The 4 Best VPN for Gaming (2023 Update)

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How we test the best VPN for gaming

Our team put to the test 30 VPN services that run on the following operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, iOS, and Android. We included both free and paid services and conducted 16 tests in total. They are as follows:

> Test 1: Logging policy

What is a logging policy?

Many users think their privacy is safe when they browse the web using VPNs. But that’s not always true. VPN providers have different policies about what they do with your data.

All the information that comes from your computer passes through VPN servers. For this reason, any VPN provider can track your online activity much like your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

A VPN provider can see everything you do online. The software can see which websites you visit, what files you download, and more. They can also find your approximate location using the public IP address.

Hola VPN is an example of a free VPN that can track your online activity. They send the information to data brokers and advertisers so they can afford to remain free of charge. This situation is the ideal example of that “If the product is free, you are the product” saying.

Almost 30% of VPN providers (free and paid included) will keep the local IP address of the user. Around 5% of them keep a record of the user’s browsing history.

You can find the regulations about data tracking in the VPN’s logging policy. The tricky part is that VPN service providers often use vague phrases and language to keep you from focusing on them.

What do we test for?

Our team went over VPN logging and privacy policies. We studied the data their software tracks. There were instances of data logging examples like server load data or aggregated bandwidth usage that weren’t relevant for this type of test.

However, we also tested whether the providers keep track of information that is considered private, like browsing activity and IP address. A good VPN company should never collect these two types of data.

• Browsing activity: If the service saves your local IP address, browsing activity puts your security at risk. Your actual location based on the IP address and the identity of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) might also be revealed.
• IP address: Even if they delete the data after a session, a VPN provider shouldn’t track what you do online.

> Test 2: Ownership

What do we mean by ownership?

VPN software is most often part of a corporate holding structure. This means that there’s a hierarchy of owners behind it. These owners can come from different companies. Technically, anyone with authorization from any owner companies can access the data you input while using the VPN.

Some companies in the U.S. and the Netherlands have specific Data Retention Laws. These laws may let them collect more information about you than you’d like. For this reason, it’s essential to know who owns the VPN service and where the company’s headquarters are.

You may think that there are hundreds of different VPN services available on the market. But you’ll be surprised to learn that many of them are part of the same company:

• Ziff Davis, which is from the United States, owns BufferedVPN, IPVanish, Suffern, StrongVPN, Perimeter 81, Encrypt.me, and others.
• Kape Technologies, headquarters based in the United Kingdom, owns CyberGhost VPN, ExpressVPN, ZenMate, and Private Internet Access.
• CyberSpace, from the Netherlands, owns Surfshark, NordVPN, and AtlasVPN.
• Aura, a U.S.-based company, holds JustVPN, Hotspot Shield, Touch VPN, and other VPN services.
• Gaditek, a product-based tech company in Pakistan, owns Ivacy VPN, PureVPN, and Unblock VPN.

What do we test for?

Our team analyzes every VPN service provider in detail. We look for the owner, jurisdiction of registration, and local data retention laws. Additionally, we investigate the company’s history and look for scandal reports.

For example, Crossrider (today known as Kape Technologies) had a browser extension developer platform. Malware creators and ad injectors used that space to perform their operations. As a result, the company’s reputation was compromised.

> Test 3: Independent audit

What is an independent audit?

Independent audits serve to analyze specific parts of the VPN company’s operation. The audits are primarily about the company’s privacy policy and server infrastructure.

It’s not uncommon for companies to use buzzwords for marketing their software. You may hear phrases like “military-grade encryption” or “zero-log policy,” which may not always be accurate.

Here are examples of some independent audits in notable VPN companies:

• PwC also audited NordVPN in 2020. They went over the server configuration, infrastructure, and technical logs. The PwC also did interviews with some of the employees.
• PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) analyzed ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology in 2019. They checked whether the system indeed removes all information after the server reboots.
• Surfshark underwent an audit in 2021 by Cure53. The audit checked the infrastructure of the server and looked for issues.

What do we test for?

When evaluating each VPN provider, we look for its participation in a third-party audit. Furthermore, we analyze the result of the independent audit and see if there are problems in the process.

> Test 4: Available VPN protocols

What is a VPN protocol?

VPN protocols enable communication between a VPN software and a VPN server. The protocols set rules and determine how each element identifies the other. They also determine data transfer rules, encryption, app logs, and many other aspects.

Different VPN protocols differently affect the VPN server connection time. One protocol can enable fast download speeds, while another can make internet browsing super slow.

Here’s an overview of the most popular VPN protocols:

• OpenVPN
• WireGuard
• IKEv2
• L2TP/IPSec
• PPTP

WireGuard is one of the fastest protocols, while IKEv2 is one of the slowest, according to our test results. Most companies use OpenVPN as the default protocol. IKEv2 and WireGuard are often given as alternatives.

