The popular live-video streaming service Twitch is not available all around the world. We know that users in China can’t access it and the same goes for some (though not all) folks in India. That’s what we know but chances are there are other places where accessing Twitch is also not possible.
Except if you’re using a VPN which will let you bypass all kinds of restrictions so you could experience the Internet in its entirety. This not only includes high-censorship countries but also some workplaces, schools and universities in the West – where IT admins are known to block access to parts of the web they deem “unproductive.”
Aside from unlocking and unblocking sites and services, a good VPN will also protect you while connecting to public Wi-Fi hotspots, where it will encrypt all traffic between your device and the server/website you’re visiting. This way, it will make it impossible for anyone to perform one of those “man in the middle” attacks on you and potentially get ahold of your personal information.
What follows are what we deem to be the best 5 VPNs for Twitch that will also cover other needs you may have. We’re sure you’ll find a VPN for yourself from there.
Pros
Cons
- 5,000+ servers in the network
- Easy to use - install it and forget it
- One license is good for up to 6 devices
- Strict zero-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Chrome extension is just a proxy
Summary
Its network includes more than 6,200 servers spread across 111 countries, which directly translates into faster speeds. NordVPN is also very secure, relying on the strong 256-bit encryption combined with secure VPN protocols (OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2/IPSec). But as a user, you get a seamless experience with all this technology "doing its thing" in the background.
NordVPN is well suited to pretty much every task you throw at it — whether it's accessing a banned site from some country that filters out the internet, torrenting, accessing streaming services, or just wanting to keep a low profile on the web. It also doesn't keep any logs.
We highly recommend NordVPN to anyone looking for reliable service.
Pros
Cons
- Feature-rich yet easy to use
- One of the best VPNs around
- Strong no-logging policy
- Reliable support you can reach 24/7
- Limited number of servers in Africa and the Middle East
- Kinda pricey
Summary
ExpressVPN has great desktop apps for Windows and Mac, mobile apps and browser extensions. Also, it is well suited for video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and others.
However, what makes it stand out is its ease of use. We can't emphasize this enough. One could tell a lot of time has been spent making sure even the advanced features are easily accessible. And we love it for that. Plus, let's not forget ExpressVPN's speed which tends to leave other services in the dust.
Pros
Cons
- It's super fast!
- Works with Netflix, BBC and others
- Easy to use apps, browser extensions
- You can try it for free!
- Some advanced features are not configurable
- Not the best for high-censorship countries
Summary
Furthermore, thanks to the availability of browser extensions - Hotspot Shield is also one of our top choices for Chrome and Firefox VPNs.
Your privacy is equally well protected, with the software only collecting some anonymized that help continually improve its service.
There is one caveat though - it won't work in high-censorship countries like China. If you don't need that in the first place, we highly recommend Hotspot Shield.
As that's typically the case with most VPN services out there, the longer you commit - the better deal you get. However, what makes Hotspot Shield even better is the fact that it offers a 7-day free trial of its service. A few other top VPN providers do the same. Plus, its money-back guarantee lasts for 45 days, making for a risk-free purchase. Cause, you can always get your money back. Sweet and just the way we like it.
Pros
Cons
- Reliable download and upload speeds
- Works with Netflix and BBC iPlayer
- Strict zero-logs policy
- Lets you use it on unlimited number of devices
- Low number of servers in Africa and Australia
Summary
You can rely on it for streaming and torrenting, with included extra features like CleanWeb and MultiHop, delivering a that much better — and more secure — experience.
Surfshark, the company, is based in the British Virgin Islands and with its zero-logs policy makes for a powerful combo to anyone looking to keep its web whereabouts under the radar.
The service is easy to use and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros
Cons
- One the best VPNs for torrenting
- Works well with Netflix
- Simple setup on all popular devices
- Strict zero-logs policy
- Doesn't work with BBC iPlayer
- Doesn't work in China
Summary
Its desktop apps are not among the prettiest ones, but they get the job done. The important thing is that installation is easy and straightforward, and that no logs are kept by the company.
When it comes to pricing, IPVanish is somewhere in the middle — it's not the most affordable option but also not the most expensive one. As noted, it will be most appreciated by heavy BitTorrent users, and — related — Kodi fans.
Twitch 101
Originally introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform Justin.tv, Twitch is a popular video live streaming service focused on video games. However, it also offers music broadcasts, creative content, and more recently, “in real life” streams. It is operated by Twitch Interactive, which today is a subsidiary of Amazon.
Twitch is designed to be a platform for content, including esports tournaments, personal streams of individual players, and gaming-related talk shows. A number of channels do live speedrunning. The Twitch homepage currently displays games based on viewership.
Twitch Key dates and figures:
- In October 2013, the website had 45 million unique viewers, and by February 2014, it was considered the fourth largest source of peak Internet traffic in the United States. At the same time, Justin.tv’s parent company was re-branded as Twitch Interactive to represent the shift in focus.
- Justin.tv was shut down in August 2014 and in that month, the service was acquired by Amazon for $970 million.
- By 2015, Twitch had more than 100 million viewers per month.
- In 2016, Twitch acquired Curse – an operator of online video gaming communities and introduced means to purchase games through links on streams along with a program allowing streamers to receive commissions on the sales of games that they play.
- As of May 2018, Twitch had over 27,000 partner channels.
- As of June 2018, some of the most popular games streamed on Twitch are Fortnite, League of Legends, Dota 2, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Hearthstone, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with a combined total of over 356 million hours watched.
- As of February 2020, Twitch had 3 million broadcasters monthly and 15 million daily active users, with 1.4 million average concurrent users.
Beyond games
Although it’s still best known for gaming, Twitch has made expansions into non-gaming content. Specifically, in July 2013 – the site streamed a performance of “Fester’s Feast” from San Diego Comic-Con, and on July 30, 2014, electronic dance music act Steve Aoki broadcast a live performance from a nightclub in Ibiza.
This has further led to the official introduction of the category for music streams in January 2015, and two month later – Twitch became the new official live streaming partner of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.
In October of the same year, the company launched a second non-gaming category, “Creative“, which is intended for streams showcasing the creation of artistic and creative works. To that end, the service streamed an eight-day marathon of Bob Ross’ The Joy of Painting.
In July 2016, Twitch launched “Social eating” as a beta; it was inspired by the Korean phenomenon of Muk-bang and Korean players having engaged in the practice as intermissions on their gaming streams.
The “IRL” category was unveiled in March 2017 for content that does not fall within any of the other established categories on the site (such as lifelogs).
On July 22, 2020, Twitch launched a Sports category, primarily playing host to content streamed by sports leagues and teams on the platform.
Twitch is also often used for video game tutorials, allowing mass numbers of learners to interact with each other and the instructor in real time. Similarly, many use it for software development learning, with communities of users streaming programming projects and talking through their work.
Esports on Twitch
ESL tournaments have aired on Justin.tv and later Twitch.tv since 2009. The platform has also been a longtime broadcaster of the Evolution Championship Series.
Also, Twitch has been the official broadcaster of the League of Legends World Championship since 2012, as well as other League of Legends tournaments organized by Riot Games.
Dota 2’s premier tournament The International has been live streamed on Twitch since 2013.
The platform has aired Rocket League tournaments organized by Psyonix since 2016. The ELeague also broadcasts events on Twitch since 2016.
Fortnite Battle Royale competitions have aired on Twitch since its launch in 2017, including the E3 2018 Fortnite Pro-Am and the 2019 Fortnite World Cup.
The NBA 2K League has been live streamed on Twitch since its inception in 2018.
As the COVID-19 pandemic suspended motorsports competitions around the world, several series launched sim racing competitions with real-life professional drivers. Some series had official broadcasts on Twitch, such as Formula One and IMSA. Many drivers also had their personal live streams on Twitch, as was the case of several eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series and INDYCAR iRacing Challenge drivers.
Like that’s not enough, Twitch has also made deals with professional sports associations, including NBA, NFL, NWHL, Impact Wrestling, National Women’s Soccer League and Copa América association.
You may need a VPN for Twitch
As of September 20, 2018, the Twitch website is blocked and the app is blocked from the Apple App Store in China. Also, there were some problems for users in India who couldn’t access the service from select operators and we assume the list of countries doesn’t end with these two.
More importantly, why should you want anyone to know that you’ve been watching video games or any other content on Twitch? There is no need for that, especially if you could face a penalty if you’re doing that from work.
With a VPN, you don’t have to deal with any of that. You will be able to access Twitch and any other service without anyone having an idea what you’re doing online. And that’s just one piece of the puzzle as a good VPN has much more to offer. For instance, it will:
- Protect your privacy from the government and big corporations
- Bypass restrictions imposed by the government or various organizations
- Change your IP address so you get unrestricted access to Netflix, Disney+, iPlayer, HULU, and other video streaming services
- Encrypt and protect private data from cybercriminals
The top contenders that check all these boxes include the following:
