Best Diablo 4 VPN in 2024: Protect Against DDoS Attacks & Throttling
The launch of Diablo 4 went smoothly for the most part, but it was somewhat stained by a DDoS attack that left millions of players struggling with connectivity issues, unable to connect to a game server. To protect yourself from a DDoS attack, a Diablo 4 VPN is a must.
Written by Andrej Hadji-Vasilev (Writer)
Reviewed by Sandra Pattison (Editor)
Facts checked by Eugenie Tiu (Editorial Assistant)
Last Updated: 2024-03-17T12:04:21+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: Top Diablo 4 VPNs
- A Diablo 4 VPN can offer DDoS protection and encrypt your internet connection, with ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost and Mullvad being excellent choices.
- ExpressVPN is more expensive than its competitors, but if money is no object, it offers the best possible performance, security and compatibility.
- If you want to save a bit, any of the other four options — NordVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost or Mullvad — offer an excellent experience.
When Blizzard Entertainment released Diablo 4 worldwide, it made waves. The game had millions of users within only a few days of its release, which unfortunately also resulted in attackers running distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on Blizzard’s servers. A Diablo 4 VPN, or virtual private network, can help protect you from DDoS attacks.
With the Blizzard DDoS attack, players were unable to connect to the Diablo game servers, which left millions of gamers who were hoping for a seamless gaming experience disappointed. While using a VPN yourself won’t protect Blizzard’s game servers from a DDoS, it will add plenty of protection if someone decides to target you instead.
A reliable gaming VPN is the best way to create a secure gaming experience, and ExpressVPN is the best tool for the job. This is why we crowned it the best VPN for gaming. It combines excellent performance with robust security features, which also put it at the top of our list of best VPNs. We reviewed it and a few other reliable VPN providers, so read on for the full list.
-
10/25/2023
Updated the article to reflect ExpressVPN’s expansion of server presence from 94 to 105 countries.
What Makes the Best Diablo 4 VPN?
For a VPN provider to make the cut here, we looked at three main things — speed, security and device compatibility. Any virtual private network that’s used for gaming online should be fast to ensure a smooth experience, secure enough to protect you from users with malicious intent and compatible with the devices you’ll be gaming on.
Top Suggestions: Best VPN for Diablo 4
- ExpressVPN — Best all-around premium VPN
- NordVPN — Fastest VPN for gaming
- Surfshark — Affordable option with unlimited connections
- CyberGhost — VPN with massive server network
- Mullvad — Best option for privacy-focused users
The main priority for any VPN that’s used for gaming online is speed. A slow VPN will result in a bad gaming experience, especially if you’re playing games like Diablo 4, which can be very fast paced at times. When discussing speed, we also looked at latency — a high latency can cause issues with online gaming and negatively impact your gaming experience.
Robust security features are the next priority. With Diablo 4 DDoS attacks being rather easy to execute and available to the masses, you should look for a secure gaming experience whenever possible. A strong encryption and features like a kill switch that disables your connection if it’s not tunneled through a VPN server are important.
Last but not least, Diablo 4 is available on both computers and consoles, so we wanted a VPN provider that can be used on all devices. Most VPNs offer desktop apps, but most consoles require you to install them on your router, which isn’t always a walk in the park. To this end, ease of installation was also a consideration.
The 5 Best VPNs for Diablo 4
Now that you know what our criteria are, here are the best VPN providers for Diablo 4, starting with our favorite — ExpressVPN.
1. ExpressVPN
or any other app or website you’d like.
More details about ExpressVPN:
- Pricing: $6.66 per month (15-months plan)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: expressvpn.com
Pros:
- Excellent speed & security
- Apps for almost any platform
- Large server network
Cons:
- Expensive
- Router setup not the easiest
ExpressVPN is undoubtedly the best VPN if you want to ensure a smooth gaming experience with Diablo 4. It has excellent speeds, regardless of which server you’re tunneling through, and keeps the latency low as well. ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries, letting you skip queues by changing your location virtually, with plenty of choices.
ExpressVPN has easy-to-use apps for almost any platform, which is why we also crowned it the best VPN for beginners. The only caveat here is that if you’re playing Diablo 4 on console, you might need to thoroughly read through the setup instructions — it’s not exactly easy. You can find out more about it in our ExpressVPN review.
Secure Proprietary Lightway Protocol
ExpressVPN uses Lightway as its routing protocol. It’s a proprietary, built-from-scratch protocol that uses the WolfSSL cryptographic library and the as yet uncrackable ChaCha20 cipher. This makes it incredibly secure, and the open-source codebase allows you to take a peek inside the protocol to see just how much attention ExpressVPN devotes to security.
when you’re playing Diablo 4.
While there is no doubt ExpressVPN is expensive, the overall performance and feature set make it very much worth it. There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to take ExpressVPN for a test ride.
- Unlimited GB
- 8
- Yes
2. NordVPN
More details about NordVPN:
- Pricing: $3.48 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: nordvpn.com
Pros:
- Solid server network
- Very fast performance
- DDoS security on all servers
Cons:
- Suffered a server breach
NordVPN is an incredibly well-rounded VPN. It’s fast, has low latency and apps for almost any device you can think of. The apps are easy to use and set up, making it a top contender for the best Diablo 4 DDoS VPN. NordVPN also comes with a solid server network, with over 5,700 servers in 60 countries.
Security-wise, NordVPN’s NordLynx protocol — which is a proprietary implementation of WireGuard — performs admirably. NordVPN did suffer a data breach in 2018 (something we covered in our NordVPN review) but the provider has gone to great lengths to make sure that can’t happen again.
To add to this, DDoS protection has been added to their servers, keeping both the servers and you, as a user, safe from a DDoS attack.
As Fast as They Come
As seen in our VPN speed comparison, NordVPN was the fastest when averaging the connection speeds observed in different regions, which is why it’s on top of our fastest VPNs list. When you’re fighting X’fal, Brol or Astaroth, a slow connection can easily ruin your day, and we’re happy to say that won’t be the case with NordVPN.
very affordable choice whenever you decide to subscribe.
NordVPN’s monthly plans aren’t the most affordable ones out there, but a long-term subscription will bring pricing down significantly, making it a great value proposition. If you aren’t sure whether it’s the right fit for you, a 30-day money-back guarantee lets you try it out first.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
3. Surfshark
for disguising your VPN use if Blizzard decides to restrict it.
More details about Surfshark:
- Pricing: $2.29 per month (two-year plan + two months)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: surfshark.com
Pros:
- Unlimited connections
- Affordable pricing
- Solid speed & performance
Cons:
- Occasional latency issues
Surfshark is another great option when it comes to a VPN for Diablo 4. It combines excellent speeds and affordable pricing, with apps for almost any platform you can think of — including routers. Security-wise, Surfshark uses a selection of standard protocols, such as OpenVPN and IKEv2, to ensure you’re protected from DDoS attacks and other bad actors with malicious intent.
Surfshark’s speeds, as seen in our speed test, are quite solid. Unfortunately, depending on the server you’re tunneling through, servers in some regions may result in inconsistent latency, which will impact your gaming experience. This is something we discussed in our Surfshark review, and something you should certainly consider if you play Diablo 4 with others often.
Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
Surfshark’s biggest selling point is the fact that you can use it on unlimited devices at once. If you’re organizing family gaming activities and playing Diablo 4, you can share a single VPN subscription for all devices.
offers an antivirus and identity protection package.
Surfshark is fairly affordable on the basic plan, and if you want, you can spend a bit more to get its One or One+ subscriptions. Both include antivirus and malware protection, and Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with all its plans.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Plans renew: $185.40 for one year, $370.80 for two years
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
- Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Plans renew: $191.40 for one year, $380.80 for two years.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Everything in One, plus Data removal Plans renew: $215.40 for one year, $430.80 for two years
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
4. CyberGhost
protocol and how long you’ve been connected to the server.
More details about CyberGhost:
- Pricing: $2.37 per month (two-year plan)
- Free plan: None; 45-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: cyberghostvpn.com
Pros:
- Cheap long-term pricing
- Massive server network
- App for almost any device
Cons:
- Not the fastest VPN out there
CyberGhost is a great VPN if you don’t really need the absolute maximum performance, but would like a secure VPN with plenty of server locations to choose from. If you don’t want to wait for Diablo 4’s queue times, CyberGhost gives you server locations in 91 countries to connect to and skip the waiting. You can find out more in our CyberGhost review.
From a security standpoint, CyberGhost performs admirably, but unfortunately the same can’t be said for its speed. In our testing, CyberGhost was not only slower than the competition, but also significantly less consistent, with speeds varying from one test to the next. If you’re looking for optimal performance and smooth gameplay, there are better options out there.
Smart Rules Make Tunneling Easy
If you don’t want to bother manually connecting to your VPN and choosing a server, CyberGhost offers a feature called smart rules. This allows you to automate, for the most part, how the VPN works. For example, you can set it to start and connect to a specific server when you launch Diablo 4, so you’re always protected when gaming.
CyberGhost has fairly expensive monthly plans, but the long-term pricing is very affordable, making it a much better value. It also has an industry-leading 45-day money-back guarantee, giving you more time to try it out than any other VPN on our list.
- *The $56.94 price under the 2-year plan is billed yearly after the first two years.
- Unlimited GB
- 7
- Yes
5. Mullvad
and specific server you’re tunneling through.
More details about Mullvad:
- Pricing: Around $5.30 per month (one-month plan)
- Free plan: None; 30-day money-back guarantee
- Provider website: mullvad.net
Pros:
- Anonymous subscriptions
- Solid speeds on close servers
- Two-level kill switch
Cons:
- No router/console app
- Poor speed on far servers
Mullvad is the last Diablo 4 VPN on our list, with a very strong focus on security and privacy. It’s the only VPN to offer a configurable two-level kill switch, which disables your connection if the VPN stops working, but can also restrict you from using the internet completely if you’re not using a VPN.
Speeds are solid, provided you’re tunneling through servers that are physically close — servers that are farther away aren’t as good in comparison. Mullvad offers apps for most desktop and mobile operating systems, but unfortunately, there is no app for routers. This means that if you’re playing Diablo 4 on a console, you won’t be able to use Mullvad as your VPN.
Keep Private Information Private
Mullvad is as privacy-focused as can be, offering completely anonymous user profiles, as well as the option to mail your subscription payment in cash. If you prefer to subscribe anonymously, Mullvad is the ideal VPN choice for you, as we discuss in our Mullvad review.
Unlike most other VPNs, Mullvad offers a single subscription, priced in 5 euros, which works out to about $5.30 per month. Regardless of how long you subscribe, the price remains the same. If you find you don’t like it, you can get a full refund on your subscription within 30 days, except if you paid in cash — in that case, there is no money-back guarantee.
Mullvad’s pricing is as straightforward as it gets, so it’s probably worth it to mention another competitor that has a simple pricing plan, VyprVPN. You can see how it differs from our top choice in our comprehensive Vypr vs ExpressVPN guide.
- Unlimited GB
- 5
- Yes
Why Use a VPN for Diablo 4?
Even though this isn’t a common occurrence with most online games, Diablo 4 has been subject to DDoS attacks since its release. With the complete lack of any offline mode, this meant that players couldn’t enjoy the game at all. While the attack was focused on Diablo’s extensive server network, players should remain protected as well.
A VPN service provider offers this protection by providing you with a virtual IP address and a server location of your choice, as well as encrypting your internet connection and keeping it completely private. This means that anyone with malicious intent — even your internet service provider — can’t access your internet connection.
To add to this, a VPN offers features like a kill switch and split tunneling, which routes only the traffic you want through the VPN servers. These features, alongside the encrypted connection result in vastly improved security, whether you’re doing all-night gaming sessions or just browsing casually.
Is It Legal to Use a VPN With Diablo 4?
Yes — not only is it legal, but if you’re having connectivity problems and can’t connect to the game’s servers, Blizzard’s technical support recommends that you try using a VPN for Diablo 4. A reliable VPN can get you a better connection to the game’s servers, and in some cases, even get you shorter queue times.
You can check the Diablo 4 server status to see what kind of queues there are in your area, and use a VPN to get a virtual IP address elsewhere to skip the queues.
Can I Use a Free VPN for Diablo 4?
Technically, yes, a free VPN may be able to get you into Diablo 4. However, we wouldn’t recommend just any free VPN. There are plenty of free VPNs that just don’t work, and some may even do more harm than good, such as bundling malware with its installation files or selling your user data for profit.
There are a few free VPNs that we would recommend, though with certain caveats. Proton VPN would be our primary choice, since it doesn’t limit you in terms of data or speed. However, as we mentioned in our ProtonVPN review, the free servers are commonly under high load, which impacts performance.
Windscribe is another solid free choice with 10 locations to choose from, but as we discuss in our Windscribe review, the allotted 15GB of data isn’t enough for online gaming. Last but not least, you could give TunnelBear a chance, but the 2GB won’t really get you far in your Diablo 4 journey. You can find out more in our TunnelBear review.
Final Thoughts
Diablo 4’s launch was smooth, for the most part, until a DDoS attack on Blizzard’s servers ruined millions of players’ gaming sessions. Using a VPN provides DDoS protection for you, but also encrypts your connection and keeps it away from prying eyes.
If you don’t mind paying a bit more for a premium VPN to play Diablo 4 with, ExpressVPN offers the best combination of speed, performance and device compatibility. NordVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost are all great and more affordable alternatives, and Mullvad is the perfect choice for privacy-oriented users.
Have you tried Blizzard’s latest release in the Diablo series? Did you use a VPN for protection, or for getting around waiting times and long queues? Let us know in the comments and, as always, thank you for reading.
FAQ: Top Diablo 4 VPNs
No, Diablo 4 is not region locked and can be played from anywhere in the world.
Yes, you can play Diablo 4 with a bad internet connection, though connectivity issues and slow download speeds will result in a subpar gaming experience.
No, Diablo 4 doesn’t offer the option to completely turn off multiplayer mode. However, you can go through the entire campaign on your own, and only team up with others when you have a difficult fight or feel like hanging out with fellow gamers.
Yes, Diablo 4 is available worldwide and you can play it with as many gamers as you’d like in different regions.