Major VPN services like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Hotspot Shield have their VPN protocols. Some of them, like ExpressVPN, let users inspect the code. This is called open-source code.

What do we test for?

We test each VPN service to check which VPN protocols they offer. We also verify the availability of each of the protocols across devices and operating systems.

> Test 5: Supported encryption standard

What is an encryption standard?

Encryption standard sets the rules for data encryption. The Data Encryption Standard from 1977 was the first symmetric key algorithm that allowed the same encryption key to be used for the encryption and decryption of data.

The U.S. government upgraded this standard to Advanced Encryption Standard (also known as Rijndael) in 2002. In the AES version, 128-bit blocks are used with keys of the following sizes:

• Ten rounds for 128-bit keys
• 12 rounds for 192-bit keys
• 14 rounds for 256-bit keys 256 bits

Most modern-day protocols use the AES-128 or AES-256 protocol.

According to the National Security Agency (NSA), AES is secure enough for the U.S. Government’s non-classified and classified information.

What do we test for?

We go over each VPN service’s default encryption standard. We also check the alternatives they offer. We expect the AES-128 to be the default and be in the GCM version, which is faster than CBC. If this is not the case, we prefer AES-256 encryption.

> Test 6: Basic security features

What are basic security features?

Every reliable VPN provider should include basic security features like:

• AES-256 encryption
• WireGuard or OpenVPN protocol
• Kill switch
• Split tunneling

The AES-256 is one of the safest and almost impossible-to-crack encryption types. It would take hundreds of years of guessing games to figure out the code for AES-256 encryption.

WireGuard and OpenVPN are two of the safest and fastest protocols today. Any reliable VPN service should have one of the two protocols as default.

The split tunneling functionality allows a program to bypass the VPN tunnel. This allows for a direct internet connection.

On the other hand, a kill switch can turn off the internet connection in case the VPN stops working.

What do we test for?

We test whether the VPN service providers have these basic features and how they use them. For split tunneling and kill switch, we check whether the features work as marketed.

> Test 7: Advanced security features

What are advanced security features?

Advanced security features can additionally boost user privacy. Here are some of the most important ones for VPN software:

• Blockers. A VPN should be able to block ads, tracking cookies, and malicious websites the moment they are opened.
• Separate IP address. A good VPN should also dedicate a unique IP address to the user. Some servers only allow access to users with authorized IP addresses. This feature can be beneficial for getting past captchas and blacklists or confusing banks with new IP addresses.
• Override GPS location. This advanced feature lets the users override their GPS location and use the GPS location of the server. GPS spoofing is helpful if you want to prevent Facebook or Google Maps from locating you.
• Obfuscated servers. An increasing number of countries are trying to block VPN services. Examples include China and the UAE. You can use an advanced VPN service that changes your data and hides the fact that you’re connected to a VPN.
• RAM-only servers. A high-level VPN service doesn’t run on classic hard drives. The information is stored on the Random Access Memory (RAM) on a server and is removed every time the server restarts. In the case of server confiscation, no data will remain.

What do we test for?

We check whether the VPN providers offer advanced features. In case they do, we check to see if they work as expected.

> Test 8: IP leak

What is an IP leak?

IP leaks refer to the leaking of the actual IP address of a VPN user while they use the VPN service. This situation can occur if your computer unknowingly accesses default servers instead of VPN ones.

Every device shares a private and a public IP address. For inter-device communication, they use a private IP address. For internet communication, they use the public one. The public IP address is usually an IPv4 or IPv6, and it’s assigned by the internet service provider.

An IP address can be a privacy threat because it reveals the user’s approximate location. Anyone who gets your IP address can determine your ZIP code or neighborhood. Also, it can serve as an identification tool when combined with browsing history.

VPNs can prevent these threats from becoming a reality. The primary purpose of VPNs is to replace the public IP with an IP from the VPN server and encrypt the internet network. Notably, this approach has two main benefits:

• ISPs can’t track online behavior
• Websites and apps don’t have access to your actual IP address

What did we test for?

We tested the VPN services against IP address lookups. We looked for leaks that indicate the public address instead of the VPN server IP address.

> Test 9: DNS leak

What is a DNS leak?

Domain Name System (DNS) is the connection between the IP address of a website and the domain name. It serves as a translator of domain names into addresses. Let’s paint this with a short example.

By typing “SoftwareLab.org” into your browser, you’ll get redirected to 165.227.148.211, thanks to the DNS. You can consider the DNS the phonebook, while its servers are phone operators. Their job is to translate the domain’s name to the IP address.

Most often, it’s the ISP that runs the DNS servers. Therefore, the ISP has access to your browsing history. In case of a DNS leak, the DNS queries are made using the ISP’s servers instead of the VPN’s servers. This can often be the case when using VPNs that don’t have their own DNS servers. It’s also possible for this issue to happen if you make a mistake when adjusting the VPN settings manually.

What do we test for?

In our test, we start a VPN session and look up the DNS server. We know there are DNS leaks if the service provider doesn’t have its own DNS servers.

> Test 10: WebRTC leak

What is a WebRTC leak?

WebRTC is short for Web Real-Time Communication. This tool allows browsers to develop communication channels with websites as you visit them. Doing so allows for live video streaming and audio feeds. No software is required to run this type of content.

Websites and browsers exchange data during communication. The local and public IP address is some of the information that’s transferred. There are no options to hide or omit this data transfer, given that the exchange is a routine functionality of WebRTC. If you try to disable or block WebRTC, you’ll find the task quite tricky.

When a WebRTC leak happens, your IP address is visible. The leak can occur when you establish an audio or video communication with another user on a WebRTC-backed browser.

Using a VPN provides a fast solution to the problem. The WebRTC can keep communicating with websites you visit without giving away your IP address.

What do we test for?

In our tests, we run a VPN and the WebRTC lookup. If we get our original IP address to pop up instead of the VPN’s address, there is a WebRTC leak.

> Test 11: Download speed via OpenVPN

What is OpenVPN?

OpenVPN is one of the most popular VPN protocols. It’s open-source, so anyone can inspect its source code. Thanks to this approach, the protocol has seen massive improvements since its launch in 2001. That’s why today, many consider it to be among the most secure VPN protocols.

There are currently two versions of the OpenVPN protocol. They are the OpenVPN User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the OpenVPN Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The former is the fastest and is often the default, while the latter offers more data transmission control.

Most companies used OpenVPN before WireGuard appeared. Still, most VPN service providers continue to use OpenVPN even though WireGuard is faster for downloading files.

Overall benefits of OpenVPN include:

• Relatively fast speed
• Customizable
• Great for getting around firewalls
• Free of charge
• Gets regular updates
• Great support from the open-source community

What do we test for?

We put every VPN’s download speed to the test. We set our Windows app to the OpenVPN protocol. We test the download speed on a 1 Gbps or 1,000 Mbps connection to test the VPN’s limits.

> Test 12: Supported speed via WireGuard

What is WireGuard?

WireGuard is the most popular and fastest VPN protocol. It initially started as a Linux kernel, but it’s now available for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. It’s simple, fast, and lean, especially compared to OpenVPN and IPsec.

WireGuard features no more than 4,000 lines of code. If you compare that to more than 500,000 lines of code featured by other protocols, you can see the apparent difference in structure.

When it comes to debugs and security audits, it’s much easier to do them on WireGuard.

Thanks to its light design, WireGuard is unprecedented in terms of speed. The test results showed that WireGuard is faster than OpenVPN by 60%.

WireGuard is also very secure due to the advanced cryptographic tools available. Users generally have to choose between speed and security when opting for a VPN protocol. But with WireGuard, both are on the table.

What did we test for?

Our primary focus was the download speed in every VPN service. The Windows app was set to the WireGuard protocol. We tested the download rate on a 1 Gbps internet connection.

> Test 13: (Virtual) VPN servers and locations

What are (virtual) VPN servers?

The VPN software has to be stored somewhere. That storage space is called a VPN server. The software can develop encrypted VPN tunnels with VPN clients thanks to VPN servers. Sometimes, VPN software has its own VPN hardware. Surfshark and NordVPN have RAM-only servers for hosting.

VPN companies use physical servers most of the time. A server is placed in the country shown in the app. For example, when you connect to a VPN network in Spain, the app will route your internet traffic via a physical server in that country.

Many countries have their own local server infrastructure. But this isn’t the case for small and less developed countries. A notable example is Andorra, a small European country. There are no physical servers there, but some VPN providers can still connect you to a VPN from Andorra. But how is this possible?

It’s thanks to the virtual VPN server functionality. Most often, you get a local IP address as if you were in Andorra, but the physical server is located in nearby France or Spain.

If you run into a VPN provider with servers in more than 60 countries, some of them are most likely virtual servers.

What do we test for?

We go over the total location and server amount each VPN service provides. We also check if the users can pick a server on a city or country level and whether they use physical or virtual servers.

> Test 14: Streaming compatibility

What is compatibility with a streaming service?

Netflix is an excellent example of a streaming service that restricts its content to geographical regions. If you live in the U.S., you won’t be able to watch the legendary Friends on this platform. But if you were in Israel, you could enjoy it all you want.

Thanks to VPN services, you can unlock the shows you like that are unavailable in your country. But things aren’t always so simple. Popular platforms like Netflix or HBO are aware of this bypassing ability. They have dedicated systems that recognize VPN connections and automatically block access to the website.

