**12 minutes**
Searching for a gaming VPN thatâÃÂÃÂs free and reliable? Well, there are plenty of free VPNs that can optimize your gaming experience. However, these VPNs often lack security, online privacy, speed, and performance
Gamers face many privacy issues online. Thus a best free VPN for gaming sounds like a good option for
**protecting against DDoS attacks and swatting However, the real challenge is finding a quality free VPN that is perfect for gaming
There are many premium VPNs for gaming, but if youâÃÂÃÂre waiting to opt for a free VPN, then let us tell you that these VPNs come with
**many limitations In addition, most free VPNs donâÃÂÃÂt offer the required security for gamers which becomes counterproductive
The best premium VPN like
**ExpressVPN on the other hand, offers full functionality with ultimate security, privacy, data protection, a best-in-class gaming experience, and a 30 refund policy
However, if youâÃÂÃÂre still ready to choose a free option over the premium ones, just continue reading as we list some of the reliable free gaming VPNs for you
## Quick Overview âÃÂàThe Best Free VPN for Gaming
Need the best free VPN for gaming? Here is a list of the 7 free gaming VPNs that you can use to have a smooth gaming experience:
ExpressVPN âÃÂàOverall Best VPN for Lag-Free Gaming In US. Get low pings, lightning-fast speeds, global server coverage, and unlimited bandwidth for the best gaming experience. (Try ExpressVPN risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee) ProtonVPN âÃÂàUnlimited Data and Bandwidth for Gaming.100% free VPN with fast speeds and limitless data for optimized gaming. However, the free version comes with 3 server locations only. Windscribe âÃÂàFree 10 GB per Month for Gaming. Equips effective security features and offers unlimited multi-logins for gaming on all your favorite devices, but you only get 10 GB of free data every month. TunnelBear âÃÂà500 MB Free Data per Month. With servers across 49 countries, you can unblock all the most anticipated geo-restricted games, but youâÃÂÃÂll be bound to its 500 MB of free data per month. Hotspot Shield âÃÂà500 MB Free Data per Day for Gaming Privately. Offers Catapult Hydra for improved speeds and lets you be anonymous while gaming through its single US server and 500 MB/day on the free plan. Hide.me âÃÂà10 GB/mo Free Data with No Speed Restrictions. This free VPN offers 10 GB/mo of data without any bandwidth limitations, but only with 5 server locations. Speedify âÃÂà2 GB Data per Month with Channel bonding technology. This robust Channel bonding technology offers lag-free gaming with servers in 35 countries, but only 2 GB data/mo
## What Are the Risks of a Free VPN?
**There are various risks of using a free VPN If youâÃÂÃÂre thinking about using a free VPN, then itâÃÂÃÂs a good idea to be aware of potential problems that could be associated with free offers, such as the following:
- The VPN service provider may contain malware
- Embedded tracking can be used by VPNs for a variety of reasons
- In many cases, a VPN cannot unblock content
- VPNs may often slow down your connection
This is why free VPNs are not recommended for gamers. Most free VPNs offer just a few servers, that can prevent you from connecting to an optimized gaming server. This small server network often gets congested due to traffic overload and makes them unreliable and slow
In addition, free VPNs donâÃÂÃÂt offer protection against DoS and DDoS attacks as a premium VPN does. This means other gamers can access your location and other private data
That is why we recommend gamers use a premium VPN such as
**ExpressVPN** for complete protection against DDoS attacks. But if you are looking for less expensive options, you can grab the best premium **VPN deal** of your preference and enjoy the gaming without any hassles
## Best Free Gaming VPNs: Summary Test Ratings
The following table will compare the gaming performances of the 7 free VPNs listed in our guide based on a few testing metrics:
|VPNs|
Overall Rating (Gaming) |9.8||9.0||8.8||8.5||8.2||7.9||7.5|
Pings |9.8||9.0||8.6||8.8||7.9||7.9||8.6|
Smart DNS |9.6||0||0||0||0||0||0|
P2P Functionality |9.4||0||8.2||8.0||0||7.8||6.8|
Logging Policy |9.6||8.0||8.5||8.8||7.5||7.7||8.0|
Additional Features |9.0||8.6||8.5||8.7||8.9||8.6||8.9|
## 7 Best Free VPNs for Gaming (Updated 2022)
Free VPNs come with limitations and are not our top recommendation for gaming. However, we conducted extensive research on 30+ reliable free names in the industry and came up with a list of these 7 gaming VPNs free to use, after testing their speed, user-friendliness, and security:
1
**ExpressVPN**Overall Best VPN for Lag-Free Gaming** **Key Features
- 3000+ servers in 94 countries, 23+ server locations in US
- 5 simultaneous connections
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with League of Legends, Fifa, Fortnite, and Minecraft
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
