Gamers who would like to not only improve their gaming speed and unacceptable latency, but to also secure their connection from online fraud and individual DDoS attacks that are increasingly common in professional tournaments, should consider getting a high-speed VPN service.
Best Gaming VPN:
While historically VPNs were not fast enough to provide excellent gaming performance, things have changed within the past few years. Leading VPN providers have 1000Mb/s (gigabit) servers with load-balancing tools that aim to avoid server overload and ensure optimal server use.
Additionally, in order to minimize expenses certain ISPs throttle or reroute gamers’ connections to poorly optimized networks if their bandwidth usage is considered too high. Unlike ISPs, the best gaming VPN providers not only aim to provide the fastest routes to your destination, but also have further customizations to significantly reduce latency between a VPN server and a gaming server with server clusters located in close proximity to major gaming servers. Therefore, by using encrypted VPN tunnel gamers can bypass these congested networks, defeat Internet throttling and minimize lag. Some VPN providers even have dedicated gaming servers specifically designed to offer the fastest performance for gamers (<1ms ping).
But since the primary purpose of a VPN is to encrypt all incoming and outgoing data with encryption protocols like OpenVPN and IPsec, VPN also provides an uncrackable layer of security and is, therefore, very effective at protecting online identity from hackers and thieves. Gamers’ online accounts on Steam, Origin, Battle.net are being stolen on a regular basis, especially on public Wi-Fi hotspots like restaurants and airports. VPN securely sends login information over encrypted tunnels and prevents 3rd parties from intercepting and stealing this data.
Since Lulsec launched DDoS attacks against Minecraft, EVE Online and League of Legends servers, the list of large scale DDoS attacks on major gaming servers of Blizzard, Sony PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Grinding Gear Games, Riot Games and many more have become more and more frequent.
While VPN cannot protect from DDoS attacks on gaming servers, it surely can prevent DDoS attacks aimed at individual users. Leading gaming VPN providers offer over hundreds of thousands of IP addresses that prevent your true IP address from being targeted. Roughnex, a Professional eSports Organization in Germany, announced that they made VyprVPN the official personal VPN service for its players to keep opponents from launching DDoS attacks during competition.
Additionally, hackers and bots scan the Internet for unprotected devices they can exploit for identity theft and spamming. Applications running on computers leave open Internet connections that can be used to install malware and steal personal information. NAT Firewall, offered by leading VPN providers, blocks unrequested inbound traffic (such as above mentioned scans) from reaching the device.
Finally, VPN is an excellent tool to get early access to MMO & MMORPG games or to geo-restricted games available only in specific countries.
Thus, VPN offers a number of advantages to gamers that include:
- Improved gaming performance with optimal routes & reduced latency resulting in no lag
- Early access to MMO & MMORPG games in countries with earlier lunch dates
- Access to geo-restricted games available only in specific countries
- Protection from identity theft: Steam, Origin, Battle.net gaming accounts
- Protection against individual DDoS attacks
- Defeated ISP throttling
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.49 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN offers over 5,000 servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, and 6 simultaneous logins. NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, BBC iPlayer and similar services. NordVPN implemented a strict no logs privacy policy, offers double data encryption, obfuscation tools and other advanced security features. Their custom apps run on system startup include Kill Switch feature and DNS leak resolver to protect the user from unexpected data leaks. To read a full NordVPN review and get an annual discount click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.32 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10.95 USD
Hong Kong based PureVPN is a proud owner of a massive 2,000 servers network in over 140 countries with over 60 server locations specifically optimized for torrenting. PureVPN is a fast and reliable VPN provider with exclusive streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu and similar services. PureVPN online gaming VPN servers are dedicated for gamers’ traffic only. Low ping offered by optimized PureVPN servers make it possible for gaming and streaming users to enjoy entertainment with the fastest load time. Secure PureVPN infrastructure is protected behind NAT Firewall. PureVPN offers custom apps for all devices, while desktop apps have a built-in Kill Switch feature that guards the users from unencrypted data leaks when the internet connection drops. To read a full PureVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 6.67 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.95 USD
