In the last several years, gaming, streaming, and game streaming have become a billion-dollar business. Whether you are a console gamer, like to watch streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and others, or use a service like Google Stadia or Nvidia, lag can certainly cause issues. Reducing lag is one of the big reasons you might want to connect to a VPN. We will give you more thorough explanation in a moment. First, we ask that you take a look at our list of the best no-lag VPNs for gaming and streaming.
| Rank | VPN Service | Price | Visit | Server Locations | No Logs | Browser Extensions | Smart DNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | $6.67 |  | 160 |  | | |
| 2 |  | $3.49 | | 87 | | | |
| 3 |  | $2.19 | | 95 | | | |
| 4 |  | $3.99 | | 73 | | ||
| 5 |  | $1.99 | | 58 | |
Consoles are still the king of the gaming market. As more people move toward mobile computing, many of them are not replacing their out-of-date desktops. While that means console usage is up and you’ll have plenty of people to play with, it also means that some servers will be busier than others. That can create lag on your favorite games, so connecting to a fast VPN will help. Those are VPNs like the ones we mentioned above. The key is to connect to a VPN server as close to the game server as possible. While it might seem odd that adding encryption could reduce lag, the key is routing. In many cases the premium VPNs will offer faster routes to the game server than your ISP. Then, you can focus on your next victory instead of your next dirt nap.
Of course, you can also run into lag with streaming services. From live events to services like Netflix, no one wants to encounter buffering. Connecting to a no lag VPN will help you with that as well. Since it will reroute your internet traffic, it can provide you with a more direct route to the region you wish to stream in. That way, you can get better speeds without the annoying buffering delays.
Though we mentioned consoles are king, streaming game services are going to mushroom in the future. These include options like Amazon Luna, Sony PlayStation Now, AntStream, and more. While they are gaining popularity, there is still an issue with lag while playing. That may be because of busy servers or ISPs. If they see you are using too much bandwidth, they may throttle your connection. By using a fast, low lag VPN, you can stop them from seeing your gaming patterns. That way, you can avoid possible lag issues. The question is, what is the best option to choose?
How to Reduce Gaming and Streaming Lag with a VPN?
There are a number of different factors to consider when trying to answer this question. After focusing on them, we can tell you what the option is.
- High-Speed servers in multiple regions to help you avoid lag
- Large and stable networks to help you avoid dropped connections while streaming, gaming, or game streaming
- Strong military-grade encryption to help protect your privacy
- Ability to get around geo-restricted content to gain early access
- Strict no-logs policy offered to users
As you can see, there are several options available for gaming and streaming. Here are some of our favorites:
1. Best No Lag VPN: ExpressVPN
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Because protecting your security and accounts are essential while gaming, connecting to a VPN server with ExpressVPN is crucial. If you are a gamer, you will spend many hours playing. No matter what the game is, there are achievements, money, and account information that you should be able to protect. To do so, all you need to do is connect to the server of your choice. That way, you will create a layer of encryption that will keep all of your personal gaming information and accounts safe.
A big issue that some VPN providers have involves location. ExpressVPN is under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. This makes a difference because it places the VPN outside of the jurisdiction of the “14 eyes” countries. If you are not aware, that is an alliance of countries that share information. In other words, if one country has access to it, the all 14 nations do as well. When combined with their no-logs policy, you can feel confident that ExpressVPN will help to keep you and your information safe.
The ExpressVPN team goes the extra mile to provide a feature rich service. They are also strong privacy advocates. They offer a $5,000 Future of Privacy scholarship every year to help promote privacy among college students. Just a quick example of their dedication to spreading the message of privacy around the world. Just as important, they offer a premium network to allow for fast connections. This makes the service an excellent choice for downloading and streaming. Test their network for yourself with their 30-day money-back guarantee. Sign up for 12 months and get 3 months free with our ExpressVPN deal.
2. Best No Lag VPN: NordVPN
One of the more uncommon features that NordVPN offers is what they refer to as a double VPN. Many experts in the community refer to this type of connection as “multi-hop.” Even though it will slow your connection, it adds a second layer of encryption to your traffic. In other words, it will encrypt your data a second time using a different location. If you are concerned that a single layer of encryption is not enough and you want extra security, NordVPN has you covered.
As the world has changed in recent times, a large number of people have ventured to internet streaming for their entertainment needs. The issue is that sometimes, you may want to see a different library of content. That is one of the reasons you would want to connect to a NordVPN server. Whether that library comes from the same source as with international streaming companies like Netflix, or region-specific options like iPlayer from the BBC, you will be able to access those and more by connecting to a VPN.
3. Best No Lag VPN: Private Internet Access
If you are not aware, one of the big reasons to connect to a VPN server from Private Internet Access is to help you gain access to content from other regions. Whether you want to watch one of the great shows from the BBC, CBC, or some of the other excellent networks around the world, all you have to do is connect to a VPN. Then, simply pick a server in the area you wish to see. That will make the blocking software assume that you are in the correct region.
If you are looking to protect your entire family with a VPN, you can’t go wrong with Private Internet Access. Unlike some of its competitors, it offers its users the ability to connect on an unlimited number of devices. That is excellent news for families that want to protect everything. If that sounds like a high number, just remember that the figure takes into account all of the mobile devices, laptops, and possibly routers no matter where they are. As you can see, Private Internet Access has you covered.
4. Best No Lag VPN: CyberGhost
If you are a gamer, one of the things you can avoid by connecting a VPN server from CyberGhost is what is known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. If you are not aware, a DDoS attack makes a machine or network unavailable by flooding it with requests in an attempt to overload systems. You should not have to worry about attackers or botnets stopping you from playing your favorite games. When you connect to a VPN, though, it will help you prevent that from happening.
Some sports have international followings. However, countries have different levels of coverage. If you follow a sport that does not have the coverage you want, connecting to CyberGhost VPN is a good idea. When you do, you can access the coverage you want to see by connecting to a server in another region. Whether there is no easy way to watch the sport where you are, or you are looking for specific coverage, you can easily do that with a VPN.
5. Best No Lag VPN: IPVanish
If you are worried about protecting your online activities, IPVanish has you covered. Despite being located in the United States, the company has a no-logs policy. That means they do not keep logs or records of activity history. By not doing so, they do not have data to share when requests for that information come in. If you, too, believe that the internet should be open and free of censorship or prying eyes of governments, you can’t go wrong by choosing IPVanish as your VPN provider.
Some of the most valuable sports teams in the world have international followings. Those include sports organizations like the Dallas Cowboys (NFL) in the US, the New York Yankees (MLB) in the US, Real Madrid (Soccer), and more. If you are outside their home country, though, you can only watch them if you connect to a VPN server in the home country from IPVanish. Of course, you would also need to have a subscription to one of the sports apps, depending on what you want to watch.
