VPN for gaming - does it really lower ping or just mess with it?

D Dividend ·

VPN for gaming - does it really lower ping or just mess with it?

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Dividend

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ok so so I've seen this pop up everywhere. Everyone swears by VPNs for gaming claim it lowers ping, helps with geo restrictions, yada yada. But honestly I'm skeptical. Like, seriously, does it really reduce ping or just make things look good on paper? Tried it a couple times and honestly the results are all over the place. Sometimes it feels faster, sometimes I get lag spikes worse than without it. And then you gotta deal with all the protocol stuff I mean, everyone pushes WireGuard or IKEv2 but does it even matter for gaming? Or is it just a marketing thing? Plus, some VPNs say they optimize for gaming, but I've noticed they often throttle or just add extra hops that make things worse. Anyone got some real-world experience? Does VPN actually cut ping or is it just snake oil for gamers? ymmv but I'd love some honest opinions before I blow another 10 bucks on a VPN trial that probably does nothing.
 
I get ya, I've seen tons of posts about VPNs helping with ping but honestly it's all over the place. I tried it myself a few times and sometimes it helped, sometimes it just made things worse. I think it's really hit or miss depending on your ISP, location and the VPN itself. Usually it's not a magic
 
Nah I don't buy the hype either, I've messed with VPNs for gaming and it's hit or miss, sometimes it feels like it helps but then the next day its total chaos with lag spikes and all that protocol jazz just makes it worse sometimes. Imho it's all about your isp and route not some magic VPN fix.
 
just my 2 cents, but most tests show VPNs only lower ping if you're connecting to a server close to your game server or if your ISP is throttling. According to a study I saw, average ping drops of 10-
 
tbh i tried VPN for gaming a few times, and honestly it's all about the server choice. once i connected to a close one, ping felt better but then i hopped to a farther one and it was worse. so yeah, depends on the route it takes and not just the protocol. never trust it blindly, gotta test and see what actually works for your setup.
 
24 milliseconds is pretty tiny in the grand scheme, and honestly, most of the time those small ping drops don't make a difference in gameplay unless you're super competitive.
 
bruh, honestly the protocol stuff barely makes a difference for gaming, it's mostly about the server and latency, not if it's wireguard or ikev2
 
Been doing this 3 years and honestly, VPNs for gaming are hit or miss. Sometimes I get lower ping if I find a server closer to the game server but other times it just adds latency or causes lag spikes. It's really a toss-up depending on your route and the VPN quality.
 
Yep exactly, but I think if you find a VPN with a really good server network and good routing it can actually help lower ping sometimes, ymmv.
 
bruh, one time I thought I hit the jackpot with a VPN, got some crazy low ping but then my game just froze lol. anyone else notice sometimes it just makes things worse for no reason?
 
Yep exactly but I'd correct the title a bit. It's more like "VPN for gaming - can it lower ping or just mess with it?" kinda changes the meaning, makes it sound more like a question than a statement
 
VPN for gaming - does it really lower ping or just mess with it. I think it can do both depending on your route, but most of the time it's just a gamble. Sometimes it's a win, sometimes a
 
I think people get too caught up thinking VPNs are some magic fix. sure, sometimes it helps if your ISP routes weirdly, but most of the time it's just a crapshoot. you could get worse ping or lag spikes fr. no way to know until you try.
 
VPN for gaming - does it really lower ping or just mess with it? been there, done that. once I used a VPN and my ping dropped by 20ms, but next day it shot up like crazy
 
VPN for gaming - does it really lower ping or just mess with it If you wanna test if a VPN can help with ping, pick one with servers close to the game server and run some tests at different times of the day. Sometimes switching servers within the VPN app can make a noticeable difference. ymmv but it's a cheap way to see if it improves your connection instead of just guessing
 
Yep exactly, VPN ping effects are all over the place ymmv and depend on the routing and server proximity
 
I found that with my connection a VPN usually added about 30-50ms no matter what, but I did get lucky once and a VPN actually cut my ping in half for a specific game server so I guess it's all about the routing and luck smh
 
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