ExpressVPN has one of the largest and fastest infrastructures with over 2,000 servers in 94 countries. Ultra fast ExpressVPN network supports gigabit Internet connection which makes it a perfect choice for ultra high speed streaming and torrenting. Besides, ExpressVPN aligns itself as one of the Internet’s leading advocates for net neutrality, for a democratic and open internet. Considering they have a no logs policy, accept Bitcoin and are located on the Caribbean Island, they are a great choice for privacy oriented customers who want to protect their data from surveillance, bypass censorship and access restricted materials. To read a full ExpressVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.66 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.95 USD
VyprVPN is a leading no logs VPN provider with over 700 ultra fast servers worldwide that support gigabit Internet connection (1,000Mbps). VyprVPN has done independent public audit by Leviathan Security to ensure that no logs are collected. Unlike most VPN providers, VyprVPN doesn’t rely on 3rd party hosting – they own and manage their own VPN servers. VyprVPN infrastructure is amazingly fast offering ultra fast speeds and low ping times for high speed HD streaming. With their server clusters located in close proximity to major gaming servers, VyprVPN also delivers a better overall gaming experience. VyprVPN custom software is very reliable and protects users from various IP leaks. In addition, VyprVPN is an excellent provider to bypass even the strictest firewalls that block VPN connection. To read a full VyprVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.45 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Romania based CyberGhost is a no logs VPN provider with over 3,500 high speed VPN servers. CyberGhost offers streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer as well as secure torrenting servers. For faster streaming and torrenting CyberGhost VPN allows switching between TCP/UDP protocols. VPN provider offers desktop and mobile apps with built-in advanced security features such as automatic kill switch, DNS & IP leaks, anti-fingerprinting and tracking protection, an ad-blocker and anti-malware. To read a full CyberGhost review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.99 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
Based in Malaysia, Hide.me is one the most secure and fastest VPN providers offering ultra fast VPN servers that provide gigabit Internet connection. Hide.Me VPN is extremely reliable and very fast which makes it a perfect choice for security oriented users who would like to enjoy uninterrupted streaming and browsing experience. Hide.Me offers incredibly convenient custom apps for all devices with a number of advanced security features for maximum protection. Hide.me is a no logs company that has custom software with a built-in protection against IP and data leaks, obfuscation tools to bypass strict firewalls, dynamic TCP/UDP port-forwarding (UPnP) and SOCKS5 proxy that is especially useful for torrenting. To read a full Hide.me review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo [promocode]
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
Offering over 3,000 servers in 50 countries, all mainstream protocols and 5 simultaneous connections, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top VPN provider. No logs TorGuard offers a reliable, fast and secure VPN connection. Their SOCKS5 proxy is an excellent feature for high speed multimedia streaming and torrenting as it integrates with the main BitTorrent applications. TorGuard native apps offer advanced security features to ensure no data leaks, even when the connection drops. TorGuard’s StealthVPN protocol is an effective tool to bypass strict firewalls and VPN blocking. To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.75 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.99 USD
ZenMate is a no logs privacy oriented VPN provider with a number of built-in security features for advanced protection from cybercrime and various IP leaks. ZenMate has over 1,000 ultra fast VPN servers that are great for streaming (including Netflix), torrenting and gaming since the infrastructure is optimized for low ping times and virtually eliminates lag. ZenMate Premium software for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android is lightweight, efficient and reliable – it takes about 2 seconds to disconnect from one VPN server and connect to another. ZenMate simply never disconnects! To read a full ZenMate review click HERE.
One of my Minecraft acquaintance had my IP and whenever I go live I started getting lags and crash. I didn’t know what was happening at first. Some guys over the community told me I was having DDoS attacks via massive ping requests. I purchased PureVPN with DDoS protected dedicated IP that could sustain over 480gbps of attacks. It helped me a lot over multiple online games. I would definitely suggest PureVPN service to any one having same problem.