9 min readSpeed is everything in gaming.
A VPN (virtual private network) client protects your identity and provides many other benefits, but the one “gotcha” is that they tend to add extra bandwidth delays. The encryption can increase bandwidth usage by 10-15% in some cases or more. That’s why these VPN providers are a special breed. They provide a lower ping rate than most—as low as only four milliseconds.
When you compete against a middle-schooler in Fortnite or a middle-ager in Call of Duty, you need to protect yourself from more than just preteen insults. Whether you're a console gamer on an Xbox or you play on a smartphone, you should still think about online security and privacy. Connecting through a VPN server can give you that security so you can focus on defending the rush.
We put together a list of the best VPNs for gaming that offer a high number of servers and locations so you can game from anywhere.
Data effective 04/12/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
CyberGhost is all-powerful when it comes to gaming prowess. Not only does this VPN service offer the highest number of servers we’ve found (6,600 and counting), but the ping score is only four milliseconds. That’s fast enough for a twitchy gaming experience and a Fortnite advantage when you need to outwit other players (or run away from them).
Data effective 04/12/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
Speed is a huge factor for gaming. The faster you can download a game, the smoother your experience in an online match, and the quicker you can turn for the kill-shot thanks to a fast VPN, the better. CyberGhost is fast and reliable even though it is protecting your feed. The VPN app also has a high number of servers. That means you can experiment and find the fastest connection for the game you are playing and your current location.
Second to this: the security factors. Gaming is one of those activities where it is possible to get hacked when you are on a remote server. You might try a new game and not know you are vulnerable to a data compromise. CyberGhost is one of the best VPN clients for protecting your connection with high-end 256-bit AES encryption.
Gamers also like flexibility. There's a client for just about any device you might want to use, including iOS and Android for phones, Windows and Mac for computers, and even Linux (for all three of the gamers left using that platform—just kidding!).
Want to know more? Read our complete CyberGhost review.
IPVanish can’t quite compete with CyberGhost in terms of the total server count. There are “only” 1,600 VPN servers. That seems low compared to CyberGhost’s 6,600, but it’s still a ton of servers to choose from. Having a lot of servers available provides some nice flexibility in how you connect and benefit from a secure connection. The IPVanish ping time, however, is also only four milliseconds, making it just as fast as our top pick and an attractive option for gamers of any ilk. IPVanish also lets you pick the server you want based on the fastest speed available (per the ping rating).
Data effective 04/12/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
One of the advanced features with IPVanish for gamers is that you can also use it for storage if you upgrade to the VPN plus storage plan (which only costs $1 more per month). You gain 500GB of storage for your files, which can be handy when it comes to game downloads and video files showing your gamer footage.
Another huge perk is that this VPN app supports an unlimited amount of devices. Most VPN apps only let you use about 5 or 6 gadgets at one time. Even free VPNs can get you up to 10 devices covered.
If you are a dedicated gamer, you might need a VPN for all of your phones, laptops, and tablets. There's a VPN client for all of those so you won't run out of device allocations.
Gamers on a budget will appreciate the slightly lower price, too. IPVanish saves you $2 or $3 per month off the price of ExpressVPN and other top-tier VPN apps.
Want to know more? Read our complete IPVanish review.
Surfshark doesn’t have the name recognition of NordVPN and others, but it does have one attractive feature for gaming: It also has an extremely low ping rating of only four milliseconds. That means even when you use a VPN, you don’t have to sacrifice connection speed when you connect for a round of Call of Duty: Warzone. The typical bandwidth slowdowns of lesser VPN providers won’t be an issue. Surfshark uses a playful, almost anime interface with sharks and a well-designed website that matches the gamer aesthetic.
Data effective 04/12/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
Gamers will love having so many servers to choose from. It means you can always find a smooth and fast connection for Call of Duty and other shooters. When you travel, you can also find a nearby server to keep the online deathmatches going.
For security, gamers mostly want to focus on the actual grudge match in Fortnite, not on protecting your credit card and other personal info. Surfshark encrypts your connection on the fly. Camouflage Mode means you can trick your ISP into thinking you are not even on a VPN. You can choose either IKEv2/IPsec or OpenVPN encryption to see which one gives you that speed advantage that's so needed in an online shooter campaign.
The main benefit to using Surfshark (and this is quite surprising): there are no limits to how many devices you can protect with one account. You can use multiple smartphones, laptops, desktop computers, and tablets for your gaming jaunts without compromise.
Want to know more? Read our complete Sufshark review.
