Best DNS Servers for Gaming (Free, Safe and Fast)

Hey gamers, if you want to improve your online gaming experience, you just need a DNS server.

In this article, we’ll recommend the best DNS servers for gaming. From faster web browsing to stronger security, the best gaming DNS servers can help you get a smooth, secure, and rich gaming experience.

In addition, we provide a detailed guide on setting the best gaming DNS servers.

What is a DNS Server?

A DNS server, short for “Domain Name System” server, is like the internet’s phone book. When you want to visit a website, type in its name (like lightningxvpn.com) instead of a complicated string of numbers (IP address).

Here’s how it works:

• Type a Domain Name: When you type a website name into your browser, your device needs to find out where that site is located on the internet.
• DNS Request: Your device sends a request to a DNS server. This server’s job is to match the easy-to-remember domain name with its corresponding IP address.
• Get the IP Address: The DNS server finds the correct IP address and sends it back to your device.
• Connect to the Website: With the IP address in hand, your device can now connect to the website’s server and load the page for you.

In short, DNS servers save you from remembering complex IP addresses, making your web browsing experience much smoother and more intuitive.

5 Best DNS Servers for Gaming

1. Cloudflare – Best DNS Server for Gaming

Cloudflare is widely considered one of the best DNS servers for gaming. It’s free and known for its speed and security, making it a great choice for gamers on a budget.

Benefits for Gamers

• Faster Browsing: Cloudflare is one of the fastest DNS servers out there. It speeds up loading times for gaming sites and platforms, enhancing your overall gaming experience.
• Enhanced Security: With features like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT), Cloudflare encrypts all of your DNS queries, protecting you from malicious actors and spoofing attacks.
• Parental Controls: Cloudflare provides parents with a simple process to block adult content and malware, making gaming a safer environment for their kids.
• Reliability: Cloudflare reduces the risk of DNS outages.
• Global Coverage: With a network of servers in over 300 cities, Cloudflare ensures that your DNS queries are resolved quickly, no matter where you are.

DNS Servers:

• Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
• Alternate DNS: 1.0.0.1

Pricing: Free

In summary, Cloudflare is our top choice for the best DNS servers for gaming. Its speed, security, and ease of use make it a valuable tool for any gamer looking to enhance their online experience.

2. Google Public DNS – Best Free DNS Server

Google Public DNS is a reliable and smooth DNS service that enhances your online experience with secure and efficient DNS resolution.

Developed by Google, the service leverages a massive global infrastructure to provide excellent reliability, speed, and security. Google Public DNS is one of the Best DNS Servers for Gaming.

Benefits for Gamers

• Performance improvements: Google Public DNS can reduce the number of DNS lookups performed by your device, potentially speeding up website load times and improving network performance.
• Enhanced security: The service provides strong protection against DDoS attacks, spoofing attacks, cache poisoning, and amplification attacks.
• No redirects: Enjoy a smoother, more consistent browsing experience because Google Public DNS does not perform redirects.
• Advanced options: For those who host their own games, Google’s Cloud DNS provides an authoritative name server to minimize latency and scale to hundreds of DNS zones.
• Enhanced privacy: Google Public DNS supports DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT), which prevents tampering, eavesdropping, and spoofing between clients, enhancing privacy while gaming.

DNS Servers:

• Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
• Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4

Pricing: Free

Google Public DNS is one of the best DNS servers for gaming, offering reliability and security. It supports DDoS attack defense, DNS over HTTPS, and DNS over TLS, ensuring a smooth and secure online experience.

Ideal for both browsing and gaming, it also offers an upgrade to Google’s Cloud DNS for hosting games, making it the best DNS for gaming.

3. OpenDNS – Best DNS Server for Parents 

OpenDNS is a top DNS service known for its powerful content filtering capabilities. With over 50 customizable filtering categories, OpenDNS ensures a safe browsing and gaming experience.

In addition, it provides protection against malware and phishing, providing a fast and secure online environment.

Benefits for Gamers

• Customizable Content Filtering: OpenDNS allows parents to control access to specific websites and content, ensuring child-friendly gaming.
• High Security: The service protects against malware and phishing, ensuring a safe gaming environment for all users.
• High Performance: Enjoy faster website loading times and nearly 100% uptime, avoiding ISP DNS outages.

