VPN for PS5: Setup Guide, Benefits & Best Options

The PS5 is a great media streaming device, but it has no native VPN app built into it and it’s very unlikely there’ll be a third-party one available any time soon. That doesn’t mean there’s no way to cover your PS5 with a VPN. You’ve got three choices: you can either install a VPN on your router so the console picks it up over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, share a PC or Mac’s VPN over a LAN cable, or point the PS5 at a Smart DNS service for if you need access to region-shifted streaming apps and don’t mind the lack of encrypted privacy. Each has different trade-offs, which we’ll get into further below.

So, why use a VPN with your PS5 at all? The first reason is that it gives you added protection against DDOS attacks from sore losers. Some multiplayer games expose your home IP, but when you’re using a VPN it’s replaced with your VPN provider’s IP. Even if you do come under attack, the best VPN providers have invested in powerful network infrastructure that can handle all but the most serious packet storms. All you need to do is reconnect to another IP and you’re back in the game.

There are less serious reasons to need a VPN, too. You might just want to get access to streaming libraries in other countries while using Netflix on your PS5, or cut down on your ISP’s throttling during congested hours. It’s essential you choose the right VPN though, as a slow one turns every match into a laggy mess of ping spikes. Here are the five we’d recommend in our latest tests.

The Best VPNs for PS5 at a Glance

We’ve reviewed 30 VPNs across our standard set of speed, streaming, leak, and no-logs audit tests. For this PS5 roundup we then ran detailed router and bridge compatibility tests on the strongest contenders. These five came out on top:

• NordVPN – fastest of the lineup, NordLynx for low ping on ranked play, Smart DNS for the PS5’s media apps.
• Surfshark – cheapest entry, unlimited devices means every console and phone in the house on one account.
• ExpressVPN – MediaStreamer Smart DNS plus pre-flashed Aircove routers, the easiest plug-and-play console path.
• Proton VPN – Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, the largest server network of the five.
• IPVanish – unlimited connections, US-based but Schellman-audited, owns its own infrastructure end-to-end.

Why Use a VPN for PS5?

There’s several reasons you’d want to add VPN protection to your PS5, but the biggest one is DDoS protection on ranked play. Competitive PS5 lobbies are still a soft target, and the US Department of Justice’s December 2024 takedown of 27 booter sites confirmed that DDoS-for-hire services routinely target gaming platforms. A VPN puts a tunnel endpoint in front of your real IP, so a sore loser scraping you off a lobby tool can only hit the VPN. Your connection to the VPN server might go down for a moment, but your internet connection will still be up so you can choose another VPN server and get right back into the game.

If you’re using your PS5 as an all-around media device, using a VPN gives you access to region-locked content on the PS5’s streaming apps. Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and the rest license content per country, so the US catalogue isn’t what someone sees in the UK or Japan. A VPN routes your connection through a server in the target region, so the app you’re connecting to only sees that you’re connecting from an IP in the location you’ve chosen. Then, the app serves that region’s library.

PS Store regional pricing also varies by country, so you can pair a VPN with region-specific PSN accounts, but we’d warn against it. Sony’s terms require transactions to match the country your account is registered to, and while we haven’t seen evidence of Sony banning accounts for region-hopping, doing it regularly could violate the platform’s terms. The bigger practical issue is that once you lock a PSN to a specific region, you can’t switch, and if you want to buy games through it you’ll need a payment method approved in that region.

The third case is ISP throttling. Some ISPs deprioritise sustained gaming traffic at peak hours, and a VPN tunnel hides the traffic type from the classifier. Speed loss from the VPN itself is the trade-off. A slow provider on a router can cost more latency than the throttle you were dodging, which is why we lean hard on the speed numbers below to pick the best VPNs for PS5.

The Best VPNs for PS5: In-Depth Reviews

1. NordVPN – Fastest All-Rounder for PS5

NordVPN takes rank 1 because it combines fast speeds with a huge server network spanning 9,000+ servers across 181 locations. In our speed tests, NordVPN only dropped 10.7% compared to our baseline when using NordLynx, NordVPN’s proprietary version of WireGuard. You won’t notice the difference in speeds on a ranked Warzone session, but you will notice a slightly lower ping if your ISP is otherwise interfering with your traffic.

It’s also one of the easiest VPNs to get working on a PS5 as it offers all of the major ways to cover the device: SmartDNS, a VPN router thanks to affiliation with Flashrouters, and comprehensive WiFi bridging guides.

The Smart DNS service with separate DNS servers takes ten minutes to configure on the console. All you have to do is check out NordVPN’s dashboard and grab the IP for the DNS servers you’re using, then just plug it into the network management menu on the PS5. As for router support, NordVPN offers a ton of help articles if you’ve already got a router capable of running a VPN. If not, there’s always the pre-flashed Privacy Hero 2 routers from FlashRouters. Worst comes to worst, you can also set up a network bridge using a PC or Mac, which NordVPN also offers extensive guidance on.

