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The simplest way to use a VPN on your Xbox is to share your VPN connection over a mobile hotspot from your PC (Windows 10 or 11). ExpressVPN is the best VPN to use since it was the easiest to set up, it delivered fast gaming speeds with low latency, it unblocked geo-restricted games, and it allowed us to get a cheaper Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Xbox consoles don’t support VPN software, so you can’t download and install a VPN app directly onto them.
To use a VPN on your Xbox you’ll therefore need to connect the gaming system to a device compatible with VPN applications, such as a computer or a WiFi router, allowing you to route your Xbox’s connection through a VPN server.
There are several ways to do this however in this guide we’ve selected and explained the easiest methods, with step-by-step instructions that work for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Summary: 3 Ways to Use a VPN on Xbox
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.
| VPNs Tested on Xbox | 61 |
| Total Hours of Testing | 30,000+ |
| Test Devices | Xbox One S & Xbox Series X |
Unfortunately, many VPNs are not suitable for use on gaming systems. Through our extensive tests, we’ve thankfully found two that are great for use on Xbox based on how easy they are to set up and how well they performed in our gaming tests.
To use a VPN on Xbox, you need to connect your Xbox console to a device that supports VPN apps and can share its internet connection.
Typically, this is a Windows PC or a VPN-compatible router. This method will not work with Mac computers.
The exact setup process varies depending on the device and method of sharing you choose. For example, sharing your VPN connection through a mobile hotspot differs from sharing via an Ethernet cable.
The table below gives you a brief overview of these setup methods and how they compare:
| Mobile Hotspot | Share via Ethernet | Dedicated Router App | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Quick setup | Fast gaming speeds | Device coverage |
| Setup Difficulty | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Hardware Required | Windows 10/11 PC | Windows PC & Ethernet cable | Compatible router & web-enabled device |
| Works with | OpenVPN only | Any VPN | ExpressVPN only |
| Simultaneous Device Limit | 8 | 1 | Unlimited |
| Speed | Fast | Very fast | Fast |
| Location Spoofing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypts Your Data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Below are more detailed setup instructions for each method:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Takes less than five minutes | Only available on Windows 10 & 11 |
| Requires minimal technical knowledge | Not as fast as using a wired connection |
| Allows easy switching of VPN servers | Only works with OpenVPN |
| Does not require the purchase of a WiFi router or Ethernet cable | Drains laptop battery life |
| Supports up to 8 simultaneous connections |
Windows 10 and 11 computers can share their internet connection as a mobile hotspot, allowing nearby devices to connect to them. You can use this feature to share a VPN connection from your Windows PC to other devices, including your Xbox.
We were able to use ExpressVPN on our Xbox by creating a mobile hotspot.
As this method doesn’t require changing your router settings or purchasing additional equipment, we consider it to be the easiest way to use a VPN on Xbox.
If you have a PC running a version of Windows older than Windows 10, then we recommend you refer to our Ethernet setup method.
In the video below we demonstrate how to use a mobile hotspot to share a VPN connection with an Xbox console:
It took us under two minutes to set up a mobile hotspot and connect our Xbox.
If you prefer a written tutorial, you can follow our step-by-step instructions below:
Note: This local area connection may be numbered but it will always have an asterisk.
Enter in the password you created in Step 3.
If you want to check that the VPN is working on your Xbox, open the Microsoft Edge app on your Xbox console and search ‘What is my IP.’
Your search results should display an IP address from the server location you connected to earlier.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Wired connection minimizes impact on gaming speeds | Only allows one active connection at a time |
| Works on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP | Requires a PC with an Ethernet port |
| Compatible with all VPN protocols | Xbox must be wired into your PC at all times |
| Drains laptop battery life |
You can use an Ethernet cable to share your Windows computer’s connection with another device.
This method is ideal for fast gaming speeds and no lag, as the wired connection reduces your latency.
You can connect your Xbox to a VPN through a wired connection.