**ExpressVPN is the overall best VPN service for playing games online. **ThatâÃÂÃÂs because no free VPN can even come close to ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs blazing-fast speeds and lag-free gaming capabilities
We tested the service by playing various online games, including first-person shooters, real-time strategy games, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games. In all cases,
**ExpressVPN had minimal impact on our ping and latency This meant that we could enjoy a smooth, lag-free gaming experience
During our testing, we chose to connect to servers in the UK and Australia. We played a couple of PUBG MOBILE sessions and were super impressed with ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs performance
We were quite impressed by ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs ability to provide an excellent gaming experience
Furthermore have played more games using ExpressVPN servers, such as Apex legends, and League of legends. Beside these we additionally ran CS:GO to check ExpressVPN performance but didnâÃÂÃÂt find any lags and pings while running it. So on the whole, we found ExpressVPN as the best gaming for VPN
As for ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs speeds, on our 100 Mbps connection, we never noticed our
**speeds drop below 30 Mbps Pings also remained consistent, never going above ** 20 ms We also tested the pings using the closest server to our actual location and noticed a significant drop. From 20 ms on long-distance servers, our pings dropped to just ** 10-11 ms**
In short, we got a
**download speed of 83.68 Mbps** and an **upload speed of 79.23 Mbps** on our connection, which is superb!
We enjoyed lag-free gaming, thanks to ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs speeds
One thing we all mobile gamers worry about is battery life. Thankfully,
**ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs iOS and Android** are not battery hoggers. Using ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs Lightway protocol, we noticed a **decline of 1% per minute** in battery life on our iPhone 13 Pro Max
We also did extensive testing for desktop gamers as well. Thankfully, ExpressVPN offers native router apps for
**Linksys, Netgear, Asus, and other routers We were able to easily configure **ExpressVPN on our Asus AC68U router** within hardly 10-12 minutes
Another impressive thing about ExpressVPN is that it supports both
** split tunneling and port forwarding We added **Overwatch** and **Roblox** to our custom split tunneling list while leaving everything else out. This ensured that only the traffic used to play Overwatch or Roblox got encrypted while unnecessary traffic remained unencrypted. As a result, **we noticed lower latency **
Well, letâÃÂÃÂs be clear. ExpressVPN is not a free VPN service. But itâÃÂÃÂs the best option for you if youâÃÂÃÂre an avid gamer who doesnâÃÂÃÂt want to end up frustrated between a match. If itâÃÂÃÂs for a limited time, then you can always
**try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days** and enjoy its exceptional service!
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our ExpressVPN review
- Unlimited bandwidth and blazing-fast speeds for gaming
- 3000+ servers in 94 countries to choose from
- Compatibility with all popular gaming consoles and routers
- 5 multi-logins
- Keeps users anonymous and unidentified
- Risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee
- DoesnâÃÂÃÂt offer customizable advanced features
2. ProtonVPN âÃÂàUnlimited Data and Bandwidth for Gaming
**Key Features
- 3 free server locations, 1 in the US
- 1 simultaneous connection
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with PUBG, Overwatch, CS GO, League of Legends
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
**ProtonVPN is the best free VPN for gaming with unlimited bandwidth. **This means that even without paying a dime, you can play bandwidth-hogging games like Fortnite and CS GO online without any restrictions
The only limitation of this VPN is that it only offers 3 server locations. This can be an issue if you wanna join a specific lobby. Speaking of servers, ProtonVPN offers
** 163 free servers in the US, Japan, and the Netherlands**
With ProtonVPN, if you connect to a server that is close to your location, you should have no trouble gaming online. However, we connected to its
**Netherlands server** for testing purposes. This time, we played **Call of Duty Mobile**
Still if you think that you want more of a smooth gaming experience you may switch to the ProtonâÃÂÃÂs VPN US server to have a fast gaming experience, hence proving itself to be the one of the best free vpn for US as well
Thanks to ProtonVPNâÃÂÃÂs unlimited bandwidth, there were no restrictions while gaming
Surprisingly, it offered
**decently low pings Although not as stable as ExpressVPN, **the pings never exceeded 30 âÃÂà40 ms That being said, when we connected to the Netherlands server, we did notice ** slower speeds and higher pings overall In our ProtonVPN speed test, we got a **download speed of 52.37 Mbps** and an **upload speed of 45.19 Mbps** on our 100 Mbps connection
The pings were definitely higher when compared to ExpressVPN
