Best VPN for Xbox One in 2025: Anonymous Gaming
There are many benefits of using a VPN for Xbox One and the newer Xbox Series X and Series S. Benefits range from preventing swatting or DDoS attacks during gameplay, to accessing geoblocked games or getting the best deals. Read on to see which Xbox VPN is the best for you.
Written by Anna Millere
Reviewed by Aleksandar Kochovski (Writer)
Last Updated:
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Best VPNs for Xbox One
- NordVPN — Highly secure, with plenty of servers. New NordVPN subscribers get up to 72% reduced rates on long-term commitments.
- ExpressVPN — Blazing fast speeds and a strict, no-logging policy. Get 25% off the first two years with ExpressVPN, covered by its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Private Internet Access — Large server of networks.
- PrivadoVPN — Affordable subscriptions and a free plan.
- CyberGhost — Inexpensive and unlocks popular streaming services.
- Surfshark — Budget friendly VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections. Explore Surfshark’s features with a 30-day return policy, and grab extended plans at a 66% (plus 3 months free) discount.
Facts & Expert Analysis
- Using a VPN for Xbox One will help to protect you from malicious DDoS attacks, swatting and IP bans.
- NordVPN is the best VPN for Xbox One due to its blazing fast speeds, large server count and long-term affordability.
With the release of the Xbox One — followed by the newer Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S — more of us are turning to VPNs for an improved and flexible gaming experience. There are various reasons to get a VPN for Xbox, like accessing the latest game deals just by changing your IP address.
From a security standpoint, using a VPN provider is a great idea, and we’ll get into the other benefits soon. Don’t let the installation process throw you off, either, since all of the VPNs on our list today are compatible with your router.
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09/07/2022
Updated Windscribe pricing: the paid plan increased to $5.75 per month from $4.08. The Build-a-Plan minimum purchase also increased to $3 from $2. Also updated Windscribe’s free data cap to 15GB due to it offering 5GB extra permanently when you tweet about the service.
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10/01/2024
We refreshed these rankings based on the latest VPN testing and market analysis.
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12/04/2024 Facts checked
We further updated the rankings based on our automated latency tests.
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01/26/2025 Facts checked
We’ve updated our VPN recommendations to better reflect VPN gaming performance.
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What Makes the Best VPN for Xbox One, Series X and Series S?
When it comes to picking the best VPN for the Xbox, it’s important to consider whether the provider is secure enough and if it is able to maintain good gaming performance and relatively fast speeds.
There are various qualities to look out for when choosing a VPN for your Xbox console, and security is one of them. High-grade encryption, like 256-AES, is a must for keeping your online identity private. It’s also best if a VPN provider comes with a zero-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t store any of your private information.
Speed is another important factor. There’s nothing worse than experiencing terrible gameplay lag in a clutch fight because of a slow VPN connection. While even premium VPN services, like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, will produce a drop in your ping, upload and download speeds, the decrease is usually very slight and almost unnoticeable.
Lastly, every VPN on our list today is compatible with Xbox One and the newer Series. There are a few ways to use a VPN on your console: you can connect your Xbox to your PC or laptop with an ethernet cable, or install the service on your home router.
We prefer the latter because the process is simple, and you can enjoy a secure internet connection on all your devices at home. Learn more about the best VPN for your router here and its installation process, too.
Is a VPN Worth It for Gaming?
A VPN is definitely worth it for gaming. Using a trusted VPN provider on your Xbox will protect you from online attacks, plus, it will even allow you to snag better game deals by changing your IP address to a different location. Let’s dig in to some of the benefits of using a VPN for gaming.
Prevent Swatting
Using a secure VPN provider, such as NordVPN, will help to prevent malicious swatting. Swatting occurs when a player gains access to your IP address, figures out your location and makes fake threats — resulting in the authorities being called to your home.
