Whether we’re talking about torrenting, accessing video streaming services or anonymously browsing the web — a VPN is a must-have tool for the job. Simply put, it not only lets you access parts of the internet that could otherwise be outside of your reach, but it also does that in a secure manner — ensuring that no company or government can track you down online.
The situation is similar with gaming — here too a VPN could help users in multiple ways. And that’s the point of today’s article… Here’s why you should have a VPN running on your computer while playing a game online.
1. Early access
It is not easy for game publishers and major platforms such as Xbox Live and Steam to release their games across the world at the same time. So they opt for staged launches with some countries getting the game before the rest of the planet.
With a VPN, you get to choose your own location and pretend to be, say, a U.S. citizen to enjoy the early launch periods. The same trick could also let you access beta versions of many games.
Inside your VPN client, select a country you want to connect to, tap (or click) “Connect” and you’re good to go.
2. Avoid restrictions
Not all games are allowed in all countries. For instance, Call of Duty: Black Ops have been censored in Germany (there is a special version for the German market), Grand Theft Auto series is outlawed in Thailand, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is banned in Mexico, and PUBG got the same treatment in some Indian states.
If you live or happen to be in one of those places at some point, and still want to access those games – you can use a VPN to bypass those restrictions.
Similarly, you may want to play some games while at work or in your school only to realize that access to game servers have been blocked in the building. Fire-up a VPN and connect to a server that will let you access all your favorite games.
3. Protect your privacy
There is no need for the gaming platform to know your physical address and even though you won’t tell them, they can be pretty much sure where you live (or play the game from) based on your IP address. Except if you’re using a VPN which masks your real IP and replaces it with one of its own IP addresses.
Also, a VPN will encrypt all the traffic between your device — whether it’s a computer, gaming console, smartphone or tablet — and a gaming server to make sure your identity is kept under the radar. This, in case you’re wondering, is just the way we like it. 😉
4. Prevent DDoS attacks
For one reason or another, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have been growing in popularity in recent years. Some of them are performed against major companies, some against government agencies and some against gamers. That’s right, gamers are one of unlikely victims of this ludicrous trend, with other gamers carrying out such attacks to gain competitive advantage by disrupting or slowing down the gameplay of opposing players.
While DDoS attacks won’t impact your security level, they can ruin your gaming experience, rendering your entire connection unusable. That is, of course, except if you’re using a VPN. If you do run a VPN on your device, you will be protected against this sort of attacks.
5. Prevent bandwidth throttling
It is a sad truth that some ISPs are throttling internet speeds and imposing bandwidth limitations for certain user activities. Streaming is one of the “affected” activities and so is online gaming.
With a VPN running on your device, your ISP won’t be able to know what you’re doing online. As far as they’re concerned, you’re just browsing some secure (HTTPS) web pages and they have no problems with that — so they’ll let you do that as much as possible.
Yes, this makes VPN a sneaky tool, but also the one required for the job.
Conclusion
If you’re into online gaming, you should get yourself a VPN. We have compiled a list of the Best VPNs for Gaming which includes all the field-tested services that get the job done. Make sure to check them out, or just go for the VPN at the top and forget about it. Let it do its magic in the background while you safely browse the web, access streaming services, anonymously download files via BitTorrent, and yes – play online games.