Is a VPN worth it for Warzone?

Wade through the dense forests of the Caldera map, based on an island in the Pacific during WW2, and secure your connection thanks to a reliable VPN. Able to reduce the risk of bandwidth throttling by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and against DDos attacks from opponents, the best Warzone VPN could also help to lower the stakes and guarantee easier lobbies.

One of the biggest battle royale games out there - largely because it's free to play on a number of gaming platforms - Call of Duty: Warzone and the levels of competition have reached heady heights. Thankfully, the best VPN can help for those that simply want a new way to secure a win.

With the game said to use SBMM (skilled based match-making) to connect players to their next opponents, as you accrue more wins you could be looking at a far more challenging match. Using a Warzone VPN could allow you to better control who your next opponent might be, giving you more options for who you fry next.

Throwing in the other perks of the best gaming VPN, keep reading as we go into detail about why a Warzone VPN is an essential piece of kit for COD players, as well as how it works, and how to secure those easy lobbies.

Why you should use a VPN when playing Warzone

Looking for an easy win? A Warzone VPN could very well be the answer. As previously mentioned, while not exactly confirmed, it's assumed by players that your lobby is based on an SBMM algorithm, alongside ping and wait time. This means your matches will nearly always be against other players on a similar skill level to you.

Of course, it does also come down to time zone and, subsequently, location; otherwise players would find themselves waiting around for a fair fight if the right criteria wasn't already online. Thanks to a VPN, then, you can spoof your device (and in turn Warzone) into thinking you're elsewhere and enter far easier lobbies at quieter times.

How a Warzone VPN works

Many VPN providers have a network of servers in the thousands, and these servers are based in a number of locations around the world. This is great news for those after a Warzone VPN, allowing you to trick your device - and therefore the game itself - into thinking you're elsewhere.

With the game typically its busiest in the evenings, meaning you can connect to a server in a country with a different time zone and play where it's the morning or early afternoon. This should mean fewer players online. Join a server situated in that country, and you'll likely be entered into a lobby with far fewer skilled players.

Those in the US playing in the evening are best placed joining a server in the UK, Europe, or Africa where it's early morning. 

It also might be an idea to find out what countries have the least number of gamers playing Warzone, as this could also throw up a smaller pool of potential opponents. 

What makes the best Warzone VPN?

Above all else, when it comes to the best Warzone VPN, you want one that hosts a number of servers across the globe for you to hop to and from, as well as reliable connection speeds. Of course, you'll also want one that proves secure, too. Our top recommendation is ExpressVPN, which also sits at the top of the list when it comes to a VPN for gaming.

Not only does it offer a router app if you're looking to set up a router VPN for console gamers (a necessity if you're playing Warzone on PlayStation or Xbox), but it also means there should be little to no increase in ping. While not proving to be the fastest VPN provider in our latest rounds of testing, it did see above-average results of 480-630Mbps. NordVPN and Surfshark hurtled ahead with 730-760Mbps and 720-790Mbps respectively.

Good security also means you'll be less vulnerable to DDoS attacks from bad losers, or bandwidth throttling from your ISP. This is where your provider can reduce bandwidth and cause lag when detecting high-download tasks like streaming and gaming - something you certainly don't want to experience when opening fire on some n00bs.

Top 3 best Warzone VPN services:

Can you get banned for using a VPN when playing Warzone?

While the use of a VPN to play Warzone in this way could be deemed cheating by some, it shouldn't get you in hot water. In fact, according to the COD Warzone Security and Enforcement Policy, it's pretty commonplace to use a VPN to reduce lag. While this might not strictly be the reason you might be hopping onto a VPN, we'd hazard a guess it would be hard to determine either way.

Still, as ever, it's important to err on the side of caution and assess the risk, especially if you're a high-profile gamer.

Does a Warzone VPN improve ping?

It's unlikely a VPN will decrease your ping, as a VPN service tends to run slower than your own network's peak speed. That said, there are ways a VPN can improve your connection.

Firstly, ensure you're getting the strongest VPN connection possible, by choosing a server based nearby. It's also worth taking a moment to run trial and error to see which server offers the best speeds. In turn, this can offer a more reliable performance throughout your gaming session, ensuring you maintain consistent speeds. 

The alternative is relying on your own network, which may at times be faster, but could quickly deplete in the event you're throttled.

Alice is the resident eCommerce Staff Writer at Future with a focus on VPN and streaming services, such as Disney Plus and HBO Max. She predominantly writes buying and streaming service guides, as well as how to watch articles. Previously a Commercial Content Writer at Trusted Reviews, Alice has five years experience giving online buying advice, and over two years writing about consumer tech.