Traversing the internet can feel supremely unsafe sometimes. Thankfully, with the advent of VPNs or Virtual Private Networks, surfing the web has never felt better. However, their advantages aren’t just limited to casual browsing. Instead, using VPNs yields tangible benefits when you game too.
With that said, a VPN service – in layman’s terms – is used to modify your connection to the global Internet. What kind of modifications? Well, that depends on what you need from a VPN in the first place.
Therefore, we’ve compiled a quick list of some of the reasons why you should get a VPN for gaming to help your decision-making process.
Improve Your Ping
Having great ping is quintessential to make sure you land those headshots in Valorant or get the rune faster than anyone in Dota. It dictates the fluidity of your entire gaming experience.
Generally, your ping to a particular server is determined by your actual physical distance from it. For example, someone residing in the U.S. is bound to have poorer pings to a Japanese server as compared to a server on the West Coast.
While VPNs aren’t here to beat the laws of physics, they certainly can alleviate one other problem gamers face which leads to poor ping. Routing. Sometimes, your ISP can take longer routes to reach a destination that is geographically close to you.
So, if you suddenly start receiving poor ping to a server or are getting a latency of 200+ ms on a server that’s physically close to you, switching to a VPN might just be the right play. With the ability to change your location in a jiffy, you’ll be able to circumvent the poor routing that your ISP has and enjoy a more stable experience.
Access Geo-Restricted Games
If you are into gacha games, you’d have already realized the pain that is finding a game you like, only for it to be restricted to a certain region. Most games that require an active connection require you to constantly be connected from an IP that belongs to a valid location.
So, while you might be able to create an account that is attributed to a certain country, gaining a consistent connection is where a VPN comes in. With it, you’ll be able to select the country of your choice and play the geo-restricted game of your choice with no qualms whatsoever.
Moreover, while not applicable on every launch. You might just be able to start playing some games earlier than others in your region if you switch to one that has the game releasing earlier. While the difference will probably be only a few hours at most – sometimes, that’s all the edge you need in a competitive MMORPG.
Stay Safe and Secure
If you are on a public Wi-Fi network, the chances of your network data being intercepted even with protocols like WPA2 remains high. While that may not seem that dangerous from a gaming perspective, sensitive information like your credentials and payment details are still sent over the internet.
With a VPN, all the data that you send and receive remains encrypted. So, even if your data is somehow intercepted, it will be completely indecipherable, rendering you free from the harm of any malicious intent. Besides that, gamer or not – it is always a safe practice to try and keep your connection to the internet as secure as possible.
Remove Bandwith Throttling
While the practice of bandwidth throttling is shunned by the public – it still is done quite abundantly by ISPs. In essence, if you were, say, streaming on Twitch – there’s a chance that your ISP might inflict a bandwidth throttle on you.
When that happens, you’ll notice an immediate drop in your internet speed which, of course, will severely hinder your gaming experience. While there isn’t a particular act that might cause your ISP to throttle your connection, it primarily is done due to the following reasons:
- Excessive Downloads (Games / Movies)
- Excessive Uploading (Streaming)
- Cryptocurrency Mining
With the help of a VPN, though, your ISP won’t be able to figure out exactly what you are doing with your internet connection (since everything will be encrypted). So, they’ll lose the ability to throttle your connection since they won’t be able to pinpoint what you are doing with it.
Avoid DDoS Attacks
While relatively uncommon, getting DDoS’ed still remains a very relevant issue, especially if you are a particularly famous streamer or are someone who might have a target on their back. Having your IP exposed can lead to you being inflicted with a DDoS attack.
If you succumb to one, your internet will remain unusable until you contact your ISP. So, to avoid all that trouble, you can use a VPN instead. As aforementioned, your traffic alongside your IP remains encrypted. So, there’ll be no chance for an attacker to identify your IP in the first place.
All in all, VPNs remain excellent tools for you to navigate the Internet in a safer manner. If you’re unsure which one to choose, check out the best VPN list for gaming thoroughly reviewed by Cloudwards.net.
