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A VPN can be an extremely useful tool for gamers. Here's why you should consider gaming when using it.
A virtual private network (VPN) service offers a ton of benefits for casual web surfing. Everything from protecting your browsing habits to accessing international markets and services while staying safe.
However, not many people would consider using a VPN when they are playing online games. Thinking that it is a frivolous use of the internet, they may believe that there is no point in even using a VPN in this way.
VPN-based gaming has a lot more benefits than you might think. Using one of the best VPNs for iPhone on all your devices can help more than just your privacy.
Hiding Your IP
Let's start with the most obvious reason on the list: a VPN effectively masks your IP address.
You can still connect to the game servers since your traffic is tunneled to the VPN servers before being sent where it needs to go. However, because it goes through a VPN, the source IP address is masked from anyone inspecting the packets.
The benefit of this is that there are people willing to harm others for their own needs.
For example, if another player knows your IP address and has access to a network of bots, they can perform a distributed denial of service attack against you. This can make your connection unusable, and in a competitive game, it can lead to you being kicked from the server.
They may not stop there and use the IP address to track you and send threatening messages or even publish your details publicly online.
For Twitch streamers, a VPN is a must, as live streaming makes them a bigger target for attacks on their games and the stream itself. If they have a significant audience, it can make them an even bigger target.
It may seem like overkill, but a VPN is still handy for keeping you safe online while gaming.
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Latency and Ping
While you might think that sending your connection through a VPN might slow things down, in some cases it can actually improve your connection.
Ping refers to the time it takes for a packet of data to travel from one computer to another, often measured in milliseconds. For games that rely on small packets rather than large downloads, ping can be more important than overall throughput.
A VPN comes into play because it can act as a primary route on the information superhighway that is the Internet. While your normal ISP-based route for your packets may take a congested or slow path to their destination, a VPN can help you bypass the slow spots.
If you are playing on remote servers, such as one on a different continent than you, it may be better to use a VPN server. Using a server that faces that continent will reduce the number of hops required.
This isn't necessarily a guaranteed advantage, as it's entirely possible that your regular internet connection may be fast enough on its own. But for those times when it's not working so well, it may give you a small boost.
Region Blocking
Games tend to work on a regional basis. Gamers from one region, such as North America, are usually paired with games against opponents from the same region.
In many cases, a game will give you a choice of the region you want to play in and only give you games for that region. Sometimes this isn't possible, and you'll constantly be paired with a lot of local players.
If you want to play with people from another region and the game doesn't give you the option, you can try to force the game to pair you with people from another location.
When connected via a VPN, your current “country” may be different from reality. This can trick the game into thinking that you should be playing with other players in close proximity to that VPN server, ultimately changing your opponents.
This doesn’t just affect who you play with online. It can even affect what you can play in the first place.
For example, “gacha games” with loot box-style mechanics are becoming increasingly popular in Western economies, but they’re really popular in Japan. However, you won’t be able to play some of them unless you’re “in” Japan, which a VPN can arrange for you.
Sometimes a game may only be available in some countries but not others due to geographic restrictions. A VPN can help you secure that game in the first place.
ISP Throttling
Gaming can be a bandwidth hog. Not only can game downloads and updates be measured in gigabytes, but the game itself can sometimes consume a lot of bandwidth.
When you use an ISP with traffic monitoring policies designed to reduce congestion, that system may flag your games as a problem. If it is set to limit certain types of games, you may encounter this without necessarily being the cause.
A VPN can combat traffic monitoring systems by simply preventing the system from seeing the data packets in the first place. If it can't see the data, it can't throttle the connection based on its defined policies.
Warning
While a VPN may have some benefits for gamers, there is one area they should be careful about. Depending on the game you play, there may be something in its terms of service that prohibits the use of a VPN.
There are a few reasons why this might apply. One of the main ones is that some countries have restricted the use of VPNs.
There may also be laws about certain content or games that should only be available to citizens of the country or should not be accessible outside the country. For example, regional online gambling laws.
A more likely reason is to prevent players from cheating. Restricting the use of VPNs may be a game designed to minimize the ability of users to bypass bans or to prevent abusive players from causing problems for others.
VPNs are completely legal to use in most countries and should not interfere with your online activity. But sometimes, especially in the case of a few popular games, game companies may actively discourage you from using them.
If you're looking to sign up for a VPN service, there are early Black Friday VPN deals going on right now that have slashed prices to $1.99 per month.
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