Gamers prefer speed of access over almost any other attribute. It’s hard to gain an advantage in a first-person shooter if you’re lagging. NordVPN is a great fit for gaming because it’s one of the best VPN services out there. With a quick five millisecond ping time, it is also quite speedy. The rock-solid VPN provider can access one of 5,600 servers, so you can always expect a reliable and fast connection from anywhere.
NordVPN offers a complete It might be your best choice if you want a VPN for more than just gaming. You will pay a little bit extra per month, though.
Data effective 04/12/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
NordVPN is a professional, solid, well-made VPN for every type of user. For gamers, the clear and obvious interface means you can quickly find the features you want to use, enable them, and get right down to business (a.k.a., playing Gears of War 5).
For flexible gaming options, NordVPN is loaded to the gills. You can choose to play on smartphones using the iOS or Android client, on laptops using Windows or MacOS, and even protecting your smart television in case you have downloaded a game for that platform (say, Android TV).
For even more protection, we really like this unique feature for gamers: most VPN apps let you change your IP address once. NordVPN lets you do that twice, which means you are even harder to trace and track down. It's like using a mask and a face shield during the pandemic.
Want to know more? Read our complete NordVPN review.
Security is also a major topic of discussion within the gaming community. You can become a target for hackers when you start connecting for online matches. VyprVPN is one of the most secure VPN clients that protects against DNS attacks. It’s also one of the faster VPN apps, with a ping time of only six milliseconds. Plus, the name VyprVPN has a nice ring to it if you are about to jump into a grudge match against your brother-in-law.
Data effective 04/12/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
One last VPN app for gamers is VyperVPN. We like it because it's fast and reliable, although the advanced features can't quite match CyberGhost, NordVPN or Surshark. The company claims there are 2 million users all over the world; due to the speed, we can only guess many of those are gamers.
Apart from the speed advantages (which help you connect, download, and play online faster), VyperVPN has a kill switch which is not as common as you might think. It means, as you are gaming, if the VPN fails, then it will automatically block online access in real-time so you can't be hacked.
In terms of gaming on a variety of devices, VyperVPN is top tier. It works on Windows, Mac, the iPhone, Android, and even various router models.
Our top pick for fastest VPN for online gaming (CyberGhost) offers an incredibly high number of servers (6,600+) and a ping speed of only 4-milliseconds.
For the casual gamer, it means you can connect reliably and won’t experience lag that can ruin the experience. The VPN will add encryption to your Internet connection, but you likely won’t even notice. For competitive online gaming, a VPN provides the security and anonymity you need without slowing down your gaming experience.
More servers means you can connect from anywhere. If you really want to dive into an online game like NBA 2K and show your brother-in-law in Seattle how to play defense, you can trust that the VPN will let you connect to a gaming server in your area. The same thing happens if you connect through a VPN when you travel overseas. You can keep playing games on your smartphone or Apple iPad without running into regional blackouts and technical challenges.
In terms of staying anonymous, there are benefits to gamers as well. Here’s the biggest reason—if you start venturing deep into the world of gaming (casual or competitive) you are opening yourself up as a target for hackers. Your game console is an attack vector—especially if you hand over credit card details. That means it’s a prime target for personal information to be stolen.
Gamers also tend to use messaging apps like Discord and others where you could meet other gamers. Some of them could become friends for life, others are not so friendly. There’s always an inherent risk when communicating and interacting online.
Another privacy issue has to do with your personal data. Once you start gaming, you are revealing your location to the world, sometimes right down to an IP address that can tell everyone else in Fortnite or Call of Duty where you live.
However, it’s much more disconcerting for gamers since you are revealing much more than your location. An unprotected Internet feed without a VPN could be transmitting your cell phone number, credit card info, date of birth, social security number (if you use one to confirm your identity), banking details (if you use them with an online game), and much more. Speed and reliability are paramount to gamers, but so is security and identity protection.
One last benefit of using one of our top picks for a VPN is to minimize technical issues. You can install a VPN service on your router and use it with every game you play that connects to the Internet, including a Nintendo Switch, smartphones, and a Windows PC or Mac. Using a VPN service to game online means you can trust that your online connection will stay steady and smooth. If there are any server issues when you secure the connection, you can switch to a different one.
In the end, the goal is to focus on the game itself. A VPN is working in the background, securing the connection, making sure your personal info is safe, and making sure the connection is reliable. All you have to do is survive on an alien planet.
We recommend CyberGhost for its incredibly low ping time (4 ms) and its high server count (6,200+).
Gaming has very specific needs. One of them is to connect at the fastest speeds possible to avoid any lag. All of these VPN providers offer a ping time of six milliseconds or less. They provide a well-designed interface and a high number of server connections.
Chyelle Dvorak
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