BEST VPN SERVICES
In a hurry?
The best VPN for gaming in 2023, as found in our independent testing, is NordVPN!
A top-tier VPN guarantees a constant connection and excellent speed and safeguards your data.
It ought to be user-friendly and dependable enough so that it doesn’t interfere with your gaming sessions.
Although VPNs are many, only a select few can deliver the safety and speed that PC gamers require.
When using one of the VPNs we recommend below, your online activities will remain hidden, and you won’t experience any lag while playing games.
Monthly and annual subscriptions to the VPNs on this list are affordable.
Be aware of trying a free VPN because of their logging policies that some of your data will be recorded and sold to third parties.
Here are the best VPNs for gaming in 2023.
Best VPN for Gaming 2023
1. NordVPN
What serious gamer wouldn’t want faster connection speeds if a VPN service can offer that?
The lightning-fast speeds advertised by NordVPN were confirmed in our tests.
It has many servers in the most important countries, and all of them, whether in the United States, Hong Kong, or any other 57 countries where gamers may connect, provide incredible and consistently fast download and upload rates.
- NordVPN is the industry leader (by a long way)
- 30-day risk-free trial
- Superfast speeds
- 5,442+ servers in 60+ countries
- Strict no-logs policy
- Next-generation military-grade encryption
- DoubleVPN, double privacy
- 6 simultaneous device connections
- Great for: Safety, security, anonymity & peace of mind
- Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad & iOS, Linux, routers, Apple TV, FireFox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and more
Although it doesn’t support as many countries as other services, it provides access to all the most important gaming locations.
Gaming performance should improve using NordVPN’s service, as the company says their VPN can circumvent bandwidth limitations.
Strong IP Address Protection
Your IP address is your digital badge of identity and reveals your physical location to the world.
Suppose you’re concerned about your online security; even while gaming, it’s best to hide your true IP address.
As long as you’re connected to one of NordVPN’s VPN servers, your true IP address will be concealed, and the service’s leak protection will ensure that you remain completely anonymous online.
You won’t have to worry about your Internet service provider slowing down your connection, and your gaming performance will improve.
DDoS Protection On All Servers
Distributed denial-of-service attacks are becoming increasingly common. In online games, DDoS assaults are frequently employed to gain an edge over rival players.
An attacker floods a server or network with traffic called a distributed denial of service attack.
You could become a target of the DDoS assault or unwittingly join the attacking botnet in this scenario.
A DDoS attack may not directly compromise security but can significantly degrade your online gaming experience by slowing down your connection or blocking access to a game server.
DDoS protection is included on all of NordVPN’s servers, giving gamers an extra safety net and competitive edge.
Rich Server Base
Using one of NordVPN’s more than 5600 VPN servers in 59 countries can greatly improve your online gaming experience.
If aliens invade your game, you can protect Earth by connecting to a virtual private network. Use the full potential of NordVPN by connecting to any of their servers worldwide.
Geo-Restrictions
There are a lot of online games that are only available in certain countries.
This includes game updates, features, and new packs restricted to specific regions. So, if you want to play all the games you want to play, you’ll need a VPN.
Using a VPN enables you to bypass geographical restrictions by masking your real IP address.
NordVPN Pricing
There aren’t any complicated price structures or package selections with NordVPN. The Standard, the Plus, and the Complete are the only available options.
Remember that the savings will be greater for a longer-term plan. Consider the difference between the annual and monthly rates:
- Standard: $4.99/month (1-year plan) or $11.99/month (1-month plan)
- Prices for The Plus begin at $5.89 per month (for a one-year commitment) and rise to $12.89 per month (1-month plan)
- The Complete Package: $7.19/mo. (yearly) or $14.19/mo (1-month plan)
2. Surfshark
Our Surfshark review discovered the service to be highly good in several ways, including its low price and effectiveness as a gaming VPN.
While Surfshark hasn’t always been as fast as NordVPN, it recently matched both services in our speed tests, so you can rest assured that it won’t drag down your Wi-Fi.
- Surfshark is the best budget VPN
- 30-day risk-free trial
- Strict no-logs policy
- 3200+ servers in 95 countries
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- Great for: private browsing on a budget
- Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone & iOS, Linux, FireFox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and more
It has a large network of 3,200 servers, but the mixture of unlimited connections and a price tag of less than $2.50 a month is what sells the service.
Both are extremely rare in the VPN market, making their combination unrivaled.