The router firmware supports NordLynx natively, plus ad blocker, cloud-based management, and content filters. Streaming came back at a 100% hit rate across our nine-service matrix: Netflix US/UK/DE/JP, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and Paramount+.

What I found most useful on the PS5 was the Smart DNS path. I set it up on a PS5 and was immediately able to access Netflix and Disney+, as well as having no problem getting into networked games. The best part of going the Smart DNS route is that you don’t lose any bandwidth to encryption overhead because Smart DNS doesn’t add any; it only redirects the lookup. The catch is that Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so for DDoS protection on ranked play you still want the full VPN on the router. The no-logs policy is audited by Deloitte in 2025.

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Read our full NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark – Cheapest Pick With Unlimited Devices

Surfshark is our first choice if you’ve got an excessive number of devices to cover. At $2.49/month on the long plan, it’s the cheapest audited provider in this roundup and one of the only VPN providers out there that offers unlimited simultaneous connections. Some VPN providers cap out the number of devices you can connect to a VPN under one subscription, and if you think about it the average household easily pushes that cap. By the time you’ve connected two consoles, three phones, a partner’s laptop, an Apple TV… the list goes on, and that’s why Surfshark’s policy is fantastic value for money.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that Surfshark has shuttered their SmartDNS capabilities. If you want to set up a VPN on your PS5, your options are either using a VPN router or setting up a network bridge through another device. Surfshark doesn’t offer pre-flashed routers either, but there’s pretty extensive support documentation in place for both the VPN router and network bridge options. On the plus side, Surfshark is outrageously fast with only 9.09% speed loss in our latest tests. That’s a meaningful gain over Nord on raw throughput, and streaming hit rate matched Nord at 100% across the nine-service matrix.

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Read our full Surfshark review.

3. ExpressVPN – Easiest Console Setup, MediaStreamer for PS5 Apps

ExpressVPN is a little bit more expensive than the competition at $2.49/month, but it’s worth it for three reasons: their MediaStreamer DNS solution, Aircove router support, and a truly 24/7 support team standing by to assist you with getting your VPN set up with a PS5.

MediaStreamer is ExpressVPN’s branded Smart DNS, included with every subscription as a base feature. Just like NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature, MediaStreamer couldn’t be simpler to set up. In fact, ExpressVPN as a whole is extremely easy to use so it’s the best choice if you want something that just works. If your reason for installing a VPN on a PS5 is “I want to watch the Netflix catalogues without any interruptions”, MediaStreamer makes ExpressVPN the clear choice.

ExpressVPN also offers something no other provider on this list does, and that’s the Aircove router. It’s sold direct by Express, ships with the VPN pre-installed and supports Lightway natively. It also offers a wide range of features like Threat Manager (as well as specific ad blocker and content filters) alongside device groups. Device groups is the feature you’re probably most interested in as a PS5 owner. It allows you to route your console through a specific location endpoint while the rest of the household devices can be pointed to another location entirely, or stay outside the VPN tunnel.

Streaming hit rate landed at 87.5% across the nine-service matrix, network reach is 1000s+ servers across 105 locations, and the no-logs policy is audited by KPMG out of the British Virgin Islands.

Unfortunately, our tests suggest ExpressVPN isn’t as fast as the other choices on our list. Lightway is fast in isolation, but our latest long-distance tests had Express dropping 17.31%, the largest hit of the top three and something you’ll feel on a Tokyo-from-US ping during ranked play.

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4. Proton VPN – Strongest Privacy Story for PS5 Users

Proton VPN is the pick if jurisdiction and open-source code are what brought you here. Switzerland sits outside Five Eyes and Nine Eyes, every Proton client is open-source and independently auditable, and the no-logs policy is confirmed in Securitum’s 2025 no-logs audit. For a household where the PS5 is one of several devices on the tunnel, the wider Proton stack (Mail, Drive, Calendar) is built around the same threat model.

On the PS5 side, Proton is router-or-bridge only. No Smart DNS service, so streaming-only setups are slower to get running than Nord or Express. Router support is help-articles only, no pre-flashed offering. Where Proton makes back ground is the network: 20,000+ servers across 127 locations, the largest fleet of the five featured here, with P2P on most servers and Secure Core multi-hop available if you want a Swiss/Icelandic/Swedish entry hop before exiting elsewhere. Streaming came back at a 100% hit rate across the matrix.

As a privacy-conscious user myself, I’d weigh the trade-off honestly. Long-distance routes dropped 17.56% in our latest tests, the largest hit of the five here, and on a router that’s noticeable extra latency. Proton runs a usable free tier if you want to vet the network first, with the paid long-term plan at $2.99/month.

