A VPN can actually lower your ping by optimizing routing and protecting against DDoS. We tested the top contenders — NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN — on latency, speed loss, and gaming features to find the best VPN for online gaming in 2025.
If you've ever been mid-firefight when your ping spikes to 300ms, you know the pain. The conventional wisdom says VPNs add latency — and that's true for poorly configured ones. But a modern, well-optimized VPN can actually lower your ping by routing your traffic through faster paths and shielding you from DDoS attacks that would otherwise tank your connection.1
The key is the protocol. Old-school OpenVPN adds overhead. New protocols like WireGuard, NordLynx, and Lightway are built for speed. We tested four leading services to find which one gives you the best ping, the least speed loss, and the most gaming-friendly extras.
NordVPN uses its own NordLynx protocol (built on WireGuard) to deliver an average ping under 12ms on US-to-EU routes and download speeds up to 950 Mbps.1 That's fast enough for any competitive title. It also includes Meshnet — a feature that lets you create a secure LAN-like connection with friends over the internet, which is great for playing older LAN-only games together. With thousands of servers worldwide, you're never far from a low-latency node.
ExpressVPN's proprietary Lightway protocol is engineered for speed and reliability. In benchmarks, it hit 1,617 Mbps downloads and a 10ms ping — the lowest we saw.1 Lightway is leaner than OpenVPN and maintains stable connections even during peak hours. If your top priority is raw speed and the lowest possible ping, ExpressVPN is the pick. It's pricier than the others, but the performance speaks for itself.
Surfshark offers unlimited simultaneous connections — one account covers your whole household. It achieves around 15ms ping on key routes, which is competitive with the top dogs at a fraction of the price.1 Surfshark also includes CleanWeb (ad/tracker blocking) and a GPS spoofing tool for mobile gamers. If you're gaming on a budget or across multiple devices, this is the best value.
Proton VPN is built by the same team behind Proton Mail, with a strong privacy ethos. Its VPN Accelerator technology claims to boost performance by up to 400% on certain routes, and it uses WireGuard for low-latency connections.1 Proton VPN has a strict no-logs policy and is based in Switzerland, outside the 14-Eyes alliance. If you want strong privacy protections without sacrificing gaming performance, this is your pick.
| Feature | NordVPN | ExpressVPN | Surfshark | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Ping | <12ms | 10ms | ~15ms | ~18ms |
| Speed Loss | Minimal (950 Mbps) | Minimal (1,617 Mbps) | Low | Low (Accelerator) |
| Gaming Features | Meshnet, NordLynx | Lightway, TrustedServer | CleanWeb, GPS spoofing | VPN Accelerator, Secure Core |
The protocol is everything. WireGuard (used by Surfshark and Proton VPN) is a modern, lean protocol that's much faster than OpenVPN. NordLynx is NordVPN's double-NAT implementation of WireGuard that adds privacy without sacrificing speed. Lightway is ExpressVPN's own protocol, written from scratch in C and designed for minimal latency and maximum reliability.1
A good gaming VPN doesn't just add encryption overhead — it can reduce your ping by finding a faster route to the game server than your ISP's default path. And if someone tries to DDoS you mid-match? The VPN hides your real IP, so the attack never reaches you.
Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you purchase through our links. Our recommendations are based on independent testing and benchmarks.
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