block any unrequested inbound traffic. In all, VyprVPN is a trusted VPN that has advanced protocols like WireGuard which provides 256-bit encryption and keeps all your web activity safe.
StrongVPN
StrongVPN is a great VPN service that offers speeds that are fast for streaming but not very fast for gaming. It prevents you from DDoS attacks while playing and protects you from any serious hacking threats. The public Wi-Fi connections can be a gateway for hackers to access your personal information but the defensive tunnel provided by StrongVPN prevents them from looking at your activity and shuts them down while defending your information. It is an amazing perk for on-the-go gaming.
FAQs
What is a VPN?
A VPN is a virtual private network that works to provide you with full security and privacy while you are surfing online. It feeds your connection via an encrypted tunnel and masks your IP address making you look as if you are in a different country and allows you to unblock geo-restricted services and platforms that are banned sometimes for example Discord.
What makes a VPN good for gaming?
There are a lot of reasons that make a VPN server the best for gaming but none is more important than a stable and speedy connection. All the VPNs that are mentioned above are fast VPNs that produce a connection that is as quick as when you disconnect.
Is it legal to use a VPN for gaming?
Most of the county’s VPNs are legal to use except in Iraq, North Korea, and Belarus. While some countries like Turkey, Russia, and China heavily restrict VPNs and see it as a sign of suspension so very much caution is needed when you are using a VPN in these regions.
Are there Free VPNs?
The answer is “Yes” there are free VPN services available in the market but if you are not paying for it with money then you have to pay for it with your data. Most of the VPNs that come free can cost you your important data as they collect and sell your information. And even if there is a free VPN that will protect your information it will be not fit for gaming purposes so it is better to always go with the paid options and choose the free trial first if you are not too sure about it.
Can free VPNs be used for gaming?
No. The free VPNs have a limitation of free service including fewer servers to connect to, limiting bandwidth, and setting a data limit that is not at all ideal for a long gaming session.
Which is the best VPN for gaming?
After going through all the VPNs for gaming ExpressVPN looks like a great choice. It offers robust security, super fast speed, and the option to install ExpressVPN on just about any modern device including routers and consoles is available. And in case you are still not sure you can try out its trial and get your money back in 30-days. It is very simple to claim a refund.
The Synopsis
All the above-mentioned VPN services are user-friendly apps for all devices, provide lag-free gaming for all devices, have refund policies, free trials, and discounts, and keep your identity as well as online activity private. It is very important to pick the right VPN as the best VPN you choose for gaming will give you the fastest speed, most security, and access to the geo-restricted gaming content.