Is Your Gaming Safe from Hackers? - Ultimate Guide

During the cold autumn and winter months, nothing beats cozying up inside and playing your favorite games on the Xbox. Actually, it doesn't even matter what the weather is, even if it's sweltering hot outside, and you want to stay in and chill with the AC on. Or maybe self-isolate during a global pandemic. There's always the gold old Xbox to rely on. Hours of fun, whether you're playing solo or multiplayer, the truth is that Microsoft's Xbox is something you can trust. But is it always safe to play? Let's explore.

As an Xbox enthusiast, you already know the Xbox capabilities and the massive amount of content that is released weekly. Not to mention the big, epic games that we're always anticipating. The new downloadable content for Gears 5 has arrived in the form of Hivebusters, and the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 made its debut, despite all the bugs. There's always a good excuse to get a new game too. Christmas, Easter, birthdays, the weekend, waking up on time, because it's a Tuesday. Thankfully, there are many choices out there, from open-world sandbox games to platformers to RPGs and more. There's something for everyone.

You've probably noticed by now that your console is usually connected to the internet, just like we all are with our cell phones and tablets. Even if you play a game offline, it's likely that your Xbox is going to spend all its time trying to get you back online. This makes sense as Xboxes are used for more than just being a console – for playing music, DVDs (though how many people still do that?) or streaming content from apps like Netflix or Amazon Prime video. And being online means you can open yourself up to cybercriminals. Something you never thought would happen on the Xbox, right?

It seems like there always has to be a villain. Unfortunately, the cybercriminals aren't ones we can attack with a lancer when it comes to online activities. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are still going ahead -we just rely on the protection of the company's security when really we should be adding our own to it. Not only are cybercriminals trying to destroy the fun in your online gaming experience, but they're also after your details too. By making these attacks, they're trying to get your private and financial data via your Xbox. You might not think you have anything stored, but if you play online and buy things from the Microsoft Store or use the Gold Pass, your personal information, name, and banking details are all stored there. That's something you do not want to get into the wrong hands.

The Marcus Fenix of protection (yes, we're sticking with Gears theme today) comes in the form of a virtual private network (VPN). It's a great way to protect yourself when you're gaming, keeping hackers at bay. We've found one of the best places to get a VPN for Xbox, and it's easy to see why especially with all the benefits it has and ease of use. So, what can you expect?

First off, you'll be able to protect yourself from hackers and stop them from getting access to any of your personal information. A VPN masks your IP address, so your origin will be coming from somewhere completely different when you're online. Combined with the encrypted security technology, you can game, confident in the knowledge that all your information is safe. Even better, you can use a VPN on the original Xbox all the way to the latest. That is if you even still play the original.

There is a range of other benefits too that a VPN brings. You can bypass any geo-restricted games. There's nothing worse than looking forward to playing a game, just to find out that you can't access it from your country. No more. Just select the right country from the VPN and enjoy more gaming! You can also do it wither higher speeds because the VPN ensures you don't lose any of your internet speeds that your internet service provider might try to regulate. This is especially useful in the evenings when everyone's trying to use all the broadband!

Easy to install, easy to use, and guarantees you protection against hackers – why wouldn't you use a VPN to keep yourself safe when playing FIFA 21? We do.