Best Port Forwarding VPNs for Gaming (2026): Real Add-on Costs

Shop PureVPN Standard →

This is the base plan, and you can't buy either port forwarding add-on without it. PureVPN pitches it as a VPN made for online gaming with super low latency and high bandwidth, and one account covers your gaming rig, laptop, smartphone and consoles. If your second machine is something like the ones in our budget gaming laptops under $900 roundup, it rides on the same subscription.

The listed price is $12.95. Almost nobody should pay that. On the 27-month plan it's $2.15 a month, billed $58.20, then $47.95 a year after that. Traffic is encrypted with AES-256, and the network runs over 6,000 servers across 65 countries. On its own, though, Standard won't let a single friend into your server; it's the foundation, not the feature.

Best for: players who want one account across PC and console and plan to bolt on port forwarding now or later.

Skip if: your router can forward ports normally and you don't want a VPN for anything else. Opening a port on your own router costs nothing, as long as your ISP isn't using CGNAT.

Honest caveat: Tom's Guide found no split tunneling on Windows when using WireGuard. For a host, that means you can't send only the game server through the tunnel while Discord and downloads go direct, at least not on that protocol. If you need split tunneling on a Windows host, test the other protocols during the refund window.

Shop Port Forwarding Add-on →

This is the piece that actually lets people in. PureVPN's add-on lets external devices get past the firewall and reach a specific app or service on your machine, which is exactly what a hosted game server is. You can open all ports or up to 15 ports of your choice, and it works at 21 of PureVPN's most popular locations.

The choose-your-own-ports part is why it made the list. With a dynamic setup, like Proton VPN's, your server has to listen on whatever port the VPN assigns that session. Here you pick the port. Your server keeps its normal config.

At $0.99 a month on the listing, the total with a 27-month Standard plan is $3.14. We also saw a $1.49 monthly rate quoted for the same add-on, so read the line in your cart before paying.

Best for: hosting co-op or LAN-style sessions for a regular group, especially if your ISP's CGNAT makes router forwarding impossible.

Skip if: your friends need to reach the same IP every time without you sending it over. On shared servers the address depends on which server you connect to; pick 3 removes that variable.

Honest caveat: it's off when you buy it. You have to enable port forwarding in your PureVPN account dashboard and select the ports by hand. Check that one of the 21 supported locations sits near your players before you pay, because you'll be hosting from there. And remember that an open port exposes whatever is listening on it, so keep the server software patched.

Shop Dedicated IP + Port Forwarding →

This bundle pairs port forwarding with a dedicated IP, a fixed address assigned only to you. PureVPN describes it as using a dedicated IP on your device while managing ports to your own needs, and aims it at people who need remote access to servers and P2P. For gaming, that combination is what a persistent server needs: friends save one address and one port, and it still works next month.

The math favors the bundle. Bought separately, the dedicated IP is $2.49 a month and port forwarding $1.49, so $3.98. The bundle is $3.49, which saves $0.49 a month, and your total with the 27-month Standard plan lands at $5.64. You also stop sharing an IP with strangers, which PureVPN says reduces the risks that come with shared addresses.

Best for: survival, modded or always-on worlds where people join on their own schedule and you don't want to field "what's the IP again?" messages.

Skip if: you host twice a month for the same three friends who are happy to get a new address in chat. Pick 2 does that for $2.50 less per month.

Honest caveat: Tom's Guide reports users having trouble adding these add-ons to the cart and getting poor help from live chat. Screenshot your cart before paying, buy on PureVPN's website rather than through an app store (app store purchases aren't refundable), and use the 31-day money-back guarantee if the setup won't cooperate.

Here's how the three line up on cost and on what they let you host.

Does port forwarding lower ping?

Not for most games you play. Titles that run on centralized dedicated servers, like Fortnite or League of Legends, see no ping or latency change from port forwarding. It matters when your machine is the host, either for your own multiplayer server or for peer-to-peer games where you act as host.

Is it safe to port forward for gaming?

It's a tradeoff. An open port is reachable from the public internet, so any flaw in the program listening on it can be exploited, and forwarded ports can attract DDoS attacks if the provider doesn't mitigate them. Open only the ports your server uses, keep the server software updated, and consider PureVPN's separate DDoS protection add-on if you host publicly.

Do I need port forwarding if I use a VPN?

Only if you're hosting. A VPN blocks unsolicited inbound connections by default, so nobody can reach a game server running behind it. VPN port forwarding opens a numbered port on the provider's server and routes inbound traffic through the encrypted tunnel to your device. If you only join other people's servers, you don't need it.

Which VPNs still allow port forwarding?

In our research, PureVPN offers it as a paid add-on with ports you choose, Proton VPN offers it on paid plans (mainly Windows and Linux) with a dynamic port that changes per session, and Private Internet Access offers dynamic port forwarding from its app settings. ExpressVPN only supports it on compatible routers running its firmware, NordVPN only on its Dedicated Server add-on, and Mullvad and IVPN have removed it.

Is UPnP better than port forwarding?

UPnP is a way for devices to open ports on your local router automatically instead of you doing it by hand. It's convenient at home, but VPNs typically require manual or app-level port forwarding, so UPnP won't help once your traffic runs through the tunnel. It also won't get you past CGNAT.

What ports should I forward for gaming?

The ones your game server software listens on, and nothing else. Check the server's own documentation for the port numbers and whether it uses TCP, UDP or both, then enter those in your PureVPN dashboard. With a dynamic-port VPN you'd configure the server to listen on the assigned port instead, which is the hassle choosing your own ports avoids.