Should i use a VPN when playing games? VPN software for gaming

Surely you have encountered many advertisements that VPN services (virtual private networks) will help you experience the web, watch movies or play online games better. There is no denying that in the Internet world of 2021, VPNs are ubiquitous because in part it focuses on improving privacy and security for users.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network (virtual private network), allowing us to set up a virtual private network with another network on the Internet. You can read more about a VPN through the following article:

1. How many types of VPNs are there and what are the uses of each?

VPNs can be understood as 'tunnels' that help conceal our data as we go through it. VPN technology is classified into two basic categories: Site-to-Site VPN and Remote Access VPN.

Site-to-Site VPN

Is a model used to connect networks in different places to form a unified network. In this type of connection, the terminal at the Site will take care of the initial authentication, these devices act as a  gateway  and this is also the place where many security policies related to data transmission are set. secure data between sites together.

Site-to-site VPN helps solve many problems in practice, when businesses need to communicate with each other securely and securely through the intranet, not the Internet.

Remote Access VPN

Describes the need to access the intranet (Local Area Network, Intranet) of a company via Gateway or VPN of remote users. This solution is called client / server. One solution that solves the desire to work from home for employees but still wants a secure connection to the corporate network.

2. Does a VPN protect your computer from DDoS attacks?

What is DDoS attack?

A denial of service attack (DoS attack - short for Denial of Service) or a distributed denial of service attack ( DDoS attack  - short for Distributed Denial of Service) is an attempt to get people to User cannot use the resources of a computer.

The peer-to-peer model  is applied in VPN to help online gamers have a smoother experience. But sometimes it is in those same circumstances that  your IP address can be discovered  by others. Your computer's IP address is the same as your home address but for computers and routers on the Internet.

Once you have the IP address of another device you can try to connect to it, but if the person has malicious intent, this test connection becomes the premise for a denial of service (DDoS) attack. . They will use that IP address to send a large amount of Internet traffic that causes device lag and computer crashes. However, DDoS attacks against large companies like Google or Amazon are an everyday experience.

These DDoS concerns have dominated the online gaming world. You can easily see that on any online game forum there are fears of DDoS attacks while playing games. At the end of 2019, an attack on World of Warcraft game's Server left all gamers' efforts useless because the problem was the game's server itself, not your Internet.

There is another type of DDoS attack that is not common, but gamers should know to prevent. If you receive a chat request from strangers, they'll try to direct you to a website or a chat room they've set up to find your IP address. Although not so popular, this is still a form of phishing.

If you think your device has been under a DDoS attack while playing a game, check for those around you having a similar experience and what you did before these strange experiences. Find out on the forums and related support pages of the game developer to understand the problem you are having.

3. Can a VPN improve gaming performance?

The reason why gamers choose a VPN comes from the fact that they will not suffer from squeezed bandwidth like the domestic Internet, if they are using a VPN server close to the game server location. But the speed of bandwidth that a VPN provides is not the same as the Internet connection because it is unstable, although it may help the connection a lot better, using a VPN for gaming is hardly feasible.

For example, if your Internet service provider doesn't tweak your VPN while tuning your gaming connections, a VPN can help improve your performance. You can use a VPN to bypass the 'barrier' that public Wi-Fi has blocked from connecting to the game.

When you want to play the game in other regions like Europe or Asia, make sure that the game won't automatically connect you to any other region, as for some games with zone lock, jump over jump. Returning zones using a VPN will knock you out of the game

At universities or companies, they often block certain games so that their students or employees can focus on their work. Using a VPN can bypass IP filters, but this is a bad idea if you want to go against the organization's rules.

4. Should I use a VPN to play games?

VPN is a great tool to help you stay anonymous and take advantage of an intermediary server to avoid bandwidth squeeze. But using a VPN for gaming is really unnecessary. However, if you play games with servers located overseas instead of in Vietnam, VPN will help you reduce lag when you are far away from the game's server.

Also, before you decide to spend money to buy a VPN account, find out what network protocol your game uses and what the developer has been doing to prevent DDoS attacks. . If the developer does not have any measures, you should use a VPN to avoid DDoS attacks.

5. The best free and paid VPN software and services available today

Free VPN software and services

- Hotspot Shield

1. Publisher: AnchorFree.
2. Capacity: 20.6MB.
3. Compatible: Windows,  macOS , Linux,  iOS , Android, .
4. Download link:  Hotspot Shield.

Hotspot Shield is a software that supports access to websites censored by government content through a secure private server system, and at the same time experience a safe anonymous browsing environment. Hotspot Shield helps hide your real IP address, protect public WiFi connection, protect the system from malware.

Advantages	Defect
Safe connection and Internet access. Surf the web freely without limits. Easy to install on computer. Unlimited data transfer capability and good transmission.	Unwanted advertisements from the software appear. Web surfing speed is slower than normal.

