How to Set Up & Use NordVPN on PS4 & PS5

1. Make sure you have an active NordVPN subscription: If you don’t, subscribe to NordVPN through its website.
2. Give NordVPN your IP address: Go to the NordVPN dashboard > Smart DNS > Enable > Activate Smart DNS.
3. On your PS4, go to Settings: The icon looks like a toolbox.
4. Select Network > Set up internet connection.
5. Select Custom.
6. Enter the following connection details:
   • Choose WiFi or LAN, depending on whether you have a wireless (WiFi) or wired (LAN) connection.
   • Choose IP address: Automatic.
   • Choose DHCP Host Name: Do not specify.
   • Choose DNS settings: Manual.
   • Set the primary DNS to 103.86.96.103.
   • Set the secondary DNS to 103.86.99.103.

1. Subscribe to NordVPN if you haven’t got an account.
2. Give NordVPN your IP address: Go to the NordVPN dashboard > Smart DNS > Enable > Activate Smart DNS.
3. On your PS5, go to Settings: The icon looks like a cog.
4. Select Network > Settings > Set up Internet Connection.
5. Click your existing internet connection.
6. Select Advanced Settings > DNS Settings > Manual
7. Set the primary DNS to 103.86.96.103.
8. Set the secondary DNS to 103.86.99.103.

1. Connect your PC to your WiFi.
   1. If you’re connecting to your router via an Ethernet cable, then ensure your PC has a second Ethernet port for the connection to your PS5. If not, you can connect wirelessly to your router.
2. Connect your PC to your PlayStation via an Ethernet cable.
3. On your PC, open Settings > Network & internet, and you’ll see your Ethernet cable and WiFi registered.
4. Toggle on Mobile Hotspot.
5. Start the VPN connection. Run NordVPN on your Windows device and connect to a server in your desired location using OpenVPN.
6. Locate the TAP adapter.
   1. Windows 10: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Change Adapter Options. Right-click on your VPN’s TAP adapter and select Properties.
   2. Windows 11: Go to Network & Internet > Advanced network settings and there will be a list of Network adapters. Click on your VPN’s TAP adapter, and a drop-down menu appears. Go to More adapter options and click Edit.
7. Click the Sharing tab and tick the box that says Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection.
8. Under Home networking connection, select Ethernet.
   1. If a permissions pop-up appears, click OK and continue.
9. Now click OK.
10. Head back to Network & internet, and you’ll see an Ethernet connection enabled.
11. On your PS4/PS5, select Settings > Network > Settings > Set Up Internet Connection.
12. Select Set Up Wired LAN and select Connect.

1. Download and install NordVPN: If you haven’t already, sign up for NordVPN. Then download the Windows app and install it on your computer.
2. Ensure your PC’s WiFi connection is established. And disconnect from NordVPN if it is running.
3. Open the command prompt as administrator: Search for ‘cmd’ and then right-click the Command Prompt icon. Choose ‘Run as administrator’.
4. Confirm the command prompt can make changes to your computer: A prompt should appear asking you to confirm this.
5. Check you’re able to share your WiFi: At the command prompt, type in this: netsh wlan show drivers. Where it says ‘Hosted network supported’, it should say ‘Yes’. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to upgrade your adapter drivers or potentially even your wireless card.
6. Configure the WiFi sharing: At the command prompt enter this: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=NetworkName key=NetworkPassword. The NetworkName and NetworkPassword are just placeholders that you need to replace. Whatever you replace them with will be used by other devices (including your PS4/PS5) to connect to your PC. Make sure you pick a strong password to protect your connection, along with a network name you can easily identify. Then press Enter and you will see a message that confirms the hosted network mode has been set to ‘allow’.
7. Begin WiFi sharing: At the command prompt, enter this: netsh wlan start hostednetwork. You should see a message that confirms the hosted network has started. You’ve finished with the command prompt window now. Next, we need to set the VPN to share, too.
8. Go to the ‘Network and Sharing Center’ in Windows: You can find it in the Control Panel.
9. Select ‘Change Adapter Settings’: You’ll find it on the left.
10. Find the NordVPN TAP Adapter: It was set up when you installed NordVPN. Right-click it and choose ‘Properties’.
11. Open the Sharing tab.
12. Select ‘Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection’.
13. Under ‘Home Networking Connection’, choose ‘Local Area Connection’ and click OK.
14. Run NordVPN and connect to a server. Now, any device that connects through your PC will use the VPN.
15. On PS4:
    • Go to Settings > ‘Network’ > ‘Set Up Internet Connection’ > ‘Use WiFi’.
    • Set up the new connection using the network name and password you created in step 6.
16. On PS5:
    • Go to Settings > ‘Network’ > ‘Settings’ > ‘Set Up Internet Connection’.
    • Select your WiFi network and enter the network name and password you created in step 6.

