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How to Use NordVPN on PS4 & PS5
Callum Tennent
Callum Tennent oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his VPN advice has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society. Read full bio
NordVPN works well on PS4 and PS5. It’s one of the best VPN services to improve gaming, streaming, and web browsing on your PlayStation. The easiest way to set up NordVPN on your PS4/PS5 is to use the service’s Smart DNS tool.
Connecting your PlayStation to a good virtual private network (VPN) can improve gaming speed performance. It can also let you bypass gaming and streaming geo-restrictions.
A highly-rated VPN for gaming hides your real IP address from potential DoS attackers, and protects your connection against ISP throttling.
In our latest tests, NordVPN worked very well on PS4 and PS5. Connections were fast, encrypted, and the VPN’s Smart DNS service unblocked many streaming apps, including US Netflix.
The PlayStation Store doesn’t support VPN applications, therefore you’ll have to follow one of the three methods below to set up NordVPN on your PS4 or PS5:
Here’s a quick summary of how NordVPN’s PlayStation setup methods compare:
Smart DNS
Connect via a PC
Install on router
Set-up Difficulty
Easy
Medium
Hard
Location Spoofing
Yes
Yes
Yes
Works with Netflix
Yes
Yes
Yes
Encrypts Your Data
No
Yes
Yes
Hides Your IP
No
Yes
Yes
Speed
Very Fast
Fast
Fast
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the above setup methods in detail, and advise on which option may be best for you.
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How to Use NordVPN Smart DNS on PS4/PS5
NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature is the easiest way to get the VPN working on your PS4 or PS5.
You don’t need to install any VPN software for it. Instead, you simply re-route your connection requests through NordVPN’s DNS servers rather than through your ISP’s.
This makes it seem as if you’re located in a different country, and lets you unblock features that aren’t available in your location, such as international streaming libraries and geo-blocked websites. Additionally, Smart DNS is faster than a VPN service, making it ideal for gaming.
Follow the instructions below to use Smart DNS on your PS4, or skip to the PS5 instructions here. You can also use our DNS testing tool at any point to find out which DNS servers your device is using.
Set Up NordVPN’s Smart DNS on Your PS4
Create a NordVPN account: NordVPN’s Smart DNS and VPN services start from $3.29 a month.
Find your public IP address: Your IP address uniquely identifies your internet connection and is provided by your ISP. Check your IP address here.
Give NordVPN your IP address: You need to give NordVPN your IP address so that it can whitelist you to use the Smart DNS service. Do this by selecting “activate your IP address for Smart DNS” on your account profile. You’ll need to use an IPv4 address, as NordVPN doesn’t yet support IPv6 addresses.
On your PS4, go to Settings: The icon looks like a toolbox.
Select ‘Network’ then ‘Set up internet connection’.
Choose ‘Custom’ to customize your connection.
Enter the connection details:
Choose WiFi or LAN, depending on whether you have a wireless (WiFi) or wired (LAN) connection.
Choose ‘automatic’ for your IP address.
Choose ‘do not specify’ for the DHCP Host Name.
Choose ‘manual’ for the DNS settings.
Set the primary DNS to 103.86.96.103.
Set the secondary DNS to 103.86.99.103.
Set Up NordVPN’s Smart DNS on Your PS5
Create a NordVPN account: NordVPN’s Smart DNS and VPN services are paid-for, starting from as little as $3.29 a month.
Find your public IP address: Your IP address uniquely identifies your internet connection and is provided by your ISP. Check your IP address here.
Give NordVPN your IP address: You need to give NordVPN your IP address so that it can whitelist you to use the Smart DNS service. Do this by selecting “activate your IP address for Smart DNS” on your account profile. You’ll need to use an IPv4 address, as NordVPN doesn’t yet support IPv6 addresses.
On your PS5, go to Settings: The icon looks like a cog.
Select ‘Network’ > ‘Settings’ > ‘Set up Internet Connection’.
Click your existing internet connection. Or set one up if you haven’t already.
The Smart DNS feature is useful for spoofing your location on games consoles, smart TVs and streaming devices, but it won’t encrypt your data like a full VPN does.
Smart DNS won’t mask your true IP address, and all your internet activity remains visible to your ISP and other third-parties.
For this reason, you shouldn’t use Smart DNS for anything involving personal or sensitive information. It won’t protect you against ISP throttling when gaming or streaming, either.
You can use NordVPN’s Smart DNS to change region on several streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
For example, NordVPN’s Smart DNS tool currently unblocks 17 Netflix regions, including the US catalog.
How to Set Up NordVPN on PS4/PS5 Using a PC
By sharing your computer’s internet connection with your PlayStation, you can set up NordVPN on your PS4 or PS5.
This method essentially involves routing your console’s traffic through your desktop PC or laptop, where NordVPN is already installed and running.
