What should gamers look for in a VPN?

If you're eyeing up the best VPNs for gaming, then you may be wondering what exactly you're looking for when it comes to making a decision on who to entrust with your web security while still maintaining responsive gameplay.

All VPNs will cause varying degrees of speed loss because they’re rerouting your traffic across the world, but it’s actually latency that’s the key consideration when picking a VPN service for gaming.

It’s not the only reason, though - here are the things to look out for, in order of importance.

Latency is king

Online latency (or ping) is by far the most important thing to be aware of when selecting a VPN.

It can be the difference between smooth gameplay and ‘rubber-banding’, lag, and having an all-around terrible time. The rub is that pretty much any VPN will add some degree of latency, but you’ll want to ensure you’re keeping it under 50ms in order to stay competitive in whichever game you’re playing.

They can also help you get around your Internet Service Provider (ISP) throttling your speeds at peak times.

Not all protocols are made equal, either. WireGuard is the go-to for many gamers because it balances hardware efficiency with managing to eke out as much speed as possible, and it’s considered the base of proprietary protocols like ExpressVPN’s Lightway and NordVPN’s NordLynx - two of the best options for gamers.

Platforms Second

If you’re playing games on a PC or Mac, then you have a huge number of options for getting online using a VPN because it can be run right on your hardware.

Console gamers have to jump through a few extra hoops, either using a hotspot, setting up Smart DNS, or using a VPN on their router itself.

All of our recommendations below will let you manage that, but if you’re considering an alternative option, you’ll want to bear that in mind - if you want the VPN for console, there’s no point subscribing to one that simply won’t do what you need it to.

Privacy Third

Peer-to-peer networking can make your IP address visible, and therefore vulnerable to DDoS attacks that overload your traffic to take you offline.

Using a VPN to obfuscate your traffic and prevent your IP address from being seen or reached by a third party is a great reason to invest in one.

GamesRadar+’s VPN recommendations

Here are three of the finest VPNs around in 2026, and all of them are great for gamers.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN gives you access to one of the world’s best VPN services on 10 devices for as little as $3.49 a month.

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Surfshark

Unlimited devices is great, but Surfshark is also a great VPN even without that sweetener. It’s also available for just $2.39 per month.

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NordVPN

NordVPN is fast, compatible, and packed with features, while also offering remote LAN options for gamers.

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