BEST VPN SERVICES
In a hurry?
The best VPN for Steam in 2023, as found in our independent testing, is NordVPN!
Steam is one of the most widespread platforms among youngsters, especially gamers.
It offers a wide selection of games for download. However, the platform isn’t very easily accessible.
For instance, you might find it blocked by your network administrators, such as at school or work.
Moreover, while abroad, you might be disappointed that you can’t play your favorite game from back home.
To overcome this situation, you can use a reliable VPN for Steam. It routes all of your internet traffic via a server in another location.
As a result, your IP address is replaced with another area of your choice. In turn, it helps make you appear in that location.
Also, a VPN will encrypt your data, ensuring more online privacy.
We know finding a reputed VPN can be pretty challenging, so we’ve made a list of the best VPN providers for Steam.
Best Steam VPN in 2023
We found the following four VPN providers to be the best for unblocking Steam:
1. NordVPN
NordVPN was launched in 2012 by a group of four friends who wanted to make a free online experience.
Their primary goals were to combat unwanted surveillance and censorship. In the very beginning, the provider started off small with only one server.
However, over a period of time, it kept on expanding and now has over 5,300 servers across the world.
In fact, it’s one of the most widespread server networks in the VPN industry.
- 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
Moreover, the provider is registered in Panama, so it isn’t a part of the 5-eyes, 9-eyes, and 14-eyes alliances.
These global state security alliances put pressure on VPN service providers to disclose users’ online activities.
Luckily, that isn’t the case for NordVPN. However, Panama does have strict copyright laws.
Even though NordVPN is based in Panama, it doesn’t have any servers there; therefore, it bypasses the local laws on illegal downloads.
As mentioned, the provider offers more than 5,300 servers across 59 countries.
It even has servers in countries where Steam isn’t restricted, making it an excellent VPN for Steam.
The Double VPN option of NordVPN is one of the particular server categories in its application.
While the option is available in the mobile version of the NordVPN app, it’s yet to be made available in the Windows version.
However, you need to navigate into its Settings menu and change the default encryption protocol from UDP to TCP to see the Double VPN option.
The option routes your internet (VPN) connection via two VPN servers, each in a different location (country).
And this creates double encryption on your internet traffic for the spread between the two servers.
While this option ensures double the protection, it’ll considerably slow down your online traffic.
Another fantastic option that NordVPN offers is the “Connect on Start” option.
It allows you to choose the option and specify which VPN server you want to connect to.
For instance, if you’ve got a favorite VPN server that works great for your needs, the option is a way to avoid the tedious process of choosing and connecting manually.
Additionally, providers of VPN services usually offer a kill switch that blocks apps and websites from accessing the internet whenever the VPN isn’t active.
That’s important because often, internet connections drop accidentally and then reconnect.
The moment is enough to stop the VPN from working, exposing your online identity.
NordVPN took things even further and came with two types of the kill switch.
One of them is an overall internet kill switch that blocks all apps and websites whenever the VPN connection fails.
And the other is an application kill switch that only stops the specified apps from using the internet without the VPN.
NordVPN has adapted its services and made apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac to make things a lot easier.
That’s quite helpful because you can be secured on the road while using your smartphone.
Moreover, you can manually set up your NordVPN on Linux machines, WiFi routers, Blackberry, and Raspberry Pi.
Lastly, NordVPN offers a browser extension version for Firefox and Chrome.
Also, you can connect six devices simultaneously with a single NordVPN account. That’s enough for an average VPN user.
While you can install it on more than six devices, you can connect only six of them at the same time.
2. Surfshark
Surfshark VPN comes with all the desirable advantages, including impressive high speeds, military-grade encryption, 24-7 customer support, the ability to unblock content (regional and websites), affordable subscription rates, and a lot more.
In short, it’s a well-known, reputed, and reliable VPN provider.
The VPN service provider offers standard VPN features, including multi-hop connections, CleanWeb, a kill switch, a whitelister, and a DNS leak protection functionality.
The kill switch feature of Surfshark VPN comes in handy in situations where you leave your connected device unattended.
- 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
That’s because it automatically disconnects your device from the internet whenever the VPN connection drops.
