Do VPNs Help with Ping? +5 Best Low-Latency VPNs

For all the gamers out there, to maximize your gaming, there should be as short of a delay as possible in the connection between your computer and another server — known as “low ping.”

The lower the ping, the less lag you experience, and the smoother and more pleasurable your gaming — or any other online experience — will be. So, can you reduce ping with a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?

Ping refers to the time taken for your data packet to travel from your computer or host to your destination and then back again. The best way to improve your ping so you can improve your gaming is to use a VPN.

Read on to find out the best ways to reduce ping and enhance your online experience

What is ping and what causes it to increase?

Ping is a metric used to gauge how long it takes for data to be sent from your device to a specific online location and back again. There are a few things that can cause high ping times, including:

The practices of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) – Your ISP may throttle your bandwidth to save on maintenance costs or accommodate more users;

Your geographic location – Your geo-location can affect the speed of your in-game network if you are connecting to servers that are far from your location;

Game issues – Often, there can be issues with the game itself, such as high traffic on the servers causing overload.

Can a VPN reduce ping?

While VPNs were not explicitly made to help with ping, using one could help improve ping in several situations:

1. Reduce Throttling. With some ISPs throttling bandwidth, certain activities, such as streaming, gaming, or P2P sharing, can cause high ping. By using a VPN, you could bypass ISP throttling by encrypting your data so that your ISP can’t detect the kind of traffic you’re generating.
2. Rerouting Data. By using a VPN, you could lower ping by allowing for a more direct route between the game server and your device.
3. Accessing Closer Servers. A VPN could also help you if you have game servers that are restricted to a specific location.
4. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Protection. When online gaming, DDoS attacks can lead to high ping and potentially disconnect you from the game. By using a VPN, you can protect yourself from attacks by masking the IP address.

How to test your ping

While it depends what game you are playing, this is generally the best way to test your ping speed:

1. In the game, go to the game settings icon or task manager and select it.
2. Look for the option that says “display performance” and select to open it.
3. There, you should find a “ping test” option, which should give you the most accurate results.

If the game you’re playing has different settings, simply look up and follow the instructions online.

What is good ping?

If you’re wondering what ideal ping speeds should be, keep in mind the following:

• Less than 50ms is the most typical speed for those with decent gaming setups. This is particularly suitable for racing games or first-person shooter games such as COD.
• Less than 20ms is the best for a superior gaming experience
• Less than 100ms means you could be getting to the stage where you might notice some lag depending on your connection to the server, and that is when having a VPN could come in handy.
• Anything above 100ms will be difficult for gamers, and there will be frequent lag, but not enough that it should prevent gamers from playing completely.
• Anything above 300ms means game over and will make it nearly impossible to play anything until a way is found to lower ping immediately.

Pros and Cons of using a VPN to improve ping

There are many benefits to using a VPN to improve your ping, but there are also some disadvantages to consider. It’s important to keep all these factors in mind when making your choice.

5 best VPNs to reduce ping

After putting over three dozen VPNs to the test, here are the top services that helped reduce ping:

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is the best VPN to use for your online gaming experience and an ideal tool for reducing latency. It provides reliable and lightning-fast connections from its network of over 3,000 servers in 94 countries in more than 160 locations.

Features: ExpressVPN features connection security with 256-bit AES, accelerated speeds, no border limitations or censorship from other regions, secured downloading and anonymous browsing, as well as no activity logs.

Speeds: ExpressVPN boasts fast and reliable connection speeds. According to tests in various regions, the speed tests for gaming results range between 38.1 – 42.2 Mbps.

Security: As all its servers are RAM-based, they never record any of your information on the hard drive, and ExpressVPN also has a strict zero-log policy. Other security features include military-grade AES 256-bit key encryption of all your data, a Kill Switch, and Split tunneling.

Streaming: ExpressVPN, as well as being the best gaming VPN and great at reducing ping time, is also excellent for torrenting and performs brilliantly on all the major content streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix and BBC iPlayer, among others).

Pricing: One of the drawbacks of ExpressVPN is that it is more expensive than its competitors. But it is now offering a deal of $6.67 per month for a 12-month subscription and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

2. NordVPN

With well over 5,200 servers in 60 countries and the NordLynx protocol to support the speediest network connection, with hardly any lag or ping, NordVPN is a perfect VPN to use when playing video games online or enjoying a gaming experience.

Features: NordVPN will lower ping and latency, protect you from dropped connections, and provide you with apps and extensions for all of the major platforms and devices. Some of the key features include WireGaurd protocols for top speeds, live chat customer support, and a no-logs policy. You can also connect up to six devices on one account.

Speed: NordVPN has a very fast internet connection speed. According to speed tests for gaming results, the speed ranged between 35.3 – 46.4 Mbps, depending on the region.

Security: In terms of security, it protects your safety extremely effectively with features like a Kill Switch, split tunneling, DDoS protection, CyberSec malware, a 100% no-logs policy, extremely high levels of encryption with double VPN servers, and only RAM-based servers.

Pricing: One of the benefits of NordVPN is that it is affordable while still being a top-notch product. With a 2-year subscription, you would pay $3.79 per month and have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. Surfshark

In addition to being affordably priced, Surfshark is a prime choice for lowering in-game ping and lag. This VPN service has over 3,200 servers in 60 countries worldwide, so you have plenty of options from which to choose.

Features: The Surfshark key features include advanced killswitch, split tunneling, and responsive and intuitive UI. It also allows you an unlimited number of simultaneous connections on a wide range of devices, so it’s a great VPN to use if any of your family and friends want to join in online gaming.

Speed: Surfshark has fairly good speeds. The average speeds after speed tests for gaming results in different regions range between 35.8 to 40.1 Mbps.

Security: Surfshark offers a wide range of security features, including private DNS, a strict no-logs policy, a Wireguard, and a Shadowsocks protocol, as well as military-grade encryption and a Kill Switch.

Pricing: Surfshark is a great budget-friendly option that also promises a 30-day money-back guarantee. A 24-month subscription costs just $1.99 per month.

4. Cyberghost

CyberGhost is also a strong option when looking to reduce ping times. It has multiple servers spread across 90 countries, so it can provide you with the IP address you need for online gaming with lower ping, though it tends to be slower than the other VPN services on this list.

Features: It supports up to 7 devices simultaneously and offers unlimited bandwidth and a free trial (one day on a desktop, a week on a mobile). It also features public WiFi protection, high compatibility with multiple platforms, and an automatic kill switch.

Security: This VPN encrypts your online traffic and offers other strong security features like a Kill Switch, a no-logs policy, and many more. It also includes antivirus and advertisement-blocking features.

Pricing: One of the benefits of CyberGhost is that it offers a 45-day money-back guarantee, as opposed to just 30 days. A 24-month subscription will cost you $2.19 per month.

5. UltraVPN

UltraVPN has servers across all the continents, in 55 countries, which is great for improving ping and is compatible with many devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Smart TV.

Features: This VPN has unlimited data and bandwidth, a kill switch, and allows for up to 10 devices connected at a time. It also promises quick download speeds and works well with multiple streaming sites.

Security: UltraVPN has great privacy and security features, like a no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, and 256-bit encryption. It uses 256-bit AES encryption and also gives customers access to their password manager to keep their privacy safe and secure.

Pricing: UltraVPN offers an affordable product with a 30-day money-back guarantee and gives customers the option of $1.99 per month for a 2-year subscription.

How we selected and tested the VPNs on the list

When selecting the best VPNs for this list, we tested and observed several important key factors in deciding if the VPN does help with ping. These were some of the deciding factors:

• Speed: Each of these VPNs underwent a Speed Test and tested its performance under those speeds. Having fast speeds is exactly what you want from your VPN, particularly if your gaming experience is a priority.
• Low Ping: The VPN you use should reduce ping speed and time, and we found that these do.
• DDoS Protection: It’s crucial to have a VPN that protects against DDoS attacks, especially since this could cause high ping and even crash your game.
• Compatibility: When gaming is your priority, it’s important to have a VPN that is compatible with your gaming consoles, and to choose a VPN that you know will work with any console you have.
• Server Locations: We chose VPNs with multiple servers in a wide range of locations because we know that the locations and number of proxy servers can impact your ping times.
• Extra Features: Some VPN providers offer some extra features that can help with security and improving speeds, and it’s important to be aware of those.

Can I use a free VPN to reduce high ping times?

We advise against using a free VPN. The servers tend to be overcrowded, resulting in a slow Internet connection, high ping, slow streaming, buffering, and poor video quality. A larger concern is that these companies often make their money by selling their users’ data to third parties, compromising your security and privacy online.

How to choose the right VPN for gaming or to lower ping

It’s important to remember that the impact of your VPN on ping will be dependent on your individual needs. If a gaming VPN is your priority, then you will want to choose a service that emphasizes the following:

1. Low latency and high-speed connections so that your gaming performance will be minimally impacted.
2. A large network of servers that will allow you to connect to the closest server in the location you desire.
3. Strong and vigorous security features that include DDoS protection.
4. Support for multiple devices, platforms, and simultaneous connections.

How to lower your ping using a VPN

It is important for you to use your VPN correctly if you are to garner all the benefits and ensure low ping, so consider these pointers:

• Ensure that you choose a suitable server location. If you connect to a VPN server that is near your actual location, the time taken for the signal to travel and connect is reduced. When your top priority is low ping and lag, always choose the VPN services’ geographically closest server.
• Use an optimized VPN. You can customize any one VPN service out of the ones listed above, allowing you to favor the performance characteristic you require.
• Choose a VPN with low latency. Ensure that when you choose a VPN, it is one that has an extensive network of speedy servers, like ExpressVPN. This will ensure low latency, and you will not suffer from speed drops or clogged connections.

FAQs

Conclusion

We hope that we have provided you with all the information you need to understand that to avoid high ping, the best strategy is to subscribe to a premium VPN and connect to a VPN server near you.

Whether you are using a mobile device, desktop, or gaming console, your VPN will ensure your online enjoyment, so log on and enjoy the fun!