We're well and truly immersed in Caldera now, but no matter what map you're dropping into, the issues many face are the same: someone else who's just a little quicker on the trigger and ready to send you to the grave before you secure the dub. That's where a Warzone VPN comes in.
Using the best VPN for Warzone can end these woes by getting you into easier lobbies that are full of less skilled players, or even bots. Now, there’s a debate to be had over whether winning one of these matches will give you the same sense of achievement as a truly hard-fought battle, but we won’t be having that here.
What we are going to do is tell you how to use a Warzone VPN, why you might want to use a VPN with Warzone, and which service we’d recommend to do the job.
Just want the best Warzone VPN? Look no further
Why use a VPN with Warzone?
Although it’s murky territory and denied by the developers, the general consensus among players is that Warzone uses SBMM – skill-based matchmaking. That means that as your stats improve, the players you face will improve too. This is most evident for the very strongest players, who often face the same elite names and successful hackers far more often than you’d expect.
Matchmaking isn’t just based on skill – location and time of day are factors as well. A Warzone VPN, however, can virtually change your location, and with a little research, you'll have a better chance of facing easier opponents every time you play.
Plus, even if you don't want to change your location, using a VPN can help evade network throttling. This is when your ISP slows down high-bandwidth users (streamers, torrenters and gamers, usually) by monitoring what they're doing online. A VPN masks this activity from your ISP, meaning they can't make a decision to slow you down.
How to use a Warzone VPN to get easy lobbies
There are a couple of simple things to consider here, and understanding how the game works is essential for getting an easy lobby.
Matchmaking is partially led by wait time, meaning that if there are fewer players available at any one moment, they'll all be lumped together into the same match rather than making everyone wait for a 'fairer' game.
By using a Warzone VPN, you can connect to a server in a country with fewer players (this article suggests Egypt), which means you'll be thrown into a much more mixed game, rather than a seriously difficult pro lobby.
In combination with this, it's worth considering the time of day you're playing. Evenings are traditionally busy – meaning more players, and more effective SBMM – while mornings are quiet and will deliver easier lobbies.
If it's evening where you are, it's worth using your Warzone VPN to change your location to a country where it's currently morning – for example, evening in the US is early morning in most of Europe and Africa. Speeds will obviously vary, so test a few servers before trying to play a match.
What makes the best Warzone VPN?
While you want your Warzone VPN to be secure (we don't recommend services that aren't), first and foremost you're looking for excellent connection speeds, reliability, and a wide range of locations. There are a number of services that can do the job, but overall we consider ExpressVPN to be the gold standard for Warzone, and as a gaming VPN in general.
If you're playing on a console, you might want to set up a router VPN. ExpressVPN is one of the few providers to offer a dedicated app, although it's possible with most competitors, too.
Below we'll explore more about why ExpressVPN is the best Warzone VPN on the market, and we’ll also look at its closest competitors to see which is the best fit for you.
NB: We've seen some reports of players struggling to get matches when using a VPN. If you find this to be the case, it's worth testing out a different protocol like IKEv2. If that doesn't work, don't be afraid to contact your VPN's support team, and if worst comes to worst, all our recommended VPNs come with at least a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test the service before you commit.
The five best Warzone VPNs today
In our testing, ExpressVPN comes out on top in just about every area, and it excels for gaming and as a Warzone VPN.
First up, Express's searing connection speeds mean you won't be lagging and you'll be able to play to your full potential. We've very rarely, if ever experienced dropped connections, and long-distance servers are reliable too. Maxing out at over 600mbps, you can feel comfortable in the knowledge that your VPN won't be slowing you down.
If you play on a console, router setup is one of the only ways to get access to VPN connections. ExpressVPN has streamlined the whole procedure by developing an app for routers, and it's far simpler to get up and running than the competition.
When you're not blasting noobs into oblivion in your new-found easy Warzone lobbies, ExpressVPN also does a great job at unblocking geo-restricted content on Netflix, iPlayer, Prime and more. No matter where you are, you'll be able to watch whatever you want.
In terms of price, ExpressVPN does come in at the higher end of the scale, and its five-device policy is a little stingy compared to some others, but in this case you really do get what you pay for. The app is simple, effective, and most importantly of all, is totally unnoticeable once you've switched it on. What more could you want?
NordVPN has made a name for itself through aggressive marketing, and you'll have no doubt seen it plugged by countless streamers and content creators on YouTube and elsewhere. As our NordVPN review testifies, though, it's not all hot air, and the service really delivers.
As a Warzone VPN, it hits all the key features – great speeds, reliable connections, simple setup and plenty of server locations.
Since the introduction of its WireGuard-based NordLynx protocol, NordVPN has seen a significant upgrade in its maximum speeds, beating even ExpressVPN in some tests. While these speeds aren't repeatable on many of its servers, it's still thoroughly capable and won't slow down your gaming.
Standout features include Onion over VPN (not great for gaming, but super secure), multi-hop server selection and excellent apps that work on tons of devices. However, the apps are a little more complex to use than ExpressVPN, and while this is a small quibble, it's worth making a note of.
However, with its great streaming support and excellent speeds, as a Warzone VPN Nord is sure to deliver.
Sign up now on the NordVPN website
As our favorite cheap VPN, in our Surfshark review we found the BVI-based provider to be as good as, if not better than some of its far more expensive rivals.
Great speeds mean you'll be able to dominate in Warzone without any slow-down, and one-touch connection is a great user-friendly feature.
Surfshark has also recently increased its server count to over 3,000, bringing it in line with its more premium competitors, so you'll have plenty of choice when it comes to picking an easy lobby in Call of Duty.
However, the biggest draw will be that sub-$2.50 price tag. It's perfectly understandable that to gain an advantage in a game that's free to play such as Warzone, you'll want to spend as little money as possible on add-ons – and Surfshark fits the bill perfectly.
While the apps aren't quite as in-depth as Nord and Express (although it's steadily improving in this area), for quick and easy access to easy Warzone lobbies and additional online privacy, Surfshark is an excellent choice for the savvy gamer.
Head over to Surfshark's website to sign up
ProtonVPN is well known for its free VPN service, but in our last ProtonVPN review, we found that the Swiss provider has really upped its game. With connection speeds challenging the very best, alongside class-leading privacy credentials, it's definitely a provider to keep an eye on.
When gaming, you won't find yourself lagging, even if you've chosen to use a server in a different country,. That's thanks to ProtonVPN's VPN Accelerator. This sends your traffic through multiple cores of multiple CPUs, effectively supercharging your connections and negating any slow-down you might otherwise feel.
One of the few downsides to ProtonVPN is the fact that the support system isn't quite up there with the best. While the live chat agents are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, they're not available 24/7. So, if you're fragging out at midnight on Sunday and you have an issue, you might be waiting a few hours for a response.
Overall though, ProtonVPN is a seriously powerful VPN for Warzone, and will prove itself useful on and off the battleground.
Sign up now on the ProtonVPN website
Every gamer knows that maintaining a good ping time is essential for serious success, and out of the providers on this list on IPVanish shows you exactly how each one of its servers is performing. Plus, as a US VPN, a vast amount of Warzone players will be well-served by its useful, in-depth apps.
IPVanish's standout feature is its incredible connection speeds. Far outdoing itself since our last review, IPVanish can now deliver speeds of up to 900Mbps on a 1Gbps line. That's the fastest out of any of our tested services, and should certainly keep up with your Warzone sessions.
A real bonus, though, is that IPVanish offers unlimited simultaneous connections, meaning you can install and use the app on any and all your devices – as a Warzone VPN on your PC, a mobile VPN, and Smart TV VPN and just about anything else.
Unfortunately, IPVanish isn't the great streaming VPN it used to be. In our testing, we could only unblock BBC iPlayer, and Disney+, Prime Video and Netflix were entirely unavailable.
However, if all you want are the very fastest speeds, IPVanish could well be a great choice.
Head over to IPVanish's website to sign up
Best Warzone VPN FAQ
Can you get banned for using a VPN on Warzone?
The jury's out on this one, but in the Warzone T&Cs, there are no explicit rules stating that you can't use a Warzone VPN. This is due to the fact you may be using a VPN to stabilize your connection, and while getting easier lobbies may be a side-effect of this, it's not an offense, per se.
However, if you're a professional or high-profile Warzone player, we'd recommend researching yourself if there's any risk involved.
Will a VPN increase my ping?
This is a tricky one. Compared to your standard connection at peak speeds, a VPN is likely to slightly increase your ping – but, if you're very near one of your VPN's servers it could possibly decrease it if you're lucky. If you're heading to an overseas server your ping will almost certainly increase, but by being smart about your choice, you should be able to minimize this.
Of course, many people are using a Warzone VPN to stabilize and make your connection more reliable and to avoid throttling. So, on your regular connection you might peak at a 10ms ping, but when you're being throttled that might increase to a difficult-to-manage 300ms.
By using a Warzone VPN, you can make sure your ping will stay at a usable speed – perhaps 20ms or better if you're used to 10ms – but you can be sure that it will stay that way for as long as you play.
To learn more about this, see how to use a VPN to speed up your internet.
- Find out about all the best VPN uses
- Need to access in China? See the best China VPN
- If you share P2P you need the best torrenting VPN