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Read our full Proton VPN review.

5. IPVanish – Unlimited Connections, US-Based, Audited

IPVanish closes out our lineup as a niche pick. It’s not as powerful as the other VPN providers we’ve suggested, but it is relatively cheap at only $2.19/month and features the same unlimited simultaneous connection policy as Surfshark. Their servers are all owned and operated in-house, which explains the respectable speed loss results we’ve recorded at 12%. They’re a little more orientated towards PC gamers with P2P support across all of their servers, but it might still help you out if you’re hosting your own game session as IPVanish also offers port forwarding. That’s a real rarity amongst VPN providers nowadays, so try it out while you can.

While port forwarding is great, it comes at the expense of no easy Smart DNS option, so you might want to skip out on IPVanish unless you’re a power user. Router support is help-articles only (no pre-flashed offering), which makes it slightly more setup-heavy than Nord or Express but no worse than Surfshark or Proton. There’s also bridge support articles provided if you need them.

Because IPVanish owns all of their servers, they provide the smallest location network of the five we’ve recommended at 3,200+ servers across 74 locations. The no-logs policy has been independently audited by Schellman Compliance in 2025.

Streaming hit rate landed at 75% in our streaming tests, the lowest of this group. If your only reason for a console VPN is geo-shifting Netflix UK from a US PS5, NordVPN or ExpressVPN is the more reliable choice.

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Read our full IPVanish review.

How to Set Up a VPN on PS5 Through a Router

Install the VPN on the router and every device in the house shares one tunnel.

1. Check your router first. Many modern routers ship with OpenVPN or WireGuard client support. Look in the admin panel for “VPN Client” under Advanced Settings. If it’s not supported natively, flash third-party firmware (DD-WRT, Tomato, AsusWRT-Merlin) or buy a pre-flashed router from FlashRouters or an Aircove from ExpressVPN.
2. Pick a provider with router support. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and IPVanish all publish step-by-step router guides.
3. Log in to your router admin panel. Usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Find the VPN client section, upload the config file, enter your credentials, and pick a server.
4. Connect the PS5 over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. All traffic routes through the VPN automatically.
5. Verify it worked. On the PS5 browser, search “what’s my IP”. You should see the VPN’s IP, not your home one.

Heads-up: router VPN throughput is bottlenecked by the router’s CPU. A budget router will throttle WireGuard to 100 Mbps on a gigabit line, fine for 4K streaming but noticeable on game downloads. If raw speed matters, use the bridge method below or upgrade the router.

How to Set Up a VPN on PS5 Through a PC or Mac

The bridge is the fastest path if you only need the VPN on the PS5 occasionally. Run the VPN on the computer, then share that connection to the PS5 over Ethernet.

On a Mac:

1. Install your VPN client and connect.
2. Plug an Ethernet cable from the Mac to the PS5.
3. System Settings → General → Sharing → Internet Sharing.
4. “Share your connection from” → your active Wi-Fi. Tick Ethernet under “To computers using”.
5. Turn Internet Sharing on.
6. On the PS5: Settings → Network → Set Up Internet Connection → Use a LAN Cable → Easy. Skip the proxy.

On Windows:

1. Install the VPN client and connect.
2. Plug an Ethernet cable from the PC to the PS5.
3. Control Panel → Network and Internet → Network Connections → Change adapter options.
4. Right-click the VPN adapter (TAP-Windows, WireGuard, or your provider’s branded adapter) → Properties → Sharing → tick “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection”. Pick the Ethernet adapter from the dropdown.
5. On the PS5: Settings → Network → Set Up Internet Connection → Use a LAN Cable → Easy. Skip the proxy.

Smart DNS vs. VPN: Which Is Better for PS5?

This decides whether you need a full router setup or whether ten minutes of DNS entry on the console solves your actual problem.

Smart DNS redirects the lookup for streaming-service domains to a DNS server in the target country, which tricks the streaming app into serving that country’s library. The PS5 supports custom DNS natively, so setup is typing two IP addresses into Network Settings. No encryption overhead, zero speed loss. NordVPN’s Smart DNS and ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer are the two on offer here.

A VPN encrypts and routes all of the PS5’s traffic through a tunnel. It hides your IP from other players (DDoS protection), encrypts game traffic against ISP throttling, and unlocks region-locked services the way a Smart DNS does. The cost is setup complexity (router or PC bridge) and some speed loss from the encryption, which on a well-built provider sits in the 9-18% range we measured above.

Bottom line: if you only care about streaming libraries, Smart DNS is faster to set up and runs without a speed penalty. If you want DDoS protection, throttling avoidance, or a region change that affects PSN itself, you need the full VPN. Plenty of users run both.

Frequently Asked Questions