VPNs and Gaming – A Beginner’s Guide

Online gambling is becoming increasingly popular throughout the developed world, particularly when considering multiplayer games.

Please make no mistake; 22% of games spend between 61% and 80% of their playing time online and accessing multiplayer titles, during which time many leave their IP addresses exposed to the threat of doxxing and malware attacks.

In this post, we’ll provide a beginner’s guide to VPNs and gaming and how the former can help to safeguard you when playing online.

1. What is a VPN?

Let’s start with the basics; as a VPN (or virtual private network) looks to create a virtual and encrypted tunnel between two servers.

In essence, this means connecting your device to a virtual and remote server, which immediately masks your physical location and encrypts all web traffic so that it reads as an indecipherable code string.

Typically, VPNs are associated with public network use, with this type of network unsecured and likely to leave your device and personal data at the risk of being intercepted. For example, hackers can create rogue but familiar-sounding access points that entice you to connect to a particular network. Your activity and traffic can become visible to third parties at this point.

Even without hackers attempting to access and steal your data, you may find your activity tracked and logged by network managers or Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

This also infringes your privacy and potentially puts you at risk of having your bandwidth throttled. The latter refers to slowing down your Internet connection when engaging in activities that consume large amounts of data to optimize network performance across the board.

2. VPNs in Relation to Gaming

Gaming is one such data-hungry activity that ISPs often look to target, and in this respect, using a VPN may enable you to get the most out of this pastime as a player.

However, the main reason to use a VPN while gaming is to optimize your online security. This is thanks mainly to its ability to mask your device’s IP address and physical location, making it incredibly difficult for third parties to launch malware attacks or engage in the practice of doxxing.

A high-quality paid VPN can also break through restrictive firewalls, enabling you to access a broader range of gaming sites and potentially restricted platforms.

When using a comprehensive VPN client, you should also note that this negates any additional risk that you’ll incur a lag while gaming.

This is a crucial consideration when dealing with free or less advanced VPN products, as while these entities still redirect your data through a secure and remote server, it will take longer to encrypt and decrypt requests. This can create a noticeable lag, even when dealing with contemporary and incredibly capacious gaming consoles.

3. What to Look for When Choosing a VPN Client

As we’ve already touched on, VPNs are beneficial when gaming mainly because they offer players several different benefits.

However, it’s also apparent that you need to invest in and download a VPN for PC to fully realize these benefits, as they tend to offer more robust security protocols, minimize lagging and offer access to a much broader range of servers.

Additionally, many established paid VPNs offer dedicated gaming servers in some instances, which can deliver further advantages in terms of quicker processing and more rapid connections.

Paid VPNs are also more advantageous as they allow you to change your IP address and access a broader range of international services without restrictions. This offers value outside gaming, too, whether you want to introduce an additional layer of network security or stream geographically restricted content from platforms like Netflix.

This isn’t the case with free VPNs, while such clients are also unlikely to let you bypass heavy firewall restrictions or optimize your privacy.

The latter point is crucial, as some free VPN clients fund their activities by logging and selling your data to relevant third parties.

4. The Bottom Line

No doubt, using a VPN offers value to gamers, while paid clients are considerably superior to free alternatives.

So, we’d recommend that you compare the market for the best-paid VPNs while keeping in mind that clients such as Surfshark combine the best and most effective protocols to ensure the best possible online experience.

You can also access this type of paid and flexibly priced product through a free VPN trial, enabling you to test it thoroughly and ensure that it’s entirely fit for its purpose.