Best VPNs for League of Legends 2024: Fast online gaming

Want to bypass WiFi blocks, reduce ping, and prevent long queue times when playing LoL? Discover the best VPNs for League of Legends for an improved gaming experience.

Ready to level up your League of Legends gameplay? Whether you're battling censorship, dodging workplace or school restrictions – or trying to improve your ping – a VPN for League of Legends is the solution. In this guide, we've pinpointed the best VPNs for League of Legends (LoL) to help you overcome extended lobby wait times and play LoL as quickly as possible.

A VPN is a privacy tool that lets you change your IP address. By connecting to a VPN server abroad you can access a different League of Legends server. This can streamline match-finding and reduce queue times, especially during off-peak hours. A VPN also lets you play LoL with people in another country; which is ideal if you're on vacation and want to play your home server.

Connecting to a VPN server closer to a League of Legends game server can significantly improve your ping. To help you further, we’ve provided a list of LoL game servers – allowing you to identify which VPN server will be better. Keep scrolling for our detailed list of the best VPNs for League of Legends! For now, here is a quick list of our preferred options.

The best VPNs for League of Legends:

1. NordVPN: Best VPN for League of Legends. Has more than 5,000 servers in 60+ countries, ideal for accessing LoL lobbies. Fast NordLynx protocol is perfect for gaming, streaming, and torrenting. No-logs policy and robust encryption. Risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee policy.
2. Surfshark: Best low-cost VPN for League of Legends. WireGuard protocol for high-speed gaming and torrenting. Allows unlimited connections. Solid no-logging policy, MultiHop server options, and native ad blocking.
3. ExpressVPN: Secure and reliable. Fast Lightway protocol for playing League. Wide choice of servers in 100+ countries to avoid ping issues. No-logs policy and strong AES encryption. 24/7 customer service. Reliable kill switch. 
4. CyberGhost VPN: Fast WireGuard protocol and more than 9,000 servers. Easy for beginners to use. Works to play LoL and for streaming Netflix and many other platforms. Connect seven devices. Strict no-logs policy and ad blocking built in.
5. IPVanish: Fast and reliable VPN with a ton of useful features. Servers in 50+ countries to access regional League of Legends lobbies. Allows unlimited connections with a single account. No-logs policy and a kill switch. 
6. Proton VPN: Advanced VPN for torrenting, gaming, and streaming. Servers in 60+ countries. Tons of advanced features, including MultiHop, split tunneling, port forwarding, and obfuscation. Decent speeds for playing LoL.

Summary Table

At BleepingComputer, we are committed to recommending the very best security tools for gaining online privacy. Our tests involve a thorough examination of each VPN's security. We test the effectiveness of the kill switch, check for DNS and IP leaks, and analyze the privacy policy to confirm the VPN's commitment to user privacy.

We test the VPN's performance, particularly its speed, to guarantee a seamless gaming experience when playing League of Legends. To ensure we recommend all-rounders that offer value for money, we also check whether each VPN works with widely-used services like Netflix US.

You can find out more about our VPN testing methodology later in this guide. For now, see the main criteria we used to make our picks:

• Fast servers for playing LoL
• Reliable apps that come with many useful features
• Speedy protocols like WireGuard or OpenVPN UDP.
• Large global server network to access regional LoL lobbies.
• Excellent value for money.
• 24/7 support to let you get help at any time of day.
• In order to qualify for one of the top three positions, the VPN must operate a 100% diskless server network and have had its infrastructure audited by a reputable third party.

Best VPNs for League of Legends: Detailed reviews

Below you can learn more about each of the best VPNs for LoL. 

NordVPN is our favorite VPN for League of Legends. It has over 6,000 high-speed servers in 60+ countries, including all of the locations where Riot Games has servers. Its custom NordLynx protocol is secure and optimized for high speeds – perfect for gaming.

The VPN is based in Panama, an excellent location in terms of privacy. It has a solid no-logging policy and it runs on diskless servers. It has completed a full third-party audit of its apps and servers, which means the VPN lives up to its promise of providing users with watertight data privacy for its users.

Excellent connection speeds make it a great option for bypassing ISP throttling. In our tests, the VPN worked to stream Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer. 

Apps are available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. The apps come with a kill switch, DNS leak protection, MultiHop, obfuscation, split tunneling, Tor over VPN, ad blocking, and tracker protection. These make NordVPN a great VPN for working remotely or private torrenting.

Live chat support is available on its website 24/7 and you can connect up to six simultaneous connections at once. Offers a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

BEST LEAGUE OF LEGENDS VPN: NordVPN has servers in over 60 countries to access more LoL servers. Fast Nordlynx protocol is ideal for HD streaming, gaming, and torrenting. No-logs policy. Robust encryption and a kill switch. Risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Read our full review of NordVPN.

Surfshark is an excellent VPN for LoL if you are on a tight budget. The VPN is packed with useful features, allows unlimited connections, and starts at just $2 per month. It’s great for people who own many devices or larger families who want a VPN without breaking the bank.

Surfshark has more than 3,200+ servers across 100+ countries, including all of the regions and many cities where Riot Games hosts LoL servers. It can bypass ISP throttling and gain access to your home League server while traveling.  

The WireGuard protocol gave us average download speeds of around 200 Mbps. This is impressive and makes the VPN an excellent choice for watching region-blocked content such as Netflix US, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max.

Surfshark has a strict no-logs policy, ensuring no records of IP addresses or online activities are retained. Its user-friendly apps come with strong encryption, a kill switch, obfuscation, ad blocking, malware protection, split tunneling, DNS leak protection, and a SOCKS5 proxy. This is an impressive feature set considering the cost of a subscription. 

Torrenting is also allowed throughout its network, but it doesn't have port forwarding, so bear that in mind. Live chat support is available on its website and you can try the VPN yourself thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. 

BEST CHEAP VPN FOR LOL: Surfshark has more than 3,200 servers in 100+ countries, ideal for finding different LoL lobbies. Apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and can be set up on routers. Lightning-fast speeds for gaming and HD streaming. Diskless servers for added protection. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of Surfshark.

ExpressVPN has been around since 2009. It is known for its solid encryption and commitment to user privacy and security. The VPN has been independently audited by a reputable third-party security firm.

The VPN runs on a network of diskless servers across more than 100 countries, which makes it a great option for bypassing region locks and censorship. It gives you ample opportunity to access regional LoL servers to find better matches at night or play on your home server while abroad. 

The VPN is lightning fast thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol, and in our tests, the VPN worked to access Netflix US, Hulu, Peacock, YouTube TV, Disney Plus, iPlayer, and many other popular streaming services. 

ExpressVPN apps are available for all popular platforms and come with a kill switch, obfuscation, smart DNS, and ad blocking. This makes it a reliable option for secure remote working, preventing ISP snooping, and protecting yourself against hackers on public WiFi.

The biggest drawback is that ExpressVPN is quite expensive when compared to our top recommendations. However, it is an excellent VPN that many people keep going back to due to its reliability and fast speeds.

FAST FOR GAMING: ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol is ideal for playing LoL. No-logs policy and strong encryption mean you can use it to play LoL at work. Prevents ISP throttling. Protects against hackers on public WiFi. Comes with live chat support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of ExpressVPN.

CyberGhost VPN is a service that puts ease of use first. The VPN has simple apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android that protect your privacy without causing a headache. 

CyberGhost labels its servers by use case (gaming, torrenting, and streaming). This makes it much easier to find the server you need for whichever activity you are doing. Plus, it has more than 9,000 servers in 100+ countries, making it easy to access foreign LoL servers or international streaming platforms.

In our tests, CyberGhost VPN's WireGuard protocol averaged 289 Mbps down. It is an affordable VPN with a no-logging policy and a kill switch. The VPN's encryption makes it safe for playing LoL at work or on campus without being monitored. 

This VPN lacks some of the advanced features you get with our top recommendation. Thus, if you want split tunneling, obfuscation, Tor over VPN, or MultiHop connections you may prefer to shop elsewhere.

In our test, this VPN worked to stream Netflix US and other popular streaming services and it labels streaming servers by platform for more than 20 different countries. You can test it using its 45-day money-back guarantee. 

BEST LOL VPN FOR BEGINNERS: CyberGhost VPN has fast servers in 100+ countries and is very easy to use. Has servers optimized for streaming and gaming that are labeled individually in its apps. Works to access Netflix US. Solid no-logging policy and reliable encryption. 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of CyberGhost VPN.

IPVanish is a fast and reliable VPN that has servers in over 50 countries. The VPN provides lightning-fast speeds, which makes it a reliable option for playing LoL online. Apps are available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. They come with excellent security features including a kill switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, ad blocking, and a SOCKS5 proxy.

IPVanish is committed to user privacy, and although it is based in the US, it maintains a solid no-logging policy. It never stores any details of its user's activities or the servers they connect to.

Although this VPN isn't as good for accessing international streaming services as our top two choices, it is reliable for streaming US platforms like Hulu, HBO Max, and Netflix. So, if US services are what you need, IPVanish is well worth testing.

IPVanish allows users to connect an unlimited number of devices with a single account, which makes it superb value for money and great for anybody with a larger family. If you have any issues, you can get help by contacting its live chat support. 

FAST SPEEDS: IPVanish consistently provides excellent speeds for gaming, torrenting, and streaming. It has fewer servers than our top picks but still provides access to a wide choice of LoL server locations. Good for accessing US streaming platforms. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of IPVanish.

Proton VPN is a secure VPN provider based in Switzerland. The VPN was developed by the team behind ProtonMail, which puts the VPN in great hands. It is known for being a highly advanced VPN with many features, though it is a touch more expensive for this reason.

Apps are available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. They come with port forwarding, split tunneling, MultiHop connections, obfuscation, Tor over VPN, and a range of protocols. These features make it an excellent LoL VPN for people who want to torrent. 

Servers are available in more than 69 countries, so you can easily access different LoL lobbies and prevent ISP throttling. It’s perfect for playing LoL privately at work, on campus, or any other restricted network.

Proton VPN works to watch Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and many other popular streaming services. It is fast thanks to the WireGuard implementation. 

Although ProtonVPN has a basic free plan, it’s limited to just three server locations. It is also much slower than the premium version. Proton’s free VPN is a poor choice for playing LoL (you are welcome to try it). The free servers also intentionally block access to streaming platforms like Netflix, so you'll need to upgrade to stream.

 Live chat support is available on its website in the member's area.

LOL AND TORRENTING: Proton VPN is perfect for advanced users who want to play LoL and torrent. It has many useful features and a solid no-logs policy. Fast speeds and access to popular services like Netflix make it a decent all-rounder. You can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Read our full review of ProtonVPN.

VPN for League of Legends – testing methodology

Our goal is to recommend reliable VPNs that are effective not just for specific activities (like playing League of Legends or accessing streaming services while traveling) but also for ensuring robust online privacy and security.

We perform extensive speed tests, comb through VPN privacy policies, examine VPN applications for possible DNS and IP leaks, and evaluate the VPN’s encryption techniques and security features using our testing methodology.

Our evaluations led us to secure VPNs that can be used to prevent online surveillance and tracking, as well as for accessing regional League of Legends servers, providing smoother gameplay, and preventing DDoS attacks.

Below, you can see a full list of features we looked for when recommending the best VPNs for League of Legends:

• Robust security and privacy: These VPNs prioritize data security. They feature strong encryption, advanced protocols, kill switches, and DNS leak protection, ensuring your online privacy whether you're at home, in the office, or using public WiFi.
• Privacy features: Each VPN in this guide strictly adheres to a no-logging policy, ensuring that your IP address, server connections, and browsing history remain confidential and are never shared with third parties.
• Fast server network: We have selected VPNs with high-speed Tier 1 networks, and speedy tunneling protocols that are ideal for playing League of Legends and other popular online games without lag. Fast speeds are also useful for streaming, torrenting, and making VoIP calls.
• Global network: Our recommendations have a large global server network, perfect for streaming on platforms like Netflix, accessing regional TV services, and circumventing region-locked or censored internet services, including VoIP applications.
• Cross-platform compatibility: The VPNs in this guide offer apps compatible with various devices for playing League of Legends. They can be set up with VPN-compatible routers and also enable you to create a VPN-protected WiFi hotspot, useful for console gaming.
• Customer support: All the VPNs we recommend for LoL provide round-the-clock live chat support, ensuring immediate assistance at any time from anywhere in the world.

In addition to the features listed above, our top three picks must also have two additional security features:

• Security audits: We only recommend VPNs for our top three spots if they have undergone a full third-party audit of their service. This ensures that the VPN has been thoroughly checked for vulnerabilities and that the VPN is living up to the promises made by its marketing and privacy policies.
• Diskless servers: These RAM-only servers are constantly overwriting the data that is passing through them due to the limited memory available, and can be erased instantly simply by pulling the plug. This allows the VPN to more easily adhere to its no-logging promise in case of a server raid and gives the VPN additional control in an emergency. 

How to use a VPN for League of Legends

If you are new to VPNs you may be wondering how to use a VPN to access different League of Legends lobbies or to improve your ping. We have included a step-by-step guide below.

5 steps to use a VPN for League of Legends:

1. Choose a suitable VPN from our list for League of Legends. We highly recommend NordVPN due to its speedy servers across 60+ countries. As alternatives, Surfshark is excellent and affordable with an extensive server network in over 100 locations, or ExpressVPN is an impressive all-rounder.
2. Download and install the VPN software onto your gaming PC or mobile device (to play Wild Rift). 
3. Log into the VPN app.
4. Select a server location. Choose one close to the League of Legends server you prefer. This will alter your IP address to bypass blocks at work, in school, or in countries where LoL isn't available. Connecting to a VPN server closer to the game server should help improve your ping.
5. Launch League of Legends and enjoy your game as usual. You'll notice that your matchmaking experience may differ, with different opponents thanks to the new lobby.

League of Legends VPNs – FAQs

Can I use a free VPN for League of Legends?

If you want to play League of Legends without lag and with access to a wider choice of lobbies, you need a VPN that is fast and reliable. Unfortunately, free VPNs rarely meet this criteria. Free VPNs have fewer servers to pick from, which gives you fewer options for playing international Riot Games servers.

Free VPN servers also suffer from performance issues. They are much slower than premium VPN servers, which causes lag and high ping while playing League of Legends. 

Free VPNs come with severe privacy and security concerns. Many free VPNs have invasive privacy policies that allow them to harvest user data for profiling purposes. They sell this data to data brokers, marketing companies, and other third parties to generate revenue. This is the opposite of what a premium VPN does: protect your online privacy.

Free VPNs have been found to lack encryption, suffer from leaks, and have app and server vulnerabilities. Some even hide spyware in their apps. These are very serious issues that mean the VPN is not protecting you against online tracking, surveillance, and hackers.

Do I need a fast VPN for League of Legends?

Yes, a fast VPN is important for an optimal experience in LoL. Ideally, your internet connection should provide speeds of 30 Mbps or more to play LoL without lag or ping issues. Giganet suggests that the necessary speed for playing LoL is just 2 Mbps, but this is the bare minimum for the game to function – not necessarily to perform well.

It's crucial to understand that a 2 Mbps speed offers limited headroom, especially when using a VPN (a VPN will slightly reduce your internet speed even when using the fastest VPNs). A faster base internet speed contributes to lower latency and a more stable connection, leading to a significantly better gaming experience.

Where does Riot Games have League of Legends servers?

If you are interested in accessing different LoL servers at night or while abroad or simply want to play with people in a different part of the world, it is useful to know where Riot Games hosts servers. By connecting to a VPN server as close to the game server as possible, you might be able to improve your ping.

To make your life easier when choosing which VPN server to use, we have included a list of locations where LoL currently hosts servers. Simply connect to a VPN server in that region to make LoL believe you are there, and start playing matches in that location.

• Europe West: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Europe Nordic and East: Frankfurt, Germany
• North America: Chicago, Illinois, USA
• South Korea: Seoul
• China: Multiple locations within China
• Southeast Asia: Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Brazil: São Paulo, Brazil
• Latin America North: Miami, Florida (USA serving Latin America)
• Latin America South: Santiago, Chile
• Oceania: Sydney, Australia
• Turkey: Istanbul
• Japan: Tokyo

Can a VPN for League of Legends prevent ISP bandwidth throttling?

Maybe. Whether a VPN can help improve your LoL connection hinges on your geographic location and whether your ISP actively throttles connections to LoL. 

If your ISP is discriminating against League of Legends, then a VPN is the most effective method to prevent bandwidth throttling. Using a VPN encrypts your data, which stops your ISP from detecting what you are doing online. This privacy prevents your ISP from purposely throttling your bandwidth if it detects that you are playing  League of Legends.

However, a VPN will not help you if all of your data is being throttled. For example, if you hit your monthly data cap, then your ISP might slow your internet speed down, no matter what you’re doing online. A VPN can’t help in that situation.

If you believe your ISP is slowing down your internet when you play games, it is worth testing a VPN to see if it fixes the issue. All our recommendations have a money-back guarantee, which means you can try them risk-free.

Can I get better ping using a VPN for LoL?

Generally speaking, a VPN will not speed up your internet or improve your ping. This is because a VPN must encrypt your data and route it further on its way to the game server, which will usually introduce some additional lag. 

With that caveat out of the way, it is worth noting that some VPNs route traffic using different internet backbones. In some rare instances, this alternate routing may transmit your data faster than the network routes used by your ISP (usually due to peering agreements made between ISPs and internet backbone providers). 

Most people prefer to connect to a VPN server close to the game server, but there is no hard and fast rule to improve your ping. We recommend that you test a VPN server close to your own home, close to the game server, and located between your physical location and that of the game server to see if one of those setups provides a faster connection. 

Is League of Legends free to play?

Yes. League of Legends has been free to play since it was released in 2009. The game is funded by in-game purchases, which allows users to personalize their characters and other items.