VPN for VR: Why should you use it?

A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and changes your IP address, keeping your activity more private and your connection safer. If you’re a VR user, this means more secure gameplay, better privacy when browsing, and freedom to enjoy your paid services even when you travel.

Why do you need a VPN for VR headsets?

Using a VPN with your VR headset gives you more privacy every time you go online. It also keeps you connected to your favorite services no matter where you are, so you can enjoy your VR gaming sessions or work remotely even during international travel. But how exactly does this translate to your day-to-day VR use?

• Greater privacy and security. When you connect your VR headset to the internet, data travels between your device and external servers. Without protection, parts of this traffic can be visible to third parties. A VPN encrypts that digital traffic, which makes it much harder for anyone to observe or analyze it. It also masks your real IP address, adding a layer of privacy whenever you log in, download apps, or join online sessions.
• Access while traveling. Some VR apps, games, and other services may not work when you’re outside your home country. With a VPN for VR headsets, you can connect through your home region and continue using the services you already pay for, even when you’re abroad.
• Safer public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi in airports, hotels, or cafés might be unsecured, which means other people on the same network could try to monitor your online traffic. A secure VPN encrypts the connection between your headset and the VPN server, reducing the risk of anyone snooping on your activity while you use these networks.
• Potentially better performance. Internet service providers or network administrators sometimes intentionally limit speed or data transfer rates during peak hours, or for specific activities — this is called throttling. A VPN can reduce traffic type-based throttling by encrypting your traffic. However, in most cases, routing traffic through a VPN server will slightly reduce your connection speed, so you shouldn’t expect performance improvements — even though they are theoretically possible. In gaming, for example, choosing a VPN server closer to the gaming server you’re trying to reach may lower latency, if the VPN service provider employs more optimal routing than your ISP, though the outcome isn’t guaranteed.
• Remote work in VR. Virtual reality is becoming a tool for collaboration, with companies testing meetings and shared workspaces in VR. These environments involve a steady exchange of information, from shared documents to live conversations. A VPN adds privacy to this process by encrypting the connection and changing your real IP address, reducing exposure when you log in to remote work platforms in VR.
• Protection against DDoS attacks. In competitive VR gaming, some opponents may try to overwhelm a player’s connection with a flood of requests, slowing it down or knocking it offline. This is known as a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Using a VPN for gaming makes these attacks harder to carry out and can help prevent DDoS attacks by masking your real IP address and routing traffic through a secure server.

What are the benefits of using a VPN for the Apple Vision Pro?

The Apple Vision Pro brings together entertainment, work, and communication in one headset. Because it’s closely tied to the Apple ecosystem, most of your activity — from streaming to cloud-based apps — flows through the internet. That means your connection is still subject to the same privacy and access limitations you’d face on other devices.

A VPN can make the Apple Vision Pro more private and flexible because it:

• Protects your connection. A VPN encrypts the traffic between your Vision Pro and the internet, making it harder for others to see what you’re doing online.
• Keeps your virtual location private. By changing your real IP address, a VPN makes it less obvious where you’re connecting from.
• Lets you use your paid services while abroad. If you travel internationally, some services or apps may not work the same way as at home. A VPN lets you connect through your home region so you can keep using subscriptions you’ve already paid for.
• Adds security to shared networks. Whether you’re working remotely or just connecting outside your home, a VPN reduces the risks of using public Wi-Fi.

If you’d like to set it up yourself, take a look at our VPN for the Apple Vision Pro page.

What are the benefits of using a VPN for the Oculus Quest 2 and 3?

Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets are among the most popular VR devices for gaming, streaming, and social experiences. But because they rely so heavily on online connectivity, just like the Apple Vision Pro, your online traffic and IP address can be exposed in a similar way, but with a few Oculus Quest–specific twists.

