If you’re into the online gaming culture, you’re probably aware of just how competitive things can be. Things like DDoS attacks are a rather frequent occurrence when it comes to the competitive gaming scene!
However, with the best VPN for gaming, you could not only avoid the possibilities of such attacks, but also access many different games that would otherwise be locked because of some certain geo-restrictions.
Today, we’ll try to find the best VPN for gaming. How, you may ask? Well, first of all, we’ll lay down some of the core aspects that a gaming-oriented VPN should have. Once that is out of the way, we’ll talk about some of the best gaming VPNs out there - 7, to be exact. These are, as follows:
What should the perfect gaming VPN have in store, though?
What Does the Best VPN for Gaming Look Like?
Before we get into the “best VPN for gaming” list, we should first define what the best gaming VPNs should look like, right?
First of all, speed. This criterion is important to the vast majority of VPN users, but it is especially crucial to gamers - online games require a low ping and some high download speeds. While the majority of VPNs slow your connection down significantly, there are certain VPNs that have amazing speeds.
Furthermore, the best gaming VPN should be secure. Now, this may or may not be a controversial decision, but you might have noticed that a lot of the “super-fast” and feature-filled VPNs are not on this list.
Why?
Simple - they might as well “be fast and have a ton of servers”, but if they leak your information and log all of your data, I don’t think that they’re a viable option. This is why this list excludes some of the VPNs that a lot of other “best VPN for gaming” reviews include. Just a heads up.
So, security. A good VPN that’s designed for online gaming (whether it be a free gaming VPN or a paid one) should be secure - this means top-tier data encryption, no-logging policies, no leaks, etc.
If you want your IP to remain hidden, and your personal information secure, it’s always better to sacrifice a little bit of speed for a whole lot of protection.
Last but not least, the price.
Pricing is important whether you’re choosing a VPN for gaming, accessing locked content or any other reason out there. Sure, there is always the option to get a free VPN for gaming, but free VPNs are often shady and not trustworthy.
That said, a lot of VPN providers offer free promotions or trials - if you test it and like the product, you might even be persuaded to invest in it, too.
Now, with all of that information out of the way, we can finally move on to searching for the best VPN for gaming.
1. NordVPN - 5000+ Servers
Ranks #1 out of 7 VPNs
- + Amazing prices
- + Easy to use
- + Safe jurisdiction
- + Great security
- - Some plans could have higher discounts
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What are the main NordVPN Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits NordVPN offers:
- Security: Kill switch, no DNS or IP leaks, safe jurisdiction. No logging.
- Data Encryption: AES 256-bit, OpenVPN
- Speed: 8/10
- Additional Features: Supports torrenting and unlocks Netflix.
While Nord is a rare occurrence on most of the popular “best VPN for gaming” reviews out there, I do believe that it definitely does deserve a spot in this article. Let me elaborate.
Nord isn’t that much of a popular choice by gamers for one, simple reason - speed. Don’t get me wrong, the speed that NordVPN offers is very, very far from being “bad” - it’s just that it’s further from the top than, let’s say, ExpressVPN is.
Testing Nord’s EU server, the ping is great, but the download speed could be a bit better. Again, chances are that you’re not really going to feel that big of a difference (except maybe in scenarios where you need a strong connection really fast, such as battle royales or team fights in MOBAs).
Nord's speed parameters (connecting from the EU) are, as follows:
- Download speed: 62.06Mbps
- Upload speed: 79.92 Mbps
- Ping: 45ms
Other than that, I do think that NordVPN deserves to be included in all of the “best VPN for gaming” articles. This VPN provider has great security measures in place (AES 256-bit data encryption, OpenVPN protocol, kill switch), has no recorded history of DNS, IP or WebRTC leaks, does not log your information, etc.
What is the Price of NordVPN?
Pricing-wise, the 3-year plan over at Nord would come out to be $2,99 per month (here, 1 EUR = 1,13 USD). Not only is this a bargain, but people that are more hesitant and are trying to find a good free gaming VPN will be happy, too - NordVPN offers a free, 7-day trial.
2. ExpressVPN - Best Speed for Gaming
Ranks #2 out of 7 VPNs
- + Great security
- + Super-high speed
- + No logging
- + OpenVPN protocol support
- - Small number of devices available to be connected simultaneously
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What are the main ExpressVPN Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits ExpressVPN offers:
- Security: No logging policy, located in the BVI.
- Data Encryption: AES 256-bit, OpenVPN
- Speed: 9/10
- Additional Features: Supports torrenting and unlocks Netflix; more than 3000 servers.
Without too much surprise, ExpressVPN is one of the most popular gaming VPNs. And that’s not without good reason, either - according to the popular user opinion, it is a prime competitor for the title of “the best VPN for gaming”.
ExpressVPN has everything that you could ever want out of a VPN - the latest-and-greatest data encryption measures, a strict no-logging policy, three of the main protocols (yes, OpenVPN is one of them), it unlocks Netflix USA for international users, and so on.
But we’re not here to talk about how great Express is in an overall manner - instead, let’s focus on the gaming part of things.