You can then use the VPN app on your computer to encrypt your PlayStation activity and control which specific server location you want to.
We used a VPN on a PS5 to stream Ready Player One on US Netflix.
How to connect your PS4 or PS5 to your computer varies depending on which OS you have and whether you prefer a wired or wireless connection.
Sadly, you can’t use NordVPN to share your internet connection on macOS. If you want to use a Mac to share a VPN connection with your PS5, Surfshark is an excellent alternative. We were able to set up a VPN connection via Ethernet to our PS5 in less than five minutes.
Follow the links below for a set up guide tailored to your chosen device:
Connect Your PlayStation to Your Windows PC over Ethernet
Download and install NordVPN: If you haven’t already, sign up for NordVPN. Then, download the Windows app and install it on your computer.
Connect your PC to the router and your PS to your PC: You’ll need two Ethernet ports to connect both the router and the PlayStation to your PC. If your PC only has one, you’ll need to buy an internet connection card or use WiFi to connect to the router.
Disconnect from NordVPN if it is running.
Go to the ‘Network and Sharing Center’: You can find it in the Control Panel.
Select ‘Change Adapter Settings’: It’s on the left.
Right-click the NordVPN adapter and choose ‘Properties’.
Open the Sharing tab.
Select ‘Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection’.
Under ‘Home Networking Connection’, choose your PlayStation connection and click OK.
Run NordVPN on your PC and connect to a VPN server.
On PS4:
Go to Settings > ‘Network’ > ‘Connect to the Internet’ > ‘Use a LAN cable’.
Select the ‘Easy’ connection method to automatically set up the ethernet connection. If asked, select ‘Do not use a proxy server’.
On PS5:
Go to Settings > ‘Network’ > ‘Settings’ > ‘Set Up Internet Connection’ > ‘Set Up Wired LAN’ > Connect.
Ensure your PC’s WiFi connection is established. And disconnect from NordVPN if it is running.
Open the command prompt as administrator: Search for ‘cmd’ and then right-click the Command Prompt icon. Choose ‘Run as administrator’.
Confirm the command prompt can make changes to your computer: A prompt should appear asking you to confirm this.
Check you’re able to share your WiFi: At the command prompt, type in this: netsh wlan show drivers. Where it says ‘Hosted network supported’, it should say ‘Yes’. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to upgrade your adapter drivers or potentially even your wireless card.
Configure the WiFi sharing: At the command prompt enter this: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=NetworkName key=NetworkPassword. The NetworkName and NetworkPassword are just placeholders that you need to replace. Whatever you replace them with will be used by other devices (including your PS4/PS5) to connect to your PC. Make sure you pick a strong password to protect your connection, along with a network name you can easily identify. Then press Enter and you will see a message that confirms the hosted network mode has been set to ‘allow’.
Begin WiFi sharing: At the command prompt, enter this: netsh wlan start hostednetwork. You should see a message that confirms the hosted network has started. You’ve finished with the command prompt window now. Next, we need to set the VPN to share, too.
Go to the ‘Network and Sharing Center’ in Windows: You can find it in the Control Panel.
Select ‘Change Adapter Settings’: You’ll find it on the left.
Find the NordVPN TAP Adapter: It was set up when you installed NordVPN. Right-click it and choose ‘Properties’.
Open the Sharing tab.
Select ‘Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection’.
Under ‘Home Networking Connection’, choose ‘Local Area Connection’ and click OK.
Run NordVPN and connect to a server. Now, any device that connects through your PC will use the VPN.
On PS4:
Go to Settings > ‘Network’ > ‘Set Up Internet Connection’ > ‘Use WiFi’.
Set up the new connection using the network name and password you created in step 6.
On PS5:
Go to Settings > ‘Network’ > ‘Settings’ > ‘Set Up Internet Connection’.
Select your WiFi network and enter the network name and password you created in step 6.
How to Set Up NordVPN on Your Router for PlayStation
Installing NordVPN on your router will protect every device in your local network, including your games consoles. You can then use NordVPN’s blazing-fast speeds to game, stream and browse on your PS4 or PS5.
The easiest way to set up NordVPN on your router is to buy a pre-flashed router with the VPN already installed. It’ll cost you a minimum of $150, but it’s far simpler than manually setting up a VPN router yourself.
Not every router supports NordVPN, however. You’ll need one that fully supports the OpenVPN protocol. Older routers that only support L2TP/IPsec or PPTP won’t work because NordVPN is no longer compatible with them.
We installed NordVPN on our test router to stream Max in the UK.
Most Asus routers support OpenVPN out of the box, while other routers may require you to change the firmware on the router, to something like DD-WRT or OpenWRT. This isn’t easy and it doesn’t always work, but if you’re up for the challenge then check out our setup guide for how to install a VPN on your router.
