When gaming, you want speed and stability first and everything else second. We tested the best gaming VPNs that provide lag-free gaming while keeping you safe.
Virtual private networks (VPNs) can be helpful for gamers. While most VPNs don’t promote themselves as gamer-first solutions, the best VPNs don’t impact your gaming sessions and offer a host of benefits for an affordable price, including rapid server speeds, location options, streaming support, and the ability to mask your IP address and improve your security.
The best gaming VPNs will offer enhanced security without lag or ping issues. As a bonus, you can use a VPN to hide your location from other players who might think it’s amusing to launch denial-of-service attacks or stream snipe you.
Gaming VPNs, compared
Best VPN for gaming
Price
Countries/Server locations
Simultaneous connections
ExpressVPN
$6.67 per month with a one-year plan and three free months
105
8
NordVPN
$3.59 per month with a two-year plan and three free months
111
10
Surfshark
$1.99 per month with a two-year plan and four free months
100
Unlimited
IPVanish
$2.19 per month with a two-year plan
75+
Unlimited
CyberGhost
$2.19 per month with a two-year plan and two free months
100
7
What is a gaming VPN service and why should you use one?
A gaming VPN service creates an encrypted tunnel between the device you are gaming on and the internet. Gaming-ready VPNs offer enhanced security and the option to disguise your IP address, which is especially important if you are concerned about stream sniping or DoS attacks. If your internet service provider employs activity-based speed and traffic throttling, a VPN may also help you bypass such restrictions, as the ISP won’t be able to see what you are doing.
Full transparency: There are cons to using a gaming VPN
VPNs give you a level of security and privacy, but there are downsides to using a VPN while you’re gaming. VPNs, by their nature, will often reduce speeds by up to 20% — and potentially far more when you connect to far-away servers — as they encrypt and reroute traffic. These extra steps can also impact your latency, ping, and response rates, which can make all the difference in competitive gaming.
Given the downsides, is a VPN for gaming worth it?
Unless you are a consistent target of internet trolls trying to track you down through your IP address, we don’t think it is worth purchasing a VPN purely for gaming purposes. Typically, a gaming VPN will only protect your privacy on devices with native support — such as PCs and mobile devices — and if you want to use a VPN on a console, you will likely need a router with VPN support, or you will have to configure your existing router, which can be a complicated process.
If you plan to use a VPN to also protect your day-to-day activities, for streaming purposes, and for travel, we would recommend signing up for one. A VPN is able to give you blanket security coverage, reducing the likelihood of being tracked online and giving you the option to shift to different locations, which can be useful in various scenarios.
Next, sign in using your VPN account credentials or a device authorization code. Your VPN will now be active, and you can select the country server you want, change any further settings, and more. When your VPN is active, and you start up your online game, your connection should be protected.
The same installation principles apply when you play a game on your smartphone.