However, your computer must have an Ethernet port and the cable must be connected at all times while accessing online services on your Xbox.
You can find instructions for sharing your VPN connection via Ethernet to your Xbox below:
If not, you’ll need to connect to your WiFi via your computer’s built-in capability or by installing a WiFi card.
If you want to check the VPN is working properly, start your Xbox and go to Profile & System > Settings > General > Network Settings.
Under Current Network Status it should say Wired.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Doesn’t require access to your desktop’s network adapter settings | Only works with ExpressVPN |
| Protect multiple devices at once | Requires purchasing a compatible router |
| Can be left on permanently | Installation can be difficult for beginners |
| Intuitive and well-designed app with advanced features | |
| Works with any VPN protocol |
By installing ExpressVPN’s dedicated router app, you can automatically encrypt any device that connects to your WiFi router, including your Xbox.
It only took us a few minutes to set up ExpressVPN’s router app and connect our Xbox.
This method is the least intrusive as you don’t have to change your PC’s network settings and you can leave the VPN running once set up.
However, it’s very expensive as you need to purchase an ExpressVPN subscription and potentially a new router if your existing one isn’t compatible.
You can find a full walkthrough of installing ExpressVPN’s router app in the video tutorial below:
Alternatively, follow our written instructions for installing ExpressVPN on a Linksys WRT3200ACM router:
admin. If you’re unable to login, you can refer to routerpasswords.com.Once connected, your Xbox should appear as an active connection in the ExpressVPN router app dashboard.
Since 2016, we’ve tested 61 VPNs across three generations of Xbox consoles.
Our testing on our Xbox One S and our Xbox Series X continues to show that ExpressVPN is still the fastest and most suitable VPN for Xbox, and Proton VPN offers a good 100% free alternative.
You can quickly compare the two VPNs side by side using the table below:
| ExpressVPN | Proton VPN (Free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 9.3 | 6.2 |
| Local Ping | 8ms | 9ms |
| Local Download Speed | 97Mbps | 98Mbps |
| Dedicated Router App | Yes | No |
| Countries with Servers | 106 | 5 |
| Cheapest Price | $4.99/mo over 28 months | Free |
| Simultaneous Connections | 8 | 1 |
ExpressVPN clearly outperforms the free version of Proton VPN in every category. Unless you can’t pay for a VPN, we strongly recommend choosing ExpressVPN to avoid the limitations of a free VPN service.
| Pricing Plans |
|
|---|---|
| Servers | 3,000 |
| Countries with Servers | 106 |
| Smart DNS | Yes |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat |
| Compatible with |
|
ExpressVPN is our top choice for Xbox users. It is the only VPN that works with every Xbox setup method, and it’s also the best VPN for gaming overall.
Its network of 3,000 servers conceals your real IP address while gaming online, while its Lightway protocol ensures your latency is kept as low as possible.
To use ExpressVPN on your Xbox, you can install its custom router app or share its VPN connection from a Windows PC. You can also use its Smart DNS tool, MediaStreamer, for streaming geo-restricted US and British content on your Xbox console.
We were able to connect our Xbox to ExpressVPN’s router app without any issues.
You can quickly set up ExpressVPN on your Xbox by installing its dedicated router app.
This process only takes five minutes and has the added benefit of protecting every device in your household.
Unlike other VPNs, ExpressVPN’s router app has a user interface which makes switching VPN server locations easier.
We found it particularly useful when changing our online region on Warzone and unblocking PUBG Lite, or to get a cheaper Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Alternatively, you can install ExpressVPN on a Windows PC and share the connection with your Xbox.
We tried this ourselves with ExpressVPN and were impressed by how quick and simple the process was. The VPN’s TAP adapter was clearly labeled and its customer support were on-hand 24/7 if any issues had emerged.
ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested on Xbox, with our download speed decreasing by just 3%.
As a result, we didn’t notice any added overhead when downloading triple-A titles or playing online.