The Whitelister feature, on the other hand, assists you at the time of split-tunneling to specify different websites and apps to bypass the VPN.
This tool is useful when you want to use a VPN for some apps while using regular internet for others.
Moreover, Surfshark VPN comes with a CleanWeb that blocks ads and other malware adverts whenever you’re browsing the internet.
It plays a vital role to torrent users because it blocks out suspicious links that could compromise your online privacy.
Additionally, a multi-hop feature protects you from the prying eyes of government, cyber-attackers, and ISPs.
Apart from all these, Surfshark is one of the very few VPN providers that allows unlimited simultaneous device connections at high server switching, bandwidth, and unregulated speeds.
The provider and gaming are optimized for online streaming of media content in HD.
That’s not all; Surfshark VPN follows a solid zero-logs policy, which allows complete anonymous torrenting and secure peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing.
One of the impressive features of this provider is that it works in China.
So, by any means, if you’re planning to travel to China, make sure to download Surfshark on your device.
Additionally, the website of Surfshark is self-explanatory and easy to use.
In fact, it takes less than five minutes to sign up for an account and less than ten minutes to buy a subscription plan.
Isn’t that awesome? The best thing about the company is that all its client apps are simple and easy to download.
On top of that, Surfshark comes with an impressive 3,200+ VPN servers spread across more than 95 countries worldwide.
That’s more than most of its competitors. Also, the good news is that it keeps on expanding its server count.
The company even has an excellent customer support system, including live chat support.
Regarding security, Surfshark VPN users have a top-tier private, reliable, and secure infrastructure.
It routes all your internet traffic via a tunnel and uses a military-grade AES-256 encryption algorithm, which ensures your online privacy is observed.
Moreover, it supports both IKEv2 and OpenVPN encryption protocols. Furthermore, Surfshark has everything to top the list in terms of privacy.
It’s headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which is beyond the reach of any legal jurisdiction.
Unlike other providers that are based in the United States and Europe, Surfshark isn’t bound to share its user data with any government body if requested.
3. Atlas VPN
One of the primary aims of a good VPN is to offer its users as much anonymity as they can.
While most of us misunderstand anonymity and think that it’s a thing we either have or don’t at all, the reality is way too different.
However, being anonymous online (while using the internet) isn’t like flicking a light switch.
In fact, with a reliable and stable VPN provider, you’ll get a stable VPN connection.
However, in most cases, VPNs aren’t good enough to offer a stable connection. Atlas VPN, luckily, isn’t one of them.
It recognizes the importance of stability and comes with some fantastic tools to provide a stable connection.
- 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
Atlas VPN is a fantastic service provider that offers incredibly cheap and diverse tools for making any internet use anonymous and keeping them anonymous throughout.
Alongside gaming (online games such as Steam), it allows you to access online streaming services in other countries.
Although it doesn’t have a wide range of servers, currently numbered at around 750 servers, it does offer you enough servers to unblock Steam and let you play it swiftly.
Regarding network coverage, most of its servers are in the United States. Moreover, it has a few in East Asia and western Europe.
Furthermore, Atlas VPN comes with an IP address switcher to ensure more online security and safety.
You can either automatically or manually operate this tool. If you set it to automatic, the IP address switcher will automatically switch your IP address.
It’s done over time, in response to specific triggers, or in between pages.
For example, suppose you want to switch your IP address each time you enter a password; you can pre-set it up to do the same.
In case of manually, you’ll need to switch your IP address by yourself each time you want it to be changed.
Kill switch, which is one of the most-talked tools of any VPN provider, is also there in Atlas VPN.
Atlas VPN comes with an internet kill switch feature. While the tool isn’t everyone’s favorite, it’s quite a helpful feature in reality.
The tool’s idea is to ensure that no program or virus can stop your VPN connection without disconnecting your device.
If your VPN accidentally falls, then the internet kill switch will automatically take the internet too.
This incredibly excellent safety measure in Atlas VPN will protect you and your device from various threats.
Although it’s as reliable as it is in every sense, it can sometimes feel like picking a lock with a shotgun blast. Still, it’s always advisable to use the kill switch to avoid any kind of privacy issues.
VPN service providers are generally transmitted to you via the internet.
And they can be a bit intensive on your bandwidth, mainly if you’re outside the US and want to have a server-based in the United States.
That is, your VPN might wane and wax in its connection to you. You might find it better to turn off the kill switch in such a situation.
However, even if you need to switch off the internet kill switch, don’t worry; other security features can keep you safe.
Atlas VPN has military-grade encryption protocols which are unbreakable. Unbreakable, in the sense that not even a highly-skilled hacker can get access to its users’ data.
4. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN was first launched in 2009 and is an award-winning provider of VPN services registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Though it hasn’t mentioned the exact number of servers, it operates thousands of servers across 136 cities in 87 countries and keeps on adding to that list.
The provider advocates for online privacy and offers financial support to Fight for the Future, The Internet Defense League, and Electronic Frontier Foundation.
ExpressVPN has Mac, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and many more apps. It also comes with best-in-class security features and encryption, making it a fantastic VPN.
Moreover, the British Virgin Islands-based VPN company claims that the top five benefits of ExpressVPN’s service are to defeat censorship, save money, stay private, extend your coverage, and encrypt everything.
And it indeed stands up to the same. It has a split tunneling feature so that you can easily choose to route some of your traffic via a VPN while allowing others to access the internet directly.
On top of that, ExpressVPN supports various encryption protocols, such as L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN, and TCP.
All its protocols use SSL and come with an A+ rating. The company even has a zero-logging policy.
It uses a military-grade AES-256 encryption algorithm (it’s the most trusted algorithm standard worldwide).
Apart from that, it has an IP address masking tool so that you can easily obscure your actual location.
Also, all the servers of ExpressVPN employ their own encrypted DNS. In fact, you can easily use Tor to surf its hidden .onion website.
Moreover, it offers a Smart DNS which lets you use geo-spoofing to solve all your DNS requests in the country of your choice.
How to Unblock Steam from Anywhere
If you find that your school, college, or office has blocked access to Steam, there’s nothing to worry about.
That’s because you can circumvent these blocks quite easily and quickly. All you need is a reliable VPN and to set it up.
First thing first, choose a reliable VPN that can help you access Steam.
Although there are many providers in the market today, choosing one of the mentioned four VPN providers is advisable.
Now, if you ask us to select the best VPN out of the list, it would undoubtedly be NordVPN.
That’s because it’s currently the best VPN for Steam today. Once you’re done, make your choice, and subscribe to your selected VPN provider.
After that, install the app on your device(s).
Remember, all the providers that we’ve mentioned in this article at least support six simultaneous device connections.
So, make sure to install it on all devices you want to use Steam. Also, you can download the app for desktop clients from the provider’s official website.
Once you’ve installed the VPN on your device(s), connect to a server of your choice.
Well, the location actually doesn’t matter as these are primarily available everywhere. However, it’s better to use geographically close servers.
Then, open the Steam application, and ta-da! You can play your favorite games without any issues. If you still face any problems, contact your provider.
FAQs
Is Steam only For PC?
No, there’s a Steam app for Android and iOS as well as it’s compatible with Mac and Windows.
The developers of Steam also encourage those who’re developing a game for it to make the same consistent with a range of controllers from consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo.
Is It Illegal to Use a VPN with Gaming Services Like Steam?
Don’t worry; using a VPN service for different things is entirely legal in almost all countries, that include gaming.
Also, using a VPN provider in areas like the UAE, North Korea, and Belarus could charge you fines or even jail time.
Can I Use a Free VPN for Steam?
Although you can, using a free VPN with Steam isn’t advisable.
That’s because even some premium VPN services get detected by Steam.
And if you use free services, you’ll only get in trouble. Moreover, they’re unsafe to use and can hamper your online privacy.
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 |
Conclusion
There are various reasons why you might need to use a VPN for Steam. No matter what the reason is, you need to employ a reliable one for the job.
Of all the four VPNs that we’ve mentioned in this article, NordVPN is the best of all.
From speed to reliability, performance to security, it has everything that anyone would ask for in a good VPN provider.