When testing ProtonVPN for this guide, we had our doubts as games like PUBG consume at least 200MB of data every hour. But to our surprise, ProtonVPN offered a lag-free gaming experience. In fact, we could actually call it a great free VPN for PUBG
To test ProtonVPN on our desktop gaming setup, we configured it on our
** office router However, we must say it was not easy. Although ProtonVPN offers both WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols, **its setup process is way complicated If youâÃÂÃÂre new to VPNs, youâÃÂÃÂll surely find it hard to set up. Though on the plus side, you can find helpful setup guides on their website
Furthermore, despite being free, ProtonVPN offers great privacy features. It offers
** military-grade encryption, no logs policy, leak protection, and even aswitch** that we tested time and again. It never leaked our US IP address which is just amazing
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our ProtonVPN review
- Compatible with routers and gaming consoles
- Pings are quite low
- Unlimited data for an unrestricted gaming experience
- WireGuard protocol for speed and security
- Offers only 3 servers
- Speeds are quite inconsistent during gaming
- Router setup is complicated
3. Windscribe âÃÂàFree 10 GB Per Month for Gaming
**Key Features
- Servers in 10 countries, 1 in US
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with Call of Duty, Fortnite, Fifa, CS GO
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
**Windscribe is a great gaming VPN, offering 10 GB of data per month. **Even with a data restriction, this VPN offers surprisingly low pings and support for P2P
The most impressive thing about this VPN is that it offers fast speeds, excellent security, and allows P2P traffic. This means you can play all your favorite games like
**League of Legends, Minecraft, or Call Of Duty** without any worries. *On paper, Windscribe seems great, but what about raw speeds?*
Well, we did the testing for you. To test Windscribe, we ran
**Minecraft mobile** on our iPad and connected to the closest server using its smart connect feature
This VPNâÃÂÃÂs AES 256-bit encryption protects you from DDoS attacks while gaming
After some time spent playing the game, we obtained a
**meagre 59.11 Mbps download speed** on a 100 Mbps local connection (a speed loss of 41 As far as the upload speeds are concerned, we got **37.07 Mbps** only. ThatâÃÂÃÂs a major slump!
But despite the unimpressive download speeds, the free version managed to consistently offer low pings âÃÂàroughly in the
**range of 45 âÃÂà50 ms During gaming, we didnâÃÂÃÂt notice any major lags to complain about
Windscribe offered us a lag-free connection while gaming
The only downside of this VPN, just like ProtonVPN, is that it offers a few server locations. This makes it harder to find a specific server to use to join a specific lobby. If we talk about numbers, Windscribe only offers
**10 server locations in the free version These servers are located in North America, Europe, and Asia. Sadly, there are **no servers in South America or Africa**
Windscribe was great for playing games on most operating systems, such as
**Android, iOS, macOS Linux and Windows Moreover, itâÃÂÃÂs one of the best free VPNs for FireStick, and its ** router setup** is relatively easier than ProtonVPN as well
Furthermore, the good thing is during the testing of this VPN for gaming, we also operate this VPN for torrenting purpose and surprisingly it works really well for torrenting too, indicating itself to be the best free VPN for torrenting as well
On the plus side, Windscribe is quite secure. We
**didnâÃÂÃÂt detect any leaks** during testing, and it offers secure VPN protocols and even aswitch**
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our Windscribe review
- Comes with 10 GB per month for a few hours of gaming
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Compatible with routers and operating systems
- Lag-free gaming
- Over 40% speed drop
- Based in Canada âÃÂàa member of the Five Eyes Alliance
4. TunnelBear âÃÂà500 MB Free Data Per Month
**Key Features
- Servers in 49 locations, 1 in the US
- 5 simultaneous connections
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with Minecraft, Garena Free Fire, Fortnite
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
**TunnelBear is yet another popular free VPN for gaming offering 500 MB of data/mo only. **This limited data is not much to have a phenomenal gaming experience. Although you can tweet about TunnelBear and **get an extra 1GB of data we still believe itâÃÂÃÂs not that much considering that games like Counter-Strike can consume 200+MB data per hour
Unlike ProtonVPN or Windscribe, the free version of TunnelBear gives you access to its entire network of servers located all over the world. This makes it much easier to find specific gaming lobbies of your choice
To test out its performance, we played
**Garena Free fire** âÃÂàan old game but definitely a classic. Using TunnelBearâÃÂÃÂs UK server, we were able to play a couple of matches without any issues. We noticed no issues when it comes to latency
TunnelBearâÃÂÃÂs data cap really hindered our playtime
