If you’re any kind of online gamer, you’ve likely heard the term ‘VPN’ being thrown around in recent years. It’s something that has grown rapidly in popularity in the last few years, going from a niche concept to a driving force in the world of multiplayer gaming, particularly as PC gaming has become much more popular. In this guide, we’re helping you understand that concept, teaching you how to use a VPN for gaming and outlining some of the benefits of doing so.
Put simply, using a VPN is a ‘grey area’ practice that could land you in hot water with a developer. At the same time, it could boost your gaming experience and allow you to have a better, more enjoyable session. With this guide in hand, you’ll figure out how to use a VPN for gaming, recognise how easy it is and potentially go on to invest in a solution that could better your experiences overall.
Let’s get into it.
Let’s touch upon this briefly, as there are many reasons why you’d use a VPN for gaming.
For instance, using a VPN can help you avoid cheaters, circumnavigate geoblocking features, access content early, or – in rare circumstances – improve your network performance. There are plenty of benefits of using a VPN for gaming, but there are also disadvantages. For example, if you’re using a ‘poor VPN’, you run the risk of having your data collected. Also, many developers and publishers actively frown upon the use of a VPN, and they may freeze your account pending an investigation.
We’ve put together a full-fledged guide that outlines the benefits and disadvantages of using a VPN for gaming:
Read Now: Why Use a VPN For Gaming?
In this guide, we’re focusing on using a VPN for PC gaming only, as we’ve got another guide that outlines how to use a VPN for gaming on consoles. It’s a drastically different process, and using a VPN to play games on a PC is actually very simple, while the same concept for console-based gamers is a little tougher to deliver.
So, how do you use a VPN for gaming? It’s very easy.
Firstly, use our list of the best VPNs for gaming to identify the specific service that you’re most interested in using. Then, make an account and enter any payment information necessary – if you’re picking up a paid subscription, that is. Once you’ve achieved that step, download the VPN application and log in. If you’ve followed these steps correctly, you’ll be presented with an interface that prompts you to select a ‘country to connect to.’
This is the core concept of the VPN – you’re effectively pretending that you’re located in whatever country you’re choosing. So, whether you’re watching geo-blocked Netflix shows or accessing a game early, you can pick the country that you need to ‘spoof your IP’ from.
Once you’ve decided on a country, simply connect to that server, and you’re finished. Now, when you open your multiplayer game – and assuming you’ve used a good VPN that can stay hidden – you’ll be connected to a server in a totally different region.
Image Credit: Smartprix
Okay, we’ll cover mobile gaming here too – it’s remarkably similar to PC gaming, so it’s not too much work.
On mobile devices, follow almost the exact same steps that we’ve outlined above:
That’s all there is to it!
That’s our guide on how to use a VPN for gaming – but we’ve got one final tip to share with you.
If you’re not willing to invest money in a VPN upfront or you want to try one first, there are plenty of free VPN options to choose from. Or, if you want to use a top-tier offering, consider picking one that offers a free trial or a strong money-back guarantee. They’re often risk-free and you’ll be able to sample them to see if you’re going to reap the benefits of using one.
EN Global 
JP 日本語