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Best VPN for Gaming

Secure and smooth in-game experience:

– Play online at warp speed

– Purchase games at lower prices

– Bypass regional restrictions with ease

– Take part in tournaments all over the world

– Stream your gaming sessions to a high standard

Cyberghost: The most secure VPN for gaming

Pros

  • Strong privacy policy
  • Live chat support
  • TOR compatibility
  • Native encryption method IKEv2
  • 256-bit encryption of public Wi-Fi networks
  • Multilingual interface

Cons

  • Limited payment options
Price: $2.75 a month
Good for:
Compatibility:

During testing, it appeared that Cyberghost had all the answers to what is the best VPN for gaming questions.

Also, a good VPN for gaming, CyberGhost has a vast server network. There are over 5,600 servers located in 90 countries. 

CyberGhost’s VPN services are rooted in fast upload and download speeds.

Cyberghost premium users can enjoy optimized connection speed for a smooth gaming experience.

Cyberghost supports up to 7 simultaneous connections and offers support for macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and Chrome and also has advanced options for Windows-users as it is a top-notch VPN for Windows

The top-notch security features and a kill switch are upholding the highest security and privacy standards.

Payment plans include:

1 month – $12.99 per month;

6 Months – $4.99 per month;

1 Year – $2.75 per month (Christmas discount included).

There is also a 45-day money-back guarantee

ExpressVPN: Fastest VPN for gaming

Pros

  • Super fast & ultra secure
  • Great for HD/4K streaming
  • Instant setup & very easy to use
  • AES-256 encryption
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  • More expensive than some rivals
  • 3 simultaneous connections
Price: $6.67 a month
Good for:
Compatibility:

With 160 different server locations across 90 countries and 3,000 gaming servers, Express VPN will enable you to connect to the fastest servers in no time. 

During the testing, we have determined that ExpressVPN delivers high upload and download speeds and unlimited bandwidth.

More importantly, the speeds proved to be consistent over time, making it the fastest VPN for gaming. 

It’s compatible with all popular gaming devices and platforms, including PC, Windows, macOS, Xbox One and 360, PlayStation 3 and 4, and Android and iOS.

You can connect 3 devices with a single account

ExpressVPN is a secure VPN as it comes with advanced security features, kill switch, and a strict no-log policy to keep you safe online.

If you were wondering which VPN protocol is best for gaming, ExpressVPN might have the one you’ve been looking for.

Split tunneling is beneficial for gamers as it lets you minimize the lag by allowing you to choose which traffic you want to encrypt.

Payment plans include:

1 Month – $12.95 per month;

6 Months – $9.99 per month;

12 Months – $8.32 per month.

There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee.

NordVPN: The most reliable VPN for gaming

Pros

  • 2048-bit SSL encryption
  • Logs are not stored in the system
  • VPN gateways for streaming media content
  • Automatic Kill Switch Button
  • 24/7 customer support

Cons

  • Has no bandwidth cap
  • No free trial
  • No phone support
Price: $2.99 a month
Good for:
Compatibility:

NordVPN also offers access to an extensive network of over 3,500 servers in 61 countries enabling gamers to connect to virtually any location they desire.

NordVPN connection speed performance is outstanding. Both download and upload speeds make this VPN an excellent option for gamers who want to avoid lag.

Grade-A security, kill switch, and built-in DDoS protection will protect your internet connection and allow you to enjoy the nuance-free game time.

A 30-day money-back guarantee would get you a full refund if you invested in a:

1-month plan – $11.95 per month;

1-year plan – $5.99 per month;

2-year plan – $4.99 per month;

3-year plan – $3.49 per month.

How we choose VPN

To identify the best VPN providers in the crowd, we decided to make a list of the most important aspects of VPN services.

This list can also help you whenever you are looking for the best VPN for online gaming.

1. NUMBER OF SERVERS AND LOCATIONS

The abundance of server locations and the number of servers is essential in terms of delivering consistent speeds, especially when there are many users online.

The vast server network also helps users bypass geo-restrictions efficiently.

2. DOWNLOAD AND UPLOAD SPEEDS

If you want the ultimate gaming experience, you need high speeds and unlimited bandwidth. Upload is also essential as many gamers enjoy streaming their online gaming sessions.

3. COMPATIBLE GAMING DEVICES

Secure gaming across a variety of devices

4. NUMBER OF SIMULTANEOUS CONNECTIONS

Being able to use the VPN from several devices is a nice perk if you like to play games on your smartphone, desktop, and tablets.

5. SECURITY FEATURES

These features are what keeps you safe and secure online.

6. NO-LOG POLICY

A no-log policy translates into real anonymous gaming and online browsing.

7. PAYMENT PLANS AND COST

Knowing the price will help you choose a VPN that suits your budget.

How to start using VPN for online gaming

cyberghost connected

Many gamers have their favorite online game clients such as Steam or Battle.net set up to start and automatically login as the system starts up.

If you do this before connecting to a VPN network, your original IP address will get noted.

This will prevent you from bypassing geo blockades and expose you to DDoS attacks and other cyber threats even if you follow up by enabling a VPN connection. 

To prevent this, you need to learn how to start using a VPN for online games. Here is an example. We used Cyberghost to demonstrate it.

Step 1: Make sure to disable auto startup in your game client settings.

You can still keep the auto sign-in option turned on.

This will prevent your IP address from leaking before the VPN kicks in.

Step 2: Open the Cyberghost VPN client and click on settings.

Step 3: Click on “General” in the left section of the window.

Step 4: Enable “Automatically run at system startup” and “Run this profile at startup” options.

Choose the “Surf Anonymously” profile if you want it easy, or go with “Choose my VPN Server” if you want to custom-tailor your VPN settings. 

Step 5: If you go with “Choose my VPN Server,” it will list all gaming servers.

Pay attention to the “Ping” column (number 4) and select the server with the lowest ping.

Is free VPN for gaming worth it?

If you cut expenses on various online services, you have more cash to spend on your online gaming adventures.

But looking for a free gaming VPN is not worth it. Those that offer free services will throttle down your speed, casing unforgiving lag spikes.

Others will sell your data and spam you with ads, which you need to avoid with the best adblockers not only from VPN services.

The free great VPNs for gaming are not free per se.

What they mean by free are money-back guarantees, time, and/or bandwidth limited free trials.

Premium VPN, on the other hand, will protect you with high levels of encryption, have no data limits, won’t throttle your speed, and hold no-log policies.

The bottom line

Your gaming experience no longer depends on the quality of service your ISP delivers only.

Malicious data collection efforts and DDoS attacks can easily rip the fun out of your gaming experience, leaving you to wonder whether there is a way to prevent lags.

Gamers use the best VPN to resolve these issues. But is a VPN suitable for gaming? 

The short answer is – yes, VPN is good for gaming.

It allows gamers to purchase their favorite games at significantly lower prices and compete in tournaments that aren’t available in their region.

On top of that, VPN improves internet connection security, meaning that a gaming VPN protects you from cyber threats and DDoS attacks. 

FAQ

Is VPN good for gaming?

Yes and the reasons are endless but let’s start with a few.
Firstly, a VPN can help you avoid any throttling from your ISP by masking your activity which means that the ISP won’t be able to identify you on their servers to throttle your connection. ISPs do that a lot when your IP is sulking in a lot of data. More so, it provides you with privacy. DDoS attacks are rampant among gamers, so to protect yourself from being hacked, you need a VPN.

What should a gaming VPN have?

Basically, an excellent speed. We will be mincing words if we don’t emphasize that. Secondly, you should make sure your desired VPN has outstanding privacy credentials. A good privacy credential is one reason people use VPN, as such using one that’s sure to provide the best security. Another feature is the kill switch to ensure that your identity is safe even if your internet disconnects.

What is the best free VPN for gaming?

Free VPNs are really not a good idea. We are not saying free VPNs are bad though they have their own good side; the joy is limited, literally. They have a data cap that prevents you from using the network after a specific data limit; let’s say 500MB. That’s a wrong choice while you are playing games. The ads can be annoying, and not forget that you are limited to only a few slow servers.
So dead the idea of searching online for the ‘best VPN for gaming free’ or top free VPN for gaming if you really want anonymity while playing games.

Is it legal to use a VPN for gaming?

Yes, it is legal to use a VPN for gaming. However, depending on what you are using the VPN for, you may or may not be performing anything illegal. The majority of gamers use VPN to spoof their location to buy games at a much lower price than when they are using their own IP – this is a crime, and you may be prosecuted.

Will a VPN increase my ping?

VPN can increase your ping, but this is a slight increase compared to when you are not using any VPN at peak speed. However, if you close to the server you selected, there’s a big chance that could possibly reduce the ping significantly.
Basically, the reason for using a VPN in the first place is to stabilize your internet connection. Hence, while using your regular connection, you may peak at 10ms ping, but when you are connected to a VPN, it might increase to 300ms, which can be challenging to manage. An excellent VPN ensures that your connection is usable and, most importantly, stays that way.

Can VPNs reduce ping?

As much as VPN can increase ping, it can likewise reduce your internet connection ping. VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN have proven to use low ping servers that are important for gaming. An excellent choice for internet providers that do not offer a reliable low ping internet connection.

Does a VPN affect gaming?

Yes, VPN can affect your gaming performance significantly and, in some cases, negatively. Be that as it may, all of these depend on the VPN server and how it’s managed. You should choose a VPN with a minimum ping server, as this will provide a higher gaming experience.

Which VPN is suitable for PUBG?

With the options that we have provided you in this post, you definitely can’t go wrong with these options when looking for the best VPN for gaming, especially playing with NordVPN, Surf Shark, and ExpressVPN; for instance, you can be sure to get the best.

Which is the best VPN for gaming?

At the moment, we can’t say in a few months, our choice is ExpressVPN. The features are endless, but ExpressVPN has reliable servers, fast connection speed, and security credentials, making it a top choice. Besides, it’s an obvious choice because of its easy-to-use interface on both movie and desktop and its ability to unblock streaming platforms.

What VPN do pro gamers use?

The majority of games, especially the professional ones, go for NordVPN. Nord is actually a really fast VPN for gaming but there are other great options.
That’s not to say that a VPN like ExpressVPN is not a good choice. In short, if we are to go for one, we will go for ExpressVPN since it’s faster. NordVPN, on the other hand, has its own pecs like fast connection speed and a massive global network of servers. Some gamers likewise go for SurfShark. One will provide you with everything you need from a secure VPN while gaming or streaming.