However you choose to install NordVPN on your router, the end result will be that all of your internet traffic goes through the VPN. As long as it is connected to your router, your PlayStation activity will be automatically protected without you having to make any extra changes.
EXPERT TIP: Installing NordVPN on your router is a handy way to overcome the service’s multi-device restrictions. Normally, one subscription can be shared between a maximum of six devices. However, by setting the VPN up at router-level, you can connect an unlimited number of devices and NordVPN will still only register it as one active connection (i.e. the router).
PlayStation Is Better with a VPN
SUMMARY: A VPN improves gaming on the PS4 and PS5 by hiding your identity from other gamers and, occasionally, improving speed and performance levels. It’ll also help you unblock streaming content and censored websites by reliably spoofing your location. A VPN won’t help you change the region of your PlayStation Store, though.
Here’s why you should consider using a VPN with your PlayStation:
1. Protect yourself from DoS attacks
You risk exposing your true IP address to malicious third-parties when you compete in e-sports and online games on your PlayStation.
This is because many games, including Call Of Duty, use P2P matchmaking to connect gamers. Much like with torrenting, this exposes your public IP address to everyone within the game.
Attackers can then use this information to flood your connection with spam traffic, which will slow down your internet speed and make it extremely difficult for you to compete effectively. This is known as a ‘Denial of Service’ (or DoS) attack.
However, a VPN won’t stop a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, as they are faster, longer-lasting, and use multiple sources of traffic.
Your IP address can also reveal information about your personal identity, such as where you live and details about your web browsing activity.
It’s therefore best to use a VPN to hide your IP address from other gamers. When you connect to the VPN server, your personal IP address will become masked by the IP address of the server, meaning you’re safe from IP-based targeting.
2. Improve connection speeds and overall performance
If you connect to a VPN server that is close to a gaming server, you can improve speed relative to your standard internet connection, which may take a less direct route to the server.
You can often find out where gaming servers are located by Googling for them.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), for example, has servers in Virginia (US), London (UK), and Sydney (Australia), among other places. Fortnite has servers in Ohio (US), Osaka (Japan), and Frankfurt (Germany), plus 13 other places.
Be aware that the connection between your PlayStation and the VPN server will take longer if it’s further away from you, though. So you’ll need to experiment to find the optimal end-to-end speed.
3. Unlock ‘hidden’ streaming content and blocked websites
If you’re someone who likes streaming movies and TV shows, then you’ll know that streaming platforms like Netflix offer different content catalogs depending on your location.
Sadly, Netflix and other content platforms are becoming very adept at identifying and blocking VPN access.
In 2024, only the very best VPN services are capable of unblocking Netflix, and even fewer can do it on PlayStation.
A VPN can also help you browse more freely on your PlayStation. If there are websites that are blocked in your region, or you live in a country with high levels of censorship, a VPN can help you bypass the website blocks and access a more free and open internet.
For citizens of authoritarian governments, be sure to use a VPN with ultra-secure encryption and a zero-logs policy so that you can guarantee your activity isn’t being traced back to you.
EXPERT TIP: You can use a VPN to overcome certain types of gaming or website ban. If it’s your IP address that has been blocked, a VPN will assign you a new one so that the block no longer applies.
4. Avoid ISP throttling
Some ISPs will throttle high-bandwidth activity – such as gaming, streaming and torrenting – causing slower speeds and longer latency.
If you travel with your PlayStation, hotels or other public WiFi providers might also throttle your connection in an attempt to reduce bandwidth consumption.
With a VPN, your internet traffic is encrypted, meaning your service provider cannot see what it is you’re doing. If they can’t determine your activity, they can’t throttle your connection. A VPN is therefore a great way to avoid ISP throttling and enjoy unrestricted speeds on PS4 and PS5.
Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so it won’t protect you. You’ll need to use a full VPN service with strong encryption, like NordVPN, to hide your traffic from service providers.
Can You Use a VPN to Get PS Games Cheaper & Earlier?
It’s often claimed that by spoofing your location with a VPN, you can change the region of your PlayStation Store and get access to early game releases, geo-restricted in-game content (DLC), and cheaper regional pricing. Unfortunately, this isn’t true.
You cannot use a VPN to change the PlayStation Store region of your PlayStation Network account.
The region of your PS Store is determined by the location and address you enter when creating your PlayStation Network (PSN) account. If you input the US as your location, then you’ll only ever be able to access the US PlayStation Store, no matter where you are in the world. The account’s region cannot be changed after it has been created.
The PlayStation store redirects you to your PSN region’s storefront.
Therefore the only way to gain access to early game releases and cheaper store prices is to create a new PSN account and register it in your desired region.
