Overview
Best for the average user
NordVPN (Standard)
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Best premium pick
ExpressVPN
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Best budget pick
CyberGhost VPN
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Best for PC gaming
ProtonVPN (Premium)
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Endorsem*nts from big-name streamers have put VPNs (or virtual private networks) on many gamers' radars. Billed as closed, secure connections that protect you from common cyberthreats and unblock restricted titles, they sound as OP as a Blasphemous Blade or a Blue Shell. But there are some important caveats to be aware of before you download one for your PC or console (via router or hotspot).
Here's what you need to know about picking the right VPN for gaming.
What is a VPN, exactly?
A VPN is a service that routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to one of its private servers before it's sent out over the internet. This scrambles any data you send or receive and hides your Internet Protocol (IP) address, or the unique number associated with your geolocation that's assigned to your device when it's connected to the internet. In a nutshell, a VPN makes it extremely difficult for anyone (from hackers to your internet service provider, or ISP) to see who you are, where you're logged in from, and what you're doing on the internet.
This anonymity has its advantages: It allows you to bypass firewalls, evade geo-restrictions on streaming services and movies, torrent safely, and work remotely without putting company data at risk.
Do VPNs really help with gaming?
For gaming specifically, using a VPN has two notable benefits:
You can protect yourself from distributed denial-of-service attacks. DDoS attacks happen when a bad actor looks up your unconcealed IP address and overloads your gaming server or network with a ton of requests, making you lag badly or booting you offline completely. This is an increasingly popular kind of cyberthreat that affects gaming companies and players alike, and it's super easy for griefers and salty rivals to pull off if you're not using a VPN.
You can bypass network or geo-restrictions on games. With a VPN running, your traffic will appear to originate from the remote server you're connected to. Hiding or "spoofing" your true location in this way makes it possible to play games from places where they're otherwise blocked or unavailable (like at work or school).
Despite what many providers claim, running a VPN while you game is not a foolproof way of lowering your ping. Connecting to a remote VPN server across the continent or world can actually increase latency, since your encrypted data is traveling a longer physical distance. This is an especially big problem for gaming, since split-second delays can be the difference between you and a death screen. To minimize a VPN's impact on your connection speed, pick a provider that lets you choose the specific servers you connect to, and opt for ones that are relatively close to your location IRL. You can also look into an advanced feature called split tunneling, which will let you "split" your gaming and non-gaming traffic between the VPN and the open web to conserve bandwidth. (Some premium providers offer it.)
Last, but certainly not least, make sure you look over your game publisher or platform's terms of service before running a VPN — some use cases will get you in trouble. Skirting regional pricing with a different IP address is technically a bannable offense under Steam's Subscriber Agreement, for example. The potential security or remote access benefits ultimately aren't worth losing a character or account you've had for years.
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- The best VPN services for 2024, tested and reviewed
- Best cheap VPNs: Stay anonymous online without going broke
The TL;DR of all of this is that VPNs aren't absolutely necessary for gamers — in fact, there's a good chance their overall impact on your gaming experience will be negative. But they can serve practical purposes for some.
Read on to learn more about the handful of VPNs we recommend for gaming. Note that all pricing was accurate at the time of publication.
MORE:
Best VpnsBest Vpns On RedditBest Antivirus SoftwareAll Best Products
Best for the average user
I hate to co-sign Mr. Beast, but NordVPN truly is a well-rounded pick that offers a plethora of advanced security tools and a reasonable monthly rate on a multi-year plan. Users have access to advanced features like split tunneling and Double VPN (or "multi-hop"), which routes your traffic through two VPN servers to encrypt it twice, as well as built-in threat protection — that includes malware, ad, and tracker blockers. For a few bucks more per month, you can upgrade from a Standard subscription to its Plus or Complete plans and get a cross-platform password manager, a data breach scanner, and 1TB of cloud storage. (That's probably overkill for gaming, but it's nice if you plan on using your VPN for other purposes — one NordVPN account supports up to six simultaneous connections.)
NordVPN offers clients for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Android TV, and routers, with helpful tutorials for installing it for gaming consoles. It also maintains a recommended list of VPN routers, in case you don't want to deal with that setup process.
Read our review of NordVPN.
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Best premium pick
It's a tad expensive, but ExpressVPN earns major props for its slick design and massive network; it currently maintains servers in over 90 countries, including 24 throughout the U.S. to help you minimize lag while gaming. (That's nine more than NordVPN has there.) Its suite of premium security features includes split tunneling and a Threat Manager that prevents the apps and websites you're using from sharing data with trackers. It also offers a unique Speed Test tool that (allegedly) pinpoints specific server locations with low latency and high download speeds, though YMMV in practice.
ExpressVPN offers clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, and routers, with support for up to five simultaneous connections across your devices. It's also developed its own VPN-enabled WiFi 6 router called the Aircove, which retails for around $190 on Amazon.
Read our review of ExpressVPN.
