The Best VPNs for Xbox in 2023

1. NordVPN - Best Performance

Editors Rating:

9.7 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

Performance: NordVPN wasn’t the fastest VPN we tested. Using our Xbox Series S’s built-in network test,1 we measured averages of 212 Mbps for downloads and 198 Mbps for uploads. The in-game ping while playing Apex Legends also hovered between 40 to 60 ms (milliseconds), which let us play without lags, but wasn’t the lowest among our five top picks. ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access earned that honor with their ping, which ranged from 25 to 40 ms. For reference, the ideal in-game latency for Apex Legends is 120 ms or lower. Above that, you’ll start to see some lag.

Server availability: Compared to other VPNs on this list, NordVPN has the fewest server locations. It has servers in 60 countries, whereas ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access have over 90 locations, and Surfshark and CyberGhost have over 100. However, NordVPN has one of the largest server fleets. In those 60 countries, it has over 5,800 servers.

Setup process: For setup, we found that the easiest ways to connect our Xbox S to NordVPN were either to set up NordVPN on a laptop and use that laptop as a virtual router or to use NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature.

The former connected our Xbox to an encrypted VPN tunnel and changed our location based on which server we connected our laptop to. The latter changed our Xbox location but didn’t provide any encryption. That’s the thing about connecting an Xbox to a VPN: Because there are no native VPN apps for Xbox, you’ll have to rely on workarounds.

>>See Also: Using VPNs for Nintendo

You’re probably wondering why we picked NordVPN as the best-performing VPN for Xbox given that it wasn’t the fastest and it didn’t have the lowest latency. Well to start off, NordVPN’s performance wasn’t bad; it met our latency and speed requirements. Its real advantage was that it was the most reliable and stable VPN we’ve ever used.

To test the latency or ping of VPNs, we connected our console to each VPN’s closest server for optimal results. We then played a round of Apex Legends while monitoring the in-game latency. Again, for NordVPN, it ranged from 40 to 60 ms.

After that, we connected each VPN to overseas servers (mostly in Australia) to measure their non-optimal performance. The latency of the other VPNs shot up by about 20 to 30 ms, but with NordVPN, it remained at 45 to 60 ms. That’s the kind of performance you want to see in a VPN for Xbox, especially if you’re planning to use it to play on a different game server. While it’s not the fastest, it is plenty fast whether you’re connected to a server near you or across the globe.

By the way, NordVPN is also our top-pick VPN for Fortnite and the best VPN for Call of Duty, so we know that it is a well-rounded VPN for gaming. Plus, it’s super affordable if you buy a long-term subscription. The two-year subscription for NordVPN costs as low as $3.79 per month with the ongoing deal.

2. ExpressVPN - Best Setup

Editors Rating:

9.1 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	No
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

Performance: ExpressVPN was among the fastest gaming the VPNs for Xbox we tested. We measured a 223 Mbps download speed and 201 Mbps upload speed while connected to a server nearest us, and the in-game ping was somewhere in the range of 25 to 40 ms. Again, that’s the lowest ping we experienced throughout the test, matched only by Private Internet Access’ proxy server.

Server availability: ExpressVPN also offers a deep bench of servers and server locations to choose from. We found it to be a good VPN for connecting to Asia Pacific game servers, one of the most competitive regions in online gaming. Exploring ExpressVPN, we found that it has good VPN servers in Singapore, fast VPN servers in Hong Kong, and a large collection of VPN servers in Australia. And even while connected to those servers thousands of miles away, ExpressVPN’s speed remained decent. Our in-game latency remained at around 50 to 80 ms.

Setup process: We normally try to stay away from VPN routers — routers that tunnel all network traffic to a VPN without needing VPN apps — because it’s usually a pain to set up a VPN router. We once broke a brand-new Asus router trying to get it to work with a VPN. That said, ExpressVPN offers a ready-to-go VPN router called Aircove. There’s no extra setup needed; Aircove comes with ExpressVPN, so all we had to do was add it to our network and connect our Xbox to it. And once we did, it tunneled our Xbox’s traffic to the ExpressVPN server we selected.

For many of the VPNs we tested, we used a virtual router setup. We installed the VPN on our Windows laptop and then connected our Xbox to the laptop’s hotspot to give it a VPN connection.

ExpressVPN’s Aircove router works the same way, but it’s an actual router — a high-performance router at that. It has Wi-Fi 6, the latest Wi-Fi standard with fast and reliable signal transmission; the Wi-Fi network is WPA3 encrypted, the latest Wi-Fi security technology; and if you want to enjoy a more stable connection, you can do what we did and connect your Xbox to Aircove via one of its gigabit Ethernet ports (there are five). You don’t get that option with a virtual router setup, and because the Aircove is an actual router, it performs better than a laptop’s hotspot. That’s why we experienced top speeds with ExpressVPN.

Of course, the Aircove is not the only VPN router there is. We’ve been able to turn an Asus router into a NordVPN router before, but again, the process is painstaking, and if you don’t do it right, you risk ruining your router. That’s what happened to us on the first try. So if you have the technical know-how, you could turn your regular router into a VPN router and save $190 (the cost of Aircove). If you want the easy way, ExpressVPN’s Aircove router is a good investment. It’s the best VPN router, after all.

Just bear in mind that ExpressVPN doesn’t come cheap. That’s actually one of the main reasons why it came in second to NordVPN. Besides the router’s $189.90 price tag, you’ll need a subscription to keep the VPN running. And ExpressVPN’s cheapest plan costs $8.32 per month if you buy a whole year. That’s $99.95 for the year, just a few bucks short of NordVPN’s two-year subscription.

3. Private Internet Access VPN - Best Option for Proxy and SmartDNS

Editors Rating:

9.4 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

Performance: Private Internet Access performed the best among our top five picks. The in-game latency was on par with ExpressVPN, ranging from 25 to 40 ms. By the way, we got the same latency when we played Apex Legends without a VPN, so using Private Internet Access didn’t seem to make our network any slower. The same goes for the download and upload speeds: 239 and 231 Mbps, respectively. That’s a normal reading for our 250 Mbps fiber-optic internet plan. There’s a reason for those fast speeds that we’ll share below.

Server availability: Depending on the setup process, we either had one, five, or 91 server locations to choose from with Private Internet Access. Using the proxy setup, which was the one we mainly used, we got a Dutch IP address. Using the SmartDNS approach, we got five options: Germany, U.K., U.S., Netherlands, and Japan. And using the virtual router setup, we got 91 locations from all over the globe.

A virtual router setup is ideal if you need IP address change to different locations. For example, it allowed us to change our Xbox location to Germany to play in a Fortnite mini-tournament hosted there by friends we met online.

Setup process: We know from our test of the best Apple TV VPNs that Private Internet Access, as a virtual router VPN, puts up decent but not the fastest speeds. This time around, we decided to test it as a proxy because we recently tested the best proxy servers and Private Internet Access came out on top.

The setup process was quick and easy. We simply entered the proxy IP address and port into our Xbox’s network settings. After hitting Save, all our Xbox traffic got routed to a proxy server in the Netherlands. As you saw above in the performance section, the proxy did not disappoint.

Let’s talk about proxy, why we opted to use Private Internet Access proxy server, and whom it’s best suited for. A proxy is a little different from a VPN. It routes your traffic through a server just like a VPN does, but it doesn’t encrypt your data. It can change your IP address but not shield your traffic, so it’s less secure. However, it’s because of that lack of encryption that proxy servers usually outperform VPNs in terms of speed.

We got an IP address in the Netherlands when we connected to the Private Internet Address proxy. That’s nearly 4,000 miles from where we live, but our internet remained very fast. Our Xbox’s connection averaged 239 Mbps for downloads and 231 Mbps for uploads. When we tested out PIA’s VPN on the Netherlands server, our readings dropped to 217 Mbps (download) and 199 Mbps (upload). Our in-game ping also shot up from the 25-to-40-ms range to the 60-to-90-ms range. The VPN was usable, but the proxy performed much better.

Private Internet Access’ proxy wasn’t perfect, though. It had one location in the Netherlands only, so if we wanted to, let’s say, play on a game server in Asia, it wouldn’t work. So if you want to connect to different locations, use the PIA VPN. Although it doesn’t perform as well as the proxy, it’s still fast. If you want to just change your location to any country and enjoy the fastest speeds, we’d recommend using the proxy. For example, when the U.S. servers of Apex Legends timed out, we kept playing by connecting to the proxy in the Netherlands.

The best thing about the proxy is that it is included with Private Internet Access. So with PIA, you can really take your pick between using a proxy and a VPN without paying more. Better still, you won’t pay top dollar for a VPN plan. A three-year plan costs $79; that’s $2.19 per month.

>> Read More: Best VPNs for traveling to China

4. Surfshark - Best for Pro Gamers

Editors Rating:

9.5 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

Performance: We’d say that Surfshark is a good alternative to NordVPN in terms of performance. It wasn’t as reliable — for example, the in-game latency swayed more drastically (30 to 60 ms) compared to NordVPN (40 to 60 ms). However, we had good speed readings from Surfshark, and it was also stable on most of the servers we tried. When we connected to a German VPN server, the ping stabilized at 70 to 80 ms and the download speed was 198 Mbps — still almost 80 percent of our internet speed.

Server availability: Surfshark has one of the largest fleets of servers among the dozens of VPNs we’ve tested. It has 100 server locations — the same as our next pick, CyberGhost — and it has over 3,200 servers in total. Moreover, we like that Surfshark servers have 10 Gbps ports,2 similar to the top-performing VPN for Xbox, NordVPN, which started upgrading its servers as far back as 2020.3 Surfshark is right on NordVPN’s heels in terms of server infrastructure and performance.

Setup process: To set up Surfshark, we used the virtual router approach. We found it the most fitting because Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for Windows. The Windows VPN app was easy to set up and use, and it let us change our VPN connection’s location quite easily to any of Surfshark’s 100 locations. It also helps that Surfshark has a video tutorial on how to set up a VPN-protected hotspot;4 we didn’t need it, but it can be a big help to VPN beginners.

Have you ever had someone threaten to hack you or find where you live after beating them badly in a game? Professional gamers are at risk of more than just getting shot down in-game; there are also real risks of real-life, physical attack. For example, DDoS attacks are common in gaming communities. A DDoS attack is when someone hacks multitudes of devices only to send junk traffic to your device, causing your network to bottleneck and eventually shut down.

Using a VPN can help prevent a DDoS attack, and Surfshark is especially good at it. The 10 Gbps ports we mentioned earlier can absorb the brunt of DDoS attacks, for example. And since Surfshark has thousands of servers, you can easily switch to a different one to avoid the flood of junk traffic.

We also like that Surfshark offers optional packages that include the VPN and its antivirus software. A VPN-only Surfshark subscription costs $2.39 per month at the cheapest if you buy a two-year plan or $3.99 if you buy a one-year plan. A VPN with antivirus software costs $3.06 monthly for two years or $4.09 monthly for one year.

We tested Surfshark’s antivirus and it did great in detecting and preventing malware-based attacks. It once stopped a computer worm from spreading on our laptop. While the antivirus software doesn’t work on Xbox, it kept our laptop, which we were using as a virtual router, in tip-top shape to keep traffic flowing without performance issues.

5. CyberGhost - Best Price and Value

Editors Rating:

8.9 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	No
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	No
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

Performance: CyberGhost is another solid performer. It didn’t do well in any particular area, but we experienced good speed and latency readings from our CyberGhost connection. Connected to the closest server, we enjoyed speeds of 217 Mbps (download) and 181 Mbps (upload) and an in-game latency range of 50 to 90 ms. Our one gripe is that when we connected to a server overseas in Australia, the latency fluctuated between 50 and 120 ms. There was one time it reached 128 ms, which is a little over the 120 ms we recommend for Apex Legends.

Server availability: In terms of server selection, CyberGhost offers 100 locations and over 9,000 unique servers. The majority of the servers are in Europe and Asia, which we think are good locations to choose if you want a more competitive environment. The Japan server is also good if you want early access to anime-based games. For example, One Piece Odyssey, based on the hit anime series “One Piece,” was released in Japan on Jan. 12, a day before it was released everywhere else.

Setup process: For the setup, we used CyberGhost on a Windows laptop as a virtual router. The process was the same as it was with all the other VPNs, like NordVPN and Surfshark, we set up using this approach.

In addition, though, we also set up CyberGhost as a virtual router VPN using a MacBook. Yes, a MacBook can also work as a virtual router, but it only works with VPNs that use the L2TP protocol. Besides CyberGhost, none of the other VPNs we tested use L2TP anymore because although it’s fast, it is generally less secure.

>>Learn More: Best VPNs for Mac

CyberGhost is a good value VPN. It wasn’t the fastest VPN for Xbox, but it worked just fine in optimal conditions. The latency was slightly higher (50 to 90 ms) compared to Surfshark and NordVPN, but we didn’t have any problem with lags — at least not when we were connected to the nearest server.

We also appreciate that CyberGhost’s server selection list on Windows and macOS gives you a general idea of which servers have the lowest latency at any given time. The in-game latency is usually higher than the server ping shown on the app, but we found that connecting to a server with green latency bars (as opposed to the ones with orange or red) always produces in-game latency of below 120 ms. So that’s something to keep in mind.

The price was what we really liked, though. A one-month CyberGhost subscription costs $12.99, lower than Surfshark’s $15.45 monthly plan. And if you’re willing to sign up for longer, you can get CyberGhost for $2.37 per month (or lower if there are deals) with the two-year subscription. That’s $56.88 total for a full two years of access.