For instance, games tend to be released first in the Asia-Pacific region, because of its time zones. To be one of the first people in the world to play a new game, you’ll need to create a new PSN account and register your address as somewhere in Asia-Pacific. You’ll then be able to download the game from the PS Store.
This process doesn’t require a VPN. As long as you can supply an acceptable ZIP or postal code from your chosen region, PlayStation doesn’t appear to cross-reference this with the geo-location information supplied by your IP address – which means you don’t need to worry about hiding your IP with a VPN. Simply set up your new PSN account and enjoy access to the new region’s Store.
There are a few caveats that make changing your PlayStation region quite a complicated and impractical solution, though:
You cannot transfer any previously purchased games, downloaded in-game content, PS Store credits, friends lists, or trophies from your existing PSN account to the new one. This means that every time you create a new account in order to access a new PS Store region, you essentially have to start a brand-new gaming profile.
Purchases need to be made using a credit card or PayPal account that is registered in the same region as the store you’re accessing. One workaround for this is to use a gift card, but be sure to load the gift card with the appropriate currency because a gift card loaded with US Dollars will not work in the Japanese PS Store.
The PSN Terms Of Service do state that you must “give accurate information about yourself,” which presumably includes your true location. It also says that PlayStation may suspend your account “if you give [it] false information.” Although we’ve never seen it happen, it’s possible that your account will be banned if you’re found to have entered an incorrect location in order to change your PS Store region.
Is NordVPN a Good Choice for PS4/PS5?
NordVPN is a great choice for accessing geo-blocked content on PlayStation, hiding your IP address from other gamers, and preventing your ISP from throttling your activity.
It’s an extremely fast VPN that you can trust to keep you private and secure online.
Reviewing NordVPN we concluded it’s easily one of the best VPN services around and is excellent for gaming, streaming, and web browsing on your PS4/PS5.
Let’s now go into some detail as to why NordVPN is such a good VPN for PlayStation.
Very Fast Connection Speeds
Speed is one of the top priorities when choosing a VPN for online gaming. There are two measurements that are important to consider:
Ping time: how long it takes data to travel from your device to the gaming server and back again. You need a low ping time to ensure the game experience is snappy, and you’re not outmaneuvered by someone with a more responsive connection. Ping times are measured in milliseconds (ms). A ping time over 100ms will feel slow and laggy.
Download speed: how quickly data travels from the gaming server to your computer. Download speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
We regularly test over 62 VPNs on a wide range of features, including connection speed. Based on our latest round of tests, NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs on the market.
We conduct speed tests on our own 100Mbps fiber-optic broadband line.
We saw a ping time of just 8ms when connecting within our home country (the US) – compared to 1ms without the VPN enabled. Download speeds fell by an average of 5% on local, same-country connections, from 100Mbps to 95Mbps.
As you would expect, global download speeds are slower. Here’s how NordVPN fared in our manual tests when connecting to different servers around the world:
Country
Avg. Download Speed
Avg. Speed Loss
Germany
92Mbps
8%
UK
90Mbps
10%
Japan
89Mbps
11%
Australia
84Mbps
16%
Put simply, NordVPN’s international connection speeds are industry-leading.
In short, NordVPN’s connection speeds are more than fast enough to game on your PS4 without lag, and stream without buffering.
Over 6,000 Servers Spread Across 111 Countries
NordVPN has one of the biggest server networks we’ve seen. It operates a network of 6,328 servers which are distributed across 111 countries.
This allows you to unblock a wide range of geo-restricted gaming content on your PlayStation as well as international streaming libraries.
Top-Tier Encryption and Security Features
NordVPN uses the ultra-secure AES-256 encryption cipher with a 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman key, which is currently considered to be unbreakable.
It also supports our favorite VPN protocol, OpenVPN, so you can trust that your gaming traffic is safe from ISP throttling and the prying eyes of attackers.
In our latest tests, we found absolutely no leaks when using NordVPN. You’ll comfortably be able to trick most service providers into thinking you’re in a different country, and so bypass geographical restrictions and gaming bans on your PS4.
NordVPN’s strong security also means your true IP address won’t be leaked to other gamers who may use it to carry out cyber attacks against you.
If, for whatever reason, your NordVPN connection does drop mid-game, the service comes with an automatic VPN kill switch that’ll block the connection until the VPN tunnel is restored. Although it is unlikely to happen, you may want to disable this feature if staying in the game is more important to you than the risk of exposing your true IP address.
Works Reasonably Well with Streaming Services
NordVPN unblocks ‘hidden’ content on a number of streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video.
Our tests showed that NordVPN’s Smart DNS works better for streaming than even NordVPN themselves claim. The provider says that users can only use Smart DNS to unblock Netflix Originals, but we found that we could access the entire American Netflix library.
The other streaming services NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature will unblock include: