How to get a Finnish IP address
The easiest way to improve your digital privacy is to switch your IP address using a VPN. We’ll …
Today, there are an estimated 2.2 billion gamers worldwide, with a majority of these players using either a PC or a console. This means that gaming is very much alive and shows no signs of slowing down, but this also has negative effects on the gaming community. A higher number of gamers all online at the same time leads to congested networks, increased lag times, and overall poor gaming performance. You’ll need to download a gaming VPN to help improve your experience.
Bonus: Downloading Hotspot Shield’s free VPN will get you unblocked games at school.
To counteract the problem, we’ve come up with the best ways you can maximize your gaming experience — whether you’re using a PC, a console, or any other device. So read on.
Utilize a high-quality gaming VPN
There are plenty of ways a gaming VPN boosts your online gaming performance. Here are some of them:
- It reduces latency by rerouting traffic to less congested networks.
- It allows you to change your virtual location so that you can purchase restricted or geo-locked games.
- It protects your online identity from hackers by encrypting your data and gaming files.
- It enables you to connect to any gaming server and gives you the chance to play with your friends anywhere in the world.
- It prevents bandwidth throttling by ISPs, providing you with an uninterrupted connection while playing.
If you’ve never used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) before, you can download Hotspot Shield VPN for free right here.
And check out our guide on how to unblock games at your school or office with Hotspot Shield VPN.
Maintenance is key
No matter what you’re playing on (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, smartphones, etc.), it’s important to always clean up your system. Maintain your device by doing the following:
- Delete any unimportant files.
- Uninstall bloatware.
- Run anti-virus programs to remove malware and other harmful software.
- Defragment your hard drives (for PC users)
- Physically clean your device and remove dust or any foreign particles that could be building up inside it. Use a can of compressed air (available at any hardware store) to ensure that you clean even the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.
Performing regular system maintenance is a simple yet effective way to free up some much-needed memory and boost your gaming VPN performance.
Upgrade your hard drives
This is an issue that console gamers have to deal with. Nowadays, the standard hard drive for consoles is either 500GB or 1TB — both of which can be considered a limited amount of storage. Both hard drives would easily run out after installing just a few games and apps. Luckily for console gamers, both the PlayStation and Xbox systems now support external hard drives. Get one if you haven’t already so that you no longer have to worry about running out of storage.
If you’re a PC gamer, consider upgrading your regular hard drive to a Solid State Drive (SSD). They’re quite pricey and have lower storage capacities than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), but they are guaranteed to make your system run faster.
Close any apps you don’t need while gaming
It doesn’t make a difference if you’re on a PC, a console, a smartphone, or a tablet. The simple fact is that background applications can slow your system down considerably. Before you start your session, make sure you shut down all unnecessary applications. This frees up your RAM and makes your games run faster.
Improve your internet connection
Have you tried the tips above to no avail? Then maybe it’s time to upgrade your internet service. If you’re a gamer who spends a majority of time playing online, you should consider investing in a high-speed fiber-optic connection.
Compared to a standard broadband connection, fiber-optic internet can be as much as 20 times faster. It is also more reliable and has a stronger signal.
Do you want to maximize your gaming performance? If so, download Hotspot Shield VPN today. Our free gaming VPN can improve your gaming by preventing bandwidth throttling, decreasing latency, encrypting your gaming data, and keeping your online profile anonymous.