WhatâÃÂÃÂs cool about TunnelBear is that it offers around
**40+ P2P server locations** which makes it very easy to find a server near you. On our 100 Mbps connection, the Japanese server we tested provided us with a ping of **6** **9 ms and download speeds of 55.27 Mbps with upload speeds of 40.21 Mbps which is average to play games like Overwatch
While there were no lags, these speeds were still not what weâÃÂÃÂd prefer for gaming
The downside of this VPN is that
**it canâÃÂÃÂt be configured on routers The provider currently doesnâÃÂÃÂt offer support for manual configurations. This prevented us from testing it for desktop and console gaming. Another con of this VPN is that it offers limited data to play around with, as mentioned above
On the flip side, TunnelBear is not only easy to use on both desktop and mobile devices, we can definitely say
**it has one of the nicest user interfaces of any VPN** out there. There are cool and interactive animations everywhere throughout the apps
It offers multiple security features as well. While gaming, we checked the VPN for DNS leaks and TunnelBear passed the test easily. It also offered a
switch** so we get disconnected from the internet if the VPN connection drops
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our TunnelBear review
- Unblocks games from worldwide with its server network
- No latency while gaming
- User-friendly interface for novice gamers with VPN
- Offers 500 MBs of data per month only
- DoesnâÃÂÃÂt offer router configuration
5. Hotspot Shield âÃÂà500 MB Free Data Per Day for Gaming Privately
**Key Features
- 1 server location in the US only
- 5 simultaneous connections
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with Call of Duty, CS GO, Overwatch
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
**Hotspot Shield is another household VPN name in the industry offering 500MB of data/day. ** This means that youâÃÂÃÂll get 15GB of data per month which is decent enough for moderate gaming sessions
Now, you must be thinking why did we choose this free VPN for gaming? Well, itâÃÂÃÂs mostly because of its
**Hydra protocol ItâÃÂÃÂs no gimmick, it is actually fast. We tested it extensively. When we tested it with **Call of Duty Mobile we were blown away by how well it performed
We could only play games at odd times due to traffic overload on its only US server
We used its US server, which is our actual location and managed to keep
**our pings below 90 ms As far as download speeds are concerned, they were above average as well. On our 100 Mbps, we managed to get a **download speed of 45.63 Mbps** **and an upload speed of 39.56 Mbps During gameplay, we didnâÃÂÃÂt notice any ping hikes and our overall experience was smooth
The pings were high on Hotspot ShieldâÃÂÃÂs US server
Speaking of servers, thatâÃÂÃÂs the only downside of this VPN. It only offers one server location âÃÂàthe US. So if youâÃÂÃÂre picky about servers and specific gaming lobbies for games like
**PUBG** âÃÂàyouâÃÂÃÂre out of luck. We also couldnâÃÂÃÂt test this VPN on our desktop gaming setup as Hotspot Shield ** doesnâÃÂÃÂt** **support routers**
While it only offers one server location in the free version, Hotspot Shield does offer a one-week free trial when you sign up for it to give you a taste of its unthrottled performance. When we tested its
**Netherlands server with the free trial we noticed little latency (30 ms) when playing Fortnite. ThatâÃÂÃÂs what happens when you connect to servers near you
As for security, Hotspot Shield uses
**256-bit encryption** for data security with ** perfect forward secrecy Unfortunately, it also offers **aswitch **that only works on its desktop version. Hence; proving itself to be one of the best free vpn for windows or desktop
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our Hotspot Shield review
- 15 GB data/mo for gaming
- Hydra protocol for a lag-free gaming experience
- Low pings
- Offers a single server location
- Not compatible with routers
6. Hide.me âÃÂà10 GB/mo Free Data with No Speed Restrictions
**Key Features
- 5 server locations, 2 in the US
- 1 simultaneous connection
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with Minecraft, Overwatch, Fifa
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
**Hide.me is a lesser-known VPN with 10GB of free data each month This data is only best for moderate gaming. But the good thing is that there is no daily usage limit
When compared to TunnelBear and ProtonVPN, its performance is truly impressive. Despite being free, it is a powerhouse! When testing it with a bandwidth-hogging game like
**Minecraft we were super impressed with its performance. For testing purposes, we used the **Netherlands server** which was relatively close to our location
The gaming speeds were relatively slow when compared to the VPNs above
As for speeds, on our 100 Mbps connection, we got a