We didn’t experience any lag on Halo Infinite while connected to ExpressVPN.
We also recorded an average ping of 8ms when connecting to a nearby VPN server. This is exceptional and ensured we never experienced any lag or framerate drops while using ExpressVPN on Xbox.
You can use the chart below to see how ExpressVPN’s local ping time compares to other top-rated VPNs over a period of five years of testing:
As the data shows, ExpressVPN has consistently recorded an average ping of 8ms or less since our testing began.
In our latest tests, we recorded high ping times when connecting to servers located more than 3,000 miles away, such as a 204ms ping on our New York-Berlin connection.
However, ExpressVPN’s extensive server network covers 106 countries which guarantees you’ll always have a server nearby.
| Servers | 200 |
|---|---|
| Countries with Servers | 5 |
| Smart DNS | No |
| Support | Email & Online Resources Only |
| Compatible with |
|
Thanks to its unlimited data and robust security features, Proton VPN is the best free VPN for Xbox.
It doesn’t require any payment details to set up and it’s the only trustworthy free VPN compatible with router software, making it the best free VPN service for routers.
As a free VPN service, it does come with some limitations. Most notably, you can’t use the free version of Proton VPN to unblock geo-restricted streaming services on your Xbox, and it only has servers in 5 countries.
Proton VPN’s free VPN barely affected our download speed.
While connected to a nearby server, Proton VPN only decreased our Xbox’s download speed by 2% with an average ping of 9ms.
These are excellent results and ensured we rarely experienced any lag or FPS drops while gaming with Proton VPN Free.
That said, we did occasionally record slower download speeds during peak times for online gaming, specifically between 5 and 9pm PST.
This isn’t helped by the fact that Proton VPN only provides access to 200 free servers, which limited the available bandwidth on its server network.
Proton VPN Free uses ChaCha20 to encrypt your Xbox’s connection and tunnels it securely using WireGuard. This protects your console against ISP throttling and attacks from malicious third-parties by concealing your real IP address.
We used a packet analyzer to verify that Proton VPN encrypted our Xbox’s connection.
Though secure, Proton VPN isn’t the easiest VPN to set up on Xbox. You can manually install the VPN on your router, which is rare for a free VPN, but this process is overly technical compared to using ExpressVPN.
In our own testing we managed to connect our Xbox to the VPN via a hotspot, but we would’ve appreciated a simpler alternative like a dedicated router app.
Once set up, you won’t be able to stream any geo-restricted content on your Xbox as Proton VPN blocks streaming traffic on its free plan.
You can use a VPN to change your online location on Xbox or hide your real IP address from third-parties.
There are more specific use cases, such as protecting against cyber attacks or altering your network settings, but these are often false or misrepresented.
We’ve provided a detailed breakdown of everything you can actually do with a VPN on Xbox as well as dispelling popular misconceptions in the section below:
Your Internet service provider (ISP) may throttle your internet connection if you carry out bandwidth-intensive tasks such as 4K streaming, torrenting, and gaming. This will slow down your download speeds and increase your latency.
Although this is unlikely to happen on your household’s local network, it can happen in public spaces with shared bandwidth such as hotels or college accommodation.
If you tend to travel with your Xbox or are currently living in a communal accommodation, then your connection might be throttled in an attempt to reduce your bandwidth consumption.
ISPs may throttle your connection if you regularly stream, game, or torrent.
To prevent ISP throttling, you can encrypt your Xbox’s internet traffic with a VPN so your ISP can’t see the nature of your traffic and therefore can’t throttle your connection.
The vast majority of multiplayer games assign you to a region, and in turn a server, based on your real life location.
You can use a VPN to change your Xbox’s location to a region of your choice. Typically, this is used to bypass skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) on competitive shooters such as Call of Duty.
We were able to manually change our gaming region in Fortnite’s game settings.
You can do this by connecting to a region with a smaller player base such as New Zealand or Egypt. This forces the matchmaking algorithm to prioritize filling the lobby with players, rather than matching by relative ability which results in easier opponents.
