The best VPNs for gaming in Australia

Virtual private network (VPN) software is primarily used for greater online anonymity and security. But VPNs are multifaceted tools, which are great for streaming, plus certain VPNs are beneficial for online gaming.

For a great gaming VPN, the primary focus should be on a minimal impact to latency once connected, whether that’s in Australia or stretching out to opposite corners of the world like the UK and the US. A minimal impact to download and upload speeds can be important but are ultimately secondary to latency. Prices range from around €5 to $19.99 per month for a VPN that works great with gaming.

Of the 16 VPNs we’ve tested for latency, download and upload speeds, only Private Internet Access had a double-digit impact on latency (and that was a manageable 10ms). Every other VPN had a minimal impact, but Hotspot Shield was one of a handful that gave the same latency result as our baseline no-VPN tests. What helps elevate Hotspot Shield above the other contenders is a minimal impact to download speeds and basically no impact to upload speeds in our tests. For other countries, Hotspot Shield was only 8ms behind the winners for US latency but 35ms slower for our UK tests. Despite only allowing for five simultaneous connections, Hotspot Shield is an easy-to-use, versatile and speedy VPN.

For VPN alternatives that worked great in our Australian tests, consider ProtonVPN, Windscribe or Hola VPN.

Not only does Windscribe have bragging rights to the equal lowest US latency, it’s also equal first for the best latency in Australia. There’s a minimal impact on Australian download and upload speeds but, admittedly, that starts to change when you shift to the US (acceptable) or to the UK (noticeably slower). Still, latency is what matters most when it comes to a gaming VPN. One of the best perks of Windscribe, though, is it allows for unlimited simultaneous connections, so you can install it on any compatible gaming device in the home. While it does have a low global server count, Windscribe is an excellent streaming companion for bypassing geoblocks.

For low-latency US alternatives, consider Mullvad, TunnelBear or IPVanish.

NordVPN isn’t just our pick of the best VPN for streaming games in the UK, it’s also our pick of the best VPN service available today. In terms of UK latency, it was a mere 2ms slower than ProtonVPN, albeit with a lesser impact to download and upload speeds. For those curious to use NordVPN for gaming in other parts of the world, it was only 3ms slower than Windscribe and IPVanish for US servers, and only 1ms slower than our best results for Australian latency. While restricted to six simultaneous connections, NordVPN is also great for streaming and has plenty of servers around the world. If you’re after an extremely versatile VPN for gaming and everything else, NordVPN is well worth considering.

For alternatives, consider ProtonVPN, Mullvad or TunnelBear.

The main way we determine the best gaming VPNs for our categories is by first running a variety of speed tests. We start our comparisons with a baseline speed test without a VPN connected. All tests are performed on an Ethernet-connected Windows 11 PC with no other devices or apps using the internet.

We then connect to the fastest available servers in Australia, the US (typically Los Angeles) and the UK (usually London). If there’s an option for a manual server connection, we may test these for differences in results. The logic with testing these locations is not only because they’re popular places to play for Australians, they’re also at extreme distances from Australia (Sydney, specifically). This paints a picture of how well a VPN should perform with shorter connection distances.

Finally, we also consider the impact on download and upload speeds, depending on the region, though this is secondary to latency. We also use other factors—such as the number of simultaneous connections, server counts and locations, as well as price—to help separate contenders from category winners.