Getting the Most Out of Online Gaming with a VPN

Today we're going to be talking about VPNs. What they are, what they do, and how to get into gaming with one.

A lot of people use VPN (or, virtual private network) services for security purposes like encrypting their data or hiding their browsing history. However, many gamers turn to them as well in order to protect themselves against DDOS attacks or other similar methods of swindling innocent players out of all their hard-earned money. As a gamer myself, I can't express enough how much time I've wasted during my years online trying to find games that I could play with friends in other countries.

Well, it turns out that having an internet connection through a VPN can solve all of these problems! A VPN allows you to connect to servers in different locations than your own, making gaming much easier no matter where you are or who you're playing with, and the good news is that there's even iOS and Android VPN on the market.

So, let's get started! One quick reminder: if this is your first time signing up for a VPN service (and you decide to use our promo code), please remember to cancel the trial after the first month so you don't get charged automatically. There are plenty of services out there that will charge you monthly even after you cancel, and it would be nice not to fall into the trap like I do every month.

We'll start with the basics, and then move on to some more advanced stuff. By the end of this article, you should be ready to game like a pro online!

To use your VPN, you'll need access to either their website or client software (or both). Most companies allow free trials for 7-14 days (without having to supply billing information), after which users are charged if they don't cancel. I've provided links below that can get you through these steps quickly. Now let's get started!

Run your VPN service of choice's software/website

This step is pretty straightforward; simply download and install the program according to instructions (most come with Windows software these days) and sign in (or register if you haven't already). If it's your first time using a new service, make sure to check out their tutorials on how to get started.

Change the VPN server location

Next up is picking which location you want to connect to. Since we're talking about online gaming, we'll need some servers that give us fast speeds! The company I recommend below actually has a list of all their servers with ping times and network speeds on them, so use this information when making your decision. Most services offer multiple regions around the world; just pick one close enough for you to be able to play with friends without dying of lag or disconnecting every 10 seconds.

Sign in to games and steam

This is the final step that you have to complete before your VPN can become your online gaming saviour. Now it's time to sign in to your games and either steam or any other multiplayer platforms you use on a regular basis. If you're using Steam, simply go into settings > account > change email address and add the new information with the VPN connection on (this will also require restarting steam after signing back in).

If you want to keep playing games while registering an account with a different IP address, follow these steps:

•  Sign out of all accounts and exit steam
• Open up a command prompt by opening the start menu and searching "cmd"
• Type ipconfig /release , which will release your current IP
• Open up the client you downloaded earlier and connect to another region
• Once connected, open steam back up and concurrently press "ctrl+shift+delete"
• Search for steam.exe in the programs tab of task manager (or close all instances if it's already open)
• Right-click on the one that appears at the top of the list, click move client..., and drag it to your desktop
• Wait for it to come back online, sign in to your account again, and enjoy!

What is a VPN?

VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network. It's a way to encrypt your traffic so that nobody can intercept it and see what you are doing, or where you are doing it from. It also hides your IP address, making it very difficult to track down which means that services will not be able to ban your account just because they don't like you!

There are dozens of VPN providers out there, but they're not all equal in quality. How are they different? Almost all VPN providers are expensive, with some offering crazy prices per month. However, many of them make you pay monthly when in reality the average use case for a VPN is far more long-term. The difference here is that these companies will try to bribe you into getting their service by throwing out insane discounts on yearly plans!

The real gems are the companies that charge less than $10 for an entire year's worth of protection. You can save even more money by signing up for two years at once, but I'm not sure how legal this process actually is Continue reading...

Does VPN slow down your internet speed?

Internet speed is determined by a bunch of factors, and one of them is your internet service provider. It simply can't be helped that sometimes you're going to get crosstalk from other users on your network, especially if they have inefficient routers or don't know how to configure their settings correctly.

Speed is also influenced by the physical distance the data has to travel in order to get from point A to point B, which brings us to our next question...

Can VPN make my internet faster?

Surprisingly enough, a VPN can actually help you improve your internet speeds! This is because a VPN allows you to connect directly between your computer and the remote server without actually touching any additional nodes in-between. Think of it as a shortcut.

Are VPNs free?

There are plenty of VPN providers that offer a limited amount of data for nothing. However, most of them put ridiculous restrictions on it and you'll barely get to use the service for just a few minutes before it dies out. Others will require you to pay in order to get more bandwidth and unlimited access, and these services may not be reliable either!

It's always best to rely on paid subscriptions when using a VPN client because I can assure you this: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Continue reading...

How does VPN protect my privacy online?

The main purpose behind having a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is to keep your sensitive information protected from prying eyes. There are a bunch of people out there who would love to get their hands on your credit card information, social security number, and even passwords!

By connecting to the internet via a VPN client, you're greatly increasing the difficulty somebody has in tracking down your personal information. Furthermore, if somebody does manage to intercept part of your traffic due to some sort of glitch or by gaining access to your unprotected router (are you using WEP? If so - upgrade ASAP!) they won't be able to see what sites you were visiting on the web. All they'll see is an encrypted connection between two random numbers on both ends.

Does my internet provider know I'm on a VPN?

No. Your ISP will only notice an increase/decrease in your bandwidth being used, which will either decrease if you're on a free VPN provider or increase when you connect to paid ones.

There's no way they can see the traffic unless they have some sort of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) going on at their end, and most internet providers don't have that capability yet. Continue reading...

VPN is definitely a powerful privacy tool but it is not a solution for everything! If you need more privacy while browsing the web, I recommend using Tor instead. It is faster than a VPN and offers similar protection from hackers trying to steal your passwords.

Should I use a VPN?

If you're thinking about getting a VPN client for your computer, I strongly recommend looking into one of the services listed below. They're all great options and won't cost you too much money to use!

If you still think a VPN is worth it after reading these articles, be sure to check out our best VPN page for more information on the subject.

All of this being said, there are still some other things that need to be considered before making a decision...

In our opinion, if you live in a country with heavy internet censorship then definitely get a VPN immediately.

But don't bother with a VPN if: 

• You have absolutely nothing to hide. 
• The only traffic going through your connection relates to torrents and P2P.

That is everything that's required to start gaming with a VPN. As you can see from this article, setting up a VPN connection is not that hard a task. It just requires a bit of patience.