The best VPN for Xbox One and Xbox Series X 2024

While VPNs are primarily used to protect the people’s privacy in the internet realms, if you use a VPN for Xbox One or Xbox Series X, you’ll find yourself gaining access to a wealth of benefits. From region-exclusive games, to bonuses, and even expanded streaming options, VPNs open many doors for Xbox users.

So which is the best VPN for Xbox One and Xbox Series X? Well, it really depends on what you want to use it for, but if you’re having a hard time deciding which one you should use, we’re hoping that this guide will help you to narrow down your options, because we’ve picked out five of the biggest contenders.

To use a VPN with your Xbox, you’ll either need to run your VPN through your router (thereby making every device in the house connect through the VPN),or you’ll need to connect your console to your computer via an ethernet cable. Then, if you have the VPN on the computer, you’ll be able to connect your Xbox through it too. But before you do that, you’ll need to decide if you’re going to go for the fastest VPN, a free VPN, or any of our other choices below.

No time to read through all our recommendations? Here are our top three picks at a glance:

The best VPNs for Xbox One and Xbox Series X are:

1. ExpressVPN – best for Xbox
2. NordVPN – fastest choice
3. Ivacy VPN – best price
4. Surfshark – best for unlimited devices
5. PureVPN – best for privacy
6. AtlasVPN – best free choice
7. PrivadoVPN – best new choice

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Xbox.

ExpressVPN overview:

Pros

• Lightway Protocol ensures speedy performance
• TrustedServer system gives an extra layer of privacy
• Spans 94 countries

Cons

• Slightly more expensive than other choices
• Smaller overall server count
• No free trial

Those who are seeking an Xbox VPN can do no better than to use ExpressVPN. This provider has always sought to provide privacy to gamers, whether it be to protect them from DDoS attacks carried out by sore losers, or simply to help them more easily find a game with international servers. ExpressVPN even has options that are optimized for Xbox users.

This provider has 3,000 servers, which is admittedly fewer than some other providers, but they are spread out across an impressive range of over 90 countries. With this, you can get matched with friends in game servers all over the world, and access exclusive promotions that might not be available in your region. Of course, beyond that, it works well with all Microsoft platforms, so you could use it as a Windows 10 VPN and have it on for your day-to-day internet activities as well.

Of course, you’ll have noticed that ExpressVPN has a larger price tag than many of the others, which may be off-putting for some users. That said, in return for what you pay, you get a fantastic service, and with its TrustedServer system preventing its servers from writing anything about your activities online, it gives you an extra layer of privacy too.

Read the ExpressVPN review on our sister site, PCGamesN, to find out more about this provider.

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is the fastest VPN for Xbox.

NordVPN overview:

Pros

• Fastest VPN service
• Uses speedy WireGuard protocol
• Works with most streaming platforms

Cons

• No free trial
• Slightly more expensive than others
• Smaller selection and range of servers

If you’ve been scoping out the market and looking for a VPN, there’s a good chance that you’ve already heard about NordVPN, as it’s probably the biggest VPN provider in the arena. It hasn’t become this popular without good reason either. A huge part of its success comes down to the fact that it is genuinely the fastest VPN, with download speeds that can surpass other services on this list.

It boasts more than 5,000 servers across 60 countries, giving you an enormous number of connection points. It allows you to connect via a router if that’s a route you want to go down to connect your Xbox. With this VPN you can have six simultaneous connections, which may not be as many as others, but if it’s just for you, or just for your Xbox, that should be more than enough.

This is also a good service for anybody who uses their Xbox a lot for streaming on the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus. While many VPNs have compatibility issues with streaming platforms, NordVPN is pretty good with most of the major ones. Indeed, it was even featured in the best VPN for streaming guide on our sister site, The Digital Fix.

You can find out more about this provider in the NordVPN review on PCGamesN (our other sister site).

3. Ivacy VPN

Ivacy VPN is the cheapest Xbox VPN.

Ivacy VPN overview:

Pros

• Cheap pricing in exclusive deal for our readers
• Military-grade 256-bit encryption
• Servers in loads of countries

Cons

• No free trial
• Slower when it comes to downloads

Not everyone is in a position where they can easily afford high VPN costs – besides which, you’ll probably want to save money for new games or a Game Pass subscription. If you’re after a cheap Xbox VPN, then Ivacy VPN is the way to go.

We have an exclusive deal for our readers which essentially means that you get five years of VPN protection for what works out as just $1 a month – that’s almost as good as three years of Game Pass for $1. So it’s $60 in one go, and then don’t need to worry about VPN expenses again for half a decade.

If you’re concerned that you might be getting a sub-par service because of this lower price, rest assured that Ivacy VPN is an impressive package. It covers more countries than most of the other VPNs in this article and uses military-grade 256-bit encryption in order to give you an even stronger level of privacy.

4. Surfshark

Surfshark is the best VPN for multiple devices.

Surfshark overview:

Pros

• Unlimited simultaneous connections
• Free trial available

Cons

• Fewer severs overall
• Smaller range than others

In contrast to NordVPN and ExpressVPN, one of the biggest selling points for Surfshark is the fact that it allows for an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. So if you want to use it for your Xbox, your uncle’s laptop, your aunt’s desktop, your brother’s smartphone, your sister’s smart fridge, your wife’s tablet, and your husband’s smartwatch, this could be a great way to keep the whole family safe and private online – as well as giving them access to much more than they’d normally be able to see/play.

With just over 3,200 servers in 65 countries, it doesn’t have quite as many as other providers, and its range of countries is on the smaller side too. Having said that, it still far exceeds many of the small VPN services out there like AtlasVPN and Privado VPN.

It also lets you have a no-obligation seven-day VPN free trial, meaning that there’s nothing to stop you from taking it for a spin before you decide to commit. This is particularly noteworthy since most major VPNs don’t let you have a free trial, instead making you fall back on their 30-day money-back guarantees – but Surfshark has both.

Check out the Surfshark review from PCGamesN.

5. PureVPN

PureVPN is the most private VPN for Xbox.

PureVPN overview:

Pros

• Regular third-party audits
• Decent allowance on simultaneous connections

Cons

• Limited router support
• No free trial

If privacy is your primary concern, then you can’t do much better than PureVPN (although as far as we’re concerned, you don’t need to be embarrassed about playing 500 hours on Boyfriend Dungeon). To convince customers that it doesn’t accumulate their data in the same way that internet service providers do, PureVPN has a third-party audit carried out on an annual basis, proving it to be trustworthy.

On top of that, it has a whopping 6,500+ servers in over 140 countries, so if getting international content on your Xbox is important to you, look no further. You’re allowed up to ten simultaneous connections as well, so you can easily protect various other devices in your house in addition to your Xbox.

A slight snag with PureVPN is the fact that it can only be used with routers if you’re using the PPTP or OpenVPN protocol. As router connections are one of the most common methods that people use in order to connect their VPN to their Xbox, it is understandable that this will be disappointing for some readers.

6. PrivadoVPN

PrivadoVPN is the best new VPN.

PrivadoVPN overview:

Pros

• Free version available indefinitely
• No-logs policy intact on free plan
• Decent allowance on simultaneous connections

Cons

• No router support
• Free plan limited to 10GB per month
• Small selection of servers even if you pay

PrivadoVPN is a relatively new kid on the scene, but that doesn’t mean that is any less appealing a choice for your Xbox VPN provider. In the few short years since it was founded, it’s already cemented itself as a solid choice for anyone looking to maintain their internet privacy.

In addition to limiting your number of servers, it limits you to 10GB of data a month too. If you don’t think you’ll exceed that, this could be a perfect VPN solution, but it’s likely to get used up in no time – unless you use it only for sensitive activities.

Similar to Atlas, PrivadoVPN is a service that does not offer router support, so you’ll have to use another method to use it on your Xbox. Read our article on how to use a VPN on Xbox for information on the other ways that you can do it.

We hope that this helps you to make a decision about which will be the best VPN for your Xbox One or Xbox Series X. Once you have it all set-up, access to the international servers will be yours, giving you the chance to play and download new games, while watching movies and TV shows that aren’t usually available to you – and all with an added layer of privacy.

How we picked the best Xbox VPN

We put this list together by carefully analyzing the features and benefits of several key VPN providers and contrasting them against the needs of Xbox users. We looked at several key areas:

• Pricing: VPN costs vary widely, with some of the more comprehensive services in particular costing quite a lot more. We’ve included options that can accommodate readers on any budget.
• Servers: The more servers a VPN has, the lower the likelihood that you’ll encounter server congestion, which slows your download speeds. All the providers on this list have a pretty decent selection of servers. Anything with around 3,000 or up is pretty good.
• Router support: One of the easiest ways to use a VPN through your Xbox is to go through your router (since there are no native apps). Though there are other options too, we included a number of VPNs known to provide router support. Without this, you’ll need to connect your laptop or PC to your Xbox with an ethernet cable.
• Download speeds: If you’re after a gaming VPN, you’ll need something with good download speeds, otherwise your games will run poorly. All the VPNs on this list are among the fastest in the VPN world and won’t give you any trouble in this department.

Want more information on how we put these lists together? Read our how we test page. If you have any further questions, read the FAQs below:

Can you use a VPN on Xbox?

Yes, but you can’t do it through a native app as there are none in the Xbox Store. Instead, you either have to apply a VPN to your router so that every device in your house connects through it, or connect your Xbox to the internet by plugging an ethernet cable into your laptop or PC, and then switch it on there.

Does Xbox block VPNs?

Nope. Though using one isn’t that simple, due to the lack of native apps, but that doesn’t make it impossible.

Can I use a VPN while gaming on Xbox?

You certainly can. In fact, you may find that the experience is even smoother than you’ve had before because you won’t need to worry about your ISP slowing your connection speeds when you use a lot of bandwidth.

Can people track your IP through Xbox?

Yes, they can. If you’re playing online, it is possible for other players to use certain tools to get your IP address. With this, they can then initiate a DDoS attack against you, which will stifle your access to the internet. However, if you are using a VPN, this is impossible and you will be protected from these malicious players.

Check out our guides on every Game Pass game and the best steering wheels for Xbox Series X|S for more ideas about how you can enhance your Xbox experience. If you’re someone with multiple consoles, our guide on the best PS5 and PS4 VPN services might also be useful.