**download speed of around 40.21 Mbps and an upload speed of 29.89 Mbps** on average. As for pings, we noticed that our pings never exceeded 80 ms
The upload speeds were relatively slow for Hide.me
Just like some other free VPNs weâÃÂÃÂve discussed, Hide.me also offers a few server locations
**It offers the US, Germany, Netherlands, and Canada ThatâÃÂÃÂs not a lot but we canâÃÂÃÂt complain. The cool thing about Hide.me is that it lets you see the pings of different servers in real-time so you can pick and choose the best one
We couldnâÃÂÃÂt test it on gaming consoles like Xbox and PS5 as
**Hide.Me doesnâÃÂÃÂt offer router support**
As far as privacy is concerned, Hide.me is very capable. It supports the
** latest WireGuard protocol** and supports advanced features like **split tunneling It is also **100% leakproof Despite being free, it exceeded our expectations
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our Hide.me review
- Offers 10 GB of data every month âÃÂàgreat for gaming
- WireGuard protocol for fast speeds
- Comes with 5 server locations only
- No router support
- Considerably high pings than its competitors
7. Speedify âÃÂÃÂ
**2 GB Data per Month with Channel Bonding Technology** **Key Features
- Servers in 36 countries, 12 server locations in US
- 5 simultaneous connections
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Works with League of Legends, Call of Duty, PUBG
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
**Speedify is an impressive VPN with channel bonding technology This means that with Speedify, you may combine and add more connections like 4G and W-Fi for the most consistent gaming experience
For this test, we deliberately used a slow Wi-Fi connection when playing
** Call of Duty: Modern Warfare As we all know, lower speeds result in higher ping and response times
You might get cut off during gaming due to its data cap
Then, using SpeedifyâÃÂÃÂs channel-bonding technology, we combined the poor Wi-Fi connection with a fast cellular 4G internet connection. As a result, our pings dropped from
** 75 ms to just 25 ms Moreover, we got a **download speed of 50.28 Mbps** and an **upload speed of 38.27 Mbps** on our 100 Mbps connection
SpeedifyâÃÂÃÂs speeds were quite average for gaming
Just like other free VPNs, Speedify also comes with a few limitations. If we talk about data limits, youâÃÂÃÂll be disappointed by the fact that Speedify only offers
**2 GB of monthly data This is nowhere enough for even light gaming. In case you run out of data, youâÃÂÃÂll have to wait an entire month to use it again
Speedify supports all major operating systems, like
**iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, and Linux So, if you play games on these OSes, then itâÃÂÃÂs a win-win situation for you. However, using your gaming consoles with Speedify is a bit tough since it supports a few specific routers only
In terms of security features, depending on the device youâÃÂÃÂre using, Speedify uses either
**AES-128-GCM or ChaCha20 encryption It even supports tunneling protocols Like **OpenVPN UDP/TCP**
For a detailed analysis of this VPN, go through our Speedify review
- Channel bonding technology for high speeds
- Compatible with specific routers
- Offers a single device connection
- 2 GB data/mo
- High pings
**Quick Comparison Table: Best Free VPNs for Gaming**
The qualities that every gamer should consider while searching for the best free VPN for gaming are compared in the table below. WeâÃÂÃÂve outlined the key features of each VPN, such as average speeds, data use limits, and average latency. LetâÃÂÃÂs check it out:
|VPNs|
|Average speeds||Very fast||Fast||Fast||Average||Average||Average||Average|
|Monthly data||Unlimited||Unlimited||10 GB||5 MB||15 GB||10 GB||2 GB|
|Number of server locations||94||3||10||49||1||5||36|
|Average ping on local servers||10 ms||30 ms||20 ms||20 ms||80 ms||40 ms||75 ms|
|Router support||Yes||Yes||Yes||No||No||No||Yes|
## Tips on How to Choose the Best Free VPN for Gaming
If your are blocked from accessing the gaming servers of your choice, a VPN should help you. Why not try out a provider offering a free trial in order to see for yourself if it works? There are multiple factors you need to look into and various tests you need to conduct. ThatâÃÂÃÂs exactly what we did while jotting down the free gaming VPNs in our guide
But if your online gamer self wants to take the responsibility on your shoulders, then here are the essential factors you need to look into:
Truly free:You should choose a VPN that provides no financial danger to you all of free VPNs listed in this guide are either entirely free or have reliable money back guarantee. Various servers:You often only get a few servers with free VPNs. There will always be less congestion on the servers if there are more of them, which will result in faster speeds and reduced ping. To ensure low latency, it is important to opt for a free VPN offering servers that are near your actual location. Fast speeds:For online gaming, it is advised to have speeds of at least 5 Mbps. Our download and upload speeds with every VPN we listed were above 20 Mbps. In general, your speeds should be faster when there will be more participants in the game because more data will need to be transferred. Adequate data allowance:A game requires between 1MB and 300MB of data per hour. Ensure that the best free VPN for gaming for Android and other devices allows you to use enough data for the games you want to play. WeâÃÂÃÂve chosen a few VPNs with reasonable data caps, and listed absolutely free VPNs for Android and other devices with unlimited bandwidth as well. Router support:The best method for connecting your gaming console to a VPN is by using a VPN on your router. Now thatâÃÂÃÂs something not many free VPNs will provide. However, we carefully listed a few VPN services that provide no-cost router assistance. Robust security:The protection of shared game servers from hackers depends on this factor. To defend yourself from DoS attacks, each of these free VPNs offer industry-standard security features including leak protection, military-grade encryption, and aswitch. They are all reputable service providers that wonâÃÂÃÂt sell your information to third parties for profit
## Free VPN for Gaming Limitations and Restrictions
Free VPNs donâÃÂÃÂt charge users subscription-free, as discussed above, so the question is,
*how do free VPNs make money?* Well, these free services limit most features and compromise security features. **1. Security**
Free VPNs donâÃÂÃÂt offer the same security and protection as those offered by premium VPNs. Therefore, with substandard security features, free VPNs cannot protect you from in-game DDoS attacks
And thatâÃÂÃÂs not it. Instead, most
** free VPNs are subject to data logging and selling user data to third-party advertisers For example, Hotspot Shield monetizes its free VPN app using ads. **2. Bandwidth Limitations**
Gaming requires 300 MB of data per hour. However, most free VPNs only offer a maximum of 10 GB of data which is very little for gamers who play data-intensive games. Similarly, free VPNs that offer unlimited bandwidth restrict your speed. Therefore, you cannot play heavy games like
**Overwatch** with a free VPN. **3. Limited Server Access** **Free VPNs limit the number of servers that users can access Fewer servers mean these servers are congested with traffic, thus leading to slow connection speeds. With so much traffic on fewer servers, free VPN providers also restrict your speed and bandwidth to prevent servers from crashing
Premium VPNs, on the other hand, offer optimized servers for gaming. So, instead of searching for a free gaming VPN for lower ping, just opt for a premium option
**4. Compatibility** **Most free VPNs do not offer compatibility with routers as can be seen above. The problem is that gaming consoles donâÃÂÃÂt have native support for VPN apps, so users configure VPNs on the router. The console is automatically protected when connected to the network
Unfortunately, router compatibility is only offered by premium VPNs like
**ExpressVPN and it is hard to find a VPN that works with routers and offers optimal performance
All these limitations are exactly why we suggest avoiding a free VPN for PUBG and other games and opting for
**ExpressVPN** for gaming as it comes with no bandwidth limitations, and instead offers thousands of servers, robust security features, and compatibility with all popular gaming consoles and routers
For more information on VPNs, check out our best free VPN
## Free VPNs to Avoid
Not every VPN offers a reliable service for gaming. Some may claim to be the best free VPN for gaming, but often equip slow speeds, unreliable connections, or risky security. This is why we highly suggest only opting for the free gaming VPNs on our list
A few VPNs that are not safe for gaming are as follows:
Betternet:According to a CSIRO analysis, BetternetâÃÂÃÂs app is loaded with viruses. Your privacy is at risk because their Android app downloads over 10 third-party tracking libraries. Hola Free VPN:Now, Hola doesnâÃÂÃÂt work like a traditional VPN, but instead uses a P2P network that threatens your security and privacy. Your IP address is shared with anyone on the P2P network run by Hola, and your data is not encrypted. Additionally, according to its privacy statement, Hola Free VPN gathers information including your name, email address, browser history, and IP address. Hoxx VPN:This VPN is notorious for keeping records of information such as your IP address, log times, visited pages, language and type of browser, phone number, device location and model, and operating system. Additionally, if necessary, it might reveal your details to the authorities. DoesnâÃÂÃÂt that seem terrifying? TouchVPN:This service merely functions as a proxy and lacks the security that a VPN offers. In order to create targeted advertisements, it is also known to collect your browsing history and share it with outside parties. Other free VPNs to Avoid:CrossVPN, VPN One Click sFly Network Booster,Faceless.me, OKVPN, EasyVPN, Hoxx VPN, Archie VPN, Hat VPN, Private Pipe VPN, Tuxler VPN, GO VPN, Hexatech, FinchVPN, Fast Secure Payment
## Free Gaming VPN: FAQs
Which free VPN is best for gaming?