Server-wise, ExpressVPN has a wapping 3000 servers around the world that every single user can utilize to their advantage. This means that if you’re experiencing some high ping or low download speed on one server, you will still have a crazy number of different ones to choose from.
When it comes to speed, Express has this one covered, too - it is actually widely known as “one of the fastest VPNs in the industry”. But I didn’t take this at face value - instead, I decided to test the speed of the VPN myself.
Being a person who needs the best VPN for gaming, too, I can definitely understand the value of connection speed in online gaming. My normal internet (download) speed without using a VPN ranges around the 70 Mbps mark.
For transparency's sake, let it be known that I conducted this test (and all of the following speed tests in this “Best VPN for Gaming” review) from the middle of the EU.
I was more than pleasantly surprised by the results of the speed test, and I bet that if you’re looking for the best gaming VPN in the market, you’ll be happy to know these results, too. 40 ping - great, no lag! 60 Mbps of download speed - that’s less than 15% of a speed loss!
The user reviews weren’t lying - ExpressVPN really is hella fast.
The only somewhat negative thing that can be said about ExpressVPN is the company’s pricing. This ain’t a free gaming VPN - on the contrary, it’s actually on the pricier side of things.
What is the Price of ExpressVPN?
Here is the ExpressVPN affordable price list:
A bit pricey, but very well worth it!
3. CyberGhost - Great Speed Parameters
Ranks #3 out of 7 VPNs
- + Strict No Logs Policy
- + Lots of Features & Add-Ons
- + Allows Torrenting
- + Amazing Customer Support
- + Compatibility with TOR
- + Fast
- - A Little Bit Pricey
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What are the main CyberGhost Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits CyberGhost offers:
- Security: No logs, Tor compatibility
- Data Encryption: AES 256-bit, OpenVPN
- Speed: 9/10
- Additional Features: Supports torrenting, fast.
CyberGhost might not be the first VPN that you think of when you hear the term "speed" (that would be ExpressVPN), but it's definitely up there. The VPN provides its customers with some top-tier features - great speed parameters and high-end data encryption are just to name a couple.
Speed-wise, CyberGhost almost doesn't slow down your connection at all (concerning the download speed, that is) - connecting to the VPN's EU server, we only lost around 10Mbps of download speed. That's pretty good!
As far as data encryption goes, CyberGhost utilizes the famous AES 256-bit encryption, together with the OpenVPN protocol. All's up to standard!
What is the Price of CyberGhost?
CyberGhost's pricing options are:
If you choose the 3-year plan, the price is definitely quite low!
Did you know?
Compare VPNs Side by Side With Others
All VPNs may look similar to you but they're NOT all the same!
Yes! Show me the Comparison Chart4. Trust.Zone - No Information Logging, Good Speed
Ranks #4 out of 7 VPNs
- + Supports torrenting
- + Unlocks Netflix
- + No logging policy
- + Good speed
- - Customer support could be better
- - A longer money-back guarantee would be nice
What are the main Trust.Zone Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits Trust.Zone offers:
- Security: No DNS leak history, kill switch.
- Data Encryption: AES 256-bit, OpenVPN
- Speed: 8/10
- Additional Features: Working torrenting servers, unblocks Netflix USA.
Trust.Zone is one of the more interesting (read: rare) choices when it comes to the best VPN for gaming. Still, if there's one thing that the VPN is famous for, it's reliability - allow me to elaborate.
Trust.Zone does not log any of its customers' information. On top of that, the VPN is also leak-protected - if you're worried that your DNS might leak during a gaming session, rest assured - that's a non-issue.
Furthermore, Trust.Zone is equipped with a kill switch that will automatically disconnect you from everything that you're doing if you loose connection to the VPN. Not ideal when gaming, but better than getting your sensitive information compromised, right?
Speed-wise, Trust.Zone is also up there, with the industry giants. Both US and EU servers faired quite well, and while my upload speed did take a bit of a hit (that's usually what happens), the download speed wasn't impacted all that much.
What is the Price of Trust.Zone?
Trust.Zone's prices are:
If you opt to go with the 24-month plan, the VPN becomes quite affordable!
5. VyprVPN - Chameleon Protocol
Ranks #5 out of 7 VPNs
- + No-Logging Policy
- + Netflix and Torrenting Allowed
- + Strong Security: Chameleon for Premium Plan
- + Great Customer Support
- + No IP or DNS Leaks Detected
- - A Little Bit Pricey
- - No Bitcoin Payment Method
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What are the main VyprVPN Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits VyprVPN offers:
- Security: Doesn't log your information
- Data Encryption: Netflix and Torrenting Allowed, Great Customer Support
- Speed: 8/10
- Additional Features: Chameleon for Premium Plan.
VyprVPN was founded with the solemn intention of keeping the internet free and without borders, but it just so happens that it is actually a pretty good option for people looking for the best VPN for gaming.
Vypr is super-secure, offers a lot of different features, is easy to use and - probably most importantly - is fast. By that, I mean that it does not fall behind CyberGhost - one of the industry behemoths.
