With next-gen consoles finding their way into more and more homes across the world, the Xbox Series X and PS5 are still the most played consoles out there. These powerful machines are obviously made for gaming first, but also let you do much more. No matter where your online adventures with these consoles may take you, it's wise to have the backing of a VPN along for the ride.
Whether you'll be trying to hit some easier Warzone lobbies, skipping around geo-restrictions or streaming otherwise inaccessible content, a VPN can be one of the most useful tools on your console.
Many users don't just use their Xbox or PlayStation to play games, but also to stream content from any number of online services. For this, a VPN can help navigate around region-specific content, for example, allowing you to access content even when traveling far away from home.
In addition, a VPN will help keep you safe online, protecting your identity and shielding you from online hackers and threats that would otherwise breeze through the near non-existent defenses on your favorite console.
But as there are so many excellent VPN providers out there, choosing the best service to suit your needs isn’t an easy task. To make things easier for you, we’ve rounded up the top VPNs for the Xbox Series X and PS5 you can get right now.
Top 3 Xbox Series X and PS5 VPN
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The best Xbox and PS5 VPN:
The superb ExpressVPN tops a number of our best VPN lists, and this one is no exception. Sporting a long list of outstanding features, ExpressVPN can really transform the way you use your game console.
ExpressVPN offers access to a vast network of over 3,000 servers across 94 countries, all of which boast unlimited speeds for an improved gaming and streaming experience. Thanks to a built-in speed test feature, you can quickly connect to the best available server, and unlimited bandwidth means there’s no limit on the number of games you can download either.
If web browsing or streaming is your thing, you’ll be happy to learn that you can unblock Facebook, Twitter, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Spotify and many other platforms with ease. What’s more, ExpressVPN boasts security and privacy features such as a kill switch, 256-bit encryption, zero-knowledge DNS and a no-logs policy.
So, what's the catch?
Well, there isn’t a dedicated ExpressVPN app for Xbox or PS5 (but then, there aren't from any of the competition, either), but you can use it via the company’s MediaStreamer service or by installing it on a router (perhaps you want to check out ExpressVPN's own Aircove). Either way, there are clear instructions on how to do this via the ExpressVPN website. If you get stuck and need help, there’s 24/7 customer support, and you can get a refund within 30 days should you not be happy with the service.
Surfshark is another fine option that is compatible with both Xbox and PlayStation. Topping our list of fastest VPNs, it’s extremely straightforward to use on these consoles thanks to its smart DNS feature, and it's hard to argue with the pricing!
As well as being relatively easy to set up, Surfshark allows users to connect to over 3,200 servers in 63 countries. It provides excellent speeds, a private DNS and won’t track your internet activity.
One of the most attractive things about Surfshark is that there isn’t a cap on the number of devices you can use, either, meaning you can take out a single subscription for all your devices. Surfshark also allows users to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Peacock and other streaming platforms, while promising to “reduce ping time and latency”.
There are also some nifty security features, too, such as protection against malware, adverts and web trackers, a kill switch, private DNS and leak protection, 256-bit encryption, secure protocols like IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN - as well as a camouflage mode to stop ISPs from finding out that you have a VPN.
If this all sounds good, you can pick up a subscription for around $2.30 per month. A bargain price for an excellent piece of software.
If you’re looking for a VPN that is powerful, fast, easy to use and reasonably priced, NordVPN certainly has your back. It boasts more than 5,000 servers in 59 countries, giving you plenty of choice when it comes to finding available connections globally, and unlimited bandwidth. For Xbox and PlayStation, you can either connect via Smart DNS or your router.
NordVPN lets you access streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime TV, BBC iPlayer, and many other platforms from overseas. And thanks to the NordLynx protocol, you’ll experience impressive speeds when streaming and playing games on your Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. As well as this, NordVPN will help prevent your ISP from slowing down your internet speeds and allows you to connect up to 6 devices via a single subscription.
One of Nord’s more unique features is Double VPN, which will send your internet traffic via two VPN servers to improve privacy. And assuming that you're going to use your new VPN on other platforms, it's good to know that they come equipped with nice features including a malware and ad blocker, kill switch, extensions for Chrome and Firefox, DNS leak protection, a no-logs policy, as well as 24/7 support.
Subscriptions start at under $4/month (if you're happy to commit to a multi-year subscription), and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you decide that this isn’t for you.
Looking for a VPN provider that offers an enormous amount of available servers? Then look no further than CyberGhost, which allows you to connect to over 6,000 servers across around 90 countries.
CyberGhost allows you to access numerous streaming platforms and websites, including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook and Pandora. Although, in our experience, some of these are a bit more hit-and-miss than the providers above offer.
That’s on top of high-end features like 256-bit encryption, DNS and IP leak encryption, a kill switch, a choice of different protocols, a no log policy, unlimited bandwidth and traffic, high speeds, 24/7 customer support and a 45 day money-back-guarantee. Like the other providers, you can either connect a game console via connection sharing or by installing CyberGhost on a router.