Is A VPN Necessary For Online Gaming?

The online gaming enthusiasts will know that if there’s one thing that can make or break their game – it’s speed. Just the shortest lag can throw the game out entirely, leaving your family members to hear the endless frustrations. Or worse, a complete disconnection just before you lead your team to victory.

But while players are mostly concerned with lags and pings, security and privacy get overlooked all too often. An easy fix would be to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which conceals your IP address for safety. Some gamers even use it for smoother connections during gameplay.

But before you hop on to meet your team in Fortnite, find out whether or not it’s really necessary to use a VPN while you game.

 

How Do VPNs Work?

 

VPNs are used to encrypt your Internet connection. The traffic is then routed through a server in a location entirely different to yours, usually in another country. When it becomes encrypted, it’s like the data is travelling through a tunnel which can’t be accessed from the outside.

That means hackers, game servers and even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can’t see what you’re doing or where it is that you’re connecting from.

Now when it comes to gaming online, this setup can greatly improve your security however, your speed could be affected.

 

 

Why You Should Consider Using A VPN For Online Gaming

 

Some gamers swear by VPNs and truthfully, there are a lot of benefits to using one when you game online. Aside from the safety aspect, you could access games you may otherwise not be able to and in some cases, it can even reduce latency.

 

You Can Avoid Bandwidth Throttling

 

When you engage in data-intensive activities online, such as gaming or streaming, your ISP flags it as high data usage. To reduce the amount of data being used, they will slow down – or throttle – your connection. Which can be incredibly frustrating, of course.

But since a VPN encrypts your data and your ISP can’t see that you’re gaming, your connection is less likely to be throttled. This means that you can have a more consistent connection speed, both during and after gaming sessions.

 

 

Safety Against DDoS Attacks

 

Gaming competitively can get intense from time to time – even the non-gamers have realised this by now. And players involved in online tournaments are more vulnerable to a type of attack called Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS).

It sounds very technical but all it does is flood your connection with traffic so you either can’t play properly online or you get booted off altogether. When you use a VPN, your real IP address is unknown to attackers so they can’t find your actual location.

 

 

It Can Reduce Latency

 

This will largely depend on where you are and which server you choose to use. If your ISP doesn’t route your traffic properly, using a VPN can actually help with latency because it will connect you to a quicker route.

Keep in mind that this is not always the case but it is a potential benefit.

 

You Can Access Geo-Restricted Games

 

Some people use VPNs not just for the security aspect, but because it can give you access to content that may not be available in your region. For gamers, if a new game launched in another country, you can set your VPN to that country. You could then play the game even though you wouldn’t be able to in your own country.

It also works the other way around. If you travel often but want to access your home region’s game servers, you can do that too.

 

The Downsides Of Using A VPN For Gaming

 

Using a VPN isn’t ideal for everyone. Before you make a decision on using one, here are a couple of things that you need to be aware of.

Ping can increase: In some cases, a VPN can slow you down. Because the data has to travel to a VPN server before it gets to the game’s server, this added distance can result in higher ping. You may not notice it for casual gaming but when fast-paced shooting is involved, it can make a big impact.

VPNs are blocked by some games: This is to prevent bypassing geo-restricted content or cheating. If you had to get caught, you could be temporarily restricted or permanently banned from playing the game.

Connections can become unstable: If the VPN server is overloaded or your connection drops, the game can lag or disconnect. This typically happens with free or low-quality VPNs so make sure you invest in a reputable one.

 

What Is The Final Verdict?

 

In short, a VPN isn’t always necessary but it can definitely be useful. If you play casually at home and you are satisfied with your current speed and ping, you probably don’t need one.

However, if you play competitively or travel often and want access to different regional servers, it’s worth looking into using a VPN.

And if you do choose one, there are VPNs designed with gamers in mind. These come with features like strong encryptions, no bandwidth caps, low latency servers and a kill switch to protect your IP if the VPN drops.

Ultimately, the decision will come down to your current experience and setup. Happy gaming!