Can a VPN get me banned from a game?
Using one is not usually against the rules, but evading a region lock or a ban can be. Check the game's terms.
When a VPN lowers your ping
Three situations where routing through a VPN genuinely helps.
- Your ISP routes traffic through a distant exchange before reaching the game server
- Your ISP throttles or de-prioritises game traffic at peak times
- You are connecting to a region your ISP peers with badly
How to test it in ten minutes
Note your in-game ping without a VPN across three matches. Then connect to a VPN server in or near the game server's city and repeat. If the median ping drops, keep it. If it rises by more than a few milliseconds, the direct route was already good.
DDoS protection and console setups
A VPN hides your home address from other players, which stops the targeted attacks common in competitive lobbies. Consoles cannot run VPN apps, so install the VPN on your router or share a connection from a computer.
Our picks
IPVanish owns its own hardware, which keeps latency stable. NordVPN and ExpressVPN are faster overall and better if you also stream. Avoid any provider without a kill switch — a mid-match reconnection exposes your address.
Frequently asked
Does a VPN help with bandwidth throttling?
Yes. If your ISP throttles by traffic type, encrypting the traffic stops it from being identified and slowed.
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