Have you ever gotten totally caught up in a trailer for a new game that you really wanted to play, only to remember right after that your computer does not meet the specs needed to play it? Now, with the GeForce Now cloud gaming, you won’t have to face that disappointment anymore. By streaming games from your Steam, UPlay, or Battle.net accounts, you will be able to play every game you want, even if your computer is a potato. You will need to own them, however, as well as have a fast and reliable connection – at least 15 Mbps for 720p and 25 Mbps for 1080p – and you need to live in Europe or the U.S. unless you use a VPN service to trick GeForce Now’s servers.
There are many reasons why you should use a VPN provider. The most usual ones are, of course, for online anonymity and protection against hackers. However, a VPN service can offer way more than that, especially when using a service like GeForce Now.
First of all, a VPN will help you to bypass geo-restrictions, which will be essential for gamers who live outside the U.S. and Europe. By using a server from one of those two locations, the VPN will trick the GeForce Now’s servers into thinking you are accessing it from one of those countries and will unblock the service to you. However, even those who have access to the service may want to use a VPN to reach blocked games in their country.
Additionally, VPN providers will actually help with the speed requirements, especially when it comes to latency. There are many reasons why you may not be able to achieve GeForce Now’s minimum requirements; you may be too far from the server you are trying to connect to or your ISP may be throttling your connection. If you choose a server closer to GeForce Now’s servers, you will see that your latency will decrease. At the same time, since your traffic is encrypted and your ISP cannot pinpoint that you are the one accessing the internet, it won’t be able to slow down your connection.
Accessing GeForce Now is pretty straightforward. Since it’s still in open beta, you just need to register for access through your account. If you don’t have an account, you can always create one by just filling in your email address, display name, password, and date of birth – although you will have to wait for a while until getting the approval. After that, when it makes sense, you need to make sure your VPN is running in the background and voilà, you’ll have access to GeForce Now. However, there is one thing you need to bear in mind: the 15 Mbps requirement.
While using a VPN, even when it has a fast network, your internet speed will always face a slowdown because of two main factors: encrypted traffic takes longer to process, and you are (probably) far away from the server’s location. Therefore, it’s essential that you configure the VPN to have the best connection speed possible. Let’s start with the easiest one: location – the closer you are to the server, the faster your connection speed will be, so always try to go for the closest server possible. The other way to increase your speed is by choosing the right encryption protocol. Although you may have read that PPTP is the fastest, it’s also true that it’s completely unsecure, so you’d be better off choosing OpenVPN or IKEv2/IPsec.
All it takes is a quick visit to the forum to see that GeForce Now does not ban or have any problem with VPN providers; there is an open conversation about the topic and there are no reports about errors while using a VPN unless it’s about a bug, but hey, that’s what we get for using beta-stage software. However, GeForce Now does recommend turning off the VPN when you are starting it, but it’s just a precaution since you will probably face an internet slowdown. Therefore, errors that you may get while using a VPN with GeForce Now are the same ones you would get without it.
Since Nvidia makes it so easy to access GeForce Now with a VPN, there are only two things to bear in mind while choosing a VPN provider: the speed, and the fact that it has servers in the U.S. and/or Europe.
A surfing shark might not conjure up an image of security, but it does represent an effective way of defending yourself from the threats of the deep ocean that is the internet.
Established in 2018, Surfshark offers aesthetically-pleasing apps for multiple platforms. The Netherlands-based company continues to enhance its cybersecurity, merging with Nord Security in 2022. The VPN service doesn’t miss out on any critical security features, such as a static IP address and kill switch, and provides servers in more than 100 countries.
Additionally, Surfshark offers encryption protocols (including WireGuard) and P2P support, alternative IDs, and a no-logs policy. It is one of the cheapest services on the market and offers a 7-day free trial for Android, iOS, and macOS devices, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk free.
With an extensive server network spanning 105 countries, apps for all major platforms, and even extra security tools like an ad blocker, ExpressVPN delivers all you need for a private and secure online experience.
The software is easy to use across all devices, and the speed trumps many of its competitors, making it one of the fastest VPNs on the market. Android and iOS customers can make the most of a 7-day free trial with unlimited bandwidth and everyone can enjoy three months for free when opting for annual billing.
IPVanish made a strong entrance as a VPN service provider in 2012, long before VPNs became so common, and it’s been further improving its service ever since. Fundamentally, this solution specializes in providing customers with secure and encrypted internet connections across all devices.
Offering customers an impressive 2,200 servers worldwide to choose from, IPVanish is both comprehensive and reliable. It’s also one of the few VPN providers that manage a big portion of its infrastructure in-house, owning 80% of its servers and only using self-developed software for its service. This reduces the company’s reliance on third parties, making it an even more trustworthy option.
As one of the strongest VPNs on the market, IPVanish also boasts a vast range of features that not only provide faster speeds but also permit a custom encryption level and all other elements of a VPN connection. With prices starting as low as $2.99 per month, users certainly get a lot for their money.
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