Avoid Bandwidth Throttling
A VPN can help you avoid bandwidth throttling, which occurs when your internet service provider (ISP) intentionally slows down your speed when using too much data, whether it’s gaming or binge-watching Netflix. Using an Xbox VPN, you can effectively conceal your IP address from your network provider, allowing you to enjoy much smoother gameplay.
Skip Past IP Bans
Annoying IP bans are another thing that often affects gamers. It can occur when a server owner assumes you’re cheating or something of the sort when in reality, you’re just great at the game… right? A premium VPN puts a stop to this by rerouting the network connection and making your actual IP address untraceable. Therefore, no more IP bans.
Get Around Geoblocks
Using an Xbox VPN also allows you to effectively get around geoblocks to access restricted content, websites and more. Not only will this let you stream different Netflix libraries, but you’ll also be able to game on region-locked servers and even unblock various Xbox Live functions.
The 6 Best VPNs for Xbox
With that being said, let’s dive into our top six VPNs for Xbox One, Series S and Series X and see how they all measure up against each other.
1. NordVPN — Best VPN for Xbox
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
NordVPN has earned its place on our best VPN list for a reason. Let’s start with security. Not only does NordVPN include the highly secure AES-256 encryption, paired with the OpenVPN protocol, but it also comes with WireGuard. WireGuard is an open-source software VPN tunnel that uses the ChaCha20 cipher for encryption. It’s very secure and claims to be faster than AES, as well.
You can also expect great streaming performance with NordVPN, as well as the ability to bypass geoblocking to enjoy restricted content, like Netflix U.S. and Hulu on your Xbox gaming console. NordVPN is also easy to set up on your home router. You can learn more about its features in our NordVPN review and read our guide on how to set up a VPN on a router.
Stay Secure While Gaming With Double-Hop Servers
Due to the threat of DDoS attacks and swatting, staying secure while gaming is a must. Therefore, we like NordVPN’s double-hop servers, which tunnel your traffic through two VPN servers rather than the one. This guarantees complete privacy while gaming, since your online activity won’t be revealed even if one server fails.
NordVPN isn’t the cheapest monthly VPN (check out our list of the best free VPNs), but it offers an affordable two-year option, which makes it a good VPN to consider for the long term. The service also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee to test it out.
- **VAT may apply
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are shown only apply for the first 12 months.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- **The prices are applicable only for the first 24 months. Secure, high-speed VPN Threat Protection Pro™: Anti-malware and advanced browsing protection Threat Protection Pro™: Ad and tracker blocker Password manager with Data Breach Scanner 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage Identity and SSN monitoring and alerts Credit monitoring services Up to $1M in identity theft insurance Up to $100K in cyber extortion insurance
- 10
Overall, we definitely recommend NordVPN for gaming consoles, like the Xbox One, for its advanced security features alone, including its kill switch option. What’s more, NordVPN also is simple to navigate, as it comes with a user-friendly app on all devices.
2. ExpressVPN — Best Xbox VPN for Beginners
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
The reason ExpressVPN comes in high on this list boils down to the essentials: fast speeds and reliable security. As you can see in our ExpressVPN review, it performed very well during our speed tests. Plus, our ping remained stable and well below 100ms, meaning our gameplay wasn’t negatively affected. No surprise there, since ExpressVPN ranks on our best VPNs for gaming list as well.
ExpressVPN also wins points for its security since it uses near-unhackable AES-256 encryption. Additionally, it uses the OpenVPN protocol, which is super secure and fast. On top of that, ExpressVPN features a kill switch function, which will cut your internet connection if the VPN crashes, so your IP address doesn’t get accidentally leaked.
Save Money on the Latest Games
ExpressVPN comes with impressive abilities to bypass geoblocking, meaning you can easily snag the latest game that’s already out in another country, and maybe at a discounted price as well. Not only that, but changing your IP address also offers an extra blanket of security while online.
