Best VPN for Gaming

Best VPN for Gaming : Gamers also need a VPN. The largest and most established VPN services also have a lot of functional extras, especially with gamers in mind.

The most important thing for you who play online is a VPN that scores high on general VPN factors such as securing and anonymizing your Internet traffic, hiding your IP address and accessing content that is geo-blocked from abroad, while maintaining high speed and takes care of gamers’ needs in the best way.

What does a VPN do?

It is becoming more and more common to supplement your Internet delivery with a VPN (Virtual Private Network). It comes at the same time that people are becoming more and more aware of safeguarding their privacy while surfing.

Here, there is no difference whether you use the Internet for gaming, streaming, use of private or public services or for reading newspapers. Your personal data is exposed. It is well worth protecting them.

The way a VPN secures you is by equipping you with a different IP address than the one assigned to the device you’re surfing from. It is the IP address that makes you recognizable for the websites you visit, and which gives your Internet provider the opportunity to log all your traffic.

By routing your traffic through a VPN server located in another country, you can also access content that is only available in that country. We call it geoblocking.

Especially about VPN for gamers

Before we go into the detailed descriptions of the VPN services that we believe give the best results in gaming, it is necessary to clarify some important terms and phenomena that intervene in this very thing.

“Ping”

When you do a speed test online (for example with Okla’s speed meter), you usually get three measurements. Upload and download speeds are measured in Mpbs, and should be below what you have paid for with your ISP.

In addition, “ping” is measured. It is the time it takes from when you send a signal to a receiver on the network and until you get a reaction back. This is measured in ms. Low numbers here mean good speed.

Ping is especially important when gaming online. If you see opponents who, instead of moving smoothly, approach with jerky movements, this is a sign of poor ping. Especially in shooters, this is annoying as it makes it impossible to aim.

“Jitter”

“Jitter” is an expression we use to describe stability in the ping values. Even if one test shows a good ping value, you may get a different result if you run another one. It depends on whether you have a smooth and stable network line or not.

You won’t notice jitter when browsing to look up information online, but it’s very present when you’re streaming or gaming. Then you will get the choppy movements that ruin your experience.

Choking

Activities such as streaming and gaming take relatively large capacity and network bandwidth. For that reason, there are certain broadband providers who “choke” (stifle) such activity.

They can do that because they have an overview of which services you use. They can, for example, slow down the signals from Netflix so that it becomes difficult to watch the film in full quality. They can do the same with particularly demanding gaming sites.

This is something you can solve with a VPN. You will then surf through the anonymized VPN server, and the broadband provider will not be able to see which places on the Internet you visit from here. Consequently, they also have no opportunity to throttle certain websites.

DDoS attacks

DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks may be familiar to you if you have participated in international gaming competitions.

It’s what happens when other players try to slow down your connection or lock you out of the game, thereby gaining a competitive advantage.

It happens in the way that several computers work together to flood your IP address with junk data (malware), but the intention is to overwhelm your network.

If you have activated a VPN, this will receive most of this. You also have the option to switch servers so that they lose track.

Game console

You can play on your computer or smartphone, or you can have your own game console from Nintendo, Playstation or Xbox.

On the computer or smartphone, the VPN is installed via an app.

On game consoles, it often goes over the router. Here it is an advantage to have a router with a ready setup for VPN. If necessary, you can also configure the router yourself. There are guides for the different routers on the market.

The good VPN services will also be able to offer smart DNS services that you can set directly from the console. This does not constitute a full-fledged VPN service as it does not encrypt your traffic, but it can unlock regionally protected content due to geo-blocking.

The best VPN services for gaming

In what follows, we present five VPNs that excel in general, and in making life easier for gamers in particular.

1. NordVPN

NordVPN is an excellent choice for gaming. It maintains constant low ping values ​​of around 4ms. It is suitable for all platforms, but takes the trophy when it comes to the exceptionally user-friendly apps for iOS and Android. Perhaps this is the best option for games on smartphones.

Conclusion

NordVPN works fast on both local and international sites. This makes it suitable for unlocking geo-blocked content.

What is important for gaming is of course that the ping values ​​show low numbers. The possible delay by using VPN is almost minimal.

NordVPN has as many as 5,000 servers spread across 59 countries. It is beneficial in terms of gaming, as it gives the opportunity to find a free server close to the game servers. A short geographical distance also means that the data arrives faster.

If you play a game that requires a P2P connection, just choose a local P2P server. How to avoid delays.

For console players, NordVPN has its own DNS service that allows you to route your traffic directly from the settings on the console. It doesn’t encrypt the data like a full-fledged VPN should, but it’s good enough to bypass geoblocks. There is a separate guide for setting this up on the NordVPN user page

You can also install NordVPN on a router to encrypt your console traffic. Do you use a PC? Mac, Android or iOS when you play, there are user-friendly apps that give you the full package with access to all geoblocked content and special features such as kill switch and more. All the apps allow you to choose between different protocols, as well as the latest in advanced encryption.

If you have any questions about NordVPN, there is an open 24/7 chat support. In addition, they have a variety of installation guides on their site.

You can also try NordVPN completely free by using their own 30-day money-back guarantee. Read in detail here

2. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a VPN service that is suitable for most areas of gaming. It’s fast, gives low ping values ​​and has apps available that cover most things. It also has a smart DNS service for use with consoles.

