The best VPNs for Nintendo Switch in 2026

Surfshark has the clearest Nintendo Switch instructions of any VPN we checked. Its Switch page covers four routes: a VPN router, a hotspot from a phone or laptop running the Surfshark app, a Windows PC sharing its VPN connection through Mobile Hotspot, and a Mac sharing it to the Switch over a cable. Pick whichever matches the hardware you already own.

Every plan allows unlimited devices, so the router or laptop that covers your Switch doesn't take a slot from anyone else in the house. The network spans more than 4,500 servers in 100 countries. If you want the same address every time you play, Surfshark sells static IP servers and names running a game server as one use for them.

Surfshark is also upfront about the limits. Its Switch page warns that a VPN can add ping, that it can't promise every game will work, and that some games and platforms forbid VPN use in their terms. It also points out that you can change your Nintendo eShop region without a VPN, which saves you a subscription if a foreign store was the only reason you were shopping.

The 2-year Starter plan costs $67.23 for the first 27 months, about $2.49 a month, and then renews at $79 a year. Monthly billing is $18.95, so the longer plan is far better value. New customers on 1-year and 2-year plans can start with a 7-day free trial on up to 3 devices, which needs card, PayPal or Apple Pay details, and every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Proton VPN is the cheapest way to put a Switch behind a VPN, because router connections work on its free plan. Proton's router guide says a router counts as one connection on Proton Free no matter how many devices use it, so the Switch, a Switch 2 and everything else on your Wi-Fi are covered without paying. The free plan has no data cap and shows no ads.

There are catches. Free users connect to servers in 10 countries that Proton picks at random, so the free plan suits privacy and a steady connection, and you need VPN Plus to choose a country for a game or a store. Streaming is a paid feature. Your router also needs to run OpenVPN or WireGuard as a client, and Proton warns that most routers supplied by internet providers can't. Its guides cover AsusWRT, Asuswrt-Merlin, DD-WRT, FreshTomato, OpenWrt, pfSense, GL.iNet Flint and a few others, and Proton notes that flashing new firmware can stop a router working if it goes wrong.

VPN Plus lifts those limits. You get 10 devices, your choice of country across the full network, which Proton's server page puts at 149 countries, and streaming support. It costs $3.49 a month on the 2-year plan ($83.76 for the first 24 months, then $83.88 a year), $53.88 for the first year on the 1-year plan, or $9.99 billed monthly. Paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test a Plus router setup with your own games before you commit.

Private Internet Access (PIA) has the lowest long-term price we confirmed and no device limit. The 3-year plan costs $81.20, which works out at $2.03 a month, and PIA says it renews at that same $81.20 every 3 years. The current deal adds 4 extra months and is labeled as early access to a sale, so it may look different when you buy. The 1-year plan is $47.88, and monthly billing is $11.95.

PIA lists the Nintendo Switch among its console pages, next to Xbox, PlayStation, Steam Deck, Meta Quest and Amazon Luna. Its main advice is to set PIA up on a compatible router so every device on your home network is covered. Because there's no device limit, you can also run it on the laptop you share a hotspot from without counting slots.

PIA's gaming page is honest about ping. It says a VPN can lower ping only when your internet provider sends traffic along congested, throttled or inefficient routes, and it tells you to connect to the server closest to you. PIA advertises 10-Gbps servers in 113 countries.

There's no free trial on PIA's website. New subscribers get a 30-day money-back guarantee instead, and if you subscribe through an app store, that store's refund rules apply.

ExpressVPN is the pick if you'd rather buy a VPN router than set one up. Its Fortify router costs $199.99 and includes 12 months of the Advanced plan for new users. ExpressVPN says Fortify protects up to 86 devices at once, including consoles that can't install VPN software, and the router counts as one device on your plan. Its smaller Aircove routers need an active subscription, and their prices weren't on the page we checked.

ExpressVPN also publishes Switch instructions for MediaStreamer, its smart DNS service. You register your home IP address in your ExpressVPN account, then type two DNS addresses into the Switch's internet settings. It takes a few minutes, but ExpressVPN states that MediaStreamer is not a VPN: it doesn't encrypt your traffic, doesn't hide your IP address and can't change your location. It's meant for streaming apps on devices that can't run a VPN, and it won't hide you from other players.

For a full VPN without new hardware, ExpressVPN's Switch page suggests sharing the connection from a computer or phone running the app, either through a hotspot or with a cable to the LAN port on the Switch dock.

The 2-year Basic plan is $84 for the first 28 months, about $3 a month, then $99.95 a year. Monthly billing is $15, and Basic covers 10 devices. Website buyers get a 30-day money-back guarantee. The iOS and Android apps offer a 3-day trial instead, and app-store buyers can't use the website guarantee.

Windscribe suits Switch owners who care about two or three countries and nothing else. Router config files need a paid plan, and the cheapest one is Build A Plan: $1 a month per location with a $3 minimum, so three countries cost $3 a month. Each location adds 10GB of data a month, and game downloads that pass through the VPN count toward it. Pro removes the data limit for $9 a month or $69 a year, which works out at $5.75 a month.

Windscribe's router guide says it supports any modern router with an OpenVPN, IKEv2 or WireGuard client, and you generate the config files from your account. It sets no limit on connected devices, so the router, your phone and your laptop can all stay connected at once. Windscribe also promises that the price you sign up at is the price you keep paying.

The free plan gives 10GB a month once you confirm your email. It's a fair way to try the apps on a laptop and share a hotspot to the Switch, but you'll need Build A Plan or Pro before you can put Windscribe on a router.

NordVPN's console guide gives two Switch routes. You can install NordVPN on your router and join the Switch to that Wi-Fi, or run the app on a laptop, phone or tablet, connect to a server and share a mobile hotspot. The hotspot route needs no new hardware, which makes it a quick test before you change anything on your router. One account covers 10 devices at once, and NordVPN says a router uses one slot however many devices sit behind it.

NordVPN also has SmartDNS, which changes your apparent location without encrypting anything. Its help pages give setup guides only for LG TVs and Apple TV and say SmartDNS doesn't protect devices the way the VPN does, so for a Switch we'd stick with the router or the hotspot. If you share a hotspot from hotel or campus Wi-Fi that blocks VPNs, NordWhisper, a protocol built for filtered networks, runs in the Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.

New customers in the US and 14 other countries get a 7-day free trial on 1-year and 2-year plans paid by card or PayPal, and first-time customers have a separate 30-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN's pricing page refused our requests on November 4, 2026, so we can't quote a current US price. Check the total and the renewal line at checkout.

CyberGhost gives you the most time to decide whether a Switch setup is worth keeping. Plans of 6 months or longer come with a 45-day money-back guarantee, and the monthly plan has 14 days. That's enough to try a router setup across several weeks of evening games.

Its gaming page says Nintendo consoles can't run VPN apps and recommends setting CyberGhost up on a compatible router, which its FAQ says covers a Nintendo Switch. The app lists gaming-optimized servers too. CyberGhost is frank about ping: it says a VPN won't lower your ping every time, and that some increase is normal because your traffic travels through the VPN server first.

One account covers 7 devices at once, so a router plus a few phones and laptops fits. The 28-month plan costs $61.32, about $2.19 a month, and the pricing table says it then renews at $61.32 a year. The 6-month plan is $41.94, and monthly billing is $12.99. You can also try the Windows and macOS apps free for 24 hours.