The Best VPNs for PUBG Mobile

Through our in-depth testing methodology, we identified the five best VPNs for PUBG. They are fast, keep your ping below 20ms, and allow you to play PUBG in banned countries such as India.

That means you can connect to a local VPN server and play PUBG without impacting your FPS or graphics.

We carried out tests on longer-distance VPN connections, too. Our ping increased significantly, but our gameplay remained lag-free with the VPNs running.

Here’s a table comparing the VPNs that performed best in our testing:

1. ExpressVPN: Best VPN for PUBG Mobile

ExpessVPN has a vast server network with fast speeds, allowing you to play PUBG Mobile lag-free anywhere in the world.

Pros	Cons
Multiple servers close to India	More expensive than competitors
Low ping across all servers
Easy-to-use and secure mobile apps
The best VPN for gaming and mobile

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for PUBG Mobile, capable of producing low ping, lag-free gameplay anywhere in the world.

We ran several ping tests from our server in India, including on local connections and distant connections to Singapore.

Here’s a summary of the results below:

An average ping of 109ms is impressive, especially over a distance of 3,000km+. We didn’t detect any lag while using ExpressVPN, and our gameplay remained smooth throughout the match.

Frustratingly, we couldn’t record the exact ping for our local connection as the lowest ping PUBG Mobile can display is 20ms. Regardless, a ping lower than 20ms is an excellent result and guarantees that you won’t experience any lag.

If you’re based in India, you can reliably use ExpressVPN’s Singapore server to bypass the PUBG ban.

If the Singapore server experiences congestion or downtime, you can connect to a number of other virtual servers in Asia. All of ExpressVPN’s Asian virtual servers are physically located in Singapore, so you can expect a stable ping of 109ms regardless of where you connect to.

ExpressVPN is our top choice for mobile too. It’s our top rated VPN for iPhone and the best overall VPN for Android.

We found ExpressVPN’s mobile apps easy to use, allowing us to find a match without any issues.

2. NordVPN: Best VPN for PUBG Mobile on iPhone

NordVPN’s iOS app integrates seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem, providing fast speeds and strong security features.

Pros	Cons
Optimized for iOS using built-in Apple automations	Higher ping than ExpressVPN
The fastest VPN for iOS
Intuitive, simple app for iPhone
Physical servers in Asia

NordVPN has one of the best designed iOS apps of any VPN service. It integrates Apple automations, like Shortcuts, for a simpler, easier to navigate, user interface.

It’s also the fastest VPN for iOS we’ve tested, averaging a 2% loss in download speed when connecting to a local server.

Although it doesn’t have any servers near India, Asia is still well-covered with physical servers in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

Our ping on a local VPN connection remained firmly below 20ms.

We recorded an average ping of 112ms when playing PUBG Mobile on NordVPN’s Singapore server. This is an excellent result, only narrowly behind ExpressVPN.

3. PIA VPN: Best VPN for PUBG Mobile on Android

Private Internet Access’ Android app supports the WireGuard Protocol, customizable DNS servers, and split tunneling, perfect for mobile gaming.

Pros	Cons
Advanced Android app optimized for online gaming	Higher ping than ExpressVPN and NordVPN
Serviceable ping times across its server network	US Jurisdiction
Virtual server in Sri Lanka via Singapore
Cheap on long-term plans

Private Internet Access (PIA) has the best Android app for PUBG Mobile. It’s also a great cheap option for PUBG Mobile at only $2.03 per month over two years.

The Android app supports a wide range of VPN protocols including the exceptionally fast WireGuard, ensuring your ping is kept as low as possible.

It also supports port forwarding, custom DNS servers, and a dedicated VPN IP address, allowing you to optimize your connection for online gaming.

As with all our top-rated PUBG VPNs, PIA remained below the 20ms threshold on local connections. We didn’t detect any changes to our framerate or screen quality, either.

On longer-distance connections, PIA performed worse than ExpressVPN with our ping reaching 117ms on PIA’s Sri Lankan server (via Singapore). Despite this, gameplay was consistently smooth and free from lag.

PIA hasn’t got the best server coverage either. You can only connect to Singapore directly or connect to Sri Lanka via Singapore.

4. Proton VPN: Best VPN for Secure Matchmaking

Proton VPN provides an advanced suite of security features, keeping your connection safe in online matches.

