If you are looking to unblock CS:GO or want to play in a different region, then a VPN for CS:GO can help. VPN services change your IP and encrypt your connection so the CS:GO servers will think you are in the location you select in your VPN client.
VPNs can also prevent connection throttling. As a CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) player, you know that the difference between winning and losing is fractions of a second. If your connection lags or drops out, it could cost your team the match. In many cases, a CS:GO VPN can eliminate those problems.
In this article, we list the best CS:GO VPN services and give you some tips on using a VPN with CS:GO.
Best VPNs for CS:GO
We've hand-picked five of the best VPNs for Counter Strike: Global Offensive and listed them below. For more information about any of our recommendations, be sure to keep scrolling and check out our in-depth analysis, or head on over to the provider's webpage.
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for CS:GO. It has super-fast servers and is the most reliable VPN we have tested, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- NordVPN - A great VPN for CS:GO. It offers lightning-fast servers and fantastic apps for all platforms. With a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Private Internet Access - Unblock CS:GO with "Squid" proxies. It has a proven its no-logs policy, and a a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- PrivateVPN - A cheap VPN for CS:GO. It has excellent security features, the ability to unblock content, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark - The cheapest VPN for CS:GO. Includes lots of features, like stealth servers and split tunneling. With a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Before a VPN for CS:GO lands a place in our top five, however, we need to make sure it offers the following important features:
- Fast servers
- A Worldwide server network
- Plenty of functions to improve your gaming
CS:GO VPN – In-depth analysis
Let's dive in and take a closer look at our top VPN picks for CS:GO! We'll cover the most important details below, but you can also visit our detailed VPN reviews for full-length breakdowns of each service.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for CS:GO. It has consistently fast servers based in over 94 different countries, it's very reliable, and has great apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN has one of the fastest VPN networks in the industry. It also has the largest server network on this list, so you'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to picking out a location. This will permit you to hop into various CS:GO servers around the world, and can ensure that you get the best connection speeds possible. After all, when you're trying to win that sweaty 1vs1 at the end of the round, shaving as many milliseconds off your ping as possible truly matters. ExpressVPN has apps for all platforms, which means you can load it on various devices to share your internet connection from your console to a device running the VPN. Alternatively, ExpressVPN is compatible with VPN-ready routers such as Tomato and DD-WRT flashed routers. This enables users to connect to the VPN at the router level, which ensures that all devices (including consoles) benefit automatically from the VPN's location spoofing. This is great if you're playing other games across a networked console, too! Admittedly, this VPN is a little pricier than some of the other options we have recommended. However, it is a secure no-logs VPN that is extremely versatile and reliable. As a result, it has everything you need to gain strong digital privacy levels both at home and when using public Wi-Fi. ExpressVPN also has a superb 24/7 live chat function to help you when you need it. A superb all-rounder, and one we strongly recommend taking for a test run by making use of its 30-day money-back guarantee. Tested by River Hart NordVPN is a great value VPN for CS:GO. It has fast servers in 60 countries making it ideal for playing games. It also offers great security features. Nord Demo NordVPN is a reliable provider from Panama with fast servers in 60 countries
