Are you having trouble with your connection to Overwatch? Although an Overwatch VPN can't solve every problem, it might be the solution you need! In this guide, we show you the best VPNs for Overwatch and what they can help with.
The best VPNs for Overwatch are
If need an Overwatch VPN service, we recommend that you use one of the services below:
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for Overwatch. You get lightning fast speeds, servers in 94 countries and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- NordVPN - The best mid-range VPN for Overwatch. Nord offers fast speeds, lots of secuirty features, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark - The best cheap VPN for Overwatch. You get unlimited connections, servers located all over the world, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Private Internet Access - The most secure VPN for overwatch. PIA has proven in court that it doesn't log its users' activity, and backs this up with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- CyberGhost VPN - The best Overwatch VPN for beginners. It offers apps for all major platforms, as well as excellent speeds for online gaming and a 45 day money-back guarantee.
If you are blocked from using the chat feature, or completely locked out of the game, a fast, reliable VPN can get you around those blocks by letting you pretend to be in a different country.
If your internet connection itself is the problem, a VPN may be able to help. In some situations, a VPN's encrypted network can avoid issues that would otherwise interfere with your gaming. We've reviewed over 150 VPNs over the last few years and have pinpointed the 5 best VPNs for Overwatch players.
Best Overwatch VPNs | in-depth analysis
These are the best VPNs to play Overwatch with.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Overwatch. This well-known service has a large choice of servers all offering lightning-fast speeds for optimal gaming. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN is our #1 choice as the best overall VPN for Overwatch, and its network is consistently among the fastest according to our VPN speed testing. With thousands of servers across 105 countries
, ExpressVPN can easily get you past whatever blocks are keeping you out of the game. Its military-grade encryption and obfuscated servers could make all the difference when it comes to avoiding bandwidth throttling by your ISP, too, seeing as nobody wants to lose a game in Overwatch because of a terrible ping. Beyond its role as a top-class Overwatch VPN, ExpressVPN is an excellent general-purpose VPN as well. The apps are easy to use and perform remarkably well for unblocking Netflix US and other popular international streaming services. With server locations in almost every major country, and impressive apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, you can use this VPN to protect virtually any connected device. It even has VPN apps for routers, including Linksys WRT models and a wide range of ASUS RT series routers, allowing you to protect the whole household at once. Thanks to its no-logs policy and base in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN is ideally suited for gaining watertight online privacy. ExpressVPN operates "RAM-only servers" which are wiped every time the power is turned off. This ensures that data does not persist on hard drives when a server is rebooted, and also prevents potential intruders from persisting on the machine. You can test ExpressVPN yourself thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN offers strong security and privacy, the ability to unblock all the most popular streaming platforms and, of course, the ability to play Overwatch without worrying about your ping. Nord Demo NordVPN is another strong offering if you're looking to keep your connection private and secure while playing Overwatch. The company offers six simultaneous connections and doesn’t mind if you share your account with a friend. Nord offers over 111 countries
to choose from, including many locations in Europe and the United States. So wherever you are in the world, you can find a server close to you to make sure you get the fastest connection possible – which is essential in a fast-paced game like Overwatch. Beyond gaming, NordVPN has a lot to offer if you are in the US and concerned about your online privacy. They use top-notch encryption and have a no logging policy, and even include advert and malware blocking as part of their offering to help keep you safe while you play, stream and browse. There's even obfuscated servers to help keep you extra secure if you are in a country that frowns on online gaming, and double-VPN servers to make finding your actual IP even harder. Sometime you're going to run up against someone who doesn't want to play fair – that's just how it goes. NordVPN knows there's nothing worse than someone trying to ruin your fun by hitting you with a DDoS attack and disconnecting you from the game. There are always sore losers in competitive online games, and Overwatch is no different. You can put the service to the test for yourself, without risking your cash, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark is the cheapest VPN for Overwatch on our list. You get decent speeds, unlimited connections, servers all over the globe and both multi-hop and split-tunneling functionality. Surfshark Demo Based in the British Virgin Islands, Surfshark is a no-logs VPN service with great technical security, lots of useful features, and superb 24/7 support. The VPN comes highly recommended by subscribers, who are always impressed with the number of features it has considering the low price point. With Surfshark you get servers in over 100 countries
