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Best VPNs for Gaming in 2024
Discover the VPNs that give you an edge in online gaming.
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Last Updated: October 24, 2024
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Discover the VPNs that give you an edge in online gaming.
Last Updated: October 24, 2024
Table of Contents:
A virtual private network (VPN) is a great way to access your favorite games from anywhere, protect yourself from nasty DDoS attacks, and improve your ping. Unfortunately, with so many gaming VPNs out there, choosing the best gaming VPN has become a task in and of itself.
Whether playing a simple chess match or as Kratos in God of War, you need good bandwidth and low latency to play in real time. Furthermore, having a server near the developers’ network is best to minimize the distance your connection covers.
We researched and tested all the VPNs on the market for gaming to find the best ones. From internet connection quality to features, security, and server locations, we closely examined each in terms of suitability for online gaming. Five VPNs stood out as best. Let’s find out the best and why you should try them.
We're completely independent and focused on VPN software. We've spent 150+ years and thousands of hours testing and reviewing VPNs using our unbiased VPN review process to recommend the best ones.
Here are some of our key VPN testing statistics:
35+
VPNs Tested
16,000
Total Hours of Testing
$80,000
Money Invested in Testing
Here’s a quick look at our best VPNs for gaming.
After weeks of research and testing, we’ve selected the best gaming VPNs on the market. All the VPNs on our shortlist offer super-fast connections, unlimited bandwidth, excellent routing for minimal latency, incredible P2P speeds, and advanced security features to keep you safe online. We also looked at the pricing of the various VPNs and selected a mixture of value and feature-packed options.
Now, let’s take a better look at the best ones:
ExpressVPN is the leading VPN provider and the best gaming VPN. It offered the fastest connection speeds during our gaming tests and best-in-class security. The provider also provides a way to connect gaming consoles with MediaStreamer, an innovative DNS service.
Express has an impressive network of servers in 94 countries. It upgraded its bandwidth in most locations to 10 Gbps, which makes it far less likely to encounter network congestion. For instance, we played a rescue mission against Cerberus in Mass Effect 2 with excellent latency. We also managed to win a few matches in CoD Mobile without any issues.
All server locations offer connections through Lightway, the company’s lightning-fast protocol. The company’s proprietary protocol is excellent for gaming, providing consistent low ping and fast connections. During our tests, we were pleasantly surprised to see Lightway achieve better speeds than WireGuard and IKEv2/IPSec.
ExpressVPN has an app or a way to connect virtually every gaming platform. For example, you can get an app for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers. With the MediaStreamer feature, you can easily connect gaming consoles and other devices that don’t natively support VPNs.
Installing ExpressVPN on your PC or smartphone takes about 2 minutes, but the router setup is a bit more complicated. Some routers ship with a pre-installed ExpressVPN, making protecting your household much more straightforward.
ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs offering support for official cloud gaming services. ExpressVPN can unlock platforms like the PlayStation store, GeForce Now, xCloud, Amazon Luna, and Steam. The VPN also allows users to overcome any geo-blocking of these services in specific regions globally.
ExpressVPN operates from the British Virgin Islands, a region with strict policies against data retention laws and international interference. The VPN is also independently audited and verified as a complete zero-logs VPN. However, what we love is the RAM-only server architecture called TrustedServer. The tech setup means no data is ever stored on the server, and everything is wiped at reboot or restart.
The VPN offers other nice-to-have security features like perfect forward secrecy and complete leak protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. We also liked the VPN’s split-tunneling feature, which allows you to secure the game connection alone and use the regular connection for home banking or other local activities. This is an excellent feature in large households where not everyone wants to use a VPN at a given session.
Finally, ExpressVPN provides unbeatable customer service that runs 24/7 via live chat, email, and a vast knowledge base. We instantly connected to a human agent who was technically sound on live chat. The email ticket we submitted received a reply in less than an hour.
CyberGhost VPN offers the most significant number of dedicated gaming servers and great app automation for gamers. The VPN has an excellent balance of fast connections, low ping, and online security, all of which make it a top-choice gaming VPN.
CyberGhost runs over 9,500 servers across 91 countries, so you’ll always find a fast connection near your location. The VPN’s ever-growing servers also reduce the chances of network congestion at a single VPN server, and the provider has recently upgraded many of its locations to run on 10 Gbps with unlimited bandwidth.
CyberGhost VPN offers Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux apps. It took us just a few minutes to register, install the VPN on a smartphone, and start gaming. However, the setup will take longer if you want to change your region to a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. You can install CyberGhost VPN on your router or use the Smart DNS and connect the VPN’s DNS servers from each device.
All of CyberGhost’s apps are very intuitive. The mobile and desktop apps allow you to access optimized gaming servers, making connecting to a location that suits your needs easy. The VPN also has an intelligent rule feature that enables you to customize the CyberGhost app to automatically connect to the fastest server whenever you open gaming platforms like Steam or Battle.net.
You can also use the VPN with cloud gaming services without issues, such as Steam, Amazon Luna, GeForce Now, or Xbox Game Pass. Because games like PUBG and CoD aren’t available in every country, CyberGhost VPN helps you bypass geo-restrictions and connect to regions with access.
CyberGhost is an independently audited VPN, and one of the big four auditors has reviewed its zero-logs policy. As ExpressVPN, CyberGhost also runs its network infrastructure on RAM-only hardware, uses perfect forward secrecy, and has a solid leak protection feature. Gamer or not, you can use CyberGhost’s content blocker to protect yourself against trackers and malware.
Lastly, we’re big fans of the My ID Guard feature, which allows you to generate random strong passwords for your multiple online accounts. It is an excellent way to manage passwords on multiple gaming accounts. You get instant alerts if your email address or passwords are found on the dark web.
We were impressed by Private Internet Access (PIA)’s consistent low ping during gaming. This was our experience when connected to local servers, and it was during the evening high usage window when everyone was having some fun. The fact that you can also adjust your level of encryption to improve your connection further makes PIA one of the best VPNs for gaming.
No wonder PIA offers such great connections when it has 10 Gbps NextGen servers in significant locations worldwide. The server list includes a ping indicator that turns green for optimal conditions, so you can always find a server nearby that isn’t overcrowded. This means you can use PIA to download large games in a reasonable time.
PIA Sports is one of the best platforms and device compatibility, as it offers user-friendly clients for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and a GUI app Linux. Like all VPNs, it doesn’t have apps for gaming consoles, but you can manually install PIA on your router or use its intelligent DNS feature.
And the best part is that you can use one PIA account to secure all your devices without any limits. You can secure your Xbox, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
PIA doesn’t officially guarantee support for cloud gaming, anyway. Still, we successfully accessed Amazon Luna and played a few of Amazon’s free games, like Monster Truck and the remastered version of Lumines. We also have no issues playing Fortnite on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The VPN offers excellent DDoS protection against malicious parties who might want to throw you off your game during a match. Private Internet Access also offers a unique feature called MACE, which blocks ads, malware, and trackers at the DNS level to prevent them from reaching your devices. Furthermore, PIA MACE conserves your gaming resources, significantly reducing your mobile device’s power consumption and battery drain.
PIA is an independently audited VPN verified to observe a strict no-logs policy. This means that, regardless of the VPN being headquartered in the US, its infrastructure is built so that there’s no data to share even when the authorities request it to do so. It’s one of the few VPNs whose no-logs policy was proven in court.
NordVPN is an excellent gaming VPN thanks to its advanced security features, P2P servers, and super-fast speeds. While it is one of the few VPNs with a security breach on one of its servers, the secure infrastructure and strict no-logs policy ensured there wasn’t anything there.
The Panama-based provider runs a vast network of over 5,700 servers in 60 countries. Since the breach, Nord has revised its agreements with third-party hosting services and improved its security assessments. No matter what happens, gamers benefit from NordVPN’s complete protection from DDoS attacks during gameplay.
NordVPN has a great feature called Meshnet, which allows gamers to create a secure private network with up to 60 devices over the VPN’s encrypted connections. This is a crucial feature for gamers who want to securely host virtual LAN parties and games with friends. How cool is that?
Gamers will appreciate the provider’s consistent speeds across its applications. In addition to Windows and Mac, you can install it on Linux, iOS, Android, routers, and even internet-capable devices that do not support VPN technology.
NordVPN gives you access to security features like complete leak protection and perfect forward secrecy, as well as more advanced ones like Double VPN, dark web monitor, and Onion over VPN. Together, these ensure your real identity stays anonymous when you game, reducing the chances of malware attacks, cyber-bullying, and swatting.
IPVanish is one of the few VPNs in the industry that owns and operates all its server networks — a massive competitive flex and one that gamers should pay attention to. Total infrastructure control is essential because it results in security and performance optimizations that are otherwise unavailable.
IPVanish operates a decent network of 2,200+ servers in over 75 countries worldwide. While this is a smaller number of servers than competitors, IPVanish still offered consistent gaming speed during our tests. Crucially, we could play mobile CoD’s battle royale mode on mobile, fire up Mass Effect on the old reliable PS4, and open live Twitch stream on PC without experiencing buffering.
IPVanish is compatible with various cloud gaming platforms, so you can use the VPN to access popular platforms like PlayStation Store, iCloud, and Steam without issues. Furthermore, you can use IPVanish to unblock popular libraries of services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.
It gets better: IPVanish is one of the three premium VPNs that allows unlimited simultaneous connections with a single account. This is perfect for gamers who want to secure multiple home and gaming devices using a single account. Moreover, it makes IPVanish an excellent VPN to purchase and share with other gaming friends.
Moreover, in addition to other VPN benefits, IPV’s annual plan ships with a VIPRE antivirus feature that offers extra protection against malware attacks on Windows and Macs. An all-in-one solution for online and offline security? Why not?
Surfshark allows gamers to connect unlimited devices with one account. The VPN service also maintains consistent fast speeds on all connected devices, which is one of the significant highlights of Surfshark, a good gaming VPN.
Surfshark promises low ping across its 3,200 RAM-only servers, but this won’t happen with physically far connections. We recommend only connecting to nearby VPN locations if you want smooth gameplay. Moreover, the VPN provider has many exciting features that work well with internet gaming.
Surfshark is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and select routers. If you want to use it with a gaming console, you can try an intelligent DNS configuration, but that doesn’t always work for bypassing geo-restrictions. To unblock devices that don’t initially support VPNs reliably, you should install Surfshark on your router.
Surfshark’s top security features include Double VPN, server obfuscation, an ad blocker, an IP rotator, NoBoarders, and CleanWeb. These are great if you want to stay safe from cyber crooks and malicious online players who wish to disrupt your online gaming connection.
Surfshark is also an independently audited VPN and has been certified to keep no logs. It backs its claim by running RAM-only servers, meaning all traffic passing through them is wiped immediately. Therefore, even if the Dutch government demands the VPN service to share user data, Surfshark won’t have anything to give.
Surfshark is one of the cheapest premium VPNs, and considering its features and benefits, it makes up for a great value offer. The best part is that Surfshark backs all premium plans with a no-fuss 30-day money-back guarantee.
VyprVPN is a decent provider that offers top-notch security and allows up to 10 concurrent connections. It also supports P2P connections and defines your LAN’s scope so you can securely host virtual LAN parties with your friends.
The VPN has a relatively small network of 700+ servers in over 60 countries. While this is a much smaller network than top competitors like CyberGhost VPN, the provided did quite well in our speed tests. Like IPVanish, Vypr claims it owns and runs its network infrastructure, implying third-party interference is impossible. It’s a flex that only IPVanish and, to a certain extent, Mullvad VPN can claim.
VyprVPN has user-friendly apps for prominent platforms and is compatible with multiple routers. It can be installed on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux devices.
Like all other VPNs on the market, Vypr doesn’t have native apps for consoles but offers a workaround for installing the VPN at the router level or using the VyprDNS feature. The VPN provides router setup configuration files on its website, but we don’t recommend this option if you’re not confident in your technical abilities. The most straightforward approach is to purchase a pre-configured router with the VPN and plug and play.
We were disappointed that VyprVPN doesn’t promise 100% cloud gaming support. According to Vypr’s technical staff, the VPN doesn’t guarantee that it will unblock all cloud gaming platforms. However, we accessed several popular gaming services like Steam and the Epic Games Launcher.
VyprVPN scores well in terms of security, as it offers a blend of useful features like its proprietary VPN protocol, Chameleon, perfect forward secrecy, and encrypted DNS servers to prevent IP and DNS leaks. The VPN also claims to provide a whopping 300,000 IP addresses to protect gamers from potential DDoS attacks – we couldn’t check that this is the case, but the sheer number of IPs doesn’t guarantee connection speeds or ping.
Even though the VPN’s parent company (Golden Frog) operates from the US, VyprVPN is independently audited and verified as a strict no-logs VPN. Like all of our top pics, the provider has RAM-only servers, meaning all the traffic passing through is wiped clean on reboot or restart.
PrivateVPN stands out as a decent VPN for gaming, offering one of the most minimalistic apps that gamers will love. Sometimes, less is more, even when it comes to VPN clients. The critical bit is that the few settings you’ll see all ship with helpful explanations to get you by.
PrivateVPN offers native apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS but doesn’t have one for routers. So, if you want to use Private directly on your router, you must manually configure it. The good news is that it’s easy to perform this task, and the VPN provides step-by-step tutorials, including screenshots that you can use.
We liked Private VPN’s ability to deliver decent latency on most tested servers. We played Call of Duty Mobile on our Samsung Galaxy without an issue. While PrivateVPN doesn’t offer official cloud gaming support, you can still access most platforms. For example, we had no problem logging into GeForce Now and Steam.
However, we had to make three attempts before accessing Amazon Luna, and xCloud was similarly problematic.
The VPN uses military-grade encryption and enhances your online privacy with features like P2P traffic encryption, website unblocker, and an intelligent built-in kill switch that automatically closes selected apps (like gaming apps) that might be compromised when the VPN connection drops.
Private also claims to have secured more than 15,000 terabytes of data and has not been involved in any data breaches.
TunnelBear is one of the few VPN providers with a bit of excitement in its user experience. The TunnelBear app is easy to navigate and has a map that helps trace its VPN servers easily. The highlight of the user interface is the animated representation of establishing a VPN connection. You will see a bear digging a burrow from your location to the location of the VPN server you selected.
The burrowing bear will arrive at the target VPN server and resurface, accompanied by a roar, which signals a successful VPN connection. This will keep you engaged during the waiting time.
TunnelBear excels at secure P2P server connections, which gamers and torrent lovers will appreciate. The paid-for VPN plan allows unlimited bandwidth, so you can easily download/update large game files without your ISP engaging in content-based throttling.
Gamers worried about privacy can leverage security features like GhostBear, which make their online activity data less detectable to governments, businesses, and ISPs.
TunnelBear has the lowest VPN server presence, available in only 47 countries. However, the VPN provides stable connection speeds, and we did not experience significant latency or buffers during gameplay. However, we wouldn’t recommend it to professional gamers who care about every millisecond and FPS.
We like that TunnelBear allows you to protect unlimited devices. The only other VPNs in the industry that can offer this capability are PIA, IPVanish, and Surfshark. You can use a single account to secure TunnelBear apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. Unfortunately, the VPN isn’t compatible with most routers, and there’s no smart DNS service, making it challenging to game with TunnelBear if you have consoles.
Proton VPN completes our list as the best free gaming VPN service. Even on the free plan, you get unlimited bandwidth, which is rare among free VPN services. Because online gaming consumes a lot of bandwidth, Proton’s offer is attractive, as you don’t have to track how much bandwidth you’ve used.
There’s a catch, though. Proton’s free plan limits you to VPN servers in the US, Japan, and the Netherlands – if you don’t live near any of these, there’s a good chance you won’t find a nearby server to enjoy fast connection speeds. Although the free plan is only usable on one device, it does include a helpful feature called VPN Accelerator, which claims to boost speeds by a whopping 400% if connected to distant VPN servers.
The good news is that when you purchase a premium plan, you can access Proton’s 1,925+ servers in 67+ countries. Premium subscribers can also secure up to 10 devices simultaneously. The best part about buying a Proton VPN premium plan is consistent low pings and super-fast internet speeds.
The provider has Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS, and more apps.
Proton VPN is independently audited and confirmed to be a no-logs VPN offering open-source client apps. It beefs up security with features like perfect forward secrecy, full IP and DNS leak protection, and NetShield, a top-of-the-shelf VPN blocker.
Generally, a good gaming VPN provides an excellent mix of low ping, lightning-fast connection speeds, reliability, and top-notch privacy and security features.
Gaming over the Internet requires stable internet speed and low latency connections. Unfortunately, some ISPs constantly monitor internet traffic and usage, and they can sometimes throttle you based on your online activities.
Throttling prevents you from playing in real-time, so you’ll likely experience high latency and often disconnect from the gaming servers. A top VPN for gaming hides your traffic from your ISP and provides a stable internet connection between you and the gaming server.
A DDoS attack happens when a cyber-attacker (usually a fellow gamer) floods your network connection with traffic, causing an overload. They can do this because your IP address isn’t masked, and all the IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC traffic is visible with the right tools.
Due to in-game DDoS attacks, you’ll experience high latency, disconnecting you from the game servers and even completely shut down your device.
You can plan ahead of your enemies by investing in a good gaming VPN with anti-DDoS features and a fast internet connection. With a VPN, your online identity is masked behind the provider’s network, making it almost impossible for cybercriminals to track your traffic at all times.
Several top gaming companies and cloud gaming platforms sometimes limit server access, games, and game-pass purchases to specific regions only. Moreover, game prices can vary wildly between high-GDP countries like the US, UK, Canada, or the EU and places like South Africa or Russia.
Some games or beta releases are often geo-restricted to certain areas alone. This means you won’t be able to play them unless you’re physically there or have a good VPN.
A good gaming VPN will give you internet access without borders, so you can always connect to VPN locations to access your favorite games. Some of the best gaming servers are in regions like the US, UK, Canada, France, and Japan.
Thankfully, a top VPN like ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN has servers in more than 94 countries and can guarantee secure gaming without looking over your shoulder.
Are you experiencing latency issues while using a gaming VPN during your gaming sessions? Here are some of the solutions that might help:
The first obvious solution is to try alternate server gateways or swap your gaming VPN’s ports and protocols. This means connecting to the VPN server closest to you and then trying a VPN server near the game server location you want to access. In most cases, this fixes things.
If the above doesn’t work, try a bit of troubleshooting:
The last thing you can try is to update the MTU settings, which can significantly improve your VPN connectivity. Instructions on how to update your MTU settings are here. Some VPNs, like PIA, let you do this in a more user-friendly way directly from the app.
A good gaming VPN enhances your online security, gives you flexibility in terms of your server choices, and can improve your connection. The best VPN for gaming overall is ExpressVPN, which isn’t surprising considering its popularity. ExpressVPN offers excellent connection speeds for gaming due to its 10 Gbps servers.
But if you find the ExpressVPN a bit too expensive, try CyberGhost or PIA and enjoy lag-free gaming.
ExpressVPN is the obvious choice as the best gaming VPN. It offers an excellent balance of ultra-fast internet speeds, best-in-class security, an audited no-logs privacy policy, and many more awesome features.
Express VPN is one of the few VPNs with servers around the world that might actually reduce your latency compared to your regular connection. Moreover, it has an app for most devices and backs all premium purchases with a no-fuss 30-day money-back guarantee.
A few free VPNs claim to offer an excellent gaming experience, but this is not the case. We don't recommend them because free VPNs often lack the funding to build and provide top security and privacy features crucial for gamers. Free VPNs rarely offer unlimited bandwidth and generally have slow connection speeds. They also lack enough servers and locations and offer glitched apps.
Free VPNs also have a terrible reputation for logging user data and selling it to third parties. These organizations use the data to send you annoying ads and sometimes malware.
But we recommend Proton VPN's free plan if you want to use a free VPN. It's currently the best free gaming VPN with top-notch privacy and security standards. However, the catch is that you can only secure one gaming device at a time. The free version also limits you to US, Netherlands, and Japan servers.
ExpressVPN is currently the fastest VPN for gaming, which isn't surprising considering it's the market leader. We tried its nearby and distant VPN servers and experienced low pings and blazing-fast speeds.
PIA and CyberGhost VPN are also great options. In all our online experiences, game decisions must be made in real-time, and you need minimal latency and reliable connections.
Yes, a good VPN can improve your gaming experience. For example, a VPN can spoof your actual location and access game servers in other regions that are less crowded and offer better speeds and low latency.
VPNs also protect your device from potential DDoS attacks from other gamers online.
Just follow these three simple steps:
Here are the simple steps you can use to install your favorite VPN at the router level:
We strongly recommend following the instructions from your VPN provider, as they might differ.
Technically, you can't. However, you can use smart DNS to connect your console to the VPN's servers and bypass geo-blocks. The good news is that this method doesn't involve complicated configurations or tricks with the firmware.
So, here's how:
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