Using a gaming VPN for your computer games has become essential in the last couple of years. Not only does a gaming VPN allow you to access games in restricted countries and institutions, but it also protects you against DDoS attacks. Your system has to be as safe as possible, especially when you’re playing against online opponents.
In addition to improving your security, downloading a VPN service for your gaming increases your connection speed and data limits. We’ve gone over 50 VPN services, checking for compatibility, speed, and security, and we’ve picked the 10 best VPN services for gaming. Let’s take a look.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our #1 pick because of its superfast connection speeds wherever you are in the world and great server locations. This VPN service has over 3,000 servers across 160 locations across 94 countries, so you’re guaranteed to find a server almost anywhere in the world.
When we tested the server speed, we discovered that the claims were real and very stable. There are no lags in connection and your games continue playing seamlessly. Also, you don’t have to worry about DDoS attacks when playing your favorite games. It keeps you 100% safe. You can use ExpressVPN on 5 devices at most, and it works on your Android, iOS, Playstation, Xbox, Windows, Mac, and Linux devices.
2. NordVPN
NordVPN may be the only VPN service you’ve ever heard of – it’s quite popular. But this famous provider is not all hype. It lives up to its expectations. If you like to leave your VPN running in the background, you can be certain that the speed is well above average.
It has even more servers than ExpressVPN, boasting of 5,000 servers in over 80 locations around the world. NordVPN may not fully protect your system from DDoS attacks, but it promises to put a lot into dealing with traffic than your normal broadband connection. With NordVPN, you can use over 55 devices simultaneously, and it works well on your Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
3. Windscribe
Windscribe has both a free and paid version of its services. You’ll get 10GB of free data to play games every month. If you decide to play a data-heavy game like Destiny 2 non-stop, it should take you 33 hours to exhaust your data.
However, you can use it for longer on games like Call of Duty or Fortnite. Windscribe uses military-grade encryption, has an ad-blocker, and is compatible with your router. Windscribe’s free servers may be a bit slower especially during peak times. If you get the premium version, you won’t experience these lags and you can even use it to watch some restricted Netflix content.
4. IPVanish
IPVanish has dedicated gaming features, that’s why we took a liking to it. It has its own network and is faster than most VPN services. IPVanish has over 1,500 servers across 75 locations. With this service, you also get the option of sorting by ping time and you can find servers specifically meant for gaming.
You can use this provider on your Android and iOS phones, but its mobile apps aren’t as great as the desktop PC versions. When you register, you get 250GB of cloud storage as a bonus. It may not be the greatest choice when going for VPN services, but it is a decent one.
5. PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN handles your security like a pro – that’s why we like it. It has over 150 servers in 60 countries. You might feel that there would be lags because of the small number of servers. But, we found out that this is not true.
PrivateVPN runs smoothly and you can still play games at fast speeds. If you’re unsure of whether to get this provider, you can sign up for the 7-day free trial. They won’t ask for your payment details, so you don’t have to be worried about automatic renewals. All PrivateVPN servers are P2P-friendly and it is compatible with your Android, macOS, Linus, Windows, and iOS devices.
6. Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield is one amazing VPN provider that performed excellently during our tests. It has over 3,200 servers across more than 130 locations around the world. Its servers are very fast, so you don’t feel any lag in connection when playing games.
Even over long distances, it maintains its good speed. You can also use it on your streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. If you want to try it out to see if it’s what you want, you can try the free version first. However, with the free version, you only get 500MB per day. The only thing we didn’t like about this provider is the not-so-fantastic support.
7. Surfshark
Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPN services for gamers on a budget. When we tested this service, we noticed that even though it is very affordable, it maintains very fast connections. It has over 1,700 servers across 100 countries and you can use it over an unlimited number of devices at the same time.
This feature-packed VPN provider doesn’t sacrifice cost for quality. While some people might find Surfshark a bit too simplistic, we think it’s very decent, especially for those who don’t have so much to spend on a VPN service.
8. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is one of the few VPNs that give out all their services for free. It has a huge network of servers across 36 countries and provides you with unlimited data and bandwidth. So, you’re not paying anything and you’re getting free data.
We checked its security too, and ProtonVPN provides military-grade encryption, DNS leak protection, built-in ad-blocker, and an automatic kill switch. This is tight security. The only issue we had is that the free version was not fast enough for us. There’s a paid version for those who enjoy the free version and want superfast data and other extra features.
9. hide.me
hide.me is a freemium VPN service with a few features we appreciate. If you’re going for the free service, you get 2GB of free data monthly. That’s about 7 hours of free gaming for a whole month (not so much). But, you also get features like tight security measures and fast speeds for free.
It uses an automatic kill switch and 256-bit AES encryption to protect you from other gamers that may try to attack your system. We found the servers’ access a bit restrictive in the free version. It only allows you to access 5 of its 47 server locations – Canada, Singapore, US, and the Netherlands. But, some might say this is fairly decent since the servers are well spread. hide.me is compatible with your Linux, Chrome, Windows, Firefox, Amazon Fire OS, macOS, and iOS devices.
10. TunnelBear
TunnelBear is also another VPN service for PC gamers; it is not router-compatible. It has multiple servers across 22 countries around the world and gives you free 500MB every month. Although it doesn’t work with your router, it makes up for this with its security features.
It uses AES 256-bit encryption to keep your system safe from security breaches and attacks. We loved TunnelBear because it is so easy to use. You won’t have any problems setting this up. If you want more features, you can upgrade to its premium version, but you don’t get a money-back guarantee. You’ll most likely enjoy TunnelBear better if you pay for its services.