Gaming is all about fast reactions, smooth gameplay, and uninterrupted sessions. But let’s face it, lag, high ping, and even potential security threats can often get in the way of enjoying your favorite titles to the fullest. That’s where a good VPN comes in. Whether you’re playing competitive multiplayer games or want to enjoy your favorite games without worrying about bandwidth throttling or malicious attacks, using a VPN can make a difference.
A VPN not only helps reduce latency but also secures your connection, protects your privacy, and even lets you access region-restricted games. So, if you want to take your gaming experience to the next level, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’ll dive into the best and fastest gaming VPNs to reduce ping designed specifically for gamers and explore how they can enhance your gameplay while keeping you safe online. I’m going to talk about some of the best VPNs that you can use for gaming. So that’ll be Express, Nord, and Surfshark.
I’m going to talk about how you can even use them for gaming and how they can be useful, and then I’ll kind of talk about the differences between these VPNs to help you make a more informed decision as far as which one to go for.
Okay, so we’ve got Express, Nord, and Surfshark. Now, no matter which one you’re using, I do have to point out that you need to be using the fastest protocol, that’s the first thing you want to keep in mind.
|
VPN AND THEIR PROTOCOLS |
| ExpressVPN |
Lightweight EDP |
| NordVpn |
NordLynx Protocol |
| Surfshark |
WireGuard protocol |
So making sure that you’re using the fastest protocol is step number one step two is making sure that you’re connected to the servers that ensure you have the lowest pings possible. So the way this works is, let’s say you’re playing Warzone. You want to make sure that you’re connected to the VPN server that is closest to your game server.
So let’s say the closest game server to you is in Ireland but you’re in Iceland, for just the sake of the example. Now, what you want to do here is minimize or cut that gap between the VPN server and the game server.
So you want to connect to the VPN server that is closest to your game server, which is both in Ireland, which is good enough if they’re in the same country or city, and hopefully, if you’re having any ping problems, this is how you could potentially fix the ping problem and get even better ping in some cases than your base ping. So that’s it as far as how to use a VPN for gaming.
Now as far as bypassing geo-restrictions, getting access to games that are not available to you, getting access to markets that are not available to you, and obviously as I just mentioned, just generally gaming with these VPNs, torrenting, whatever it is that you’re trying to do, these will cover the needs of more than 98% of the VPN user base.
But as far as which one to go for, let’s talk a bit about these VPNs to help you make a more informed decision.
I’ve been regularly testing the best and most popular VPNs, and I’ve narrowed it down to Express, Nord, and Surfshark as the best three VPNs overall. Of course, they all vary in budgets and features, yet they all have a kill switch, they’re excellent for torrenting, and they all consistently work with streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
And that’s why these are my favorite three. But depending on your situation and preferences, one of them may be a better choice for you, and I’ll explain why. Starting with ExpressVPN.
This is going to be the best one if you’re looking for the best overall, fastest, and easiest-to-use VPN. It has the most verified Nolox policy, demonstrated through a real-life stress test proving that they don’t collect or track user data. It has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, which is a big number of countries, allowing you to access content from all over the globe.
Plus, you can secure up to 5 simultaneous connections per account, and it’s compatible with most devices. And so ultimately, whenever people ask us what the best, most reliable VPN is, and don’t mind spending a few extra dollars to ensure the highest levels of reliability, ExpressVPN is my go-to choice for those looking for a premium VPN.
Next up is NordVPN, and Nord is what I consider to be the best value VPN. It has over 5,400 servers in 60 countries, and while more servers do not necessarily mean better service, this can help with speed and latency, especially if you use a VPN for gaming, or if you want extra features such as threat protection, which blocks ads, malware-ridden websites, as well as protect your device from harmful files, which is a neat little feature.
NordVpn kind of gives you more options to fiddle with, and that’s where the value for the money comes from, especially since it’s about as fast as ExpressVPN in terms of performance, and will let you secure up to 6 devices per subscription, as opposed to ExpressVPN’s 5 device limit.
So all in all, if you’re someone looking to have a few more options in your VPN, then NordVPN would be the one to get. And then finally, Surfshark is my best pick for the best budget VPN, and while it has all the essentials like Express and Nord, it’s not quite as fast as those two. Although with Surfshark, you have access to virtually secure an unlimited number of devices with just one account.
So it’s a great option if you don’t want any simultaneous connection limits. You also get over 3,200 servers in 100 countries, which is a lot. Also, you still get bonus features such as an ad blocker for blocking pop-ups, two types of specialty servers, as well a no-borders mode and rotating IP, which can be very useful if you’re trying to use your VPN in a restrictive country.
So ultimately, if you’re looking to spend the least amount of money, but still have all the core features of a premium VPN, or if you need a VPN that allows you to secure all of your devices, or if you have a larger family, then Surfshark is the ideal choice.
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Pricing: Explained
To help you figure out which plan you should go for, generally, you want to go for the long-term plans with VPNs. And I’ll explain why. So, for example, ExpressVPN gives you three plans to choose from. There’s a month-at-a-time plan for $12.95 per month, a six-month plan for $10 per month, or a 12-month plan for $8.32 per month. However, if you use this link, you can get three months free, so the 12-month plan drops down to $6.67 per month.
Now, out of curiosity, Involvematrix spoke with Express, and they mentioned that a lot of people end up spending more on monthly renewals than they would have with the yearly plan, because the typical pattern is that people renew monthly, thinking they may not need this long-term.
So, unfortunately, they end up spending more money than they would have if they had gone with the year plan, especially with the discount code LINK. So, ultimately, if you know you’re not going to need Express for longer than a month, definitely get the monthly plan.
But if there’s a chance you might end up using it longer than a month, you may want to go with the year plan. And then if you change your mind or realize you won’t need it that long, you have 30 days to get a refund and go back to just a month at a time.
Conclusion
So to sum it up, these VPNs are the best in the business:
- ExpressVPN – Is a premium VPN with a strong emphasis on security and utmost anonymity, and it’s perfect for those who are privacy-conscious and are looking for the best VPN overall.
- NordVPN – is a well-rounded high-performance VPN that offers a lot of value for the money and is ideal for those looking for bonus features that can be useful in a variety of ways besides base VPN functions such as strong encryption, secure torrenting, and working with streaming services.
- Surfshark – is truly the best budget VPN that gets the job done without sacrificing any of the necessary security features that you usually get with more expensive VPNs.
As an added bonus, you get to share it around with as many of your friends and family as you would like, which is a great plus. And that’s pretty much it for this article.