DNS Servers

• Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222
• Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220

Pricing:

• Free: OpenDNS and OpenDNS Family Shield are both free to use.
• Premium: Upgrade to OpenDNS Home VIP for $19.95 per year to access a custom allow list and usage stats.

OpenDNS is one of the best DNS servers for gaming, especially for parents. It offers customizable content filtering, malware and phishing protection, and fast performance, ensuring a safe and efficient gaming environment.

The service is free, with an optional upgrade to OpenDNS Home VIP for extra features, making it a versatile choice for all users.

4. Quad9 – Best DNS for the Highest Security While Gaming

Quad9 is a security-focused DNS service that prioritizes protecting users from malicious websites and online threats. It provides advanced threat intelligence and ensures privacy by not logging user data, making it one of the best DNS servers for gaming.

Quad9 blocks access to unsafe domains, providing a safe gaming environment.

Benefits for Gamers

• Advanced Threat Intelligence: Quad9 blocks malicious domains, protecting gamers from security risks such as malware, botnets, and phishing attacks.
• Privacy-focused: No user data is logged, protecting your online privacy.
• Quick Setup: Easy to configure and accessible to all users.

DNS Servers

• Primary DNS: 9.9.9.9
• Secondary DNS: 149.112.112.112
• IPv6 Primary DNS: 2620:fe::fe
• IPv6 Secondary DNS: 2620:fe::9
• Unsecured DNS: 9.9.9.10 (IPv6: 2620:fe::10)

Pricing: Free

Quad9 is one of the best DNS servers for gaming. It blocks access to malicious websites and doesn’t log your data, ensuring a safe and private online experience.

While it’s not the fastest DNS server for gaming, its strong security features make it a great choice for those who prioritize security.

5. AdGuard DNS – Best DNS for Ad Blocking in Gaming

AdGuard DNS offers robust ad-blocking capabilities across games, videos, apps, and web pages. It has two sets of DNS servers: “Default” for general ad blocking and “Family Protection” for blocking adult content.

AdGuard also supports DNS over HTTPS, TLS, QUIC, and DNSCrypt, providing versatile enhanced security and privacy options.

Benefits for Gamers

• Ad Blocking: Blocks ads in games, videos, apps, and web pages, providing an uninterrupted gaming experience.
• Family Protection: Additional servers block adult content, making it suitable for families.
• Performance: Efficiently blocks ads without compromising device speed.
• Privacy and Security: It supports encrypted DNS protocols, such as DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS, ensuring secure and private browsing.

Default Servers:

• Primary DNS: 94.140.14.14
• Secondary DNS: 94.140.15.15
• IPv6 Primary DNS: 2a10:50c0::ad1:ff
• IPv6 Secondary DNS: 2a10:50c0::ad2:ff

Pricing

Free: Basic ad blocking and DNS services.
Paid: Extended features available, including multi-device protection and enhanced support.

AdGuard DNS is one of the best DNS servers for gaming and for those who want to block ads. It offers easy setup, efficient ad blocking, and a wide range of security features.

While the free version is sufficient for basic needs, the paid plans offer wider coverage and additional features.

Other DNS Servers

Best DNS Servers for PS4 & PS5

Choosing the right DNS server for your PS4 or PS5 can significantly improve your gaming experience, reducing latency, increasing download speeds, and providing a more stable connection. Here are some of the best DNS servers for PS4 and PS5:

1. Cloudflare DNS

Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1

Cloudflare DNS is known for its speed and privacy. It is one of the fastest DNS services and can help reduce latency and improve gaming performance on PS4/PS5. In addition, Cloudflare emphasizes user privacy by not logging IP addresses.

2. Google Public DNS

Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4

Google Public DNS is one of the most popular and reliable DNS services, offering fast response times and strong security features.

3. SafeDNS

Primary DNS: 195.46.39.39
Secondary DNS: 195.46.39.40

SafeDNS provides reliable DNS resolution services with content filtering and security features. It is very friendly to PS players.

4. NextDNS

Primary DNS: 45.90.28.0
Secondary DNS: 45.90.30.0

NextDNS offers customizable security and privacy features, making it a versatile choice for PS gamers. It allows users to block ads, trackers, and malicious websites, providing a safer and smoother gaming experience.

What are the Best DNS Servers for Gaming?

