Fastest gaming VPN

The best gaming VPNs have wide networks of servers and lightning-fast VPN protocols — the VPN service you ultimately chose should have as little impact on your internet speed as possible. A nice selection of servers will allow you to use the VPN for gaming with your buddies in other countries or give you good connection speeds when playing locally.

NordVPN operates 7,700 ultra-fast servers in 118 countries and comes with the revolutionary NordLynx protocol for top-tier multiplayer gaming speed. It also offers Meshnet for an easy way to set up LAN games with friends and additional security features to help you in your life outside of gaming. NordVPN’s performance and features have received praise from both cybersecurity experts and the gaming community, marking it as one of the best VPNs for gaming.

Anything below 150 ms is generally considered to be acceptable ping for multiplayer gaming, with 50 ms and below being especially desirable in pro matches. Go above 150 ms and you start noticing definite lag as you play. This is why when looking for the best gaming VPN, it’s good to use online speed tests to make sure security won’t interfere with your game.

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) is a cyberattack against gaming servers and player devices. In DDoS attacks, a host of bots bombard the target with requests, rapidly overwhelming it and bringing it offline. Some salty gamers resort to DDoS to boot opponents off the match and secure the win. The best VPN providers can protect you against DDoS in this case, as VPN servers hide your real IP address and absorb the brunt of the punishment.

A VPN is good for many things, including gaming! In addition to protecting your privacy and preventing anyone from intercepting your data, a VPN will mitigate the effects of DDoS attacks. If you’re gaming VPN-free, you risk not only becoming a victim of a DDoS attack, but also unwittingly participating in one.

Keep in mind that while data encryption can have a slight impact on your internet connection speed, it might also prevent your ISP throttling you based on your traffic type and may even lead to less ping.

Professional online gamers are even more likely to use VPN services for gaming than regular users. They need stable speeds, so they must make sure their ISP won’t mess with their internet connection. But more importantly, they need protection from DDoS attacks that are prominent in the online gaming world.

Jealousy, competitiveness, or simply hate drives other players to team up and try to flood their opponent’s network and slow them down. But they need their victim’s IP address to do that, and using the best VPN services on the market hides it from other players.

Never trust free VPN providers to secure your privacy while gaming. Free VPN providers cover their costs by exploiting their users with advertising malware, embedding third-party trackers in their software, and selling your bandwidth for a profit to their paid users. All the while choking connection speeds to coax you into a paid VPN service plan. It might even make you more prone to falling victim to hackers.

Premium VPN services are your best gaming VPN choice when it comes to online restrictions, high connection speeds, and DDoS attacks. The best VPNs for gaming also pack extra privacy features to let you play your favorite games with peace of mind.

You shouldn't expect low ping times or latency just because you’re using a VPN. In most cases, a VPN won't improve your ping, although choosing the best gaming VPN for your circumstances shouldn’t visibly slow down your connection, either. However, a VPN service might improve your overall gaming experience if your ISP is throttling your internet connection speed based on the traffic type, such as online gaming.