The number of gamers using virtual network providers (VPNs) has soared in recent years. If you haven’t used a VPN to access the internet before, we’ve got 10 compelling reasons why you should – whether you want to boost your gameplay speeds, reduce lag or play with friends around the world.
A VPN like ExpressVPN works seamlessly across your Android, Windows, MacOS, and iOS devices, and the ExpressVPN app for routers makes it easy to secure Xbox, PS5, and Switch consoles.
A VPN service routes your internet activity through secure servers and keeps you anonymous online. As well as offering greater data security, ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries (and counting), meaning you can access more game libraries and unlock geo-exclusive content. It’s easy to see why we consider it one of the best VPN providers.
One of the big advantages of using a VPN is privacy. If you want to protect yourself from breaches on public Wi-Fi, ExpressVPN can encrypt your device. Want to prevent your internet service provider from throttling your connection speeds? ExpressVPN has you covered there too.
Ready to invest and boost your online gaming experience almost instantly? Discover why every gamer (including you) needs a VPN and how to sign up for ExpressVPN today for the best deal.
What’s the best VPN for gamers?
We recommend ExpressVPN as the best gaming VPN. It’s fast, easy to use, and provides a seamless experience across devices, with brilliant apps for Android, Windows, iOS, and MacOS, plus support for every major gaming console.
Why every gamer needs a VPN
Here are 10 reasons why every gamer needs a VPN in 2023:
1. Reduce your lag and ping times.
You’ll often hear that using a VPN can reduce ping, but what does this mean? And why is it good for gamers? Ping is the measurement of how long it takes data to travel from your gaming device to a server. Lower ping means lower lag, which in turn means smoother gameplay.
For example, if you’re playing a shooter game on an online server, and you keep experiencing delays between pressing a key and firing the trigger, you’re going to have a pretty frustrating and poor gaming experience. Given that a VPN can reduce ping, it should also improve your gaming sessions.
2. Access more games
New games aren’t always released in every country. Using a VPN means that you can unlock and play geo-blocked games from other regions. Generally, using a VPN is an easy way to get your hands on a bigger and better library of titles, not to mention cloud gaming services to stream games directly from a server to your device. Unfortunately with the Steam platform, using a VPN goes against its terms of use.
3. Prevent DDoS attacks
Yet more jargon! A DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack is when a cyber attacker sends a lot of traffic to a server to stop a user from accessing it. Because a VPN hides your IP address, it’s impossible for your network to be located, so it effectively prevents DDoS attacks from happening – leaving you to get on with your gaming in peace.
4. Play safely on public Wi-Fi
If you enjoy playing the best PC games while you’re out and about, a VPN makes it safer to connect to public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi networks often monitor your data and therefore are more susceptible to breaches. Because it redirects your connection through one of its VPN servers using encryption protocols, your activity can’t be spied on.
5. Protect your data
A VPN encrypts your data so that it can’t be read by other users or third parties. ExpressVPN hides your IP address, and, thanks to AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) it gives you the same level of encryption as the U.S. government. While this benefit isn’t specific to gaming, it’s important for anyone online who wants better protection.
6. VPN apps work on all your devices
While there’s a lot of technical jargon around VPNs, VPN apps themselves are incredibly easy to set up and use across a huge range of your devices.
ExpressVPN can run on your gaming PC, gaming laptop, smartphone, your internet router, and even your console – all at the same time. There’s a dedicated mobile and desktop app with an incredibly streamlined interface, as well as a Google Chrome extension should you want to control your connection and location from a browser. You simply click once to connect and disconnect – it’s as easy as that.
7. Reduce throttling
Some internet service providers reduce your speed to limit bandwidth, and that can only be bad news for online gaming. When a VPN is connected, an ISP can’t read your data, so your bandwidth won’t be throttled (slowing down your connection) and you maintain your speeds.
8. Access early games and exclusive content
This point speaks for itself. Sometimes developers launch games earlier in some regions than others. If you can’t wait to play the latest game but it’s only available in one country first, using a VPN to connect to a server in that country means you can play it at launch.
In the same way, you can use a VPN to unlock exclusive content, deals, and goodies like extra loot or weapons. Just remember to check that you’re not violating any platform rules.
9. Play with other gamers globally
One of the joys of online gaming is playing with friends. If you’ve got a group of gaming pals outside of your own country, using a VPN means you can change your region to theirs and play together whenever you want to.
This is useful because a lot of online games, particularly MMOs, sort you into different servers based on the region you’re connecting through. With a VPN on, you can connect through your friends’ regions, join a game with them, and enjoy fun times.
10. VPNs are legal to use (in most countries)
Wait – isn’t using a VPN frowned upon? Well, no actually. Using a VPN is completely legal in the USA, Canada, the UK and most of Europe. In Russia, China, Iran and Iraq, there are laws to restrict what you use a VPN for, and in some cases, you’ll only be able to use a government-approved service (or not at all).
If you suspect you’re in a VPN-restricting country, always do your research to find out what is and isn’t allowed. Choosing a paid VPN service is always better than a free VPN, as they won’t collect data and generally offer better security. ExpressVPN doesn’t log your activity, browsing history or destination.
Start using ExpressVPN today
We love the fact that ExpressVPN works, as it should, every time. ExpressVPN isn’t necessarily a cheap VPN, but it offers the best performance for your money in all areas. You get excellent 24-hour live support and up to 8 connections at the same time, across PC, Mac, mobile devices, PS5, Xbox, Switch, and more.
Read our ExpressVPN review and ExpressVPN FAQ guide to find out more.