It’s becoming more challenging to keep up with how streaming services update their VPN IP address recognition systems. Only a few VPN services seem to be in the lead at the time of testing.

What do we test for?

We test VPN services for their ability to unblock the following services:

• Netflix
• Disney Plus
• Amazon Prime Video
• HBO Max
• Hulu
• BBC iPlayer

We check the examples above for the United States. For Netflix, we also investigate other countries, including Germany, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, the U.K., and Australia.

> Test 15: Torrenting compatibility

What is compatibility with a torrent network?

Torrenting is a service that allows one user to download files stored on another user’s computer. This service isn’t centralized, and the download is strictly peer-to-peer.

The two most popular torrent clients are BitTorrent and μTorrent.

Torrenting, in essence, isn’t illegal. However, users often use it to share copyrighted material like music, TV shows, movies, concerts, etc. Copyright protectors often complain about users illegally downloading material they aren’t allowed to. If you download a copyright-protected file to your computer, you can be traced by the authorities.

It’s wise to use a VPN when torrenting because the VPN encrypts your internet traffic before it leaves the computer. This way, the internet service provider can’t monitor what you do, and there’s no way for them to link the torrent downloading to you.

Of course, we don’t recommend using VPN services to commit illegal online activities. Engaging in such an activity is punishable by law.

What do we test for?

We check whether VPN providers let users download files using torrenting networks on their servers.

> Test 16: Annual price and price per device

What is the annual price and price per device?

The price of a VPN subscription varies greatly depending on the type of VPN service and the length of the subscription plan. Single-month subscriptions are always the most expensive ones. The price of the contract goes down the longer the subscription period is. So you can expect to pay much less per month when you sign up for an annual contract than you would on a month-to-month payment basis.

Also, different VPN providers have different policies when it comes to using their services on multiple devices. Some companies limit using the services to no more than three devices. Others, like IPVanish and Surfshark, have an unlimited device offer. The two VPN providers are great for users who plan to share their subscriptions with friends or family members.

What do we test for?

We examine what the cost is for one-year contracts for every VPN provider. We also compare the prices against the devices available. To do so, we divide the price of the connection by the total number of simultaneous connections the user can make.

What VPNs for gaming have we tested?

We have tested 30 paid and free VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). Proton VPN is the best free VPN service. But if you have the money, we recommend getting a paid VPN service.

In the best case, the free version allows you to protect only one device and doesn’t offer you unlimited bandwidth / unlimited data. And in the worst case, the free VPN providers show you ads or secretly sell your browsing history to advertisers and your internet service provider.

And should you be strapped for cash, don’t opt for an expensive VPN like ExpressVPN. Instead, get a cheap VPN, like Surfshark, that allows you to install it on an unlimited number of devices and share the cost with a friend.

• Astrill VPN
• Atlas VPN
• Avast SecureLine VPN
• Betternet VPN
• Bitdefender VPN
• CactusVPN
• CyberGhost VPN
• ExpressVPN
• HideME VPN
• HMA VPN (HideMyAss VPN)
• Hola VPN
• Hotspot Shield VPN
• IPVanish VPN
• Ivacy VPN
• IVPN
• Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection
• McAfee Safe Connect VPN
• Mozilla VPN
• MullVad VPN
• NordVPN
• Norton Secure VPN
• Private Internet Access VPN
• PrivateVPN
• Proton VPN
• PureVPN
• StrongVPN
• Surfshark VPN
• Tunnelbear VPN
• VyprVPN
• Windscribe VPN

The best are: CyberGhost, NordVPN, and Surfshark.

Frequently asked questions

Languages, comparisons and Sources

Other comparisons on SoftwareLab.org:

• Best Antivirus of 2023
• Antivirus for Windows 11
• Antivirus for macOS
• Antivirus for Android
• Antivirus for iOS
• Antivirus with a VPN
• Best VPN of 2023

VPN privacy policies and independent audits:

• CyberGhost – Privacy Policy
• CyberGhost – Transparency Report
• ExpressVPN – Privacy Policy
• ExpressVPN – PWC Audit
• ExpressVPN – Lightway Audit
• ExpressVPN – Browser Extension Audit
• IPVanish – Privacy Policy
• NordVPN – Privacy Policy
• NordVPN – Privacy Policy Audit
• Surfshark – Privacy Policy
• Surfshark – Infrastructure Audit

VPN testing tools:

• BrowserLeaks – Data Leak Test
• Fast – Speed Test
• Speed Test – Speed Test
• Exodus – Privacy Audit Android

Custom VPN protocols:

• ExpressVPN – Lightway protocol
• NordVPN – NordLynx Protocol

VPN mergers and acquisitions:

• NordVPN and Surfshark merger
• Kape technologies buys CyberGhost
• Kape Technologies buys ExpressVPN
• Kape technologies buys Private Internet Access