There is no hiding the fact that ExpressVPN isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s the best VPN on the market, which makes it worth every penny. Its pricing options are pricey, but you can get a decent deal when opting for a 12-month subscription. However, ExpressVPN includes a tried-and-tested 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Pricing for the annual and biennial plans applies only on the first year.
- Unlimited GB
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- Yes
As you can see, ExpressVPN ranks as one of the top VPNs for Xbox One. Not only is it fast and secure, but it’s also close to the best VPN for DDoS protection. Its ability to bypass geoblocking allows you to access restricted content, such as global Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime and more.
3. Private Internet Access — Xbox VPN With Large Server Network
Fast
Fast
Very Fast
PIA is close to being the cheapest VPN around, but don’t let its affordable price tag fool you. PIA is still a premium VPN service with a very large server network and only a few downsides, such as including sometimes inconsistent speeds and a tricky setup process.
Regarding security, PIA is fairly flexible when it comes to customizing its protocols and encryption on its control panel. However, by default, PIA uses AES 128-bit encryption, which is a solid choice from a security standpoint, but it’s just not as powerful as AES 256-bit encryption. PIA opts for an OpenVPN protocol, and you can also switch to the latest security protocol, WireGuard.
Large Server Network Opens a World of Opportunities
PIA can be a fast VPN option for gaming, if you choose the right server. Luckily, PIA has a lot of server options. It has more than 25,000 servers in 77 countries. This means you have a lot of options for accessing international deals or games released in specific countries.
As we already mentioned, PIA comes with great plans that won’t break the bank, either. The best deal is its three-year plan, where you also get an extra two months free. Additionally, you can try PIA out for 30 days, using its money-back guarantee.
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1-month plan, 6-months plan, 1-year plan, 2-year plan + 2 months
PIA is a solid choice for a VPN, with an affordable price tag, too. However, it’s a little trickier to install on your router than the other providers on this list. Once you do get over that hurdle, you can enjoy decent gameplay speeds and streaming with PIA. Read more about PIA here to see what other features it offers.
4. PrivadoVPN — Best Free VPN for Xbox
PrivadoVPN offers a fantastic free plan that allows you to test it before fully committing to it. While its speeds aren’t as quick as other premium VPN services like NordVPN, it’s still able to bypass geoblocks and access streaming platforms through your Xbox One, such as Netflix, Hulu and BBC iPlayer.
Regarding security, we have no complaints about PrivadoVPN. It uses strong AES-256 encryption and trusted protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2 — you can make sense of all the VPN protocols here. Lastly, PrivadoVPN also comes with a clear privacy and no-logs policy.
Gaming Protection for Free — or Cheap
PrivadoVPN is best known for its free plan, where you can take advantage of unlimited data — however, after 10GB monthly use, you’ll be switched to the “Lite” plan with slower speeds, and you won’t be able to choose your server location.
PrivadoVPN’s best plan is the two-year option, and it’s the cheapest option on our list, costing $1.33 per month.
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Overall, PrivadoVPN will offer great VPN protection while gaming or streaming online. While its internet speed isn’t as impressive as other VPNs, it makes up for it with its top-notch security protocols and clear online privacy. Check out our PrivadoVPN review to learn more about what it offers.
5. CyberGhost — Cheap Xbox VPN
Good
Good
Very Fast
CyberGhost has been a favorite for many years due to its abundance of features and user-friendly interface — it’s even on our best VPN list, too. However, this VPN service is also lacking in various areas — like its speed, which isn’t bad, but it hasn’t exactly earned a place on our fastest VPN list, either.
Regarding Cyberghost’s speed for online gaming, we generally experienced an average latency in countries closest to us and more inconsistent speeds abroad. However, it still provided decent ping results on average, and we only experienced minor lagging when gaming on faraway servers. You can check out our speed test results and other useful info in our CyberGhost review here.
