Introduction
Do your plans for the weekend include sitting back, relaxing, grabbing a snack, and spending the weekend with your friends playing an intensive game of PUBG or whichever game you prefer? That’s all good, but it’s important to note that as an online gamer, you must maintain your privacy and security online. That’s where a VPN comes into the picture. And a bonus? VPNs enhance your gaming experience.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the benefits of using a VPN for gaming and the best practices that you can implement when using a VPN for online gaming. So without any further ado, let’s get into it!
Benefits of Using VPN For Gaming
Although VPNs offer enhanced security, privacy, and anonymity for online gamers, there are other reasons VPNs have benefits for online gaming. Let’s go over all of them in detail:
Avoid Bandwidth Throttling
For various reasons, many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throttle or slow down bandwidth. Some ISPs do it during certain times of the day or certain days to avoid congestion on the network. Some ISPs enable data throttling automatically if they notice specific traffic on the network, such as online streaming, gaming, or files getting downloaded.
VPN prevents ISP throttling by encrypting your data and internet traffic, making it difficult for your ISP to determine whether you’re browsing the internet or online gaming. Premium VPNs can change the ports you use, making it harder for ISPs to throttle your data.
Protection Against DDoS Attacks
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks disrupt your gaming experience by sending many requests from a compromised computer to a single system to turn it offline. It overwhelms your network with traffic. VPNs can help avoid the impacts of DDoS attacks by making your IP address and encrypting internet traffic by routing your connection through an encrypted tunnel. It would make it difficult for attackers to target you.
Bypass Geolocation Restrictions
Many game distributors have region-based restrictions, limiting access to online games and content based on your location. A VPN enables you to change your location by connecting to a server from a different country, allowing you to gain access to unlimited games and content unavailable in your country. You will be assigned an IP address from that specific country, and you should go for a VPN provider with servers in many regions.
Enhanced Privacy & Security
When gaming online, you have sensitive and confidential data, which can become the target for hackers and cybercriminals. Online gaming platforms often collect and store personal information such as your IP address and other personal information. Since VPNs mask your IP address, gaming platforms cannot track your online activities or location.
By using a VPN, it encrypts your internet traffic. It keeps your online activities safe and anonymous, making it difficult for hackers and cybercriminals to misuse your data or decipher it since your identity online is anonymous and untraceable.
Reduced Latency and Ping Times
Latency, also called a Ping, is the delay of your actions in the game and their response on the server. Let’s say you’re in the middle of an intense game, and you’ve made the final shot, but the action occurs a few minutes later. This is what is referred to as lagging. High latency leads to laggy gameplay and an overall lousy gaming experience.
VPNs can help counter this issue by enabling you to connect to a server closer to the game’s server. It reduces the distance your data has to travel, and this helps lower latency and increase ping times.
Play With Friends From All Over The World
If you have a group of friends from all over the world, it could be challenging to play together due to regional restrictions and everyone having different game server locations. By using a VPN, you can connect to a server in the exact location as your friends to bypass geolocation restrictions and have an enjoyable gaming experience together.
Can I Use A Free VPN For Gaming?
Free VPNs are appealing, but they offer more drawbacks than benefits. Firstly, free VPNs only have limited server locations and their encryption protocols are less secure than one would assume. Another disadvantage is that free VPNs don’t guarantee that your personal information will remain safe and secure.
Many free VPNs earn their source of revenue by selling your personal information to third parties and advertisers, and these advertisers use your personal information to provide you with targeted ads that would pique your interest. Free VPNs also have a slower speed, which would disrupt your online experience.
Best Practices For Using VPN For Gaming
Here are some best practices to follow when you’re using VPNs for online gaming:
- Choose a reliable and fast VPN provider specifically optimized for online gaming.
- Go for a VPN provider with many servers so that you can connect to a server nearer to your location, which will help you lower latency.
- Choose low-latency VPN protocols. Since low latency is required to ensure an excellent online gaming experience, opt for protocols such as WireGuard or OpenVPN since they offer low latency compared to other Protocols.
- VPN providers have a split tunneling feature that enables you to route gaming-related traffic through the encrypted VPN tunnel while allowing other applications and internet traffic to bypass VPN. It helps optimize your connection and reduce strain on the network.
- It would be best to prioritize opting for a VPN provider with excellent security and privacy features. Ensure the VPN has excellent security protocols, such as AES-256, to enhance online privacy and safety.
- Ensure that the VPN is compatible with the gaming platform or console you use to play games. Some VPNs have dedicated apps and set-up guides for specific platforms, which can help you quickly and effectively use the VPN for gaming.
Conclusion
Whichever game you wish to play and on whichever platform, using a VPN not only helps enhance your online privacy but also offers you a seamless gaming experience. You will also be able to access geo-restricted content and get access to games you wouldn’t have been able to in your own country. Honestly, what more could you want?
The Top 10 Funniest Sidekick Characters In The MCU
Key points about Destiny 2 that a newbie needs to know when starting out
Best PS Games for College Students
Evolving Trends in Game Design Services: What's New in the World of Game Development
The Hottest Video Games to Watch Out for in 2024
From Concept to Creation: Transforming Ideas into Wireframe Prototypes
How to Record a Gameplay on PC With No Lag
How to setup your own VPN for gaming
8 Best Netflix Video Downloaders [2024 Guide Review]
