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The best way to use NordVPN with your PS4/5 depends on your needs. To unblock streaming content, set up NordVPN’s Smart DNS tool. If you want to access gaming lobbies in different countries or protect your IP address, you’ll need to share the VPN connection from your PC or install it on your router.
Connecting your PlayStation to a good virtual private network (VPN) hides your IP address and spoofs your console’s real location.
NordVPN is a highly-rated VPN for gaming that can protect you from potential DoS attackers and prevent ISP throttling.
However, there isn’t a NordVPN app in the PlayStation Store as the PlayStation doesn’t support VPN apps. To use a VPN on your PS4 or PS5, you’ll need to use a workaround, such as sharing a VPN connection from your PC.
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our advice is based on our own testing results and is unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.
There are 3 different ways to set up NordVPN on PS4/5: using Smart DNS, sharing a VPN connection from your PC, or installing the VPN directly onto your router.
The best choice depends on what you want to do on your PlayStation using the VPN service.
To simplify this, see which use case best describes you and choose the installation method accordingly:
We recommend using Smart DNS only for accessing geo-restricted streaming content, such as the US Netflix library. Smart DNS doesn’t hide your true IP address and won’t change your gaming location. You won’t benefit from any gaming-specific advantages, like easier lobbies or preventing DoS attacks.
NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature is straightforward to set up but is specifically designed to work only with US-based apps, including Peacock, Max, and the US versions of Disney+ and Prime Video.
We changed our DNS settings on the PS5 to unblock US streaming content.
Unlike Smart DNS, sharing a VPN connection via PC offers the added benefits of encrypting your internet traffic and concealing your IP address.
However, be warned that this method is complicated and not always reliable. Personally, we had to attempt this method several times, relying on assistance from NordVPN’s customer support and the Windows community forum, before finally getting it to work. Even then, the connection was not as stable as using a dedicated VPN router.
Unfortunately, NordVPN doesn’t support sharing a VPN connection on macOS. If you want to use a Mac to share a VPN connection, Surfshark is the recommended alternative.
Installing NordVPN on a router will protect every device in your local network, including your games consoles. Based on our experience, it’s actually the most reliable way to use NordVPN on a PlayStation.
The router connection is more stable compared to an Ethernet connection, meaning we were never kicked out of a game unexpectedly. Plus, unlike Smart DNS, VPN routers hide your IP address, encrypt your connection, and unblock international streaming services (not just US ones).
You have three options for setting up NordVPN on a router: purchasing a pre-configured router, installing it on a VPN-compatible router, or flashing your current router before installing the VPN.
Personally, we recommend installing it on a VPN-compatible router. This approach allows you to choose between a wide range of router options and is relatively simple to set up with our step-by-step guide.
Popular brands offering VPN-enabled routers include ASUS, Linksys, and Netgear. The method to install NordVPN will differ by brand.
In the following example, we demonstrate using NordVPN with a Linksys router running DD-WRT firmware.
We installed NordVPN on our test router to stream Max in the UK.
A VPN improves gaming on the PS4 and PS5 by hiding your IP address from other gamers and, in rare cases, improving speed and performance levels. It can also unblock films and TV on international streaming services by reliably spoofing your location.
Using a VPN enhances your PS5 experience in many ways.
Many games like Call Of Duty use P2P matchmaking to connect gamers. Much like with torrenting, this exposes your public IP address to everyone within the game. If you livestream on Twitch, anyone watching the stream can also see your IP address.
Attackers can then flood your connection with spam traffic, which will slow down your internet speed and make it extremely difficult for you to compete effectively. This is known as a Denial of Service (or DoS) attack.
However, a VPN won’t stop a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, as they are faster, longer-lasting, and use multiple sources of traffic.
It’s therefore best to use a VPN to hide your IP address from other gamers. When you connect to the VPN server, your personal IP address will become masked by the IP address of the server, meaning you’re safe from IP-based targeting.
Streaming platforms like Netflix offer different content catalogs depending on your location.
By masking your IP address and spoofing your location, a high-quality VPN like NordVPN lets you unblock streaming content normally unavailable in your region.
However, for many services, you’ll need to share a NordVPN from your PC or set it up on a router. We found its Smart DNS tool doesn’t unblock any services from outside the US, including BBC iPlayer, Star on Disney+ UK, and Hotstar India.
We unblocked BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, and Disney+ with NordVPN on PS5.
Some ISPs will throttle high-bandwidth activity – such as gaming, streaming and torrenting – causing slower speeds and longer latency.
If you travel with your PlayStation, hotels or other public WiFi providers might also throttle your connection in an attempt to reduce bandwidth consumption.
With a VPN, your internet traffic is encrypted, meaning your service provider cannot see what it is you’re doing. If they can’t determine your activity, they can’t throttle your connection. A VPN is therefore a great way to avoid ISP throttling and enjoy unrestricted speeds on PS4 and PS5.
Using a VPN hides your traffic and online activity from your ISP.
Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so it won’t bypass ISP throttling. You’ll need to either share a NordVPN connection via a virtual router or install it directly onto your internet router.
A VPN almost always slows your connection down to some degree, so you might be surprised to hear that using one can actually cut game latency and improve overall performance.
If you connect to a VPN server that is close to a gaming server, you can improve speed relative to your standard internet connection, which may take a less direct route to the server.
You can often find out where gaming servers are located by Googling for them.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), for example, has servers in Virginia (US), London (UK), and Sydney (Australia), among other places. Fortnite has servers in Ohio (US), Osaka (Japan), and Frankfurt (Germany), plus 13 other places.
Be aware that the connection between your PlayStation and the VPN server will take longer if it’s further away from you, though. So you’ll need to experiment to find the optimal end-to-end speed.
You’ll also need to make sure you’re using a fast VPN with a low ping time.
It’s often claimed you can use a VPN to change the region of your PlayStation Store, access early game releases, geo-restricted in-game content (DLC), and cheaper regional pricing. Unfortunately, this isn’t true.
You cannot use a VPN to change the PlayStation Store region of your PlayStation Network account.
The region of your PS Store is determined by the location and address you enter when creating your PlayStation Network (PSN) account. If you input the US as your location, then you’ll only ever be able to access the US PlayStation Store, no matter where you are in the world. The account’s region cannot be changed after it has been created.
The PlayStation store redirects you to your PSN region’s storefront.
Therefore, the only way to gain access to early game releases and cheaper store prices is to create a new PSN account and register it in your desired region.
This process doesn’t require a VPN. As long as you can supply an acceptable ZIP or postal code from your chosen region, PlayStation doesn’t appear to cross-reference this with the geolocation information supplied by your IP address. Simply set up your new PSN account and enjoy access to the new region’s Store.
However, this can be a complicated and impractical solution because:
You cannot transfer any previously purchased games, downloaded in-game content, PS Store credits, friends lists, or trophies from your existing PSN account to the new one.
Purchases need to be made using a credit card or PayPal account that is registered in the same region as the store you’re accessing.
The PSN Terms Of Service do state that you must “give accurate information about yourself,” which presumably includes your true location. It also says that PlayStation may suspend your account “if you give [it] false information.”
NordVPN is a great choice for accessing geo-blocked content on PlayStation, hiding your IP address from other gamers, and preventing your ISP from throttling your activity.
It’s an extremely fast VPN that you can trust to keep you private and secure online.
Reviewing NordVPN, we concluded it’s easily one of the best VPN services around and is excellent for gaming, streaming, and web browsing on your PS4/PS5.
Speed is a top priority when choosing a VPN for online gaming. There are two measurements that are important to consider:
Ping time measures how long it takes data to travel from your device to the gaming server and back again. You need a low ping time to ensure the game experience is snappy, and you’re not outmaneuvered by someone with a more responsive connection. A ping time over 100ms will feel slow and laggy.
Download speed indicates how quickly data travels from the gaming server to your computer. Generally speaking, you’ll notice a download speed drop by anything more than 10%.
We regularly test the ping and download speeds of over 61 VPNs. Based on our latest round of tests, NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs on the market.
NordVPN can sustain these fast speeds thanks to its massive server network. It also automatically connects you to less-congested servers. Its ping times are low enough to play fast-paced games like CS:GO without lag.
Here’s how NordVPN performed in our speed tests connecting to different servers around the world:
NordVPN is an excellent choice for streaming on PlayStation. Whichever way you want to configure your connection (via Smart DNS, Windows PC, or router), it works to unblock US Netflix, Max, Disney+, Hulu, and more.
As previously mentioned, Smart DNS only works with US streaming services. If you want to unblock and additional 16 Netflix libraries and streaming services from other countries, we recommend using sharing your VPN connection from a PC or using a VPN router.
NordVPN has one of the biggest server networks we’ve seen. It operates a network of 7,150 servers which are distributed across 118 countries.
This allows you to unblock a wide range of geo-restricted gaming content on your PlayStation as well as international streaming libraries.
NordVPN has a huge selection of server locations available for manual configuration on routers.
NordVPN ensures top-tier security with its use of ultra-secure encryption standards, including AES-256 and ChaCha20, both recognized as industry-leading.
In addition, NordVPN supports robust VPN protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard, providing reliable protection for your gaming traffic against ISP throttling and potential cyber threats.
During our recent tests, NordVPN demonstrated flawless performance with no leaks, ensuring our true IP address remained hidden from other gamers who might use it to carry out cyberattacks.
When sharing your VPN connection via a Windows PC, we highly recommend enabling NordVPN’s kill switch. This feature ensures that your real IP address stays concealed even if your internet connection drops unexpectedly during gameplay.
How to Get a 7-day NordVPN Free Trial
How to Set Up & Use a VPN on PS5
How to Get a VPN on Xbox
We've been testing and reviewing VPN services since 2016. We also publish VPN research and advice to help protect your internet privacy and security.
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