You might not expect it, but using a VPN while gaming online has some surprising benefits. Yes, VPNs can introduce extra lag or slow down your connection, but there are times when the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. For one, a VPN can help protect you from targeted attacks—a significant benefit for streamers and content creators who need to safeguard their personal information. In some cases, it can even enhance your connection by reducing latency or expanding access to servers in other regions, making it easier to play with friends who live far away. Here’s a closer look at why you might want to consider it.
1. Prevent DDoS Attacks and Hide Your Location
A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack floods your home internet (or game server) with fake traffic, making it so you can’t connect to anything, much less your game. Such attacks can even get you banned from servers, as the game believes the traffic is originating from your IP address.
A VPN prevents this from happening by masking your actual IP address, which makes it impossible for a would-be hacker to track you down. Similarly, if someone is trying to prank or harass you in real life, a VPN makes it much more difficult for an attacker to determine your physical location. Such attacks are rare, but you may be more likely to face them if you stream content to an audience or play at a competitive level.
2. Improve Your Ping (In Some Cases)
Generally speaking, a VPN will increase your latency due to the extra jump your connection has to make through the encrypted network. However, sometimes a VPN may have a closer server with a stronger connection compared with the speeds offered by your internet service provider (ISP). This is most likely to occur in regions with poor internet connectivity infrastructure or where server loads are exceptionally high.
You should use a VPN while you game if you think you may be targeted by DDoS attacks, want to access regional lobbies, or believe your internet speeds could benefit from a nearby VPN server.
If you think you fall into this category, we recommend trying a free VPN first, or a free trial of a paid VPN to ensure it has servers in the right location before making a purchase. Likewise, it’s best to stick with a short-term plan in case the server gets moved or retired. Then you can see if the VPN helps or hurts your connection, or ideally, offers some privacy with minimal latency impact.
3. Unlock Global Servers
Some games have geographic restrictions that only permit you to play in your home country. These policies are normally in place to ensure fair play standards, especially in competitive games. Additionally, if you know you have solid internet access but your friend across the world doesn’t, it may make sense for you to fire up a VPN and connect to a server near them. That way, you can leverage your good connection to smooth over issues with their bad one.
Using a VPN can bypass these restrictions if you want to play with friends in another country or access a different country’s competitive scene, but keep in mind that you could end up facing a ban. Many games employ detection algorithms that flag tools such as VPNs as suspicious behavior. You could end up losing an account depending on the game’s fair play policy, so make sure you know the ins and outs of that document before you proceed.
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Before You Connect: The Drawbacks You Should Know About
Before firing up a VPN and diving into a fast-paced online game, you should know that there are some caveats. If you don’t achieve the latency benefit described above, you’ll likely notice an increase in ping. That increase can make all the difference when milliseconds and quick reaction times matter. You won’t feel this latency spike in slower-paced games, but it can be a deal-breaker if you’re playing fast-paced or competitive titles. And while your download and upload speeds aren’t critical for a stable gaming session, they can influence how long it takes to update a game or download a title to play with your friends.
Most gamers don’t need a VPN for online play with friends or to join local competitive lobbies.
In addition, you may face restrictions if you violate a game’s terms of service or fair-play policy. It might seem harmless enough to change regions to play with your friends abroad; however, certain titles outright ban that behavior. Be sure to read up on each game’s terms and conditions, and consider checking its support forum or subreddit before connecting with a VPN to avoid any issues.
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When Gaming With a VPN Is (and Isn’t) a Good Idea
Most gamers don’t need a VPN for online play with friends or to join local competitive lobbies. Aside from rare targeted attacks, there aren’t many direct threats to your online identity while you game online. There’s a chance that a game publisher may keep and sell your information to third-party advertisers, but it’ll be difficult to get around that even with a VPN, since accessing most online games requires an account.
Ultimately, you should use a VPN while you game if you think you may be targeted by DDoS attacks, want to access regional lobbies, or believe your internet speeds could benefit from a nearby VPN server. Otherwise, you should consider pausing your connection or using split tunneling to protect your web traffic while your game bypasses the encrypted tunnel entirely.
For comprehensive protection outside of gaming, we recommend pairing a VPN with a well-rounded set of security tools. Use a reliable antivirus to defend against malicious downloads and malware. A password manager can help safeguard your accounts from breaches, while free ad and tracker blockers reduce the data advertisers can collect about you. Finally, turn on multi-factor authentication whenever it’s available.
About Our Expert
Justyn Newman
Senior Writer, Security
Experience
My writing journey started in 2012 and has taken me through various niches, but my main focus has always been on tech. I contributed to several growing PC hardware and software sites, focusing on gaming, peripherals, and privacy.
As the amount of information we put out on the internet has grown, so have the threats and the tools we use to combat them. With VPNs gaining traction in the late 2010s as a tool for the public instead of just an option for business security, I found myself reviewing countless options in this continuously changing landscape.
This led to my role before PCMag over at WizCase, where I honed my knowledge of VPNs and privacy tools and eventually oversaw all of the content produced. I led a talented team of fellow writers and editors to evaluate VPNs, password managers, antivirus, and parental controls.
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