Black Desert Online (BDO), developed in Korea by Pearl Abyss and originally published by Microsoft Windows in 2015, is a multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) played by over 20 million adventurers around the world.
This online game allows players to take on a wide variety of role-playing opportunities against a magnificent graphic background, providing an outstanding gaming experience.
If you are one of those who love this game and you want to ensure that you can play Black Desert Online with other fans all around the world, you should seriously consider subscribing to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), for several reasons.
First, there are some confusing geo-restrictions on Black Desert Online; users in the USA and Europe can play on each others’ servers with ease, but it is impossible to play the game with people from any other country without a VPN as a different publisher runs the servers there.
By using a VPN, you can appear to be connecting to the game from any location in which the VPN service has a server, thereby allowing you to access the servers that are being used by all your fellow BDO fans all around the globe (not just in your home country), and to play BDO with them.
A VPN can also reduce the latency between a player and the server–client (ping) and speed up the connection.
In addition, a VPN will encrypt all your traffic on the Internet, preventing anyone from spying on you when you are online, including your employer, the government, and your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It will also protect you from hackers or any other sort of online harassment, as they will not be able to identify where you are or your home country.
Now that you understand why you need a VPN for your gaming experience, read on for a short summary of each of the very best VPNs to use when playing BDO. Then scroll down to take a more in-depth look at the one that catches your attention to use for this game.
In a Hurry? Here Are the 7 Best VPNs for BDO
How to Choose the Best Black Desert Online VPN
When choosing a VPN that is suitable for online gaming, and specifically for playing Black Desert Online, a VPN expert would warn that you cannot just subscribe to any service out there.
The VPN you choose needs to be extremely versatile, capable of bypassing geo-restrictions, fast, and reliable. When selecting the top 7 best VPNs for Black Desert Online, we utilized the following criteria to guide our choices:
The VPN you choose for Black Desert Online must provide:
Unlimited bandwidth
Consistently high connection speeds
Powerful privacy and security features to keep you safe online and safeguard your personal information
Access to numerous VPN servers all around the globe
A proven no-logs policy so you cannot be identified
Access to all of your devices
7 Best VPNs to Play Black Desert Online, Lag-Free
After researching over 45 of the top VPNs, here are the 7 providers we chose as the very best VPN providers to use when playing BDO online in 2023:
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Black Desert Online and many other online games. It has an extensive server network that consists of over 3,000 servers in almost 94 countries, and it happens to be the fastest VPN, with low latency, wherever you may find yourself.
It also places no limits on bandwidth, so you can play all day and night if you like.
ExpressVPN’s security features are excellent, and they include a military–level of encryption (256–bit AES encryption), DNS, WebRTC, IPv6 leak protection, and a Kill Switch for protection if your VPN connection drops. All these features keep your Internet traffic safe and anonymous and, in addition, none of your personal data will be logged, guaranteeing your anonymity online.
ExpressVPN provides smoother play as it avoids high ping and reduces latency. It is also excellent for gamers who want to gain early access to games, social media, videos, etc., that are not yet available in their countries. All they need to do is select a location where the content or game is already available and, by connecting to a VPN server in that area, it will make the game server believe that they are located there.
When you decide to take a break from BDO or any other game, ExpressVPN can also unblock geo-restricted streaming services, e.g., Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Sling, etc.
With ExpressVPN you can use your single subscription to connect simultaneously to 5 of your devices, or those of your family members.
You can pay for it in Bitcoin and there is a 24/7 live chat and email support system if you run into any problems.
ExpressVPN apps are simple yet powerful, and they can be installed on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux, or you can obtain custom firmware to use with selected wireless routers.
- Excellent security features
- Network of fast servers
- Consistent connections
- Great versatility
- Anonymous payment option with Bitcoin
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- More expensive than its competitors
2. NordVPN
This is another excellent VPN for Black Desert Online as it has a large server network of 5,200+ servers, located in almost 60 countries. It offers unlimited bandwidth, impressive speeds, and the ability to unlock almost all geo-restricted material.
NordVPN works excellently when playing Black Desert Online from any location in the world, and one subscription allows you to secure as many as 6 devices.
NordVPN’s online security features are excellent and they include malware scanning, IPv6, DNS and WebRTC leak protection, 256–bit encryption protocols, and automatic ad–blocking. You can even customize the Kill Switch so it only closes selected apps if your VPN connection drops.
NordVPN keeps no user logs and accepts payment in 3 cryptocurrencies. This VPN offers full-time, live–chat customer support and a 30–day money–back guarantee.
NordVPN has a VPN app for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux, or you can manually configure it to support your home router, which allows you to protect all your devices.
- Affordable VPN
- Great privacy and security
- Zero-logs policy
- Speeds are good for gaming
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Not as fast as ExpressVPN
- Some issues around its User Interface
3. Surfshark
Surfshark‘s price is unbeatable and this VPN has in excess of 3,200 servers in over 65 countries, so you will be able to find a low-traffic server somewhere, even during peak times.
Surfshark’s speeds are sufficient to protect you from connection issues or lag when gaming or streaming and there is no limit to your bandwidth, so you can play as long as you like.
Our favorite perk of Surfshark, though, is that it allows you to use an unlimited number of simultaneous connections with a single subscription.
In terms of protections online, it ensures your safety with great security and privacy features, like 256–bit encryption, WebRTC, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, automatic ad–blocking, and a Kill Switch. With a strict no–logs policy, Surfshark will not store any identifying data on you and you can access customer support any time of the day or night via email or live chat.
If you use Surfshark, its VPN apps allow you access to Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, or you can install the VPN manually on selected internet routers.
- Great price
- No limit to the number of devices
- Strong security and privacy features
- No limit to bandwidth
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Speeds tend to be inconsistent
- Some of its servers are slow
4. CyberGhost
This is another great VPN service for playing Black Desert Online. CyberGhost has an enormous server network of in excess of 7,800 servers in 90+ countries. The servers provide quick and consistent connections, making it one of the best VPNs for Black Desert, allowing you to play with very small amounts of lag.
If you feel like taking a break from BDO and engaging in other online activities, CyberGhost offers special servers that unblock some of the best streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix, Comedy Central). As it allows for up to seven simultaneous connections from one subscription, everyone in the family can enjoy online gaming or view whatever content they prefer.
CyberGhost’s safety and security features are easy to use as they are pre-configured and they include automatic ad–blocking (to eliminate annoying ads), malware–scanning, a Kill Switch, DNS, WebRTC, IPv6 leak protection to prevent DDoS attacks, 256-bit encryption, and a strict no–logs policy.
If you run into any difficulties, there is a full-time support service and CyberGhost has a simple-to-use VPN app for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Linux.
You can also secure all your devices at the same time by manually installing Cyberghost’s VPN on supported routers.
- Easy to use
- Network of servers all around the globe
- Impressive safety and security features
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Insufficient customization for advanced users
- Speeds can be inconsistent at times
5. UltraVPN
UltraVPN is another one of the best VPNs for Black Desert Online, as it is reasonably priced and offers fast download speeds and strong privacy and security features. These include a no–logs policy, strong encryption, and a Kill Switch.
With servers on all continents and in 55 countries, this VPN can bypass geo-blocks and it allows for 6 concurrent connections, which is enough for most families.
UltraVPN is compatible with iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Smart TV and can be used on your mobile devices.
- Reasonably priced VPN
- Strong safety and security features
- Fast download speeds
- 6 devices can be used with one subscription
- Slow and frustrating sign-up process
- Based in the USA
- Small number of Servers (only 100+)
PIA is another good choice for a VPN that will provide a smooth gaming experience when playing Black Desert Online.
It has decent security, with a Kill Switch and no logs but it only offers a standard 128-bit encryption; if you want 256-bit encryption, you will have to go into the settings and switch to this option.
Its server network is huge, with over 29,000 servers worldwide, and its speeds are usually good. With this provider, so you should not experience high ping, and you can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously, which is a convenient feature for big families.
PIA can be installed on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, and there is a 30–day money–back guarantee so you can try it out at no risk.
- Reasonably priced
- No data caps
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Huge server network
- Can’t access many streaming services
- Speeds are inconsistent
- Based in the USA
7. IPVanish
IPVanish is another one of the best VPNs for Black Desert Online as it ensures a speedy connection, prevents high ping, and it allows for HD streaming.
It has a large server network of approximately 1,900 servers in more than 75 countries, so you should always be able to find a server to which you can connect; and it allows for unlimited simultaneous connections, like Surfshark, so you never have to leave any of your devices unprotected.
IPVanish boasts strong security features, like 256–bit encryption and protection against WebRTC, IPv6, and DNS leaks. It also has a Kill Switch and it allows you to block or scramble traffic from others on the network to prevent them from gaining access to any indication of your online activities. In addition, it promises to hold no logs of your activities.
IPVanish offers 24/7 customer support and has apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS while home routers and Linux systems can be manually configured.
- Allows you to play with no lag
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited number of connections
- Strong security features
- No-log policy
- Poor customer support
- Can’t pay with cryptocurrency
Can I Use a Free VPN to Play Black Desert Online?
There are dozens of free VPNs that claim to be able to unblock popular geo-blocked services and games, like Black Desert Online.
While it is very tempting to try to use a free service, it is very likely that it will not work for Black Desert Online or most other online services, for a variety of reasons.
First, free VPN services usually have a very limited number of servers as well as limited resources.
So, unlike the premium VPN services listed above, which constantly work to bypass location blocks, free VPN services lack the manpower and funding to do this.
In addition, as free VPN providers have fewer servers, there is often a great deal of crowding on those of their servers that are located in desirable locations, resulting in slow streaming, buffering, and poor video quality.
The strongest reason for steering clear of free VPNs is that they need to make money but do not get any from your subscription fee. As a result, they tend to sell their data logs to 3rd parties, social platforms, and surveillance agencies. This compromises your online security and can result in irritating and unwanted adverts, as well as dangerous viruses, DDoS attacks, and malware.
Therefore, our advice is that you should secure the best VPN for your purposes rather than taking a chance on a free one, thereby protecting your privacy and online safety and guaranteeing a great experience every time you play Black Desert Online.
We promise that having a VPN will save protect you from a great deal of frustration and difficulty in the long term, at a relatively low cost.
How to Change Region on Black Desert Online with a VPN
Using a premium VPN, as explained above, will enhance your online security and ensure your enjoyment of Black Desert Online.
The process of subscribing to one, installing it on your device, and beginning to play Black Desert is simple.
How to use a VPN to play Black Desert Online:
- Select one of the best VPNs for Black Desert Online from our list above. We believe that ExpressVPN offers you all a VPN can offer, making it our top pick.
- Download the app for your best VPN and install it on all your most-used devices (most services offer between 5 connections and an unlimited number of connections).
- Log into the app of the VPN and then connect to a server that is located in the country you require – this will mean that the VPN hides your actual IP address and encrypts your data, making it impossible to identify your real location or identity.
- You will now be able to log into Black Desert Online and visit all the channels visited by your fellow fans all over the world.
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FAQs
Luckily the developers of BDO have no issues with the use of VPNs for Black Desert except if you try to access it from a location where it is not available or you contravene any one of its conditions of service.
If you are gaming from a supported country, the only reason for a ban would be if they found out that you are trying to bypass the controls on the system, e.g., by changing your region in order to try and reduce costs.
To change your region:
- Go to your Steam Library and right-click on Black Desert Online.
- Choose properties
- Under the General, Tab select Set Launch Options
- A window will pop up and you must enter the following string into it: regionSelection=true and then click OK
- Next time you launch Black Desert Online, you will be prompted to choose a region and you can change your region then.
Yes, using a VPN allows you to play Black Desert Online with fellow enthusiasts around the world and to safely stream your gameplay, with no lags or buffering. By using the VPN apps, you can hide your actual location and connect to the same servers as fellow gamers in other countries all around the world, allowing you to play in digital security.
Conclusion
Using one of the excellent VPNs discussed above will ensure your online safety and protect you from DDoS attacks and viruses while blocking malware and unwanted adverts and enabling you to effectively bypass ISP throttling. A VPN will provide you with the online privacy protection you need to enable you to enjoy BDO, free of stress or worries.
All the best VPNs for Black Desert Online will secure your Internet connection and will enable you to try them without any risk as they offer a money-back guarantee. They will all also give you 24/7 customer support to assist you with the best solutions for any concerns or issues that may arise.
Installing a VPN all on your device will allow you to game securely and will offer you a wide range of extra features that will make BDO and other games a pleasure to access.
When enjoying Black Desert Online, we have found that the best VPN to use is ExpressVPN, as its unrivaled speed and security make it the leader in its field.
Install ExpressVPN today and enjoy playing Black Desert Online with hundreds of fellow enthusiasts and future friends!
