Last Update: October 9, 2022
The PS5 took the world by storm when it was released back on November 12, 2020.
Sadly, its launch was thwarted due to the ongoing global semiconductor shortage. Even so, the console surpassed its predecessor’s sales of 2.4 million units after the first 2 weeks of launch. For that reason, it became the biggest product release ever in PlayStation history.
As most of you probably already know, the PS5 isn’t just a gaming console. On it, you can also access social media, stream movies, and do general browsing. Due to that, while using the console, it can be pretty easy for your digital privacy and security to be compromised.
Fortunately, there’s a way to keep safe while you’re on your PS5. All you’ll need to do is utilize a capable VPN service. But what is the best provider currently available? In this definitive guide, we’ll talk about just that and all the other things you may need to know regarding the topic.
Credit: nordvpn.com
Gaming Capabilities: NordVPN is one of the most popular VPNs for gamers.
It has a massive network that comprises more than 5600 servers across the globe. Many have excellent speed capabilities. In fact, during my time with these servers, my internet speeds remained wonderfully stable, allowing me to retain my competitive edge while playing.
Aside from being fast, NordVPN’s servers can also get you off the bandwidth throttling that your ISP might secretly be imposing. However, they don’t always do this. Because of that, you shouldn’t use NordVPN with the expectation that your internet connection will be faster.
I should also mention that NordVPN excels at bypassing geo-restrictions.
You may even utilize it to get around the Great Firewall of China. That means with NordVPN, it’ll be possible for you to play online games that you otherwise wouldn’t while you’re in the country. On top of that, you’ll get to access restricted websites as well as download geoblocked content.
Privacy & Security: On your PS5 and any other device, NordVPN will keep you secure. It has a firm zero-logs policy along with a RAM-disk-enabled network. Therefore, all of its servers are unable to compromise your logs. If anything, this makes them beyond trustworthy.
NordVPN uses AES-256 military-grade technology to encrypt your internet traffic. Together with that, the provider supports a wide variety of VPN protocols. The most notable of which goes by the name of NordLynx. To put it simply, it’s a proprietary protocol that’s based upon WireGuard.
I’ve found NordVPN’s apps to be remarkably user-friendly. All of them have interfaces that don’t require a steep learning curve. Consequently, they’re perfect for people who aren’t tech-savvy.
Another thing to know about NordVPN’s native applications is that they have a myriad of useful features. Besides your standard kill switch and ad & malware blocker, there’s also Double VPN, which improves your security by routing web traffic through multiple servers.
With everything going for it, you’d be surprised to find out that NordVPN was hacked.
One lone attacker was able to hijack a server and obtain information that could’ve been used to establish a fake NordVPN server. Fortunately, the perpetrator was caught almost immediately. As such, only the reputation of NordVPN took a hit during the unfortunate incident.
Pricing: NordVPN isn’t as expensive as you would think. It currently charges only $11.95 for a monthly subscription. However, you may get the provider for an even lower price if you take advantage of the many coupon and discount promotions that it frequently releases.
All of the transactions made with NordVPN are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Due to that, even with cryptocurrency purchases are guaranteed to be refunded fully.
Credit: surfshark.com
Gaming Capabilities: Surfshark and gaming are like a match made in heaven. The provider is one of the fastest in the industry. Most of its 3300+ servers have almost no impact on internet speeds. Consequently, these servers are superb for gaming and aren’t likely to cause lag or sudden frame drops.
I’d also like to state that Surfshark’s servers can also get you off bandwidth throttling. Needless to say, they cannot do so consistently. That means you shouldn’t connect to them and wait for your internet connection speeds to become faster because that simply might not happen.
Surfshark is great at getting around online restrictions. It’s even able to reliably bypass China’s Great Firewall along with other national censorship systems. Therefore, it is sure that the service provider shall allow you to access everything that you need on your PS5.
Privacy & Security: It is evident that Surfshark takes the privacy and security of its subscribers very seriously. The provider’s entire global network is RAM-based. Moreover, it maintains a zero-logging policy and is based in the British Virgin Islands which is VPN safe space.
Surfshark has some of the best specs of any VPN. Like other providers of its class, it employs military-grade AES-256 encryption. Moreover, it allows you to choose from a wide selection of VPN protocols. Among them is WireGuard - currently the safest and fastest protocol available.
All of Surfshark’s apps are wonderfully crafted. Each doesn’t take any effort to navigate as well as configure. More importantly, each of the provider’s applications comes loaded with an array of interesting features. Some, like the ad & malware blocker, come free. Meanwhile, others like the hacking alert system can only be used if you pay an additional fee.
Now with all that being said, perhaps the number one thing that makes Surfshark stand out the most is its support of unlimited simultaneous connections. That’s correct. With one Surfshark subscription, it will be possible for you to protect the digital lives of everyone you know.
Pricing: Surfshark offers the greatest value for money of all our VPN picks for PS5. After all, it supports unlimited simultaneous device connections, has loads of features, and is an excellent performer. With that out of the way, a 1-month Surfshark subscription will currently cost you just $12.95. And yes, that $12.95 can be fully refunded because of a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Credit: expressvpn.com
Gaming Capabilities: Few VPNs are as great for gaming as ExpressVPN. It has extremely fast servers that seldom make noticeable impacts on downloading, uploading, and ping speeds. On top of that, these servers also can escape bandwidth throttling and increase your online connection speeds.
You may use ExpressVPN to bypass nearly any geo-restriction that you may encounter while on your PS5. The VPN service boasts unblocking capabilities that’ll surely impress. It can even circumvent the Great Firewall of China and other similar censorship systems easily.
Privacy & Security: ExpressVPN is famous for its privacy and security capabilities. While using it, you’ll definitely be in safe hands. The provider was the first industry leader to start using RAM servers that can’t track, gather, and store logs. Moreover, it’s also one of the few VPNs that has itself regularly subjected to independently-done security audits.
As you might’ve already guessed, ExpressVPN adheres to robust encryption standards. It uses military-grade AES encryption. Moreover, it supports OpenVPN, IPSec/LT2P, and IPSec/IKEV2. Most interestingly though, the provider has not opted to support WireGuard. Instead, it decided to develop its own proprietary alternative VPN protocol called Lightway.
When it comes to apps, ExpressVPN surely doesn’t disappoint. You surely won’t have a hard time using the provider on any device. In fact, even children and the elderly are sure to immediately get their way on any of ExpressVPN’s apps without any problems.
Unfortunately, while easy to use, none of ExpressVPN’s apps have any exclusive features. They don’t even have a dedicated ad & malware blocker. Because of that, those who absolutely need one will have to utilize another piece of software.
Pricing: ExpressVPN managed to garner a reputation for being overpriced. However, this could not be further from the truth. Although it’s a bit more expensive than your average VPN, its rates are still beyond reasonable. You may buy a basic monthly subscription plan for $12.95.
Refunds are easy if you’re ever unsatisfied with your ExpressVPN subscription. That’s because the provider has a 30-day money-back policy. Aside from that, it also supports cryptocurrency payments so that you won’t need to break your online anonymity when making a purchase.
The PS5 is a gaming console developed by Sony to be the successor of the PS4. Announced in 2019 and released in 2020, it has managed to garden widespread acclaim.
Critics have praised its many improvements over its predecessor. However, the PS5 has also gotten negative media for its lack of availability because of the ongoing global semiconductor chip shortage.
Like the PS4, the PS5 isn’t merely a gaming console. One may also say that it’s an all-in-one home entertainment hub. That’s because, on it, you may stream movies, browse the web, do online shopping, and check your social media accounts.
As of writing, there have been hundreds of games already released for the PS5. In addition, the console is also backward compatible with over 99% of its predecessor’s games.
The best VPNs are capable of reliably getting around geo-restrictions. With them, you’ll be able to access content that would otherwise be unavailable in your location. This makes them invaluable to those who live in places where internet censorship remains rampant.
A VPN for PS5 will let you access blocked websites on online services on the console. Besides that, you’ll get to download games that normally wouldn’t be available in your region. Last but not least, you shall also get to tap into foreign gaming servers to play with a lot more people.
Before anything else, VPNs are online security tools. They encrypt your internet traffic and hide your IP address to make you completely anonymous online. With the blanket of protection that they offer, you’ll not have to worry about getting hacked or spied on by malicious third parties.
If anything, this is great news since many cybercriminals look into online games to find their next victims. This remains true even for consoles like the PS5. Because of that, it’s great to have the additional level of privacy and security protection that a dependable VPN service provider offers.
VPN services generally make a negative impact on internet connection speeds. However, some providers can actually improve your web connection by eliminating bandwidth throttling. That said, not all providers can do this. Moreover, even those that can don’t do so consistently.
Despite not being able to reliably improve connection speeds, a good VPN is still really great to have if you’ve got an ISP known for bandwidth throttling. After all, it just might be that thing that will provide you with that badly-needed competitive advantage as you play.
Want to use a VPN for PS5 but don’t know how? Simply follow these four steps:
Kick things off by getting a VPN for your PS5. Make sure that you choose a capable provider that performs well. It shouldn’t have bad security and speed capabilities. Furthermore, it also needs to be good at bypassing geo-restrictions.
Under no circumstance should you get a free VPN provider. The reason is because it’s unlikely to meet your gaming needs. Instead, you should choose any one of the VPNs that we discussed earlier. Each one of them is sure to not leave you disappointed after your purchase.
The next thing for you to do is install your VPN. Because no provider offers native applications for PS5, you’ll need to set up your VPN on a compatible router. This process can be tricky if you’ve not done it before. Chances are, you’ll need to contact customer service for help.
Fortunately, all of our recommended VPNs for PS5 sell a wide array of pre-configured routers. These routers will let you skip the technical installation process. If you ask me, this is great news for those who value convenience and their time above all else.
After installing your VPN on your router, it’s time to configure it. First of all, you should choose a server to connect to. The location you pick could be anywhere. With that said, you should go for the nearest major server that your VPN has to offer. That way, it will be less likely to slow down your internet connection speeds.
One other thing to do is activate your VPN’s kill switch. You’ll need to do this to protect yourself from unwanted online exposure. You see, a VPN kill switch is an essential security feature that most VPNs have. It basically works by automatically disconnecting your device from the web if its connection to your VPN gets cut in any manner.
The last thing left for you to do after completing all the aforementioned steps is to start playing on your PS5.
Keep in mind that you must stay connected to your VPN during the entire duration of your online gaming session. Disconnecting shall leave you fully open to cybercriminals, government monitors, and other entities that may compromise you.
It was quite difficult to come up with our current rankings for the best VPNs for PS5.
For starters, we did a lot of research to narrow down our choices. There are literally hundreds of options that are currently available on the market. Each claims to be the best choice for PS5 and gaming in general. In reality though, very few can meet the needs of gamers like yourself.
Once we settled on our candidates, members of our team tested them out. They sought to find out how well their security, unblocking, and speed capabilities were.
The last thing we did was compare our top pick’s rates. How come? So that we could determine how much value our money do they offer. After all, value and affordability are oftentimes the two factors that dictate whether a VPN is attainable or not.