Pros	Cons
Open-source and audited apps	Higher ping than ExpressVPN and NordVPN
Secure Core servers for enhanced security	Operates some third-party servers
Serviceable ping times across all servers

Proton VPN goes above and beyond to keep your online connection secure. The service uses open-source apps and trusted AES-256 encryption.

You can route your connection through Proton VPN’s ‘Secure Core Servers’ for added security. This sends your traffic through a second VPN server, protecting against malicious online attacks and ensuring your personal IP address remains private.

This creates a Double VPN connection which can increase your ping due to the added ‘bounces’ to the gaming server and back.

On nearby connections, Proton VPN stayed below the 20ms benchmark without any drop in quality. Connecting to the Singapore VPN server, resulted in a ping of 117ms.

We were able to play PUBG without any lag with this ping time, even when driving vehicles and playing on the highest graphics.

5. CyberGhost: Best PUBG VPN for Beginners

CyberGhost supports an impressive server network alongside easy-to-use mobile apps and a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.

Pros	Cons
Multiple server options close to India	iOS app doesn’t support OpenVPN
Easy-to-use, simple mobile apps	Operates some third-party servers
No questions asked 45-day money-back guarantee
Cheap on multiple plans

CyberGhost is a great option if you’re new to VPNs.

Its mobile apps use simple user interfaces with minimal extra features. You can also take advantage of its generous 45-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsure about purchasing the VPN service.

This guarantee only applies to subscription plans longer than six months, though. Refund requests are then processed within 5 to 10 working days with no questions asked.

If you need a cheap VPN for PUBG Mobile, CyberGhost is an excellent choice. At only $2.03 per month over three years, CyberGhost is one of the cheapest VPNs we’ve reviewed.

CyberGhost has an excellent spread of VPN servers covering 91 countries and 114 cities. This includes virtual servers in Pakistan and Sri Lanka which are routed via Singapore.

When connecting to a nearby CyberGhost server, our ping comfortably stayed below the lower limit of 20ms.

Connecting to CyberGhost’s Singapore server caused a significant increase to 120ms. This is disappointing compared to other top VPNs but it didn’t noticeably impact our gameplay whatsoever.

Express is the PUBG VPN with the lowest ping. ExpressVPN’s best performing server registered a ping of 109ms.

ExpressVPN’s impressive VPN server network minimizes your lag by reducing your distance to the PUBG game servers.

The fastest VPN for PUBG is ExpressVPN. We only recorded an average download speed loss of just 3% when connecting to a nearby ExpressVPN server.

ExpressVPN’s 10Gbps servers alongside its fast Lightway protocol ensures that you can play PUBG Mobile from anywhere in the world with no lag.

Normally we don’t recommend using a free VPN for PUBG as they’re often unsafe, insecure, and full of pop-up ads.

In fact, out of the 150 providers we tested, 25% of free Android VPNs leaked our personal data. This includes DNS, WebRTC, and IP leaks.

This isn’t the case with TunnelBear free, though. It uses AES-256 encryption, DNS leak blocking, and first-party DNS to keep your connection secure. All of which has been confirmed by an independent audit.

TunnelBear Free: The Best free VPN for PUBG Mobile

TunnelBear VPN Free provides smooth, low-ping gameplay on a modest selection of servers, but it is limited to a 500MB data cap.

Pros	Cons
The top-rated 100% free VPN for PUBG Mobile	Restrictive 500MB monthly data cap
Lower ping than several paid VPN services	Prone to occasional disconnections from the PUBG Mobile servers
Multiple servers close to India

TunnelBear VPN Free is the best 100% free VPN for PUBG Mobile.

It has the largest server network of any free VPN we’ve reviewed, covering 47 countries. This includes servers in Malaysia, Taiwan, and Singapore.

It performed exceptionally well in our ping tests, even bettering ExpressVPN. While connected to a local VPN server our ping remained below 20ms.

Connecting to TunnelBear VPN Free’s Singapore server saw our ping increase to 100ms.

This is an impressive result, particularly for a free VPN.

The major drawback is TunnelBear Free’s restrictive 500MB monthly data cap. Our testing revealed that PUBG consumes an average of 575KB a minute. This means you can only play around 14 hours of PUBG Mobile a month.

We didn’t include opening crates, customizing your character, or time spent matchmaking in calculating PUBG Mobile’s data usage.

We were also occasionally disconnected from the PUBG server while running TunnelBear. This wasn’t frequent enough to massively disrupt our online gaming experience but it’s still frustrating.