Conclusion

ExpressVPN has a clear policy of no logging of user activities. The encryption between the user device and the VPN server is 256 bit AES. This is in practice impenetrable. The servers are also free from leakage failure,

VPN from ExpressVPN allows P2P traffic. This means that it works particularly well with various forms of fighter games that require exactly this.

ExpressVPN can show consistently low ping values, usually significantly below the corresponding values ​​presented by competitors. It can be traced back to the large server network with over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, and also to their well-developed Lightway protocol.

The big advantage of such a strong network is the ability to connect to a VPN server as close as possible to the server of the gaming service you are interested in. This reduces the delay resulting from VPN use to an absolute minimum.

The speed maintains a good level even over long distances, It is particularly suitable when you need to open local content. But don’t count on getting the full effect if you want to compete with someone on the other side of the globe. Currently, there are no VPN services that can offer this.

ExpressVPN is probably one of the most user-friendly and versatile VPN services. Here are custom apps for Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows and more. All of these are equipped with a kill switch as protection should the VPN server fail.

It is not possible to install the VPN service directly on the console, but it can be done via the router. Another possibility is to share the connection from the computer so that the gameplay is routed through it.

Another option is to use a DNS service from ExpressVPN on your console. It’s called MediaStreamer DNS and can be installed directly. Then you get through geographical blocks despite the fact that it is not a full-fledged VPN.

If you are in countries like Iran or China where there is a high level of censorship, ExpressVPN will be the most effective tool to push through when you want to play online. You should have VPN installed on the device you will be playing on before you get there.

ExpressVPN has 24/7 customer service if you have any questions. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained here about VPNs and associated areas.

If you want to try out the service before committing to it, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read in detail here

3. Surfshark

Surshark is another good and safe VPN choice for you as a gamer. This especially applies to the latest generation consoles. The average ping value is around 5 ms. It’s pretty good, although some professional players would like even faster reactions during the game.

Conclusion

The ever-growing VPN service Surfshark currently offers servers in 66 countries. Twelve of them also have several locations to choose from. They are of course particularly well covered in the USA, but you will also find large gaming countries such as Spain, Japan, South Korea and Germany on the list. It is something you can use to access regional content or to achieve the fastest possible speed.

However, for minimal delay, a server located close to you is recommended.

Note that for P2P games, you must manually select a server dedicated to this. However, there is a good selection of such.

Also on Surfshark you will find a DNS service that can be controlled directly from the console. It lasts a long time if the purpose is primarily to dissolve geographic blocks, but does not offer full encryption and maximum security.

But for a total VPN package, you need to install Surfshark on your device; your computer, tablet, smartphone or router. Here there are apps available for all major operating systems such as MacOS, Windows, iOS and Android, with built-in AES 256 encryption, kill switch and open VPN protocols. By installing it on your router, you protect your entire network.

It is also a pleasure to communicate with customer service at Surfshark. There are people here who know what they are talking about. If it beeps during installation on routers or when activating the DNS service on the console, you should not have any threshold to contact them.

Surfshark also maintains a very comfortable price level. This is especially true when you think about what you get for the price. The ping is slightly worse than NordVPN and ExpressVPN, but they give a significant discount in return.

4. Private Internet Access (PIA)

PIA is an American-based VPN service that can certainly show ping values ​​that make it suitable for gaming. They are also leaders in Wireguard VPN protocols with included AES 256 encryption, which gives particularly good results for gaming via PC.

Conclusion

P2P gaming is possible on all servers at PIA. This makes it a good choice for all games that do not use central servers.

PIA is a well-developed service, and has the necessary apps for Windows, Mac, iOs and Android. They can’t always compare to the ease of use of NordVPN and ExpressVPN, but the functionalities are excellent. They include a kill switch, advanced AES 256 encryption, and most other VPN tools one would expect.

However, it has no DNS service for direct installation on consoles. You are then directed to play through the router,

Over 25,000 servers in 77 countries, on the other hand, provide a good global selection. You can easily find a server with an ideal location for what you do, and adapt to minimal delay when using it.

Coverage is naturally best in North America, Europe and Asia. However, it could have been better in South America and Africa.

In terms of price, PIA is on par. Try it out, and if the gaming experience doesn’t live up to your expectations, you always have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

These are few of the Best VPN for Gaming.

How a VPN works

You therefore use a VPN to replace your real IP address so that you cannot be identified. It protects your device from tracking and hacking, while allowing you to access local content by choosing a VPN server in that country.

But how do they do it?

The core of a VPN service is what takes place between your device and the VPN server. The device can be the computer, mobile phone or a router.

Now that you have downloaded a VPN server, you immediately establish a connection with one of the VPN service’s servers. It can be domestic or foreign

The important thing here is that all data sent back and forth between you and the VPN server is encrypted so that it becomes impossible for a third party to track it. The most advanced encryption, called AES 256-bit encryption, is often used here. This is used by all the services mentioned, and indeed also by the US military.

The connection between you and the VPN server is called a secure tunnel. With some services, you can also get a shared tunnel, so you can choose who can see you or not.

When you start your journey on the Internet, you do so from the VPN server’s point of view, and with its IP address . This is how it appears to outsiders that you are in the same country as the server is located.

This is of course a detour to the internet, but it ensures a great degree of security, The good VPN services have so many and such good servers that you will hardly notice any delay.

On NordVPN it is also possible to let your traffic go through an additional encrypted server, also called double VPN. It could be, for example, that traffic from a high-risk country such as the United States first passes through a server in a low-risk country, before it is forwarded to your device.

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