5 Best VPN for Gaming in 2024 — Fast, Highly Secure & User-Friendly

I always love using a VPN when playing online games. This is the best way to secure my internet connection, so that nobody can spy on my gaming traffic — this also means my internet service provider (ISP) can never engage in ISP throttling to slow down my gaming speeds. Plus, with a VPN, I’m also safe from Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, which are very inconvenient. 

While I do recommend using a gaming VPN, I need to mention that not all VPNs are good picks. Many VPNs actually offer poor gaming support, as they don’t work on routers or lack anti-DDoS protection on their servers. Plus, a lot of VPNs also have slow speeds and apps that are either buggy or difficult to use. 

But all the VPNs I recommend in this guide are great for gaming. I’ve been using them regularly over the past 5+ years while playing online games — especially while traveling. And they always provide me with fast and smooth connections, great security and privacy, and very good ease of use. I personally think that ExpressVPN is the best gaming VPN since it’s the fastest out there.

🥇 1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN Service for Gaming in 2024 ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for gaming on the market right now. It was without a doubt the best gaming support in 2024. In addition, it also provides the fastest VPN speeds on the market, it has industry-leading security and privacy features, and it’s super easy to use. 

I’m extremely happy with the provider’s gaming support. For one, it supports manual router setups, and it also comes with its own dedicated router app — the app resembles the provider’s desktop and mobile apps, so it’s super easy to install and use it. And if you don’t want to deal with that, you can also purchase the provider’s proprietary Aircove VPN router that comes with ExpressVPN pre-installed on it. Also, this is one of the few VPNs out there that has cloud gaming support, meaning it’s guaranteed to work with platforms like GeForce Now. 

I also love how fast this VPN service is — whenever I use it for online gaming, I always enjoy low latency, I don’t experience any lag, and my connections to the gaming servers never drop. This is not really surprising, considering the VPN has servers in 100+ countries, so it’s super easy to game on nearby servers to get the fastest speeds. Plus, it also has Lightway, which is its proprietary protocol that’s designed to offer high-end security and super-fast speeds.

Also, all of the provider’s servers come with anti-DDoS protection, and I also really like its Advanced Protection feature, which is useful if you use online gaming websites — the feature can block ads on such websites, and it can also protect you from malicious gaming websites.

Plus, the provider’s apps are super easy to use. Both the desktop and mobile apps feature an intuitive design that makes it very simple to find and connect to different servers. Also, most apps come with Shortcuts, a tool that lets you set up 1-click shortcuts for apps and sites — once you connect to a VPN server, the shortcuts show up on your connection screen. For example, I use Shortcuts to get instant access to Steam after I first connect to ExpressVPN. 

ExpressVPN is also pretty affordable, with prices beginning at $5.49/month. It’s more expensive than most of its competitors, but keep in mind it provides the best gaming experience out there. Also, its longest plan often comes with extra months of service for free, and each purchase is backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read my full ExpressVPN review

🥈 2. CyberGhost VPN — Has Dedicated Gaming Servers and Convenient Automation CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN has 90+ gaming servers in 4 countries, including the US, the UK, France, and Germany. These servers are optimized to provide very smooth connection speeds and stable ping — I can confirm that they work well, as I always maintained average ping while gaming on a server in each one of the four countries. 

And in addition to its gaming servers, the provider also has servers in 95+ countries. Its gaming servers were usually faster for me, but I had good speeds on its regular servers as well — I never had high ping, and I also didn’t experience any game-breaking lag or dropped connections. This is mostly because you can game on nearby locations to get the fastest speeds, and also because CyberGhost VPN uses the WireGuard VPN protocol, which is extremely fast.

Plus, I’m a big fan of the provider’s Smart Rules feature. This tool lets you automate VPN connections — for example, I configured CyberGhost VPN to automatically connect to my favorite gaming-optimized server and launch Steam when I open the VPN client. You can also configure the VPN to auto-connect to a gaming server when it detects an unsecured Wi-Fi network (I also do this when I’m playing online games while traveling). 

The VPN provider also has router support, so you can use it to game online on devices that don’t natively support VPN apps (like gaming consoles, for example). And I like how it provides access to helpful step-by-step tutorials that make the setup process really straightforward. Still, if you’re mainly interested in enjoying VPN usage on a router, I’d go with ExpressVPN instead since it has a dedicated router app. 

Finally, I also like how secure this gaming VPN is. All servers come with anti-DDoS protection, and there’s also Identity Guard, which is a data breach scanner — basically, you can use it to keep tabs on your gaming account login details (if they are compromised, Identity Guard will send you an alert).

CyberGhost VPN’s prices start at $2.19/month, which I think is really affordable. The VPN also has a free 24-hour trial that you can use to fully test it before picking a plan. Also, it backs all long-term plans with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee (the shortest plan comes with a 14-day refund).

Read my full CyberGhost VPN review

🥉 3. NordVPN — Good for Secure Gaming and Hosting Virtual LAN Parties NordVPN

NordVPN is great for enjoying enhanced security while gaming.  I especially like its Threat Protection Pro feature, which can actually protect you against malware-infected downloads (like when you download game files from third-party websites). In addition, it can also block ads, which is helpful if you read a lot of game guides, which are often hosted on ad-heavy sites. Also, on Windows, Threat Protection Pro can alert you about outdated games that could be a security risk. 

Plus, the VPN also has a dark web monitoring tool, which alerts you if your NordVPN login credentials have been compromised. So, if you use the same login details for your gaming accounts, you can use this feature to keep an eye on them. 

What’s more, NordVPN provides access to Meshnet, which is a feature that lets you link up to 60 devices over a VPN connection. You could use the feature to enjoy a secure virtual LAN gaming session (for example, you could use it to set up a private Minecraft server). What’s more, Meshnet uses NordLynx, which is the provider’s proprietary protocol that’s based on WireGuard — so it provides very good security and really fast speeds. 

And this gaming VPN also allows manual router setups, which is great. Plus, its tutorials make the whole setup process really easy — on average, it won’t take you more than 15 minutes to perform it. Still, ExpressVPN is more convenient when it comes with using a VPN on your router, as it comes with a dedicated router app (installing it only takes about 5–7 minutes).

And NordVPN has 6,000+ servers in 110+ countries and stable connection speeds — during my VPN speed testing, I always enjoyed average and stable ping (even on distant servers), and I never experienced game-breaking lag or very long server connection times.. 

NordVPN has tier-based subscriptions, and its plans begin at $3.99/month. But I recommend getting the Plus subscription since it includes all VPN features.. Also, the provider backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Read my full NordVPN review

4. Proton VPN — Best Free VPN for Gaming Proton VPN

Proton VPN offers the best free plan for gamers, which is not surprising considering this is also the best free VPN in 2024. The provider’s free plan allows unlimited data, which means you can use it to game online as much as you want — many VPN providers with free plans only let you use 2–10 GB per month, which is only enough for a few hours of gaming on average. 

I also like how fast the provider’s free plan is — I used it to play a few rounds of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and I always maintained average ping. Plus, it only took around 10 seconds to connect to a game server, and my connections never randomly dropped.

But the free plan has some limitations —  It only comes with servers in 5 countries, and you can only install and use Proton VPN on 1 device — but you can still set up the VPN on your router to cover all devices (including game consoles). Another drawback is that you can’t choose which server to connect to, as the VPN automatically connects you to the fastest server location.  

So it’s much better to just get the paid version, which starts at $3.59/month. The paid VPN plans allow up to 10 connections, provide access to servers in 110+ countries, and also include other bonuses (like a really good ad blocker). The provider backs all purchases with a 30-day refund, but keep in mind it’s prorated.

Read my full Proton VPN review

5. Private Internet Access — Very Good Gaming VPN for Beginners Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) is great for online gamers who are new to VPNs. That’s because the VPN provider has very intuitive apps that are simple to navigate — on average, it won’t take you more than a few seconds to find and connect to a server to start gaming.

In addition, this VPN is a good pick for large households, as it allows unlimited simultaneous connections. This means you can use PIA to game on as many devices as you want. 

And PIA also has excellent connection speeds, which is not surprising considering it uses WireGuard and has servers in 90+ countries. Plus, I like how you get access to split-tunneling, which lets you pick which apps and sites use the VPNs, and which ones don’t — you could use this feature to only route gaming traffic through PIA to boost your gaming speeds.

PIA also allows manual router setups, though I’d still recommend getting ExpressVPN if you want to use a VPN on your router — it has a dedicated router app, which is very easy to install and use.

Private Internet Access’ prices begin at $2.19/month, which I think is really budget-friendly. In addition, the provider comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read my full Private Internet Access review

Bonus. Surfshark — User-Friendly Gaming VPN With Good IP Protection Surfshark

Surfshark provides a very user-friendly gaming experience, as it comes with super-intuitive apps. It’s very simple to navigate the apps and connect to different servers, and I also like how there are helpful explanations for all settings and features. Plus, the provider allows unlimited simultaneous connections.

I also really like the provider’s IP Rotator feature, which regularly changes your VPN IP address without dropping your VPN connection. This tool provides good protection against DDoS attacks — plus, all of the providers' servers are equipped with anti-DDoS protection as well.

Surfshark is also among the best gaming VPNs when it comes to speeds. It uses the WireGuard protocol, and it also has a huge network consisting of servers in 95+  countries. Plus, it also comes with a built-in speed test that makes it very easy to find the fastest servers for your location. 

And Surfshark also supports manual router setups, which is good — though, if you mainly want to use a gaming VPN on your router, I recommend getting ExpressVPN instead since it has a dedicated router app.