The best gaming DNS servers offer the fastest, most stable connections, as speed, minimal latency, and ping are essential for a smooth gaming experience.

In addition to speed and stability, the best DNS servers should also enhance your online security and privacy. Features like DDoS protection and malicious content filtering are essential to protecting your gaming sessions from cyber threats.

Regardless of which DNS server you choose, ensuring a stable and fast internet connection is a top priority.

Consider using a VPN (LightningX VPN) to optimize your gaming experience further. A VPN can provide dedicated resources and a more stable connection, making it an excellent complement to a high-quality gaming DNS server.

• LightningX VPN protects your devices from potential security threats while gaming on public Wi-Fi networks.
• Connecting to LightningX VPN servers provides encrypted protection for your online gaming activities, ensuring your communications and data remain private.
• LightningX VPN can bypass geographical restrictions, allowing you to access games and gaming content from around the world, giving you the freedom to enjoy global resources.
• With LightningX VPN, you can prevent your internet service provider from throttling your bandwidth, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted gaming experience without worrying about buffering issues.
• LightningX VPN helps you avoid trackers while gaming, providing a cleaner and more enjoyable gaming experience.
• LightningX VPN supports simultaneous connections on multiple devices, ensuring you and your family can securely access games on different devices.

Enjoy a secure, fast, and unrestricted gaming experience with LightningX VPN!

Does DNS Server Affect Gaming?

Yes, DNS servers can impact gaming, but not in the way you might think.

DNS servers do not directly affect your ping or latency. Your internet connection bypasses the DNS server and connects directly to the game server during gameplay.

Positive Effects of DNS Servers on Gaming:

• Faster web browsing: DNS servers can help websites load faster, including gaming platforms and forums.
• Enhanced security: The best DNS servers for gaming offer advanced security features, such as protection against DDoS attacks, malware, and phishing attacks.
• Content filtering and parental controls: Some DNS servers allow you to filter content or set parental controls.
• Reduced DNS outages: A reliable DNS server minimizes the risk of DNS outages and prevents accidental disconnections.
• Access to blocked games or mods: Switching to a different DNS server can help bypass restrictions on certain games or mods.
• Compatibility with gaming consoles: The best DNS servers for gaming can be configured on a variety of gaming consoles, such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo devices.

How to Change Your DNS Server?

Changing your DNS servers can improve internet speed, security, and overall browsing experience. Here’s how to do it on different devices:

On iPhone/iPad:

• Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
• Tap Wi-Fi and select your Wi-Fi network name.
• Tap the (i) icon next to your Wi-Fi name, scroll down and select Configure DNS.
• Select Manual, then Add Server.
• Enter the IP addresses of your preferred and alternate DNS servers.
• Save changes to update your DNS settings.

On Windows 10:

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Change Adapter Options.
• Right-click your active network connection and select Properties.
• Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
• Select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter your preferred and alternate DNS server IPs.
• Click OK to save and apply your new DNS settings.

By following the steps above, you can easily change your DNS servers on iOS devices and Windows 10 computers to enhance your internet performance and security.

Other Factors Can Affect Gaming Experience

What’s actually affecting your gaming performance?

If you’re experiencing slow gaming or high latency, here are some of the factors that may be at play:

• Internet connection: Make sure you have a stable internet connection. Sometimes, a bad Ethernet cable or inefficient router can cause gaming to stall.
• Network congestion: Your home network can get overloaded, especially during peak hours. Try playing during off-peak hours.
• Wi-Fi connection: Physical obstacles can block Wi-Fi signals. Move closer to your router or use a wired connection.
• Game server distance: The game server may be too far from your location. Check if you can connect to a closer server.

FAQ about DNS Servers for Gaming

1. How Do I Fix a DNS Server That Isn’t Responding?

If your computer cannot connect to the DNS server, follow these steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

• Check ISP connection: Ensure your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not experiencing outages or issues.
• Check antivirus software: Verify that your antivirus software is not blocking your Internet connection.
• Run network troubleshooting tools: Use your computer’s built-in network troubleshooting tools to identify and resolve issues.
• Restart devices: Restart your modem and router to reset the connection.

2. What are the Best DNS Servers for Gaming?

For optimal gaming performance, we recommend the following DNS servers: Cloudflare DNS, Google Public DNS, OpenDNS, Quad9.