, ideal for playing CSGO – or any other online games. A subscription gives you six simultaneous connections so that you can use the VPN on any of your devices. This makes it great value for money and a superb choice for families who all need a VPN. You can install the service on your router, or purchase a shiny new pre-flashed router if you need to. And the company is fine with people sharing an account, too! This VPN is fantastic for gaining online privacy thanks to its advanced features, including OpenVPN encryption, DNS leak protection, an automatic kill-switch, and obfuscated servers. Plus, we love that this VPN has live chat support to help you when you need it. Finally, if you are worried about paying up front for a long subscription period, you can take advantage of the company's 30-day money-back guarantee to make sure you're happy with the service. Tested by Shaun Dewhirst Private Internet Access is an excellent VPN for CS:GO. Its "Squid" proxies can reduce latency as they use less encryption than a standard VPN. PIA Demo Private Internet Access VPN is a US-based provider that keeps zero logs, a claim it has proven in court on more than one occasion. It is a well-known VPN that has a lot of advanced features; which makes it perfect for users who want a multi-purpose VPN that offers a lot of granular controls and customization. With PIA you get apps for all platforms that come with a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, OpenVPN encryption, port forwarding, split tunneling, and a SOCKS5 proxy. With regard to CS:GO, PIA is known to provide exceptional speeds, which makes it great for gaming without lag. PIA offers thousands of servers across 84 countries
, too. These servers are in key locations, and come in handy for folks looking to access geo-restricted streaming services and social media sites, too! We enjoy using this VPN across all of our devices, and while it is probably best-suited to users who need more advanced features, this VPN is easy to learn and will provide greater versatility at an extremely good price point. For this reason, we recommend you take PIA for a test run by making use of its 30-day money-back guarantee. Tested by Sam Dawson PrivateVPN is a cheap VPN for CS:GO. It has servers dotted across the globe, making it a breeze to access CS:GO and offers users fantastic security features. PrivateVPN Demo PrivateVPN is certainly one of the smaller providers in this guide – but don't let that fool you! The service offers real value for money, with speedy servers across 63 countries
, which should make it incredibly easy to access CS:GO servers and other geo-restricted content. PrivateVPN servers are wickedly fast primarily because the service has High Quality Network (HQN) servers that more than hold their own when compared against some of the larger names in the industry. So, whether you're gaming, hopping into team chat, or streaming, you'll have a smooth experience. You'll be hard-pressed to find a device or OS that PrivateVPN doesn't have apps for, and the service allows up to 6 simultaneous connections, which is great if you have a number of gadgets you'd like to secure. That security is provided by staunch AES 256-bit encryption (which is virtually uncrackable) and a variety of protocols, including OpenVPN. Plus, PrivateVPN is a no-logs provider that simply isn't interested in keeping tabs on what you get up to online! Like the rest of our recommended VPNs, PrivateVPN offers a grace period of 30 days to test out their service with a money-back guarantee which you can take advantage of with no obligation to keep using the service. Tested by Andreas Theodorou Surfshark is the cheapest CS:GO VPN service. It's loved by its users and not just because of its low prices. It's packed with features including split tunneling, Smart DNS, and an Adblocker. Surfshark Demo Surfshark is a reliable VPN that consumers often praise due to its excellent feature set and impressive value for money. It is a no-logs VPN with apps for all platforms, and it lets subscribers install the VPN on an unlimited number of devices. This makes the VPN perfect for people who own a lot of devices, and ensures that you can install the VPN on any PC or VPN-compatible router in order to be able to leverage the VPN connection for playing CS:GO on a console. We enjoy using Surfshark on all of our devices, and the apps are fully featured with strong OpenVPN encryption, a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation. This makes the service perfect for gaining privacy both at home and on public Wi-Fi. And this VPN provides lightning-fast connections, which makes it great for gaming or for streaming in HD. With Surfshark you get a choice of servers in over 65 countries
, this makes it great for accessing foreign CS:GO servers and for ensuring you can always get the best speeds possible – by connecting to a server that is located physically closer to you. And, this VPN can unblock more international Netflix catalogs than just about any other VPN – as well as iPlayer, Hulu, and anything else you're after. We think this VPN is hard to beat, and if you need something cheap we consider it the best VPN on the list. You can try it out thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. Tested by Sam Dawson
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An Express pass to your favourite games
Router firmware for all-in protection
Premium service at a premium price
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Nord leaves other providers in the de_dust
Pre-flashed routers (No, not that flash...)