Vypr aims to provide an even better download speed that of VPNs such as Nord, even though it still lacks in the ping and upload speed departments. That being said, there’s no denying that, while using this VPN provider, you’re not really going to experience a whole lot of lag (at least you shouldn’t).
VyprVPN is also known for being very secure. For example, the company offers its users to utilize the Chameleon protocol - while the software is up and running, the protocol makes it harder for other websites to tell whether or not you’re using a VPN.
This is very beneficial when trying to access some region-locked content, especially in the gaming and entertainment sphere of things.
What is the Price of VyprVPN?
VyprVPN does offer solid prices, too. While they might be on the more expensive side of things, they are still lower than those of ExpressVPN. With the company’s Premium Plan, you would have to pay $6,67 per month.
That said, people looking for a decent free VPN for gaming will probably be excited to hear that Vypr does offer a 3-day free trial of their services.
6. IPVanish - Fast and Reliable
Ranks #6 out of 7 VPNs
- + Great Speed
- + Torrenting/P2P Allowed
- + Does Not Keep Logs
- + AES-256 Military-Grade Encryption
- + DNS and IPv6 Leak Protection
- + Netflix Works With Some Servers
- - Price Relatively High
- - Bad Third Party Reviews
What are the main IPVanish Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits IPVanish offers:
- Security: DNS and IPv6 leak protection, no data logging.
- Data Encryption: AES-256, OpenVPN
- Speed: 7/10
- Additional Features: Netflix, torrenting, 7-day money-back guarantee.
IPVanish is a pretty well-known VPN provider when it comes to talking about the best gaming VPN out there - it’s super-fast, offers pretty good protection, and b. However, there’s a catch - it’s a bit on the pricier side of things.
First things first: when it comes to security, IPVanish has the standard data encryption protocols in place. As I’ve mentioned earlier, it does not log any of your information, has no history of any information leaks, and has not gotten into any form of trouble at all. A good start when it comes to the best VPN for gaming.
That being said, if you’re actually serious about security, there is one thing you should note - the company behind the VPN is located in the US, in the jurisdiction of the 14-Eye alliance. Not going too in-depth with it, it’s an alliance that tracks what people do online and then shares it with other countries of the alliance.
Just a thing to keep in mind.
When I said that IPVanish was fast, I did actually mean it! I've performed the usual test with their EU server - great ping, great download speed, and way-above-average upload speed. Good stuff that's super important for the "best VPN for gaming" spot contender!
As for the IPVanish’s pricing, it’s a bit on the higher side, but it does not mean that it enters the realms of ExpressVPN. It is, however, pricier than NordVPN.
What is the Price of IPVanish?
Admittedly, IPVanish is on the pricier side of things as far as the best gaming VPN goes. The pricing options of IPVanish are, as follows:
Rather pricey, especially when compared to some other entries on this list.
7. Surfshark - Unlimited Device Support
Ranks #7 out of 7 VPNs
- + Extremely affordable
- + Doesn't log your information
- + Allows torrenting
- + Supports an unlimited number of devices
- - Speed tends to fluctuate
- - Not too many servers
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What are the main Surfshark Pros?
Here's the list of the benefits Surfshark offers:
- Security: No logs, no leaks.
- Data Encryption: Industry-standard.
- Speed: 6/10
- Additional Features: Very affordable, unlimited device connectivity.
Now, you might wonder - what does Surfshark have to do with gaming VPNs? While I’ll admit that it isn’t as popular of a choice when it comes to the “best VPN for gaming” lists, it has a ton of amazing features that do fit the criteria of gaming VPNs.
First of all, Surfshark offers some of the best, industry-standard data protection in the game. AES 256, OpenVPN, leak protections - you name it, they’ve got it!
Furthermore, one of the most amazing features of the VPN is that it supports an unlimited number of devices - while this isn’t the most important information for a gamer, it’s definitely something that can be utilized!
While the company doesn’t really offer amazing speeds per se, they are still quite above your average VPN. Their EU server’s ping is excellent and will most likely be appreciated by most gamers out there, but the download and upload speeds fall a little bit behind the competition.
That said, we haven’t even let the cat out of the bag when it comes to Surfshark’s biggest strength - the price.
What is the Price of Surfshark?
Out of all of the VPN providers that we’ve talked about in this “Best VPN for Gaming” list, Surfshark has the most affordable pricing options available:
The price tags are truly difficult to believe!
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Conclusions
So then, what is the best VPN for gaming out there?
Well, if you were to concentrate solemnly on the speed aspect of things, that would have to be either ExpressVPN or IPVanish. However, if you also want to have some extra layers of security, additional features and pay the least amount of money for them, then all of the seven VPNs mentioned on this list fit the description pretty well.
EXPRESSVPN | CYBERGHOST | TRUST ZONE VPN | |
All-round security | Speed & convenience | Budget-friendly | |
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One of the fastest VPNs in the industry. Trustworthy and safe. | Secure and Fast VPN with Great UX | Reliable. Does not log your information. | |
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Table: Top 3 of the best VPNs for gaming
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