Four Reasons Why Gamers Need a VPN

Although online gaming offers many individuals entertainment, numerous security and performance issues can arise while gaming. VPNs eliminate some of these challenges by encrypting gamers’ internet connections and masking their IP addresses.

Here are the reasons why every gamer needs to consider using a VPN:

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Access Geo-Restricted Content

Leveraging the best VPNs ensures that you get around the geographical restrictions set by game developers or publishers in certain regions.

Many gamers are hampered by the fact that some games might be available only in specific regions, including theirs, because of licensing agreements and legal requirements. Depending on the agreement's contents, a game might not be accessed legally from certain regions.

This is especially true when playing online casino games, about which you can read more here. Many countries don’t yet allow online gambling, but savvy players have found that changing their location with a VPN and paying with secure and anonymous methods such as cryptocurrencies means they can circumvent these restrictions and enjoy the latest gambling games safely and legally.

Also, a country's regulations might trigger censorship if the game doesn’t comply with local standards. For instance, PUBG Mobile was banned in China for not adhering to the country’s laws on violence.

Sometimes, gaming developers may release various versions of the game. If you want to play a game that has various versions with your friend in another country, it could prove impossible since you don’t have access to the same servers. 

Occasionally, game publishers can release a title in a particular region before giving worldwide access. For example, a game might launch in North America before Europe or Asia. The key reason for this is that games get localized for various regions to provide language support and cultural content. This can cause a delay in the release of a gaming title for a specific area.

When you use a VPN for gaming, you can connect to a server in the specific region where the game version is available to get around the geo-restrictions imposed by the gaming publishers. In the case of gaming developers releasing different versions, you can connect to a VPN server in your friend’s region to access the same server as them.

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Upgraded Security and Privacy

VPNs improve the gaming experience by protecting gamers from several hacks, one of which is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

A DDoS attack is a spiteful attempt to disorganize the flow of internet traffic to a specific server or network by sending a massive amount of traffic the target’s way. 

The groundwork for a DDoS attack is laid when a cybercriminal begins to infect numerous devices with malware to create a botnet. The hacker can manipulate these devices at any point without the owner’s knowledge.

Once hackers lock on to a target, they instruct the botnet to flood the target's IP address with a large number of data packets, such as HTTP requests or TCP/UDP packets.

This huge volume of traffic can slow down target performance or even make the service unreachable to authorized users.

Gamers are particularly vulnerable to DDoS attacks because, during online multiplayer games, a player’s IP address can easily get exposed to other gamers through peer-to-peer connections, in-game voice chat, or third-party tools that don’t focus on IP information protection.

When you’re playing a game that utilizes a P2P architecture for multiple players to connect, there’s a direct connection between your devices rather than a central server. This direct connection requires both devices to know their IP addresses.

Just like P2P connections, in-game voice chats that utilize Voice over IP (VoIP) technology require a direct connection between players’ devices to cut back on latency. Third-party tools like game launchers and mods may not come with enough security measures.

Gamers require a fast and stable internet connection to engage in gameplay. A DDoS attack can trigger significant lag and disconnections, ensuring that the gamer gets frustrated and leaves the gaming session.

A gamer using any quality VPN service will be protected since the software hides the actual IP address behind the VPN server’s IP address. Even if there’s a DDoS attack, the attack will get directed to the VPN server rather than the gamer’s personal network.

Outside of keeping attackers at bay, privacy is another reason to use VPNs. You won’t have to worry about your credit card details being sniped when your data is being shared through.

Also read: Recommendations for the Best PC VPNs in 2024

Reduced Latency and Upgraded Ping

Some VPN services provide servers specifically for gaming. These servers can operate under high-speed connections, which reduces the possibility of gaming lag. 

They also usually have fewer users than the regular VPN server, which means gamers enjoy a more stable connection.

When you connect to a gamer server without a VPN, your traffic goes through a series of points or ‘hops’ on the Internet before getting to the game server. Each hop represents a slight delay, which can increase latency.

VPNs come with advanced routing algorithms that repeatedly check distance and server response time to determine the best routes for your data. Once the VPN finds direct routes, your data has to pass through fewer hops, which translates to less delay and lower latency.

As a result, every action you take while gaming that uses the rerouted data becomes registered faster in the game, resulting in a smoother gaming experience.

When latency is at its lowest, ping becomes better. Ping is the time in milliseconds it takes for data to travel from your device to the gaming server and back. 

This is particularly crucial for first-person shooter games where stakes are very high and every millisecond counts. In these types of games, split-second decisions could spell victory or defeat for you.

For example, making an accurate headshot or instantly responding to an opponent’s action relies on your internet speed. When you have a lower ping than your opponent, you can react to in-game events faster, giving you an edge in fast-paced, competitive environments.

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Steering Clear of Bandwidth Throttling

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throttle bandwidth occasionally during periods when several internet users are online.

Bandwidth throttling means that the ISP slows down the internet speed for specific uses like gaming or video streaming.

Typically, ISPs come with restrained network capacity, and at times, when too many internet users are online, the demand for bandwidth surpasses the available resources.

By prioritizing internet traffic like video streaming, anyone using the network for another reason could get bogged down with slow internet speed.

Some regions also require ISPs to manage network traffic to ensure impartial access for all users. These ISPs must use throttling to comply with these regulations while maintaining network stability.

If you’re a gamer, bandwidth throttling affects you negatively by increasing latency, making ping worse. As a result, you experience delays and disconnections when you’re playing an online multiplayer game.

When you subscribe to a VPN service, your internet traffic gets encrypted, hiding your online activity from your ISP. When your ISP can’t fathom what you’re doing online, it won’t be able to manipulate your traffic.

Also read: DuckDuckGo Blue Proxy: Safe Browsing Solution Without Being Tracked

Final thoughts

However, the reality is different since gamers can experience Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, an invasion of privacy, a high latency, and geo-restrictions. 

However, the reality is different as gamers can experience Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, privacy violations, high latency, and geo-restrictions. 

A VPN comes to the rescue by providing a one-fits-all solution for these problems since it encrypts online data to increase privacy, provides servers for reduced latency, and uses IP address masking to prevent geo-restrictions.