Without a doubt, Surfshark is the most cost-effective VPN service for online gamers.
Great Upload Speeds
Upload speeds on Surfshark were higher when connected to a server in the same country.
The speeds dropped minimally when connecting to servers in other countries, which is unusual for VPNs.
It’s known that long-distance gaming VPN servers cause significant performance drops for many services.
To put it simply, Surfshark prevents your ISP from restricting your traffic, allowing you to play multiplayer games without interruption.
Compatible With Most Gaming Consoles
Surfshark allows you to link up with many different iterations of Xbox and PS consoles.
This powerful VPN shields your gaming consoles and other gadgets from cybercriminals since you may connect an unlimited number of devices at once.
Check out the list of supported devices below to see if your game console is one of them!
- The Xbox One, Series S, and Series X
- Playstation 4 and Playstation 5
Smart DNS Feature
Surfshark uses a Smart DNS to allow its users to play games on gaming consoles and TVs that are not VPN enabled, as several Smart TVs do not allow VPNs.
It even helps with routers!
Even though Smart DNS lets you connect your Smart TV to the same anonymized server as your VPN, your data is not encrypted when using this option.
That’s why a Smart DNS is designed for entertainment purposes like streaming and gaming, not for safety.
Fortunately, Surfshark works with many different platforms and mobile devices.
Encryption
Encryption is the best feature of a VPN. The data transmitted through Surfshark is encrypted using AES-256.
This type of encryption is among the most secure available today and is extremely difficult to break.
Through encryption, Surfshark safeguards all of your data while you’re on the internet.
Surfshark’s Android app also includes a bonus function that lets users toggle between AES 256-GCM and Chacha20 Poly1305 cryptography.
You can expect increased velocities as a result of this.
Pricing
Surfshark has incredibly low prices. Its consistently low cost makes it a popular choice, and they provide seasonal and year-round promotions.
You save money compared to shorter subscriptions when you sign up for a longer length of time, as is the case with most VPN services.
Here are their current prices:
- Subscription cost each month: $12.95
- $3.99 per month for a yearly membership
- Two-year membership: $2.49 monthly
3. Atlas VPN
Despite its inexpensive cost, Atlas VPN offers a suite of useful features that no gamer should be without if they’re serious about lowering their ping and increasing their performance.
Because of our limitless bandwidth and speed-optimized servers, you won’t have to fret over ping or server latency.
- Atlas VPN is the best free VPN
- Privacy Pro servers
- 750 servers in 40+ locations
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- Great for: people seeking a freemium VPN
- Compatible with: Windows, MacOS, Android, iPhone & iOS, Android TV, Fire TV Stick
There is robust DDoS protection, robust encryption, and a handy split tunneling function that lets you send only the data you specify while keeping the remainder of your connection on your real IP address.
The IPv6 encryption and DNS leak security afforded by the Atlas VPN apps will ensure that no sensitive information is leaked while you are engaged in online gaming.
Security Features
Among Atlas VPN’s many useful features are military-grade AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and IPv6 leak protection.
Moreover, Atlas VPN’s IP address-changing SafeSwap feature adds an extra layer of security to your online activities.
To be completely transparent, SafeSwap exclusively has data centers in the United States (US), the Netherlands (NL), and Singapore (SG).
The availability of multi-hop (double VPN) means that you can further fortify the safety of your network.
Naturally, this will slow you down. Adding Smart DNS and split tunneling would have made Atlas VPN an even more compelling offering.
The kill switch was also “kind of” functioning since it had some bugs here and there that needed to be worked out.
One other negative aspect is that Atlas VPN leases its server space. Also, they are not dependent on random access memory.
Being an American corporation, this might be a serious shortcoming.
SafeSwap
The service’s SafeSwap feature is particularly useful for gamers because it is an additional safeguard. IP address rotation is possible without switching Atlas VPN servers.
Simply sign in and link up with one of the SafeSwap nodes to begin exchanging files. The service provider will occasionally change your IP address. Be aware that this feature is reserved for paid subscribers only.
Tracker Blocker
The Tracker Blocker function, accessible on computers and mobile devices, blocks any implanted third-party trackers from monitoring your online movements.
Ads and pop-ups, which can occasionally spread malware and are very annoying while gaming, can also be disabled.
Kill Switch
The kill switch in Atlas VPN works across your devices and programs. Thankfully, it is also offered in a freemium form.
The “Always-on VPN” function is available natively on Android, and users can activate it.
