Best VPN for gaming
Updated 21 September 2026 · How we research
Start from the honest position: a VPN normally increases latency, because your packets travel further and are encrypted on the way. There are real cases where it helps, but "a VPN will lower your ping" is not a general truth.
Protocol choice
Protocol selection for gaming.
| Situation | Protocol | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive play | WireGuard, nearest server | Lowest overhead and a single round-trip handshake |
| Connecting to a distant region's servers | WireGuard near that region | Only helps if it improves the route, which is not guaranteed |
| Console | Router setup | Consoles rarely run VPN clients — see router setup |
| Network that throttles game traffic | WireGuard or OpenVPN TCP | Throttling by protocol cannot see inside a tunnel |
When a VPN genuinely helps
- ISP throttling by traffic type. If your provider is shaping game or update traffic, a tunnel hides what it is.
- A poor default route. Occasionally an ISP's path to a game server is worse than the path via a VPN endpoint. This is luck, not a feature.
- DDoS exposure. Hiding your home IP address from other players is a real benefit in games that expose it.
- Playing while travelling. Connecting back to your home region can reach the right matchmaking pool.
Measure rather than assume
- Record your ping to the game server with no VPN, several times.
- Connect to the nearest VPN server and repeat the measurement.
- Try one server near the game's region.
- Keep the median of several runs, not a single reading.
- If no configuration beats your baseline, the VPN is not helping latency — keep it only for the other benefits.
A note on 'gaming VPN' marketing
Troubleshooting
Most VPN problems are protocol or routing problems rather than encryption problems.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Ping is worse with the VPN | Extra hop and greater distance | Expected in most cases; try the nearest server, and accept the VPN is not a latency tool |
| Disconnects mid-match | Tunnel rebuilding after a network change | Prefer WireGuard, or IKEv2/IPsec on a device that changes network |
| Console cannot use the VPN | No client available for the platform | Configure the tunnel on the router instead |
| Matchmaking puts you in the wrong region | The game uses your apparent location | Pick a server in the region you want, or disconnect for matchmaking |
How we assess providers for this page
The ordering on every comparison page on this site follows the same four criteria, and none of them is a speed measurement. We have not run a controlled throughput programme, so publishing figures or scores derived from one would be inventing evidence.
- Protocol breadth — how many genuinely different network conditions the provider can handle, not how many names appear on a page.
- Documented security features — kill switch and leak protection as published by the vendor, labelled as vendor statements.
- Platform coverage — which devices get native support, and which protocols are actually available on each.
- Commercial terms — price, device limit and refund window exactly as published on VPN Sherlock.
The reasoning behind each is set out in our methodology.
Providers compared
Commercial terms exactly as published on VPN Sherlock.
| # | VPN | Best for | Key features | Protocols | Devices | Price | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Best overall | Six published protocols — the widest range among the five compared here | 6 (incl. Shadow, ZoogTLS) | Unlimited | $2.49/month | Get dealRead review |
| 2 |  Proton VPN | Clearest obfuscation | The only provider here that publishes how its obfuscation protocol is built | 3 (incl. Stealth) | 10 | $4.99/month | Get dealRead review |
| 3 |  PureVPN | Most devices covered | Native Apple TV and Fire Stick apps, which removes the usual reason to configure a router | 3 (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2) | 10 | $3.24/month | Get dealRead review |
| 4 |  | Most obfuscation options | Two proprietary transports, one of them available at router level. No IKEv2 | 4 (incl. OpenWeb, StealthVPN) | 5 | $5.00/month | Get dealRead review |
| 5 |  Windscribe | Most flexible | Manual config generation for all three protocols, plus a free tier you can evaluate first | 3 (OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard) | Unlimited | $3.00/month | Get dealRead review |
Save 82%Our primary recommendation across use cases, chosen on protocol breadth rather than on any speed measurement.
2-year plans
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure. Pricing shown as published on VPN Sherlock; confirm current terms at checkout.
Verify it is working
Before relying on any of this, run the checks in how to test a VPN — and run them under the conditions you actually care about, not just while idle on a browser tab.