Hook up to VPN for Xbox One and unleash the multiplayer gaming potential your console comes packed with. Here’s a complete guide on how to set up a VPN on your Xbox One console and a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it.
Back in the late 1990s when a tech wiz over at Microsoft invented the technology behind virtual private networks, who would’ve thought that two decades later, there would be hundreds of top VPN services catering to billions of users all over the world? Over the years, the growing threat of cybercrime and the tightening fist of government agencies all over the world has forced the hand of consumers to find meaningful and effective ways to safeguard their access to the World Wide Web at large.
The VPN service providers have been able to capitalize not only on desktop-based users, but the popularity of anonymity online has led to the creation of VPN mobile apps too. However, the real-time benefits of using a VPN service are now being recognized by the gaming community as well. This has led to a surge in VPN services made available for gaming consoles such as the Microsoft Xbox One and the Sony PlayStation 4.
Why Use a VPN for Gaming?
As a mainstream internet user, you’re sure to have come across a VPN service at least once in your lifetime, and for some of us, it is a part of our daily online activity. The way a VPN service works is that it reroutes your internet connection through a private server situated at a remote location. Unless you’re using a premium VPN service, you can expect slower internet speeds when connected to a VPN server. So why would anyone want to risk the horror of suffering through a drop in frame rates and server lag during action-packed gaming by using a VPN?
Get the latest game titles
For those of us who are dead serious about gaming and never miss out on the latest released, getting your hands on the newly released game title means the world. Since launch dates for most games are region-specific, the game that you wish to fire up on your PC or gaming console may not be available right away.
When you have a premium VPN for Xbox installed, you can skip past the waiting line and connect to a regional server where the game has already been launched. Rather than waiting for weeks to get started on highly anticipated game titles, you could begin smashing the living heck out of your controller.
Bypass ISP throttling
There’s no doubt over the fact that the quality and speed of your internet connection decides the quality of gaming experience you are going to enjoy online. You might be shelling out a premium each month to get a high-speed internet connection from your ISP, but the age-old problem of internet speed throttling could be ruining your online multiplayer game on the Xbox.
Whether it’s the increased server load because everyone on your local server is hogging on the connection, or the ISP is throttling your connection to reduce the load and offer a uniform browsing experience to all of the users, rerouting your network connection while gaming encrypts the data that is being transferred, thus skipping the inspection cue set up by the ISP.
Gaming on the go
Imagine you’re traveling halfway across the world for business or leisure, so are you going to manage to play your favorite games on your usual regional servers? Since only a handful of multiplayer games allow you to manually choose your game server location, you will need to use a VPN for Xbox One to mask your IP address and connect remotely to a home server.
Using a high-end VPN server should give you hundreds, if not thousands of server locations to connect to, allowing you the ability to access your preferred game servers back home. As long as you have a stable internet connection abroad, your gaming experience should be unaffected by your regional location.
Securing your device
Whether you take into account the hundreds of dollars you’ve spent on game titles in your library or the special collectibles in your inventory – there’s a bunch of valuable content in your gaming account. Since your gaming account also holds social media and personal information, along with payment details, there’s a lot to lose if some hackers decide to hijack your connection.
The first and foremost feature of almost every premium quality VPN service provider has bolstered security all around. When you’re rerouting your game connection through encrypted servers, it becomes virtually impossible for attackers to find their way into your personal game account.
3 Best VPN for Xbox One
Now that you understand the core importance of using a VPN service while gaming on your Xbox, its time to make a difficult choice. Ever since the popularity of VPNs has exploded, so has the long list of names increased in the business, with each and every one of them offering high-speed and secure browsing experience online. We’ve put these claims to the test and shortlisted some of the most popular and reliable VPN services for Xbox One out there.
1. ExpressVPN (Recommended)
A pioneer in the world of VPN services, ExpressVPN is regarded as a preferred choice among gamers on the Xbox One and Xbox 360. Getting the basics right, the VPN service comes with TrustedServer technology, which puts forward essential privacy measures that keep your gaming experience secure, along with speed optimizations and anonymity that allows you to access restricted content the easy way.
When it comes to gaming-specific features, you get hundreds of high-speed remote servers situated all across the world to connect to. The ability to mask your geographical location makes it simpler for you to connect to any local game server effortlessly, and the 30-day money-back guarantee in place ensures that your investment is always protected.
2. NordVPN
Another formidable name in the business of VPN service providers for gaming, the reason we recommend you to use it as a VPN for Xbox One isn’t limited to just the high-speed performance. While protecting your connection from DDoS attacks and security breaches, NordVPN does so without dampening the internet speed.
Regardless of where you’re situated, NordVPN allows you to connect to international remote servers and get gaming right away. More than 5,000 spread across the global map allows you as a user to stream content without a hiccup, get access to region-locked games, and even cut out the ping times that can ruin a multiplayer gaming experience.
3. PureVPN
Even if you aren’t on the move and gaming right from the comfort of your home, PureVPN highlights the reasons why you absolutely must get yourself a VPN for Xbox One or PS4. Apart from the common claims of high-speed internet access and complete identity protection while being connected to the World Wide Web, PureVPN comes with dedicated Port Forwarding.
This feature allows you to conveniently connect to games with the most crowded servers such as PUBG and Fortnite without much of a wait time. Whether you’re trying to evade the ISP throttling issues on your desktop or gaming console or want matchmaking to be from a specific region, PureVPN has got you covered.
How to set up VPN on Xbox One with ExpressVPN
Unlike your desktop computer or your mobile phone, most gaming consoles do not come with native support for a VPN service. The Xbox One is no exception, but the versatility of certain supported VPNs such as ExpressVPN allows you to install it and have it running on your console in minutes.
Method 1: Get a VPN Router
Since the demand for security and privacy is on the rise, the market has adapted to the need for VPN services at every step of the way. The best way to keep each and every network connection in your home or office secure is by equipping the source of the network connection with a reliable VPN service provider.
With a VPN router installed and your ExpressVPN login credentials set up with it, you don’t have to worry about individually enabling the VPN connection on each and every device. Since your Xbox One console would be hooked up to your wireless router as well, all of your online gaming with being funneled through secure servers.
Choosing the Best VPN Router – Buying Guide
Method 2: Connect via PC
While gaming consoles may not have a dedicated app for ExpressVPN, desktop PCs do, which is just what you need to make this method work. All you need to do is connect your computer to a remote, secure server and share the internet connection with the Xbox One. The only downside to this method is that you need to have the computer turned on when gaming on the console.
- Plug in one end of the ethernet cable into the Xbox One console and the other end into the computer with ExpressVPN enabled on it.
- Right-click on the Start button and then press on the Settings
- Head over to the Network & Internet menu and select the VPN
- Click on Change adapter settings on the right corner of the screen.
- On the new screen, right-click on the Ethernet icon and select the Properties
- Select the Sharing tab and then check the box that reads “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”.
- Select the Xbox One ethernet connection using the drop-down menu below it and press OK to confirm your action.
You can now navigate on the Xbox One console screen to Settings – Network – Network settings – Test network connection to see if the VPN connection through the computer has been established.
Final Words
From being a pastime for the youth of the developed world to a global phenomenon that has become an industrial complex worth billions of dollars today – gaming has come a long way. We’ve managed to take back the freedom on which the internet was invented with the help of the best VPN service providers available today, and the same flexibility of usage needs to be afforded to gamers as well.
Taking into account the deciding factors on which online multiplayer gaming stands today, we have boiled down the list of the best VPN for Xbox One to the major 3 names. Whether you’re interested in unlocking regional content that is not available in your country, wish to bypass ISP throttling and get ahead in the game, or wish to play on location-specific servers, connecting your gaming console to a VPN is all you need to do.
Which one of the aforementioned VPN service providers are you going to side within this great battle of breaking free your Xbox One console for online gaming? We’re looking forward to hearing from you, so be sure to mention in the comments section below, what you think about it.