The best gaming VPNs

ExpressVPN has been a go-to VPN provider so many internet users and rightly so. Its balanced, well-rounded reputation also makes it very well-suited for gaming. Gamers who use Express for privacy while playing online have found it to be extremely reliable in supporting casual to heavy gaming.

ExpressVPN’s speed sits at 560mbps, which is actually a lot lower than some of the competition, but it never feels like it. Users won’t be subject to ISP throttling thanks to ExpressVPN’s bypassing capabilities, which is another factor to the provider’s fluid and stable speeds.

This Virtual Private Network does only allow five simultaneous connections, but gamers fear not, ExpressVPN provides easy-to-set-up router support. Covering all the devices under one roof, Express’ router support means a gaming household can enjoy safe and speedy online gaming.

Download speeds might not be anything to shout about, but users shouldn’t have any trouble overlooking this when they’re gaming at the impressive, uninterrupted speeds that ExpressVPN is notorious for delivering.

Where gaming is concerned, NordVPN sets the standard for what a premium VPN can achieve. The best gaming download speeds on the market is just one area that Nord excels in. As a gaming VPN, it's a gold mine of useful features.

Like many of the best gaming VPNs on this list, NordVPN can bypass ISP throttling and provides reliable router support. Speeds clock in at a whopping 820mpbs so speed is rarely an issue for Nord gamers. Nordlynx and WireGuard are no joke.

NordVPN has a secret weapon called the Meshnet feature, which is a tool that allows gamers to create virtual networks for LAN gaming over the internet with friends. This allows all players to use the same network, a private network that’s safe from data breaches.

A result of such a feature-packed VPN is that Nord’s sometimes clunky app does require a sometimes irritating amount of regular updates.

Surfshark comes proves it's an apex predator time and time again when it comes to affordability and getting as much bang for your buck. As a gaming VPN, it’s the same story. Despite being applauded for being a budget VPN, there’s very little about Surfshark that feels even remotely cheap.

Topping some of the biggest premium VPNs, Surfshsark delivers speeds of 950mbps, which definitely warrants a double take. Surshark is known for enabling unlimited simultaneous devices, but that isn’t too crazy here as the provider does offer router support.

Not only does Surfshark wow us with superb speeds, there’s plenty of other features to take note of. Surfshark’s GPS spoofing works exceptionally, the Virtual Private Network can hide gamers’ IP’s on discord and other chat forums, and it has great geo-blocking capabilities whether it be unlocking foreign servers or foreign games.

Upload speeds aren’t anything to write home about, but they aren’t abysmal. Besides some gamers finding minor kill switch issues, the app has been regarded as mostly simple and pleasant to navigate.

The foundation of a top gaming VPN is online protection. Proton VPN takes this a step further and provides a service where privacy is the priority. Running the WireGuard protocol on router support, Proton can sustain a secure home network encryption.

Outspoken in the protection department, this VPN covers a lot of other bases too. Hitting speeds of 670mbps normally, Proton has a VPN accelerator feature. This can improve the VPN’s speed by up to 400%, it's a brilliant resource for gamers who enter into packed servers that require more power to perform.

Proton has been proven to be an extremely effective Virtual Private Network when it comes to preventing DDoS attacks too, which have become increasingly common in online gaming servers.

Proton’s reputable privacy abilities make it a very tempting choice for gamers, running both AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryptions certainly gives the provider a market edge. Proton also declares that users can game safely on public Wi-Fi and mobile data. This is music to the ears of mobile gamers, who we recommend choosing a VPN best for smartphones that is also capable of protecting gaming activity.

Proton VPN wouldn’t have made the list if its speeds weren’t up to gaming standards. While some cheaper options mighty best Proton with speed, none can really compete with the provider’s gold-tier protection.

Your choice of gaming VPN will ultimately come down to the kind of gamer you are. You don’t want to overspend on a VPN rich with features you might not even touch. Similarly, you wouldn’t choose a provider with insufficient features. IPVanish makes the list as the best gaming VPN for more casual gamers.

For most uses, IPVanish is widely considered a good value VPN. Performance is decent and its unlimited simultaneous devices is a big selling point. As a gaming Virtual Private Network, it’s pretty well-rounded too. Casual gamers, or even beginners to VPNs will find IPVanish a welcoming experience, the gaming interface is one of the best on the market.

Features like split tunnelling and a low ping of 7ms make IPVanish fit for the casual gamer. The app has everything users need, screaming simplicity and functionality. Understandably, IPVanish doesn’t have all the trimmings some other gaming VPNs might have, but that’s why we decided it was perfect for casual gamers.