Best VPNs for Online Gaming - Don't be a n00b
Online gaming has increased exponentially over the last five years, but besides all the fun to be had, that increase has brought with it some unsavory consequences and complications; geo-restrictions, DDOS attacks and Lag (High Ping) are all these problems gamers come against when gaming online. The solution? A VPN…
We recommend ExpressVPN for online gaming, read on to find out why.
What To Look For in a VPN
If you want the best VPN for gaming to enhance your gaming experience, there are certain features that your VPN should have. With so many VPNs to choose from, here we’ve listed a few that make the ideal VPN for gaming. The following features have all been taken into consideration, and are the component that makes up a great VPN for online gaming.
A solid VPN for gaming should have:
- High speed and unlimited bandwidth – you wouldn’t want your game lagging or pausing at a crucial moment. Unlimited bandwidth is also ideal as games can eat away at bandwidth like no tomorrow.
- Strong encryption levels – network tunnels should be foolproof in order to stop hackers from getting their hands on your private information.
- Many servers to choose from – If you want to gain access to games that are geo-blocked, you need to make sure that your VPN of choice has servers in said country. The more servers, the wider your options.
- Support many devices – a good VPN should be able to support a variety of devices including gaming consoles.
- No traffic logs – this will make sure there are no breadcrumbs left behind, so no third parties will know about your activities. Particularly important for trying to access games that have not been released yet in your region.
The Best VPN for Online Gaming
ExpressVPN
Cost:
- $12.95 a month
- $9.99 a month for a six-month plan
- $6.67 a month for a 15-month plan (including three months free!)
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Open an account now at ExpressVPN!
NordVPN
Cost:
- $11.95 a month
- $9.00 a month for a six-month plan
- $6.99 a month for a 12-month plan
- Special deal: $3.99 a month for a 24-month plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee
HideMyAss
Cost:
- $11.52 a month
- $8.33 a month for a six-month plan
- $6.56 a month for a 12-month plan
- 30-day “money-back guarantee”
Online Gaming Complications
While online gaming can be great fun there are a variety of issues associated with them, particularly when it comes to access and safety.
The first main issue comes in the form of geo-restrictions. Downloadable content (DLC) may only be available in certain countries due to region-specific games, meaning geographical borders can act as physical barriers when it comes to downloading certain games. Players in China may find that they can’t play American games online due to their geographic location, and vice versa. The video game Rift is a prime example, and is only currently available in North America, Europe and Australia.
The second big issue is that due to most games taking place online. Especially with the rising increase in MMO games and eSports, gamers are vulnerable to DDoS attacks via their IP address. DDoS attacks are becoming not only more frequent but also more severe, occurring everyday in the gaming industry.
Over the years, Nintendo, Xbox Live, and League of Legends have all suffered DDoS attacks. Blizzard has experienced more than 12 critical attacks since April 2016, leaving their users unable to enjoy their games. A fellow gamer may attack a competitor at a critical stage in gameplay and threaten to totally disrupt the game – unless the target pays a ransom. In other words, this is known as a form of trolling. And, due to gaming accounts being linked to your personal information, this can leave it an appealing target for hackers and cybercriminals.
The last big issue is something that can affect the fluidity of gameplay and change the entire gaming experience itself: speed. Long lag times can mean the difference between life and death, especially when you have bullets flying at you on COD.
VPN to The Rescue
Thankfully there’s a way to get around these restrictions.
A VPN is a virtual private network that will encrypt your data, and give users the ability to choose servers from other countries and locations. This means that you can effectively get around the geo-block issues – and be able to gain access to games that may only be available in other regions. That means, if you have a friend in another region, this could knock down the ‘virtual’ wall and allow the two of you to play together.
A VPN is also capable of mitigating the threat of DDoS attacks, because a VPN hides your true IP address. Not only that, but the security and encryption will make your gaming experience completely anonymous. This will not only protect against DDoS attacks, but also keep your voice chat server protected against hackers and keep your network secure for LAN (local area network) games.
Some VPNs even claim to lower ping and lag time. A VPN may give you access to a server that is performing better and even re-route your network and find a faster network between you and the game server – we suggest that you take this with a pinch of salt though, as the opposite can also be true.