Using a VPN on Oculus Quest headsets:

• Adds privacy to your connection. As with the Apple Vision Pro, a VPN encrypts the connection and changes your IP address on Meta’s VR devices. For example, if you’re in an online lobby, a VPN will make it harder for other people to trace where you are connecting from.
• Lets you use subscriptions when away from home. Some VR games and subscriptions don’t work the same outside your home country. A VPN for Quest 2 or Quest 3 headsets allows you to connect through your home region and keep full access to your subscriptions.
• Secures your gaming sessions. In multiplayer VR games, your IP address can sometimes be visible to other players. A VPN eliminates the risk of exposing it by routing your traffic through a secure server.
• Impacts the way Meta uses your data. Quest headsets share usage data, interactions, and behavioral signals with Meta — information that can also feed into advertising and profiling. A VPN doesn’t prevent this, but it does reduce what other third parties can learn about your connection. Apple’s Vision Pro also shares data with Apple, such as diagnostics and analytics, though Apple emphasizes on-device processing and frames this collection around improving services rather than advertising.

For installation details, visit our VPN for the Oculus Quest page.

How does a VPN for VR work?

A VPN for VR works the same way it does on any other device, but with benefits tailored to virtual reality. When you connect your headset to the internet, this is what happens:

1. 1.Connection starts. Your VR headset sends data through your internet service provider (ISP).
2. 2.VPN tunnel forms. If you’re using a VPN, the traffic is encrypted and sent first to a secure VPN server.
3. 3.IP address changes. The VPN server changes your real IP address and gives you the IP of the server instead.
4. 4.Traffic moves on. The VPN server then forwards your traffic to the VR app, game, or service you’re using.

The result is that to outside parties, it looks like your traffic is coming from the VPN server, not your headset. In practice, this means greater privacy when you join multiplayer lobbies, less exposure if you connect to public Wi-Fi, and the option to keep using your VR apps or other services you’ve already paid for while traveling.

How to set up a VPN on a VR headset

Unlike laptops or phones, most VR headsets don’t allow you to simply download a VPN app from their store. That doesn’t mean you can’t use one — it just means the setup works differently. You can connect your headset to a VPN in two main ways, each with its own pros and cons.

1. Set up a VPN on your router

The simplest method is to install a VPN directly on your router. Once the router is connected to a VPN server, every device on your Wi-Fi — including your VR headset — uses that secure connection automatically.

• Pros: Works for all devices at once, no need to configure the headset itself.
• Cons: Requires router compatibility and a bit of setup on the router’s admin panel.

2. Share a VPN connection from your PC (virtual router)

If your router doesn’t support VPN connections, you can turn your computer into a “virtual router.” This means you connect your PC to a VPN, then share that connection by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot. Your VR headset connects to this hotspot as if it were normal Wi-Fi, but all the traffic goes through the VPN first.

• Pros: Doesn’t require special hardware, works on most Windows and macOS devices.
• Cons: The PC needs to stay on while you use the headset, and performance depends on your computer’s hardware.

How to install a VPN on the Apple Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro runs on visionOS, which is closely tied to the iOS ecosystem. If you’ve ever installed a VPN on an iPhone or iPad, the process will be almost identical.

To set up a VPN on the Apple Vision Pro:

1. 1.Download a VPN app. Open the App Store in visionOS and install your chosen VPN app.
2. 2.Log in. Open the app and sign in with your VPN account credentials.
3. 3.Allow permissions. When prompted, grant the app permission to create a VPN configuration on your device.
4. 4.Connect. Use the app’s interface to choose a server and connect. Once active, your internet traffic will be encrypted and routed through the VPN.

That’s all it takes — no sideloading or complicated setup. After installation, you can connect or disconnect the VPN directly from the Vision Pro’s app interface, just like on other Apple devices.

How to install a VPN on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3

Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 setups look slightly different from Apple’s Vision Pro. The good part is that the same two methods listed above still apply, but there’s also an extra option specific to Quest devices.

You can set up a VPN on your router, and the Quest will connect through it automatically with, no extra steps on the headset. Another option is to share a VPN connection from your computer by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot. Both approaches work just as they do on other VR headsets.

There’s one more method that’s specific to Quest: Sideloading a VPN app using a tool called SideQuest. With SideQuest, you manually install apps that aren’t in the official Meta store by connecting your Quest to a computer, enabling developer mode, and then loading the VPN app file through the SideQuest desktop app. This approach lets you control the VPN directly from the headset itself, but it’s more technical, not supported by every VPN app, and can be confusing for beginners.

For most users, the router setup or a computer hotspot will be the easiest options. SideQuest is best left to advanced users who are comfortable changing system settings.