Online gaming is a thrilling and competitive activity that requires a fast and reliable network connection. You don’t want to lose a match because of lag, latency, or network interruption. Sometimes, you may face opponents who are better than you, or you may have a bad day. But you never want your network connection to be the deciding factor of your performance.
If you want to play online games with players from all over the world and reduce your risk of network issues, you may want to use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN can provide you with a high-speed, secure, and low-latency network that can enhance your gaming experience. Some of the best gaming VPNs in 2023 are NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Hotspot Shield.
But how do you choose the right VPN for your gaming needs? In this guide, we will explain what a VPN does, why you may need one for gaming, and how to select one that suits your preferences.
What is a VPN, and How Does It Work?
A VPN is a service that creates a private network over the public internet. It works by encrypting all the data that is sent between your device and the internet server. This way, no one can intercept or tamper with your data.
A VPN also masks your IP address, which is a unique identifier of your device and location on the internet. By hiding your IP address behind one of its servers, a VPN can make it appear as if you are browsing from a different location. This can help you bypass geo-restrictions and access online services that are not available in your region. For example, you can use a VPN to watch Netflix shows from other countries or use BBC iPlayer outside the UK.
By using a VPN, you can also prevent your internet service provider (ISP) from seeing what you do online. This can stop them from throttling your connection speed based on your online activities. Throttling is when your ISP intentionally slows down your connection to reduce bandwidth usage or to promote certain services over others.
Best Gaming VPN List for 2023
If you are looking for a gaming VPN that can enhance your gaming experience, you might want to consider these five options. They are ranked based on their speed, security, reliability, and features.
| Rank | VPN Name | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CyberGhost | 1. Easy-to-use and optimized servers in 90+ countries 2. AES-256 encryption and ad blocker 3. Supports up to 7 devices simultaneously 4. 45-day money-back guarantee 5. Has a gaming mode for better performance | 1. Not very fast on some servers 2. Doesn't work well in China |
| 2 | ExpressVPN | 1. Super-fast and consistent speeds in 94 countries 2. AES-256 encryption and split tunneling 3. Supports up to 5 devices simultaneously 4. 30-day money-back guarantee 5. Uses Lightway protocol for blazing-fast gaming | 1. More expensive than other VPNs 2. Limited configuration options |
| 3 | Hotspot Shield | 1. Speedy and secure servers in 80+ countries 2. Proprietary Hydra protocol and malware protection 3. Supports up to 5 devices simultaneously 4. 45-day money-back guarantee 5. Can bypass geo-restrictions on popular games | 1. Some logging of user data 2. No Linux support |
| 4 | IPVanish | 1. Fast and reliable servers in 75+ countries 2. AES-256 encryption and SOCKS5 proxy 3. Supports unlimited devices simultaneously 4. 30-day money-back guarantee 5. Offers free encrypted storage for game files | 1. Based in the US (a Five Eyes country) 2. No live chat support |
| 5 | NordVPN | 1. Fast and stable servers in 60+ countries 2. Military-grade encryption and kill switch 3. Supports up to 6 devices simultaneously 4. 30-day money-back guarantee 5. Has dedicated low-ping servers for gaming | 1. Some servers can be slow or overcrowded 2. No phone support |
Why Do You Need a VPN for Gaming?
There are many reasons why you may need a VPN for gaming. Here are some of the most common ones:
To avoid ISP throttling
If your ISP detects that you are playing online games that consume a lot of bandwidth, they may slow down your connection speed to save resources or prioritize other users. This can result in lag, latency, or disconnection during your gaming sessions. By using a VPN for gaming, you can hide your online activities from your ISP and enjoy a stable and fast connection.
To protect your game data from DDoS attacks
A DDoS attack is when someone floods your network with unwanted traffic to overwhelm it and disrupt your service. This can cause your game to crash or freeze. If someone knows your IP address, they can launch a DDoS attack against you to sabotage your gaming performance. By using a VPN, you can conceal your IP address and make it harder for attackers to target you.
To play on different servers with different players
Sometimes, you may want to play on servers that are located in other regions or countries. This can allow you to play with or against players who have different skill levels, styles, or languages. It can also help you avoid crowded or slow servers in your own region. By using a VPN, you can change your virtual location and access servers that are otherwise inaccessible to you.
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Will a Gaming VPN Slow Your Internet Speed?
Some VPNs offer a free service with limited bandwidth and slow connection speed. As a gamer, using one of these VPNs would be counterproductive because your online gaming experience would likely be severely hampered. When playing online, low latency without any speed cuts should be your top priority
VPNs such as IPVanish or NordVPN provide zero latency and ensure that their connections are optimized for speed and stability. This way, you can ensure that your data remains encrypted and your connection won’t drop out.
Challenges For Using VPNs For Gaming
It is well understood in the tech world that every technology developed has its flaws, VPNs not excluded. The advantages of having a VPN cannot be overstated. However, there may still be some challenges that present themselves when using one.
A challenge you may be faced with is playing a game that doesn’t support VPNs. This is often intentional on the part of the game developers because the use of a VPN may provide a competitive advantage over other players who are not using one. Therefore, in an effort to promote fair play, some games are created without the ability to support VPNs. If you encounter this, you’ll need to set up the VPN on your router instead and then configure the game or app to connect to it
It is also still possible, though unlikely, for you to become a victim of a cyber attack when using a virtual private network. Few, if any, tools can fully protect you from someone who has the right resources and money to take you down. However, increasing your security standards by using a VPN can make it very difficult for someone to hack your device.
Sure, encountering potential roadblocks when using a VPN is possible. However, it is evident that the benefits of having one of these services far outweigh any challenges that could arise.
What Features Should You Look For In a Gaming VPN? (Buying Guide)
Choosing a gaming VPN that offers the following features would be best to ensure that your online gaming experience is top-notch.
• Stable and Fast Connection – The number one priority for every gamer on earth is to have ultra-fast speed and a stable internet connection. Therefore, your best option is a VPN with fast servers located near your home and in other regions where an IP address is required.
• Number of Servers – Another important feature of a VPN is the number of servers it offers. When gaming online, you will need to connect to different servers, which will require numerous servers in each location.
• Privacy Protection – When choosing a VPN, you should never accept anything less than superb AES-256 encryption, the same type of security used by banks and governments worldwide. You also want to ensure that the VPN does not track your activities and keeps you anonymous during gameplay and other tasks. It should also provide DNS leak protection and an automatic kill switch if it encounters an unexpected downtime.
• Protocols – A VPN protocol is what actually encrypts your data and hides your IP address to provide security during online gaming. You should look for PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol), L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols which are best suited for this purpose.
• Multi-Platform Support – If you game on PCs and consoles, you want your VPN to provide multi-platform support to be used by all of your devices at once. You should ensure that it has support for all major platforms, such as Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android, etc.
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Bottom Line
If you are a serious gamer and you play online without using a virtual private network, you are putting yourself at a significant disadvantage. But you don’t want to choose just any VPN, especially for the purpose of gaming. Your best course of action is to commit to a VPN that offers all of the necessary features which will keep you safe and secure while also providing a smooth and lag-free gaming experience.
So, act quickly and obtain a VPN subscription now so you can compete online without worrying about lousy connection speed or falling victim to cyber-attacks.