In some cases, changing your gaming region can also improve your online connectivity and reduce lag. This only works in instances where the VPN server is located closer to the video game server than your real life location.
Despite what other publications claim, this is extremely rare, and using a VPN actually tends to increase lag.
Many Xbox gamers use VPNs to get less expensive Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, especially the Ultimate plan, by connecting to a cheaper region.
You can get a cheaper Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by following the steps below:
You can use a VPN to stream geo-blocked streaming content on your Xbox such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and more.
We used ExpressVPN to stream BBC iPlayer on our Xbox.
This works by replacing your real IP address with the IP address of the VPN server, allowing you to spoof your Xbox’s online location. For example, we unblocked BBC iPlayer on our Xbox One by connecting to a UK ExpressVPN server.
This method also works with US Netflix and international Netflix libraries. You simply connect to the relevant VPN server location and then restart your Netflix app on Xbox. To do this, hover over the Netflix app, press the menu button on your Xbox controller, and select Quit from the list of options.
It’s widely reported that you can use a VPN to activate a region-locked game key from a cheaper region. We’ve verified this in our own testing but it does come with several drawbacks to consider.
Most notably, your VPN may not always work to bypass the region restriction as Microsoft continually updates its database of VPN IPs.
Another issue is that you’ll need access to a web browser on a phone or computer to redeem your code. It cannot be activated on your Xbox as your console’s store region won’t match that of the game key.
If you want to use a VPN to activate Xbox game keys, follow the exact steps below:
Here’s how to activate a game key with a VPN:
While this is a reliable and cost-effective trick, it is also strictly prohibited in the Microsoft terms of service. We’ve never known of anyone to receive an account ban for taking advantage of it, but please beware that you are doing so at your own risk.
If your Xbox has a strict NAT Type, you may experience longer than expected matchmaking times and large amounts of lag in your online games. It also blocks you completely from matchmaking on games that use a peer-to-peer system for connecting players.
We were able to change our strict NAT Type to moderate using a mobile hotspot.
You can change your NAT Type to moderate by sharing your VPN connection through a Windows 10 or 11 hotspot. This setup simulates a ‘virtual router’ which bypasses the strict NAT Type on your actual router.
By using this method, you can matchmake quicker on Xbox and improve your connectivity.
If you livestream on Twitch, or generally play competitive multiplayer games, then you may have experienced a DoS attack.
A denial of service (DoS) attack is when someone uses your IP address to target your Xbox’s connection with large volumes of traffic. This can slow down your connection speed and sometimes even disconnect you from the internet.
You can connect to a trustworthy VPN to hide your real IP address on Xbox and limit the effectiveness of these attacks.
However, you cannot use a VPN on Xbox to protect against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks as they tend to be more severe, faster, and longer-lasting.
Microsoft’s existing policy states that VPNs can be used on Xbox and Xbox Support even recommends them as a means for preventing DoS or DDoS attacks:
Microsoft Support encourages you to use a VPN to protect your console.
Despite this, there are strict rules around the use of VPNs on Microsoft products. The Microsoft Code of Conduct warns users not to “willfully circumvent any restrictions on access to or availability of the Services,” which may apply to spoofing your online location.
Having said that, we have never known a user to be penalized for using a VPN to change their region on Xbox.
The Xbox Community Standards go on to say that action will only be taken against account holders that enact a “severe violation” of these terms.
It’s reasonable to assume that you won’t face an account ban for using a VPN to change your gaming region, as long as you don’t do so to access products or services not available in your physical location.
We tested 61 VPNs specifically for use with Xbox consoles and assessed their performance in six key areas: speed, device compatibility, geo-unblocking, privacy, security, and ease of use.
As of writing, the Ultimate subscription plan is cheapest in Argentina, Turkey, India, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, and South Korea.
In Argentina and Turkey, the Ultimate plan costs less than $5.00 per month.
