How to upgrade your gaming experience with VPNs

William Davis Published 30/11/2021

With the right VPN, you can take your gaming experience to the next level. 

Virtual private networks are computer programs that convince the internet that you live in a different country. That might not sound useful at first, but every gamer should know that VPNs can protect them from DDoS attacks and give them access to foreign titles. Whether you want to play with friends in a different country or give regions-exclusive titles a try, these are the dos and don’ts of VPN gaming. 

When to use a VPN for gaming

Using a VPN like Surfshark while gaming can help protect against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Some devious attackers can collect information from a game server and use it to DDoS your computer. This is a major problem for high-profile gamers like streamers or esports professionals, but it can affect anyone. By hiding your computer’s identity behind a VPN, you gain an extra layer of protection against targeted attacks.

Using a VPN can also let you play on foreign servers. Let’s say you want to log into an MMORPG with your friends across the world. Many MMOs have region locks, so you can’t play on a South American server if they detect you live in Europe. A VPN can trick the game into thinking you live in South America, which will allow you to play with friends.

Lastly, VPNs can help you access games not available in your country. This is especially true if you’re using a phone emulator to play Asian mobile games. VPNs can also be used to get around location-based censorship in Russia, Australia, and more. A VPN will let you access those games without traveling to another country. 

The best game genres for VPNs are social games or turn-based competitive titles. Games like VRChat and Among Us are less affected by high ping. Player-versus-enemy games like Back 4 Blood or Deep Rock Galactic are better suited to VPN gaming. Card games like Magic: The Gathering Arena or Hearthstone are basically the exact same with or without a VPN.

While VPNs come with many benefits, there are some situations where they can negatively impact your gaming experience. VPNs create an extra travel point for data, which can increase delay and reduce connection stability. There are some genres of games where VPNs can negatively impact your gameplay.

But as long as you research your options beforehand, you should be able to have a better and safer experience while playing many games through the use of a VPN. Considering the effectiveness of quality VPNs and their typically low cost, it’s an easy way to open up some new gaming experiences and increase online safety.

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