To play PUBG Mobile with a VPN, you need to install a VPN app onto your mobile device.

We’ve outlined the process below, step-by-step.

There isn’t any further setup required to play PUBG Mobile with a VPN. However, if you’re experiencing excessive lag while connected to a VPN then you may need to change your PUBG Mobile region.

Here’s a video demonstrating how to change your PUBG Mobile region in a few quick steps:

To change region on the PUBG Mobile app go to the default lobby and select Settings, then tap on the Change button adjacent to Select Server.

From here, select a region from the drop-down menu that matches your VPN’s server location.

You need to use a VPN to play PUBG Mobile in countries where the game is banned. It is impossible to play PUBG Mobile without a VPN in India, for example.

The PC and console versions of PUBG aren’t banned anywhere but you can still use a VPN to improve your online gaming experience.

Regardless of what platform you’re playing on, using a VPN can protect you from doxxing, DoS attacks, and internet throttling from your ISP.

Bypassing PUBG Mobile Bans

If you live in a country where PUBG Mobile is banned then you won’t be able to do the following:

1. Access the PUBG website.
2. Download and install the PUBG Mobile app.
3. Log into the PUBG Mobile app and matchmake.

On Android, you can use a VPN to bypass all three restrictions.

By connecting to a VPN server in a region where PUBG Mobile isn’t banned you can access the PUBG website and download the game directly as an .apk file.

This is only applicable to Android users. If you want to download PUBG Mobile on iOS then you’ll need to change your Apple Store region to one where the game isn’t banned.

Once you’ve installed PUBG Mobile on your device, you need a VPN to log in or create an account. This is the case for both Android and iOS.

We’ve outlined how to bypass PUBG Mobile’s geo-restrictions with a VPN below, using India as an example:

Connect to a VPN server in an unrestricted region and then open the PUBG Mobile app. You can now play the game without any limitations.

Preventing Doxxing

Connecting to a PUBG game server exposes your real IP address to the entire lobby.

A malicious agent can use your IP address to find out your personal information and publicly disclose it. This is known as doxxing.

By connecting to a VPN you are assigned the IP address of the VPN server, hiding your real one.

This limits the effectiveness of a doxxing attack as only your in-game username would be publicly available, not your real IP address.

Protecting Against DoS Attacks

PUBG Mobile is popular in e-sports and attracts large viewing figures on Twitch streaming. This leaves players susceptible to denial of service (DoS) attacks as opponents look to gain an advantage.

These attacks send large volumes of traffic to your IP address with the aim of disrupting your connection and even disconnecting you from the match.

You can connect to a VPN to conceal your real IP address and prevent a DoS attack from occurring.

In fact, Xbox Live support recommends you use a VPN to protect against DoS attacks while playing online:

Stopping Internet Throttling

Playing an online video game like PUBG Mobile can consume lots of bandwidth. Your internet service provider (ISP) may choose to intentionally slow down your connection speed to regulate how much bandwidth you’re using.

This is known as internet throttling.

You can stop internet throttling by concealing your online activity with a VPN. Connecting to a VPN encrypts your traffic, preventing your ISP from monitoring your activity.

Can You Play PUBG Without a VPN?

You can only play PUBG Mobile without a VPN if you don’t live in a region where the game is banned.

Otherwise, you cannot play PUBG without a VPN.

If you choose to play PUBG Mobile without a VPN running then you’ll also lose the benefit of protection against doxxing, DoS attacks, and stopping internet throttling.

Will Using a VPN Get You Banned in PUBG?

We read through the User Agreement on PUBG Mobile’s website and found multiple references to using third-party software.

In fact, the player conduct section states that players must agree not to:

“Use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions on the Services or for any other purpose;”

The section concludes by encouraging players to report any violation of these rules through the “Report Abuse” feature. We find it troubling that PUBG Mobile equates using a VPN to abusing the service.

Having said that, there are no known instances of a player being banned for using a VPN on PUBG Mobile.

We tested multiple VPNs on the PUBG iOS and Android apps and never received any warning or suspension.

Can You Use a VPN with PUBG Lite?

In a now deleted post, PUBG Lite was terminated on April 29 2021:

You can no longer install or play PUBG Lite on your PC but you can download the standard PUBG game for free as of January 2022.

To find the best VPN for PUBG Mobile we identified several key parameters, including: average ping time, international connections speeds, server proximity to banned regions, and the VPN service’s logging policy and jurisdiction.

You can use the table below to see how the VPNs performed in each testing category, alongside their overall PUBG rating:

VPNs with a data cap receive a reduction to their overall rating.

We’ve outlined our testing criteria in more detail below:

1. Average PUBG Ping Time: 40%

Ping is the most important part of online gaming especially in a battle royale game like PUBG Mobile where you only have one life per match.

A high ping can cause your game to lag which gives your opponent an edge in a firefight as it increases delay between your inputs and the game responding.

Therefore, we always take added ping time into account when assessing the best VPNs for online gaming.

A VPN will always increase your ping as your connection has to pass through an additional ‘hop’ on the way to the gaming server and back.

The best VPNs for PUBG Mobile minimize your ping as much as possible across all regions.

We ran several ping tests without a VPN to calculate an average baseline. We then recorded our ping while connected to a VPN server location close to our testing server in India. We also tested our ping while connecting from India to a Singapore VPN server.

We prioritized India as its government has banned multiple iterations of PUBG Mobile.

We used Singapore VPN servers for our testing as a majority of VPN services have physical servers in Singapore and route their virtual servers via Singapore. This makes it ideal for PUBG Mobile players in India and Asia generally.

Sadly, it’s unlikely you’ll find a VPN that supports multiple physical servers in Asia outside of Hong Kong and Singapore.

The VPNs that performed best on PUBG Mobile barely increased our ping, irrespective of distance or location.

2. PUBG Server Locations: 25%

A large server network is vital for keeping your ping low as the nearer you are to a VPN server the faster your connection speeds.

Signing up to a VPN service with a large server network like ExpressVPN ensures that you’ll always have at least one server close to your home region.

It’s also important if you live in a country where PUBG Mobile has been banned such as India or China.

Top gaming VPNs are likely to have a server located near your country allowing you to bypass the local ban without noticeably impacting your connection speeds.

3. Privacy & Logging Policy: 25%

Some VPN services may log user activity and even sell the data to third-party services.

This can be particularly problematic if you’re using a VPN to play PUBG Mobile in a region where the game is banned.

A VPN with a poor logging policy can reveal your online activity and location, potentially causing you legal trouble.

4. Additional PUBG Features: 10%

The best VPNs for PUBG Mobile support split tunneling, allowing you to designate which apps enter the VPN tunnel.

This lets you specify PUBG Mobile for the VPN connection and exempt the rest of your apps.

This is particularly useful if you want to avoid verification checks on banking or retail apps, as well as any location-sensitive software.

Port forwarding is another welcome feature for PUBG Mobile. You can forward your ports to change a strict NAT Type and improve your latency to the PUBG server.

Does a VPN Work on PUBG and PUBG Lite?

You can use a VPN while playing PUBG without any issues. If you’re playing PUBG on your PC, it’s simply a case of installing the VPN app, connecting to a VPN server, and starting your PUBG game as normal.

If you’re playing on a games console then you’ll need to follow our VPN gaming setup guides to play PUBG with a VPN.

VPNs did work on PUBG Lite before it was discontinued.

Are VPNs Legal in India for PUBG?

VPNs are legal in India but there are a few conditions to keep in mind.

There have been cases of VPN restrictions in the northern region of Kashmir and Jammu. If you’re suspected of using a VPN to incite secessionist ideals then you may be detained for questioning.

It’s still legal to use a VPN in Kashmir but we strongly advise against it. If you live elsewhere in India, though, then you should be fine.

There’s also the issue of India’s intrusive data laws. As of April 2022, the India government has ordered all VPN companies to log customer data for a minimum of five years.

This means that the India government would have access to the entirety of your online activity, including the now banned PUBG Mobile.

However, you can use our best VPNs for PUBG to bypass this entirely. Connecting to a server in a nearby country like Sri Lanka or Pakistan allows you to maintain fast connection speeds without compromising your personal information.

What’s the Best VPN for PUBG Crate Opening?

It’s widely reported that you can use a VPN to connect to a country with better loot or a higher chance of getting rare items.

There’s zero evidence that this is the case. PUBG crates are randomized and have no correlation to your IP address.

You can, however, use a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions on PUBG crates.

If you live in the Netherlands or Belgium you won’t be able to open crates on your PUBG account.

Creating a new PUBG account, while connected to a VPN server in a different country, allows you to bypass this.