Additional Benefits of a Gaming VPN
Other benefits of using a VPN for gaming include:
- Bypassing IP bans – Did you get banned from one of your all-time favorite games? By changing your IP address with a VPN, you can get back in there.
- Gain access to games not yet released in your country – yes, you can do that! If you live in the US and a game was just released in South Korea, you can get early access.
- Access other marketplaces – Online game stores and Steam may only accept payments from certain countries. With a VPN you change your server location and match up with the country where those games are available.
- Protect from third parties snooping – Having an open connection to a game is a security risk. Hackers can gain access to your private data or snoop on you. A VPN will keep you on safe ground.
Popular Types of Online Games
With more than 155 million people playing video games in the US alone, online gaming has become a mainstream form of entertainment more than ever. Video games provide a way to escape the outside world and can be used as a social tool to connect with others. A place where family and friends can come together. Forget the world of real football, the fastest-growing sport is now live video gaming. The digital revolution has provided a huge rise in eSports (electronic sports) gamers with a global audience reaching 385 million in 2017 and a year-on-year growth of 41%. These record-breaking numbers continue to skyrocket year upon year.
Online games have been increasing in awareness not only with the rise of films; think World of Warcraft and Assassins Creed but also in the form of eSports tournaments. Halo, for example, created the Halo Championship Series with a prize pool of $50,000 to put their game back on the map. The physical viewership and players of eSports has clearly increased in tandem with competitions and events. The League of Legends World Championship is a prime example. Those who go to these kinds of events are far more likely to play the game more frequently and buy other games and related merchandise .
Online gaming adds another dimension to the gaming experience, allowing users to connect to others around the world. People love the competitive as well as team playing nature of the games, seeing it as a challenge. We humans love a bit of friendly (or not so friendly) competition.
Here’s a list of the most popular types of games (and some of the top one’s in the field):
- Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) -World of Warcraft, TERA, Final Fantasy, Guild Wars,
- Simulations – Sims, Planet Coaster, Flight Simulator X,
- Real-Time Strategy (RTS) – Company of Heroes, StarCraft, Total Annihilation
- Stealth Shooter – Invisible, Inc., Hitman: Blood Money
- First-Person Shooter (FPS) – Call of Duty, Overwatch, Half-Life
- Role-Playing Game (RPG) – Anachronox, Final Fantasy, Diablo
- Sandbox – Minecraft, inFAMOUS, Grand Theft Auto III
- Platformer – Mario, Crash Bandicoot
- Puzzle – Tetris, Portal, Candy Crush
Bottom Line
When facing off against competitive opponents in online play, the last thing you need is a glitch or lag in the game. That could literally be the difference between life and death – ah, the frustration! When playing multiplayer games you leave your account vulnerable to hackers. Hackers may not only hijack your entire account (after all that hard work), but could also steal your personal information associated with the account itself.
Be sure to arm yourself with a high-quality VPN and make gaming fun and risk-free!
Of the 3 VPNs, I can only speak for IPVanish. I have been using it to access online gaming from UAE. It is affordable and secure.
I have always enjoyed gaming with expressvpn.. Stable and fast severs. I Really enjoy their service
ExpressVPN costs more than most VPNs and there’s no free trial available to get a sneak preview. But it does have a 30 day return policy. Fast and reliable connection. Best so far.
expressvpn is nice, however their problem is they seem to use datacenter IPs, so those IPs get blocked quicker, instead there are other services that use residential service provided IPs, like exavpn, it’s harder for them to block a residential or business ISP
also, they are located in USA, exavpn i think is from france
Hi Daniel,
In reply to your comment, it will depend on the specific website or channel that you are accessing. Some IP range might be blocked but Expressvpn also have consistent servers that will bypass the blockings. The usual solution is to connect to other VPN server locations, and they have plenty available so it works quickly.
As for their location, ExpressVPN is based in BVI (British Virgin Islands).
Though a VPN IS important is it not just as important to know which country that vpn Company that controls it IS Located in? Why, consider why your using it and whom or who u want to have access to. IF, the USA’s NSA, FBI , SS, researching through or even having access whenever they deem needed is OK with you, then not another thought about this issue. But if it IS important think about legal forced backdoors and access via legally to any of your activity the controlling Company’s location IS important. Ask yourselves where Windscribe vpn is located and who’s operating it in { what country=location }.