Unless you’re living under a rock, you have heard of Apex Legends. It is the new gaming sensation and is a free-to-play battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on February 4, 2019 and reached 25 million players within just one week. With that amount of success and hype, fans are eager to level up on the game as fast as they can. While gamers from the U.S. won’t have to wait long, players from other countries don’t have access to all features or the game itself as quickly.
Standard in the industry, gaming release dates vary from country to country. Some customers don’t like to wait and will use a VPN to locate themselves within a country where the product is already available. Even though they suffer from slower connection speeds, most VPN services nowadays have servers that are optimized for streaming and P2P sharing, making them appropriate for gaming as well.
Why Use a VPN With Apex Legends?
As we mentioned, some Apex Legends players use VPN services to get ahead and have early access to games and features still unavailable in their country. Most gaming companies do separate release dates so that they can build hype based on the initial players’ reviews and free promotion across social media networks.
However, that was not Iran’s case. Since the country is being sanctioned by the U.S., Apex Legends isn’t available for Iranian gamers, as EA was forced to make its game inaccessible to comply with embargoes and certain legal restrictions. The only way for Iranians to play the game is by using a VPN service.
Other users turn to VPN services to avoid cheaters. When you’re gaming, other players have access to your IP address, and therefore your location. As a result, foul players can DDoS you, and they can close your lobby, make you leave the game you're in, or even crash your game.
In addition, because of the game’s massive success, a great number of players have complained about slow connections and overall difficulties when launching Apex Legends. Using a virtual private network can be helpful in those cases, as it can eliminate ping and lagging issues.
How to Set up a VPN With Apex Legends
A VPN service encrypts all the data exchanged while online, providing full privacy and anonymity. This means that third parties, such as your ISP, can’t view your traffic. This is particularly important since ISPs can throttle connections if bandwidth usage is considered too high, meaning gamers will have to deal with a slow connection. By using a VPN service, gamers will be able to enjoy a consistent gaming experience as they will be protected from DDoS attacks. In addition, a VPN will help beat lag and actually improve the connection’s speed.
For those who decide to use a virtual private network, there are some aspects to keep in mind when choosing one. First of all, it’s important to know which encryption protocols are used in advance, as some may be more adequate than others. OpenVPN is one of the most popular protocols, as it can be used across different types of devices and most VPN clients rely on it. Additionally, a good network with servers that are optimized for streaming and P2P will make a difference, since it provides more servers to connect to. By making sure these two factors are considered when choosing a VPN, gamers can guarantee that they will be safe while enjoying Apex, but also that their connection speeds aren’t negatively affected.
Errors and Bans With VPN Usage
With great success comes responsibility and Respawn has been making great efforts to wipe cheaters from the game. That includes piggybackers and fraudsters. As per information from the developers on a Reddit post, in the first three months, over 770,000 players were banned and the creation of over 300,000 accounts was blocked. “We take cheating in Apex Legends incredibly serious and have a large amount of resources tackling it from a variety of angles. It is a constant war with the cheat makers that we will continue to fight,” Respawn said in the Reddit post.
Piggybackers are players who don’t participate in the game in a meaningful way, collecting Experience points and rewards for their teammates’ hard work. While not all piggybackers do it intentionally, they can be permanently banned from the game. The same can apply to users who access the game using a VPN service. While Respaw doesn’t actually forbid the use of VPN software to play Apex Legends, gamers must be aware that they mustn’t make purchases while connected. Because prices vary from country to country, making a purchase while using a VPN connection may result in lower prices than the actual one players should be paying. Those who do this will be immediately and permanently banned.
Recommended VPN Services
Ivacy
A longtime player in the VPN industry, Ivacy is known for its fast, worldwide network of servers. More than 1,000 servers across 50+ countries provide fast connection speeds, supporting P2P file sharing and streaming. This VPN service has a diversified set of encryption protocols such as OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and IKEv2. The software is very user-friendly and has a high level of customization. With no issues regarding DNS leaks, it will be of great use for gamers who don’t have access to Apex Legends in their country. Users are offered a 30-day money-back guarantee, so that they can try the VPN risk-free.
Surfshark
With a network of more than 500 servers across 50 countries, Surfshark is one of the most complete VPN services on the market. Besides supporting P2P and streaming, the software has additional security features, such as a kill switch, an adblocker, or automatic Wi-Fi protection, alongside a malware tracker. Additionally, IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols are used. However, what makes this VPN interesting is the fact that it is one of the few that provides a double VPN option, providing extra security. While only iOS users have access to a seven-day trial, the remaining customers can try the software risk-free with the company’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
CyberGhost
As one of the top VPN providers on the market, CyberGhost is a great VPN service for all types of user profiles. With more than 3,000 untraceable servers across over 60 countries, this software will satisfy gamers for its connection speeds. Additional, special security settings like a NAT firewall or a kill switch complete the package and help provide a comprehensive, safe solution. The program features DNS and IPv6 leak protection and makes use of OpenVPN, L2TP, and IKEv2 encryption protocols. While there is a one-day free trial available, players will surely prefer to make use of the company’s lengthy 45-day money-back guarantee.
Best VPN Guides for Games and Gaming Platforms
- Best VPNs for Apex Legends
- Best VPNs for CS:GO
- Best VPNs for FFXIV
- Best VPNs for Fortnite
- Best VPNs for GeForce Now
- Best VPNs for League of Legends
- Best VPNs for Online Gambling
- Best VPNs for PlayStation Now
- Best VPNs for Poker
- Best VPNs for PUBG
- Best VPNs for PUBG Lite
- Best VPNs for Steam
- Best VPNs for World of Warcraft
Best VPN Services of 2023
| Rank | Provider | Info | Visit |
1 | Editor's Choice 2023  | ||
2 |  | ||
3 |  |
Get the Best VPN Deals
Want to stay up to date on the latest VPN news and discounts? Get exclusive offers and deals sent straight to your inbox!