**ProtonVPN** is the best free gaming VPN that offers all gamers unlimited bandwidth. With decent speeds, gamers can play Call of Duty, Overwatch, Destiny 2, and PUBG easily with this VPN. However, it equips 3 server locations only on its free plan
This is why we recommend subscribing to
**ExpressVPN** for gaming. This VPN offers unrestricted access to all your favorite games worldwide with fast speeds and low pings. Instead of an immediate long-term commitment, you can try **ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days**
Is there a free VPN for gaming?
**ProtonVPN is a 100% free VPN for gaming This VPN comes with unlimited data, reliable speeds, impressive security features, and 3 server locations that one can use for gaming
Which free VPN is best for PUBG PC?
**ProtonVPN is undoubtedly the best free VPN for PUBG It comes with unlimited data, meaning you can play games like PUBG for as long as you like easily using this VPN. It also offers 3 server locations, all of them located in major countries of the world to stay encrypted while gaming
Can I play Valorant with a free VPN ?
**Yes, but with certain time restrictions However, itâÃÂÃÂs always better to opt for affordable premium VPN services offering unlimited data and bandwidth for data-heavy games
Proton VPN is the only absolutely free VPN with unlimited data, but it only offers you three server locations, resulting in slow speeds
Talking about Valorant, the game utilizes a minimum of 400 MB of data/hr, and since most free VPNs come with a data limit of up to 10 GB/mo, youâÃÂÃÂd only be able to enjoy gaming for 25 hours each month. This may not be enough if youâÃÂÃÂre a hardcore gamer
WhatâÃÂÃÂs the best way to make clients bypass router-based VPNs for gaming sessions?
It all depends on how much effort youâÃÂÃÂre ready to put into it. You can remove your PC/gaming console from the router connection or configure a bypass, depending on your connection. If your PC is the only client, then you can also disable the VPN whenever required. For more details, read this thread
Will a free gaming VPN lower my ping?
**Yes, a free VPN can undoubtedly reduce your ping It can do that by sending your data packets through much more direct routes instead of traveling it via your regular connection. This way, the information will flow freely, and youâÃÂÃÂll be able to enjoy low pings while gaming
## Bottom Line
These are some of the best free VPNs for gaming with trustworthy privacy policies. As you can see, VPNs are a must for gamers to protect against DoS and DDoS attacks. However, you need a fast and compatible VPN with routers for it to work with your gaming consoles. Apart from these VPNs, you can also check our blog for the
**Best Black Friday VPN Deals** that are unbelievably low on your pocket
The VPNs mentioned above are all good options for gamers, but they come with many limitations, and most are not compatible with routers. However, for complete security, protection, anonymity, and an excellent gaming experience, we recommend the top-tier premium option such as
**ExpressVPN **instead of the best free VPN for gaming
ExpressVPN offers
**3000+ servers in 94 countries** that can easily offer you the best-in-class gaming experience while protecting your online identity, privacy, and data with AES-256-bit encryption
The best thing is that you can try out the VPN risk-free for a month through
**ExpressVPNâÃÂÃÂs 30-day money-back guarantee