Game Like a Pro for Cheap
CyberGhost’s monthly plan works out to be even more expensive than ExpressVPN. However, it’s one of the few VPN services that offers a three-year subscription, which breaks down into a really good deal. You can effectively pay $2.19 per month for the VPN on the two-year plan.
If that seems like too long of a commitment, though, you can try CyberGhost out with its impressive 45-day money-back guarantee, or you can even opt for its one-day trial.
- *The 2-year plan includes 4-months free which breaks down the 56.94 t0 $2.03 per month. *The price under the 2-year plan is billed yearly after the first two years.
- Unlimited GB
- 7
- Yes
There are many things to like about CyberGhost, including its specialty servers designed for both streaming and torrenting. Speaking of streaming, CyberGhost can effectively access restricted streaming platforms, such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and more. Security-wise, CyberGhost features an in-depth privacy policy and top-notch VPN security with its AES-256 encryption paired with an OpenVPN.
6. Surfshark — Affordable VPN for Xbox
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
Overall, Surfshark is a great VPN alternative that offers much of the same as NordVPN in terms of security, privacy and features. It does struggle a bit with latency however, so we didn’t feel right ranking it higher than sixth place. You might have to try a few servers before finding one that’s suitable for gaming.
Like NordVPN, Surfshark is compatible with most routers, which is a requirement for connecting your Xbox through a VPN.
Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
If you want to share your VPN subscriptions with friends and family, there’s no better option than Surfshark. That’s because it places no limit on how many devices are connected at the same time, which potentially further decreases an already low cost.
As we’ve mentioned several times already, Surfshark is very affordable. Its best plan, the two-year one, costs just $2.19 which considering the quality of the product is frankly a steal. As always, make sure to check our Surfshark review if the provider sounds interesting.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Pricing for the annual and biennial plans only apply for the first payment. Renewal fees vary.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
- Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Pricing for the annual and biennial plans only apply for the first payment. Renewal fees vary.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Everything in One, plus Data removal Pricing for the annual and biennial plans only apply for the first payment. Renewal fees vary.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
How to Set Up a VPN on Xbox One?
There are a couple of ways to set up a VPN connection on your Xbox One. Unfortunately, Xbox doesn’t offer internal VPN app services, so you must do it manually. You can create a VPN router using your laptop or PC, or you can connect your Xbox to a VPN-enabled PC.
Our favorite method is by setting up a VPN service on your home router. By doing this, you can enjoy a VPN connection on all your devices in your home, including your Xbox. Every VPN on our list has several guides on installing it on your router, accessible through its official website. Furthermore, a customer representative can also help you out if needed.
Final Thoughts
Opting for a VPN service provider for your Xbox One or other Xbox Series is a great decision. Not only will you be more protected while online, but you can also stream geoblocked content like Netflix U.S., BBC iPlayer and more — not to mention the ability to get better game deals or even newer game releases that are outside of your home country.
We highly recommend NordVPN as the best Xbox VPN for its fast speeds that won’t affect the latency during gameplay. Experience the power of NordVPN yourself, risk-free, with the assurance that you can get your money back within 30 days if you’re not completely satisfied.
Finally, if you’re fond of gaming on other platforms, make sure to check out our guides on the best VPN for Steam and the best VPN for PS4, as well.
Do you use a VPN with your Xbox One? Which is your favorite provider? Let us know in the comments below and, thanks for reading.
Usually, we don’t recommend users opt for free VPNs, especially the likes of Hola VPN. Using a free VPN can open you to unwanted ads or even viruses while spending time online. However, PrivadoVPN is a rare exception, and it comes with a generous free plan to try out, and low-cost premium plans if you want to upgrade.
NordVPN is our top choice for the best Xbox VPN, but ExpressVPN is close behind. Both VPNs offer excellent security, fast speeds and the ability to bypass geoblocks all over the world.
Yes, NordVPN is fully compatible with Xbox One. It also comes with a clear guide explaining how to set it up on your router, after which you can enjoy its excellent security and decent speeds.