If your VPN connection drops, a kill switch will immediately cut off your access to the internet.
Your IP address and other private information are safe from disclosure.
Plans And Prices
Atlas VPN offers three affordable subscription options. Three different contract durations are available: $10.99 a month, $3.29 a year, and $2.05 a year.
4. ExpressVPN
Using ExpressVPN while playing games allows you to conceal your true location by connecting you to one of its many servers located in any of the 94 supported countries.
You can select between TCP and UDP, and the OpenVPN protocol provides top-notch security. For gaming purposes, the latter is recommended.
After successfully bypassing Netflix’s regional restrictions in the United States, you can be confident that it will also bypass restrictions on other big gaming platforms.
Moreover, no other system can match its speed.
While ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest VPN option, its top-notch performance and 24/7 support make up for the cost.
Encryption And Privacy
The VPN’s Lightway protocol provides 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and security against IPv6 and DNS leaks.
This protects you from DoS attacks and prevents other players from discovering your location or identity, thanks to your concealed IP address.
In addition, there is a no-logs policy in place to protect your privacy while you play.
ExpressVPN now supports all platforms and devices used for gaming. It’s compatible with PCs, PS5, Xbox One X, and Switch, among other consoles.
Enormous Server Network
ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers in 94 locations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, all using their private DNS.
With this, people in any part of the world can access the internet without fear of having their activity monitored or their connections filtered or blocked by a censored domain name system (DNS).
Using distance, latency, and download speed as criteria, clever location tools can automatically choose the optimal VPN server location.
Pricing
Three subscription tiers are available with ExpressVPN, each with a different minimum commitment. Prices are as follows:
- Monthly: $12.95
- Six months at $9.99/month ($59.95 total charge)
- For the first 15 months, the monthly cost is $6.66 (paid as a single $99.95 payment), and after that, it rises to $8.33 (billed annually for $99.95).
5. ProtonVPN
You won’t find a better VPN than Proton VPN.
It is because Proton VPN is an established VPN service, meaning your privacy will be safeguarded, and you’ll have access to unlimited data transfer.
That’s an unusual feature set for a free VPN service.
High-Speed Servers
Connecting to the closest server can guarantee a lag-free gaming session, which is especially important for online games.
This VPN for online gaming boosts performance with lightning-fast technology, so you can safely explore the vast online gaming world without slowing down your connection.
Unlimited Data And Bandwidth
You may game uninterruptedly while protecting your data with ProtonVPN because the service doesn’t limit your bandwidth.
You’re free to keep playing and streaming your favorite games, as we don’t impose any bandwidth limits.
Forward Secrecy
The forward secrecy of a TLS/SSL connection is established by using a cipher suite with a powerful bulk encryption technique, a key exchange algorithm, and a message authentication code.
Using cryptographic methods for key exchange, encryption, and decryption ensures the confidentiality of transmitted messages.
When numerous devices are connected at once, massive encryption encrypts and decrypts data at each node in the network.
Whenever forward secrecy is in place, the data transmitted during each session is completely separate from any other.
Each session requires its unique encryption key. For each session, only one key is needed. This is an excellent feature for gamers.
Kill Switch
The kill switch function of ProtonVPN is crucial, as it will shield your real IP address from being exposed if the VPN connection is lost.
Imagine downloading a massive game file via a torrent site; it could take several hours.
If the VPN connection drops any time, your ISP can see what you’re up to, which could lead to issues.
The kill switch function is available on Windows and Mac with ProtonVPN.
How to Choose the Best VPN for Games
A VPN chosen for gaming should give you gameplay that’s smooth, but at the same time protect you from issues and threats online
Let’s take a look at how to choose the right VPN for your gaming activities.
- Quick speeds: you need a VPN that is going to allow for quick downloads and quick speeds in general.
- Big server network: when you have a big server network to work with, you are going to be able to access more content that is geo-restricted, and more opponents in the process.
- Good security features: you need to be able to use a VPN that has military grade security, so that you can protect yourself against leaks and other issues online.
- Flexible connection settings: not only do you need robust connection settings, but they need to be flexible as well, so that you can easily change your protocol if you need to. You also should be able to change your connection if your speed isn’t to your liking.
- Device compatibility: you need to make sure that your VPN is going to work on your gaming device, whether this is Android, Windows, or a specific console. You might also want to think about multiple compatibility if you plan on using more than one device to game.
- Money-back guarantee: this is going to make it easy for you to try out the VPN and get to know it well without risking losing your money. The ones that we have listed above come with a money back guarantee, so you don’t need to worry.
- Good customer support: with a VPN, there is every chance that you are going to come across an issue from time to time. This is why you need to be able to access experts who are there for you to talk to whenever you need it.
FAQs
Is a VPN Going to Lower My Ping?
No, but in rare circumstances, it will. If you want to be able to keep your ping low, then you need to find a VPN that offers servers near where you are located, which is why you need a VPN with a big network.
What VPN Settings Should I Make the Most of To Improve Game Speeds?
Generally speaking, default settings work really well. However, you do need to make sure that you are using the quickest VPN protocol that is available.
You can also disable your privacy features if you want quicker speeds, but just know that this is going to expose your personal information online somewhat, so it’s a risk you’ve got to be willing to take.
How Do I Set up A VPN on My Router?
It’s easy to set up a VPN for your gaming activity on your router:
• Visit the VPN website, and find the device setup page where you can choose the router. Choose ‘download’ and keep the browser window open so that it can complete the download.
• Connect your router to the internet, either through WiFi or modem.
• Once you’ve done this, you will need to log into your router. You can just enter ‘admin’ if you haven’t changed the login details.
• Install the VPN, and then save your settings. Once the upgrade is done, you will need to restart your router.
• Save your settings. Once you are reconnected to your router, the VPN should pop up. Follow the prompts that you see, and make sure that you remember the WiFi name and password, as well as your router password. Then select ‘save’.
• Now, you can connect your game console to your router by going to your console’s network settings.
• Begin gaming. You will be able to enjoy quick speeds, and you will be able to access gaming content that is other geo-restricted.
What is the best VPN for Fortnite and CoD?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Fortnite and other games like this, because it has superfast speeds, and has a massive server network for you to choose from, which means that you can easily compete against players in other countries.
What is the best VPN for Android?
NordVPN is the best VPN for Android, because it has a great interface to work with, and it’s easy to navigate in general.
It also offers really good speeds so you’re not going to get frustrated with lag.
Can I Host a Game Server with A VPN?
Yes, but you will need to make the most of a port forwarding feature if you want to do this, so you will need to make sure that the VPN you have chosen allows for this.
Is It Legal to Use a VPN when Gaming?
Most countries allow for you to use a VPN when gaming.
However, there are some countries like China that ban VPNs, and even in countries where VPNs are completely banned, there are still going to be terms and conditions that the game itself has set out that make it illegal.
Just make sure that you use a VPN that isn’t giving you an unfair advantage against your opponent.
Can I Use a VPN to Unblock a Game at School?
Yes, but you need to make sure that you aren’t breaking any admin rules if you are doing so.
Some schools put a ban on gaming, so you will need to check what the rules are first.
Can I Use a Free VPN for Gaming?
Yes, you can use a free VPN, but this doesn’t mean that we recommend that you do.
This is because for the most part free VPNs aren’t safe, and they are going to come with too many risks.
It’s much better to pay for your VPN, and experience robust support, amazing speeds, and a giant server network than frustration at every turn.
Why Do I Need a Gaming VPN?
There are a few reasons that we can think of why you might want to make the most of a VPN for use with online games.
First, you might want to be able to improve your internet connection while you’re gaming.
A VPN is going to make it easy for you to sort out your connection because it is going to keep you anonymous, which means that nobody can mess with your throttle.
Another huge reason to use a VPN when you are gaming is to keep everything nice and private.
When it comes to gamers, you have a higher risk of being hacked, so using a VPN can protect you against this, because a VPN is going to keep you completely anonymous online.
It is also going to stop Google from tracking you as well.
In Summary, the best VPNs in 2023 are;
| Rating | VPN Service | Get Offer |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Top Rated#1 | NordVPN - #1 VPN in the industry | FREE Trial |
| #2 Top Rated#2 | Surfshark - top budget VPN | Start Now |
| #3 Top Rated#3 | Atlas VPN - best free VPN | Start Now |
Final Thoughts
The best VPN for gaming was discussed in this post.
Not all VPNs will let you use them for gaming.
That’s why it’s so important to find the right VPN.
We tested various VPNs to narrow it down to the five that consistently delivered the best performance for online gaming.
When comparing VPNs, NordVPN is the best VPN for online gaming option because of its superior security, speed, and ease of use.
Surfshark is a cheap VPN, and has several useful safety features that can improve your gaming experience.
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Written by Trevor Cooke
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