No financial obligation with a 30-day back guarantee
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Perfect privacy with PIA
PIA will take you wherever you need to go
A great service for both pros and n00bs
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Great service at a small price
Protect all your gaming devices
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Surf maps? Surf in style, with Surfshark
Game with confidence
Great for streaming
The advantages of using a VPN for CS:GO
Dropouts Caused by ISP Throttling
Many ISPs have a policy in place for games such as CS:GO because they use a lot of the network's bandwidth and require low-latency responses. Instead of improving their service, some ISPs throttle your connection speeds when you're playing online games. This means that they downgrade your connection by reducing the amount of bandwidth available to your game and de-prioritizing your traffic, resulting in slowdowns and knocking you right out of the game.
If your ISP is doing this to you, there isn't much you can do. Complaining to your ISP will likely result in being pointed towards their fair use policy, which will state that what your ISP is doing is completely legal. However, you can even the playing field: playing CS:GO with a VPN can help. That's because the VPN disguises the internet traffic traveling between your computer and the VPN's servers. This hides your online activity from your ISP. They can't throttle the game if they don't know you are playing!
Location-Based Problems
Some locations, such as schools or offices, make use of outbound firewalls that block you from playing CS:GO. Using a VPN to play CS:GO can get you around these blocks by encrypting your traffic. Thanks to the encryption provided by your VPN, the local network can't tell you are playing the game, so it doesn't know to block you. Note that using a VPN for gaming can also help you get into other content that would otherwise be blocked. By using a VPN for Netflix you can change Netflix country and unblock content from all over the world.
Malicious Action by Other People
Not everyone loves a winner, especially on the internet. If you are good enough at CS:GO, you may trigger attacks by other players outside the game. Unscrupulous players have been known to make use of botnets to launch DDoS attacks against their opponents (or even worse, full on hacking attacks) to keep them offline.
At the very worst end of the spectrum, exposing your home IP address gives hackers valuable information about your location that allows them to carry out swatting attacks, faking a 911 call that some sort of hostage situation is taking place at your house. If you're in the middle of the game-winning round, having the real Counter-Terrorists bust through your door is less than ideal.
Thankfully, there is a solution. The best VPNs have much more capacity to deal with these kinds of attacks than you do, making any attack against you less effective. A home connection might easily be kept offline with an attack from a few dedicated bots, but taking a VPN's server farm down is way harder and far more costly for the attacker. A VPN will also completely disguise your home connection, making it anyone's guess where you actually live.
Beyond this, using your CS:GO VPN when you are out of the game and using a public WiFi access point is smart. Because your VPN connection is encrypted, your data is safe from any snoops hanging out on the network and trying to steal your personal information.
Best CS:GO VPNs – Conclusion
We've highlighted five VPNs that are fast enough, and stealthy enough, to improve your connection to the game even if outside forces like your ISP try to spoil the fun. You won't get this sort of service from any old VPN, however – and the "free" providers you see advertised here and there certainly won't be up to the task.
If you want a better CS:GO experience and the added bonus of enhanced online privacy and security, you'll need to stick with one of the VPNs mentioned in this article. You can try them out yourself thanks to their trial periods and/or money-back guarantees, and see just what they can do to improve your game!
From $6.67/bb_table.month
The best VPN for CS:GO. It has super-fast servers and is the most reliable VPN we have tested, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 10 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 5
- Free trial
- No
- Server locations
- 160
From $3.29/bb_table.month
A great VPN for CS:GO. It offers lightning-fast servers and fantastic apps for all platforms. With a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.9 out of 10
- Server locations
- 60
- Simultaneous connections
- 6
- Free trial
- No
From $2.19/bb_table.month
Unblock CS:GO with "Squid" proxies. It has a proven its no-logs policy, and a a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.8 out of 10
- Server locations
- 84
- Simultaneous connections
- 10
- Free trial
- No
From $2.49/bb_table.month
A cheap VPN for CS:GO. It has excellent security features, the ability to unblock content, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.7 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 10
- Free trial
- No
- Server locations
- 81
From $2.30/bb_table.month
The cheapest VPN for CS:GO. Includes lots of features, like stealth servers and split tunneling. With a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.6 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- Unlimited
- Free trial
- Yes
- Server locations
- 108