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Best budget pick
CyberGhost VPN is an incredibly good deal if you're interested in a long-term VPN subscription, offering support for up to seven simultaneous connections for under $3 a month on a two-year plan. It maintains an impressive network of servers across over 90 countries, with the option to sort the list by distance and ping. It's also a standout on the privacy front, issuing quarterly Transparency Reports about its infrastructure and any data requests it receives from authorities. (Spoiler alert: It's unable to comply with them because it doesn't store any user data; there's that no-logs policy in action.) The only catch is that some of CyberGhost VPN's better features are exclusive to certain platforms: Its gaming-optimized servers are only accessible through its Windows client, and the split tunneling feature is Android-only.
CyberGhost VPN is available for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, FireTV, Android TV, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and routers. You can try it risk-free: It offers a rare 24-hour free trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee on all long-term plans.
Read our review of CyberGhost VPN.
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Best for PC gaming
ProtonVPN doesn't offer a router client and limits its split tunneling feature to Windows and Android, so console gamers should probably pass. However, its strong company commitment to transparency and 100% open source apps (meaning anyone can inspect the code) make it a great option for PC players in search of industry-leading privacy. It offers a decent free tier, but we recommend its Premium plan for access to a bigger server network, support for up to 10 connections, live chat help, advanced security tools (like multi-hop and ad/malware protection), and some features from Proton's other services — that includes Proton Mail, Calendar, and Drive. For commitment-phobes, it has the cheapest month-to-month plan out of all the providers on this list at $9.99.
ProtonVPN is currently available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, and Firefox.
Read our review of ProtonVPN.
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TopicsCybersecurity
How we tested
We've hands-on tested and extensively researched eight popular VPN providers: ExpressVPN, NordVPN, CyberGhostVPN, ProtonVPN, TunnelBear, Private Internet Access (PIA), PureVPN, and IPVanish*. Our gamer-friendly picks were based on the following criteria:
Trustworthiness. The vast majority of VPN providers will tell you they don't keep records of user activities or account information, but you have good reason to be skeptical: Some of these "no-logs policies" haven't held up in court. Any VPN provider worth its salt should undergo regular external audits in addition to maintaining a robust, transparent privacy policy. They shouldn't be making headlines for shadily saving customer data or hyperbolic advertising.
Network size and geographic diversity. The more servers a VPN provider has in its network, the less chance you'll run into bottlenecks (when there's too much user traffic for a given server to handle). Bonus points if that network is scattered across the globe: Servers close to your true location can minimize the VPN's impact on your connection speed, while farther servers are useful for accessing geo-restricted content.
Jurisdiction. The physical location of a VPN provider's headquarters matters as much as its servers'. Some countries fall under the jurisdiction of the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances, including the U.S., the UK, and Canada, and any provider within their borders can be forced to collect and share user data with authorities. (It's pretty unlikely, especially if you're not engaging in any criminal activities, but the VPN market is so overcrowded that you can afford to be picky.) Privacy-friendly countries that don't belong to any "eyes" alliance include the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Switzerland, and Romania.
Customer support. You'll want options in case you ever run into connection issues.
Cross-platform support. Most VPN providers have dedicated clients for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, but none exist for Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch. To get your VPN to work with those consoles, it needs to have a client that you can install on your router. You can also set up a VPN-protected computer or phone as a hotspot.
Number of connections. Many VPNs will let you connect multiple devices simultaneously on the same account, though you really need just one for gaming.
AES-256 encryption. This is an extra-secure, military-grade encryption standard that's virtually uncrackable. No hacker is getting through to your data if your VPN uses it.
Useful features. VPNs are subscription-based services that typically go for around $10 to $12 per month, but you can lower that price by opting for a longer-term plan. Either way, make sure you're getting some bang for your buck. Good-to-have features for a gamer's purposes include:
Split tunneling. As mentioned, separating your gaming and regular browsing traffic can lessen the VPN's impact on your ping.
A kill switch. This feature will immediately disconnect your device from the internet if the VPN drops out.
Money-back guarantees. Few VPN providers have free trials (CyberGhost VPN is one exception), but most offer money-back guarantees so customers can try their service before committing to a long-term plan.
*Editor’s note: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, Mashable's publisher. Any IPVanish products or services featured on Mashable are covered independently by our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
We wouldn't recommend using a free VPN for gaming — or any other purpose, for that matter. Most come riddled with annoying ads and malware. Many will sell or share your data with third parties. (They have to make money somehow.) In other words, true anonymity will cost you.
A relative newcomer to the VPN space, Surfshark is making waves for its slick apps, reasonable pricing, decent-sized server network, and support for unlimited simultaneous connections; it recently passed its first independent no-logs audit. We've also got our eyes on Mullvad, a longtime Reddit favorite with a strong commitment to transparency. We're in the process of reviewing both providers, so stay tuned to see if they earn spots on a future version of this list.
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.
In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at@haleyhenschelor reach her via email at[emailprotected].
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