If you’re a gamer, you know how frustrating it can be when your ping is too high. It makes your controls feel sluggish and slow, and can even make the difference between winning and losing in some games.
And VPNs are a great tool for gamers, as they help to hide your IP address, encrypt your data, and make it easier to access geo-blocked content like games. So let’s find out if they can help with ping as well!
In a hurry? then, let’s find the quick answer:
- Download a good VPN (try ExpressVPN for free for 30 days!)
- Just open the ExpressVPN and select the location near your game server location
- There you go! you can say goodbye to the lags.
What is Ping time?
Ping is the response time measured in milliseconds (ms) for a packet of data to travel from your device to the game server and back. This is measured in milliseconds or ms. The lower the ping, the better, ideally, you want the ping to be as low as possible.
How Important is Ping in Online Gaming
If you’re playing an MMO (massively multiplayer online) game like PUBG, World of Warcraft, or League of Legends, then ping time can be critical. In these games, every millisecond counts.
Think of a situation where you have a high spec gaming laptop and a high-speed internet connection, and when you try to play any online games, you are noticing the lags on your every action. If you take too long to respond to an attack by another player, they may have already killed you by the time your response gets back from the server!
Can VPN Really Improve Ping? How to Improve Ping Using VPN?
It’s true that using VPN can help to improve your ping in games and make you a better gamer! A VPN can improve ping by using faster VPN protocols or by connecting to a nearby server, both of which will reduce latency and speed up connection times.
Think of a situation where your game server is only available in Australia – Sydney, and you are trying to connect it from India – Mumbai. So let’s see the results now.
Also, a VPN has many benefits for online gamers, including protection against DDoS attacks, reduced lag and ping, and improved game performance through enhanced routing.
Still, wondering how to reduce ping using the VPN? Let’s see the resolution step by step for the above example.
- Download ExpressVPN (try ExpressVPN for free for 30 days!)
- Just open the express VPN and select the location you want to connect & connect.
- Now you can retest the ping, and you will be surprised that the ping will be reduced tremendously as you are now connecting to the server from a nearby location with the help of the VPN.
- There you go! you can say goodbye to the lags and enjoy the game.
So in the real world even if you are not near the server location, It’s possible to tackle the geographic restrictions and can reach wherever you wish with help of a VPN.
Also when choosing a VPN we should be conscious to only choose the perfect one out there, else there are chances to end up with low connection speeds. Let’s dig deeper and see the list of top 5 VPNs in terms of speed.
How Do I Test Ping for Gaming
The best ping for online gaming is usually about 30 ms or less. Anything above 100 ms will begin to show noticeable delays during gameplay.
You can use the website Meter Ping Test where you can mention the game server location(for example, if you want to check the ping for Fortnite then search for Fortnite game server locations and find out the server locations, and among those choose the one which is nearest to you), and you can simply start the ping test.
There in the results, you will see the ping rate, the lower the ping rate the higher the game performance. If you see high ping rates then yes, your investigation was successful and you have found the real issue. So once the issue is discovered, then the next step will be finding a solution to fix it, right? so, let’s head straight and find how to resolve the issue.
Best VPNs for Gaming in 2024
There are lots of VPN services available in the market, even free services as well, but choosing a genuine and trustworthy VPN is a tricky job, we have done the research for you, and here are the details of the top 5 VPNs.
1. ExpressVPN – High speed, Most Trusted VPN
- 3000+ Servers in 160+ locations (94 countries).
- Unblock Amazon Prime, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, BBC iPlayer, and more.
- Unbeatable Security Encryption with OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), L2TP, IPSec, IKEv2.
- Full Torrenting Support (Dedicated P2P Servers) with split tunneling.
- Compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Consoles, routers etc.
- 5 Simultaneous device connections.
- Zero Log Policy.
- Reliable kill switch.
- 24/7 Customer Support.
- 30 Days full refund policy.
ExpressVPN is highly secured and fast, that’s why it has captured first place in the list. So you will never end up with lower network speeds while playing your favorite games if you are using ExpressVPN. As we have already mentioned above you can simply use the VPN to enhance the gaming experience by reducing the ping.
You can watch what you want on almost all the media streaming websites like Netflix Worldwide, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, SkyTV, Disney+, and many more with the help of ExpressVPN. Also, you will be able to use ExpressVPN on 5 different devices with just one account.
Express VPN has native apps for Android, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome extensions, Chromebook, Android TV, Amazon FireStick, and Fire TV. Other benefits include, there will always be someone to hear you in case you need support.