- OpenVPN

1. Publisher: James Yonan.
2. Size: 1.6 MB.
3. Compatible: macOS, Windows,  Android , etc .
4. Download link:  OpenVPN

OpenVPN is an essential piece of software in any standard VPN provider's toolkit. It provides top-notch security, keeps your connection absolutely safe, and works flawlessly on most platforms.

Advantages	Defect
High level security. Works on most devices. Open source.	Third party intervention. It is difficult to set up a VPN configuration.

- Avira Phantom VPN

1. Publisher: Avira GmbH.
2. Capacity: 5.1MB.
3. Compatible:  Windows , Android, IOS.
4. Download link:   Avira Phantom VPN

Avira Phantom VPN provides you with a strong encryption and VPN security service, smooth performance, no IP or DNS leak. It unlocks Netflix, works with almost any device on the market, and has a free plan.

Advantages	Defect
Using one of the most encrypted and secure protocols on the market. Stop communicating with the Internet when the VPN loses connection. Unblock Netflix. Easy to use. Connect with many devices. Both free and paid versions are available.	Some personal information may be collected by the supplier. Competence 14 Eyes - Germany. The speed is very slow, the normal speed is reduced by 10% - 20%, even 50% - 70%. Lack of compatibility with some devices, incompatibility with TV or Game Console, and no routers.

- 1.1.1.1

1. Publisher: Cloudflare.
2. Capacity: About 120MB on iOS and about 6MB on Android
3. Compatibility: iOS 10.3 or later, Android 5.0 and above.
4. Download link: On iOS:  CLICK HERE . On Android:  CLICK HERE .

1.1.1.1 is a high speed DNS service and comes with excellent quality of security from Cloudflare. This is known to be a very prominent reverse proxy service provider in the market.

Advantages	Defect
Less battery life than other VPNs. Support the switching between Wifi and mobile networks better. Increase content compression. Your data will be committed by Cloudflare to not store to identify you, as well as to use it to sell advertising.	Anyone who is listening to packets on the network knows that you are trying to access cloudflare.com. DNS is unencrypted, and third parties easily change the DNS response to route unsuspecting visitors to phishing or malware sites.

Paid VPN services and software

- ExpressVPN

1. Publisher: ExpressVPN
2. Capacity: 2.3MB
3. Compatible: Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, etc.
4. Price: $ 6.67 / month
5. Download link:  ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has built a name for itself in the VPN business. This is considered a not cheap service, but the quality it brings is really worth it. Their sheer number of features combined with a large number of servers make it a difficult service to beat.

Advantages	Defect
The policy does not log. Strong security and AES-256 bit encryption. Fast speed, outstanding. Works with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc. Safe, fast and unrestricted torrent / P2P. User friendly application.	One of the most expensive VPNs today. VPN disconnect switch on iOS is not available. There is no graphical GUI operating system Linux.

- NordVPN

1. Publisher: NordVPN.com.
2. Capacity: 20.2MB.
3. Compatible: Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, etc.
4. Price: $ 12.18 / month.
5. Download link:  NordVPN

NordVPN is seen as another giant in the VPN business, based in Panama. Operating since 2012, the company has made great strides in just a short time. As of 2018, it has more than 4,000 servers located in 62 countries.

Advantages	Defect
Do not keep logs of user activity. Stop communicating with the Internet when the VPN loses connection. Protection with dual VPN. Connect 6 devices on many types of platforms. High speed. Netflix is ​​updated continuously. There are more than 4,000 servers in 62 countries around the world.	Doesn't work well in some countries with strict internet regulations (like China or Turkey). Only supports running Torrent on some servers. Server and application connection is slow. The configuration is not user friendly.

- PureVPN

1. Publisher: PureVPN.
2. Capacity: 39.5MB.
3. Compatibility: Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux.
4. Price: $ 10.95 / month.
5. Download link:  PureVPN

PureVPN is one of the lesser known VPN providers in the VPN business. While PureVPN has a very good price and offers a lot of interesting features.

Advantages	Defect
Good data encryption, using 256-bit AES data encryption technology. The policy does not log. Full support Torrenting.	PureVPN doesn't really control a DNS leak. Does not support Netflix. Inconsistent information + slow speed.

- IPVanish

1. Publisher: IPVanish
2. Size: 6.1 KB
3. Compatible: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, etc.
4. Price: $ 3.49 / month 
5. Download link:  IPVanish

IPvanish is a VPN service with speed, strong security system, and strict no-logging policy. Unlike many other VPN services, it allows torrenting and unblocking Netflix.

Advantages	Defect
Can be used with most devices. High security due to 256-bit encryption. Policy does not save access logs and interrupt activity. The speed is large enough to stream 8k video.	Lack of optimized servers. There are privacy issues related to logging in or singing the server in an unusual location. The customer support service is not good. Poor customer application.