Surfshark is super affordable, with plans at $2.19/month. What’s more, it backs all purchases with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read my full Surfshark VPN review

Quick Comparison of My Top Picks

	Starting Price	Number of Countries	Router Support	Simultaneous Connections	Free Plan	Money-Back Guarantee
🥇 1. ExpressVPN	$5.49/month	100+	(via dedicated router app)	8		30 days
🥈 2. CyberGhost VPN	$2.19/month	95+		7		45 days (long-term plans) 14 days (shortest plan)
🥉 3. NordVPN	$3.99/month	110+		10		30 days
4. Proton VPN	$3.59/month	110+		10		30 days (prorated)
5. Private Internet Access	$2.19/month	90+		Unlimited		30 days
Bonus. Surfshark	$2.19/month	95+		Unlimited		30 days

How I Chose the VPNs on This List

• I only picked fast gaming VPNs. Most online gamers complain that VPNs cause annoying slowdown. This is true to a certain extent, as using a VPN will slow down your original internet speed due to the added layer of encryption. But really good VPNs (like the ones I recommend) optimize their services to provide very smooth gaming speeds.
• I considered the size of the server network. I made sure to only recommend VPNs with servers in at least 80+ countries, so that it’s easy for you to game on nearby server locations to get the fastest speeds. Plus, a large number of server locations comes in handy if you want to game on regional servers as well
• I prioritized VPNs with good router support. I only included VPNs that are compatible with routers in this article. Being able to set up and use a VPN on a router is important, as it allows you to use it to game on devices that don’t support VPN apps (like game consoles). ExpressVPN, which I consider to be the best gaming VPN, even has a router app.
• I only added user-friendly gaming VPNs to my list. I made sure to only recommend VPNs that have intuitive apps that make it very simple to find and connect to a VPN server. Also, all of my picks come with a good number of simultaneous connections, so that you can use them to game on lots of devices at the same time.
• I only ranked VPNs with anti-DDoS protection. A Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack is when someone forces you offline. All VPNs prevent DDoS attacks by hiding your IP. So, I went the extra mile and confirmed that all of the VPNs on my list have anti-DDoS protection on their servers — this means nobody can DDoS your connection to the VPN to disconnect you from it.
• I only picked secure gaming VPNs. Using a secure VPN for gaming is important, which is why I only added VPNs to my list that have all essential security tools. This includes a kill switch, military-grade encryption, a no-logs policy, and DNS leak protection. Most of my picks also have advanced security features, like RAM-only servers that wipe all data on each reboot, and perfect forward secrecy (provides a different encryption key for each VPN session).
• I also considered the overall value each VPN offers. Finally, I made sure to only recommend VPNs that come with useful extras for online gaming, like split-tunneling or an ad blocker. Also, all of the VPNs on my list are affordable and have generous money-back guarantees.

Can You Use a VPN on a Gaming Console?

Yes, but you can’t directly install a VPN app on a game console. That’s because consoles (and any other portable gaming device, like a Nintendo Switch) don’t natively support VPN software. So, you won’t be able to find a VPN’s apps on your console’s app store. 

Instead, you’ll need to configure the VPN on your router. This way, your consoles will use the VPN on the router to access the internet. Setting up a VPN on your router usually means downloading server configuration files from your VPN provider, and uploading them and setting them up on the router — I can’t provide exact steps since the setup process varies from router to router, which is why it’s best to rely on your provider’s setup guides.

Alternatively, you could just buy a preconfigured VPN router, if you can afford it — this is a router that comes with a VPN pre-installed on it, so there’s no setup needed on your end. If you’re interested in this, try ExpressVPN’s Aircove router.

Can You Use VPNs to Bypass Game Bans?

Yes, but only if you’re dealing with IP bans — basically, if the game you’re playing blocked your IP address from connecting to its servers. In this case, you’d just need to connect to a VPN server to change your IP address, and you’ll be able to connect to the game’s servers again. 

But a VPN won’t help with account-level bans or hardware bans. Like the name implies, an account-level ban will ban your gaming account — so the only way to get around that is to create a new account. And hardware bans ban the unique identifier assigned to your device’s hardware, which is called the hardware ID (HWID) — realistically, the only way around this is to change your hardware.

Can a VPN Improve Your Connection Speed While Gaming?

Maybe, though it’s not extremely likely. VPNs by default don’t increase speeds, as they actually lower them. That’s because they add a layer of encryption to your traffic, which increases the time it takes for data to travel between your device and the web. Also, the distance between you and the VPN server further causes slowdowns — the bigger the distance, the longer it takes for data to travel between your device and the VPN server. 

That said, VPNs might improve gaming speeds by stopping ISP throttling. Basically, if your ISP is intentionally slowing down your gaming speeds to limit data consumption, a VPN can stop that from happening. It makes your traffic unreadable — due to that, your ISP won’t be able to selectively slow down your gaming speeds.

Best VPNs for Gaming in 2024 — Final Thoughts: Final Thoughts