The 24/7 support team is really responsive and will be always willing to help you through live chat or email. Also, you will have 30 days’ time and if you are not satisfied with the service the money will be refunded.
2. NordVPN – Secured and Strict no-logs Policy
- 5500+ servers in 62+ Countries.
- Double VPN feature for extra privacy.
- Unlimited Streaming in Ultra HD quality without data caps.
- Unlimited P2P/Torrenting anonymously with dedicated P2P servers.
- Unblocks International services Netflix, Hulu, Prime, HBO, iPlayer, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.
- CyberSec to avoid malware and block ads.
- Reliable kill switch.
- Strict No-logs policy.
- 30 Days full refund policy.
NordVPN is one of the best VPN out there, it is highly secured with high encryption. The strict no-logs policy made the VPN more trustable among the users. It also has dedicated servers for torrenting and you can stream your favorite videos through Netflix (US, UK, AU, JP, IN), Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, SkyTV, Disney+, and many more without any issues.
Another outstanding benefit is with just one account, you can use NordVPN on 6 different devices. Also empowered by the quick 24/7 support team, whenever you have something to check with, you can simply chat or can draft an email, they will respond back as soon as they receive your query. So your queries will never stay unattended.
NordVPN has native apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, Android TV, Amazon FireStick, and Fire TV. They also provide 30 days Money back guarantee, so anyone can purchase NordVPN with 100% confidence.
3. Surfshark VPN – Unlimited Devices Support With Just One Account
- 3200+ Servers in 65 Countries.
- Standard AES 256-bit encryption with OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2 protocols.
- Whitelister and Cleanweb feature.
- Multihop mode to stream the content in high quality without buffering.
- Static IP Addressess available.
- Reliable Kill Switch.
- No Log Policy.
- Unlimited device connections.
- 7 Days free trail & 30 days refund policy.
The next one on the list is the Surfshark VPN and as the heading implies one of the most highlighted features of this VPN is, that it supports unlimited devices with just one account. You can stream HD videos using the VPN and the speed is good. It supports Netflix, Hulu, SkyTV, Fox Go, Amazon Prime Video,BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and many more.
Like other VPNs we have seen above, Surfshark also has a great support team, they will be there to help when you need it. the 24/7 support team is really responsive and will be reachable through Email or Chat.
Surfshark has native apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, Android TV, Amazon FireStick and Fire TV. Surfshark VPN comes with budget-friendly plans and also provides 30 days moneyback guarantee.
4. CyberGhost – With 45 Days Money Back Guarantee
- 6500+ Servers in over 90 countries.
- Unblock Amazon Prime, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and many other streaming platforms in high quality.
- Supports a maximum of 7 devices simultaneous streaming.
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Chrome, Linux, and other devices.
- 45 days money-back guarantee.
- No Log Policy.
- 24/7 Customer Support.
It is really a Ghost! it has all the powers required to satisfy the purpose of a VPN. CyberGhost’s highlighted the advantage is, that it provides a 45-day money-back guarantee whereas most of the other VPNs provide only 30 days, which determines the confidence level that they have in their own product.
CyberGhost has native apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, Android TV, Amazon FireStick and Fire TV. Also support streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Kodi, Vudu, Crunchyroll, and many more
You can use the CyberGhost on 7 different devices if you have an account. The 24/7 support team is waiting for your chat or email to resolve your issues as quickly as they can.
5. IPVanish VPN – With Up to 10 Devices Support
- 1300+ Servers in 75+ Locations.
- Quick Server Connection without any data caps.
- Unblock Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, etc.
- Unlimited Simultanoues device connections.
- Endless Streaming with optimized servers.
- Multi-platform Support with a reliable kill switch.
- No Log Policy with superior anonymity.
- 30 days Full Refund Policy.
IPVanish VPN is also one of the best VPN out there with awesome features. It supports 10 devices with just one account. Also has a strict no-logs policy, so it’s highly trustable, and don’t have to fear if someone tracks your activity or not.
While talking about streaming, works well with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, SkyTV, and Disney+. IPVanish also has native apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, Android TV, Amazon FireStick, and Fire TV.
IPVanish VPN 24/7 support team will be there to assist you either through chat or email whenever you have any queries. Also when you plan to buy it, you will get the 30 Days money-back guarantee.
All these above VPNs really help to reduce ping and improve the online gaming experience. It’s up to you to choose the best one. Happy gaming!
Wrapping Up
Ping is a big hurdle for gamers if you want to play multiplayer online games. A VPN will help you to get rid of your ping issues so that you can defeat any lag spikes that come your way.