, that are all lightning-fast for gaming, streaming, or torrenting. And this VPN gives you the power to unblock a whopping 15 different Netflix libraries (including Netflix US) as well as BBC iPlayer and many other sought after services from around the world. Surfshark includes several other extras that go above and beyond just being a VPN provider. There's a custom DNS service called Smart DNS, their own ad-blocker called CleanWeb, and even their own version of "HaveIBeenPwned" called Surfshark Alert, which alerts you if your accounts have been compromised (though this feature does cost extra). These are useful features to have when you play online games like Overwatch as you're never sure who you might be matched up with or what intentions they might have outside of just winning the game. We are always impressed by the fact that Surfshark allows users to run the software on an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, but more than that, they offer extra features for those who might be resident in more restrictive locales. There's not a great deal of specifics, but the theory is that if the Surfshark app detects any of restrictions on your network, it will automatically switch over to the NoBorders mode. This then shows you a curated list of servers that it thinks will offer you the best performance, even with restrictions in place. Private Internet Access is a secure, yet fast VPN to use with Overwatch. It's a trustworthy service that keeps no logs and is a big favourite amongst torrenters and gamers alike. PIA Demo Private Internet Access (PIA) is a US-based VPN provider that keeps zero-logs, a claim it has even proven in court. PIA has thousands of servers in 84 countries
and offers an impressive array of privacy and security features including, OpenVPN encryption, a kill-switch and anti-malware/anti-tracking functionality as well. There's even split-tunneling if there's some traffic you'd rather didn't go through the VPN, such as some banking or e-commerce sites. A man cannot live on Overwatch alone, so when you need to take a break between rounds, PIA has you covered as they claim to be able to unblock all the most popular streaming services, from Netflix to Amazon, Crunchyroll to Eurosport, Disney+ to BBC iPlayer. With 6 simultaneous connections, someone else in your household could be gaming while you're taking a break catching up on the latest season of My Hero Academia or the Mandalorian. When it comes to speeds, PIA will have no problems allowing you to play Overwatch, ensuring that latency is the one thing you don't need to worry about. The last thing you need is to be healing your tank only for the game to lag and leave you on your own as the action moves on without you. With so many servers to pick from, you're almost guaranteed to find one near you for a quick connection! PIA is regularly up near the top of our speed charts, and you can see these speeds for yourself with PIA's 30-day money-back guarantee – see how it compares with the competition. CyberGhost is easy to use Overwatch VPN - perfect for beginners. It can unblock huge amounts of content from around the world and offers decent speeds. CyberGhost Demo CyberGhost is a VPN provider based in Romania that is ideal for playing Overwatch. With more than 100 countries
to choose from, this VPN is great for getting better connection speeds in places where ISPs are throttling bandwidth. Plus, this VPN will allow you to spoof your IP address to avoid an Overwatch ban, or to access the chat features in Overwatch in places where they are restricted by the government. CyberGhost provides all-around excellent speeds, which makes it a great VPN for gaming or streaming in HD. And this VPN works with Netflix US and BBC iPlayer for when you want to take a break from gaming and relax for a bit. With apps for pretty much every device you could want to use, you can even take it on the go into the big, scary outside world, safe in the knowledge that the VPNs' security has your connection and data protected. There's also the usual bevvy of additional features, such as a kill-switch, split-tunneling, and IPv6 leak protection, so you're really getting your money's worth. We love that this VPN lets you install and use its software on up to 7 devices simultaneously, which is a more generous allowance than most of the other VPNs on this list. You can use this VPN risk-free for up to 45 days thanks to its money-back guarantee, and if you are concerned about your anonymity, there's the option to pay in cryptocurrency. There's also a quite impressive array of addons that can be bolted on, including a dedicated IP, a password manager and an anti-virus product, making CyberGhost a true one-stop-shop for privacy and security. 1. ExpressVPN
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Jack of all trades
Cutting-edge security
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What is an Overwatch VPN?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a subscription service that can hide your identity and lets you pretend to be in a different country. An Overwatch VPN is a VPN that is particularly useful for playing Overwatch. It doesn't matter where you are, or where you purchased your subscription: With a VPN for Overwatch, you can avoid several problems that could interfere with your gameplay.
It's important to understand that in most cases a VPN will slow down your connection to Overwatch. By encrypting your traffic and routing your traffic via the VPN server, a slight loss of speed can be expected. Whether securing your connection is worth a minimal degradation in speed depends on your situation (for many people it is worth it).
If you can't log into the game, or can't chat with your teammates, a slightly slower connection could be a small price to pay. Whether the tradeoff is worth it in your particular situation (it will be if you have a very fast net) is something you will need to decide for yourself. A VPN's money-back guarantee can come in handy here - because you can check for yourself, knowing that you can get a full refund if the service doesn't work for your particular needs.
Here are some situations where an Overwatch VPN could be a worthwhile investment.
Can I use a free VPN to unblock Overwatch?
Although there are many free VPNs on the market, the vast majority of those services cannot be trusted to provide adequate data privacy. Free VPNs have often been found to contain spyware, to lie about the level of protection they provide, and to have concerning privacy policies that allow them to profit from your data. This is the opposite of what a VPN is supposed to do and puts you at serious risk.
The good news is that there are some free VPNs on the market that you can trust. Those services provide a limited version of their VPN for free, without skimping on privacy or security features.
You are free to try a reliable and trustworthy free VPN with Overwatch. However, it is worth noting that free VPN plans are only offered as a taster of what the full VPN can do. For this reason, they implement speed restrictions that you won't find on their paid premium plans.
Because of their restrictions (bandwidth and monthly usage limits), free VPNs are simply not suitable for playing Overwatch.
Thankfully, however, you can try any of the VPNs in this guide for free for playing Overwatch. They all have a risk-free money-back guarantee that lasts at least 30 days, which gives you plenty of time to see how the VPN performs on Overwatch.
You are blocked from playing Overwatch
Cheats and hackers from Asia cause problems from time to time on Overwatch. Consequently, the game's publisher, Blizzard, blocks many IP addresses from that area, which prevents huge amounts of abuse but can sometimes also inadvertently lock out legitimate players. If you want to play Overwatch and have never broken the rules, an Overwatch VPN is the ideal solution.
Even if you can log in to Overwatch, you may be missing out on some of its features - such as team chat. In some countries, VoIP services are blocked, which means that you will need a VPN. By connecting to a VPN server located abroad, you can play Overwatch from a country where chat services are not censored.
Problems with your connection to the game
The truth of the matter is that not every VPN is created equally. Some services have smaller networks with slower servers, which will make your gaming experience frustratingly laggy. In this article, we have recommended only high speed VPNs that are ideally suited to playing Overwatch; no matter where you live.
In some places around the world, ISPs engage in bandwidth throttling to prevent people from clogging up their networks for other users. If this is happening to you, a VPN may actually be able to speed up your connection by preventing your ISP from knowing what you are doing online.
A slow connection can also be caused by the particular server the game connects you to by default. A VPN for Overwatch allows you to route more effectively to Overwatch servers - or to play Overwatch servers that are physically closer to you. The ability to change which Overwatch server you play may provide a more reliable connection.
How to fix latency and ping issues on your Overwatch VPN
If you have a subscription to a VPN and you are suffering from slow speeds and high ping, it is possible that you will need to change to one of the services recommended in this guide. Not all VPNs provide the speeds you need for playing Overwatch, so it is vital that you stick to a recommended service.
If you've already got a subscription with a fast VPN that is known to be suitable for gaming on Overwatch (any of the services on this page), we recommend that you run through the checklist below to get the best performance possible:
- Alter the encryption protocol or encryption strength settings. We recommend OpenVPN UDP or IKEv2 to get the best possible speeds. In addition, if your VPN provides WireGuard you should try this because it is super fast. It is also worth noting that some VPNs have a custom implementation of WireGuard, so check with the VPN to find out which protocol you should use for gaming on Overwatch.
- Try a server that is physically closer to you. This can reduce the latency you are experiencing.
- Try a server that is closer to the gaming server. If you are connecting to a USA VPN server for example, try using servers on both coasts to see if this improves your speeds.
- Try using a server location between you and the gaming server. Picking a server mid-way has been known to improve Ping rates for some users. Also, try a variety of locations just in case one happens to change how your internet is routed to the server.
Best Overwatch VPNs: conclusion
In this Overwatch VPN guide, we've talked about the problems you can have when you try to play this popular game. We've seen how an Overwatch VPN can get you into the game when the powers that be try to keep you out or limit you. And we've seen cases where a VPN might help you get past some of the less-common connection issues that pop up.
If you are having any of the problems we've covered here, you know what comes next. The only way to know for sure if an Overwatch VPN will fix your game issues is to install one and see! All the VPNs on this list are quality services that offer free trials or money-back guarantees, so there is really no reason not to test drive these 5 best VPNs for Overwatch.
For more information on using a VPN for Overwatch on your preferred console, take a look at the guides below: