FAQs

What Is the Best VPN Protocol for Gaming?

Connection speed and latency are very important factors when picking a VPN protocol for gaming.

Generally, the best VPN protocol for gaming is WireGuard. It adds less latency than OpenVPN without sacrificing security. This varies according to the VPN service you use, though.

In some cases, PPTP may be the fastest protocol, but it isn’t secure and we don’t recommend using it.

Find out how much additional data each VPN protocol uses in our guide to VPN data usage.

Will a VPN Reduce My Ping?

Ping time or ‘latency’ is the time it takes for data packets to travel from your device to an internet server and back again.

The lower the latency on your connection, the less lag you’ll experience while gaming. However, VPNs with fast speeds do not always have low ping.

In almost all cases a VPN will make your ping worse to some degree, because your data has to travel further. We only recommend VPNs for gaming if they add as little latency as possible.

In very rare situations, a VPN might improve your ping. For example, your ISP or local network administrator could be throttling your connection speeds due to network congestion.

Similarly, if your VPN exit node is close to the gaming server you are connected to, your latency might be reduced.