Speed is a top priority when choosing a VPN for online gaming. There are two measurements that are important to consider:

Ping time measures how long it takes data to travel from your device to the gaming server and back again. You need a low ping time to ensure the game experience is snappy, and you’re not outmaneuvered by someone with a more responsive connection. A ping time over 100ms will feel slow and laggy.

Download speed indicates how quickly data travels from the gaming server to your computer. Generally speaking, you’ll notice a download speed drop by anything more than 10%.

We regularly test the ping and download speeds of over 60 VPNs. Based on our latest round of tests, NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs on the market.

NordVPN can sustain these fast speeds thanks to its massive server network. It also automatically connects you to less-congested servers. Its ping times are low enough to play fast-paced games like CS:GO without lag.

Here’s how NordVPN performed in our speed tests connecting to different servers around the world:

NordVPN is an excellent choice for streaming on PlayStation. Whichever way you want to configure your connection (via Smart DNS, Windows PC, or router), it works to unblock US Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and more.

As previously mentioned, Smart DNS only works with US streaming services. If you want to unblock and additional 16 Netflix libraries and streaming services from other countries, we recommend using sharing your VPN connection from a PC or using a VPN router.

NordVPN has one of the biggest server networks we’ve seen. It operates a network of 9,000 servers which are distributed across 127 countries.

This allows you to unblock a wide range of geo-restricted gaming content on your PlayStation as well as international streaming libraries.

NordVPN has a huge selection of server locations available for manual configuration on routers.

NordVPN ensures top-tier security with its use of ultra-secure encryption standards, including AES-256 and ChaCha20, both recognized as industry-leading.

In addition, NordVPN supports robust VPN protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard, providing reliable protection for your gaming traffic against ISP throttling and potential cyber threats.

During our recent tests, NordVPN demonstrated flawless performance with no leaks, ensuring our true IP address remained hidden from other gamers who might use it to carry out cyberattacks.

When sharing your VPN connection via a Windows PC, we highly recommend enabling NordVPN’s kill switch. This feature ensures that your real IP address stays concealed even if your internet connection drops unexpectedly during gameplay.

Many games like Call Of Duty use P2P matchmaking to connect gamers. Much like with torrenting, this exposes your public IP address to everyone within the game. If you livestream on Twitch, anyone watching the stream can also see your IP address.

Attackers can then flood your connection with spam traffic, which will slow down your internet speed and make it extremely difficult for you to compete effectively. This is known as a Denial of Service (or DoS) attack.

However, a VPN won’t stop a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, as they are faster, longer-lasting, and use multiple sources of traffic.

It’s therefore best to use a VPN to hide your IP address from other gamers. When you connect to the VPN server, your personal IP address will become masked by the IP address of the server, meaning you’re safe from IP-based targeting.

Streaming platforms like Netflix offer different content catalogs depending on your location.

By masking your IP address and spoofing your location, a high-quality VPN like NordVPN lets you unblock streaming content normally unavailable in your region.

However, for many services, you’ll need to share a NordVPN from your PC or set it up on a router. We found its Smart DNS tool doesn’t unblock any services from outside the US, including BBC iPlayer, Star on Disney+ UK, and Hotstar India.

We unblocked BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, and Disney+ with NordVPN on PS5.

Some ISPs will throttle high-bandwidth activity – such as gaming, streaming and torrenting – causing slower speeds and longer latency.

If you travel with your PlayStation, hotels or other public WiFi providers might also throttle your connection in an attempt to reduce bandwidth consumption.

With a VPN, your internet traffic is encrypted, meaning your service provider cannot see what it is you’re doing. If they can’t determine your activity, they can’t throttle your connection. A VPN is therefore a great way to avoid ISP throttling and enjoy unrestricted speeds on PS4 and PS5.

Using a VPN hides your traffic and online activity from your ISP.

Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so it won’t bypass ISP throttling. You’ll need to either share a NordVPN connection via a virtual router or install it directly onto your internet router.

A VPN almost always slows your connection down to some degree, so you might be surprised to hear that using one can actually cut game latency and improve overall performance.

If you connect to a VPN server that is close to a gaming server, you can improve speed relative to your standard internet connection, which may take a less direct route to the server.

You can often find out where gaming servers are located by Googling for them.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), for example, has servers in Virginia (US), London (UK), and Sydney (Australia), among other places. Fortnite has servers in Ohio (US), Osaka (Japan), and Frankfurt (Germany), plus 13 other places.

Be aware that the connection between your PlayStation and the VPN server will take longer if it’s further away from you, though. So you’ll need to experiment to find the optimal end-to-end speed.

You’ll also need to make sure you’re using a fast VPN with a low ping time.