DNS servers are very important for gamers. Besides excellent hardware and great internet speed, gamers also need to choose the best DNS server to get an edge over other gamers. This guide will help readers understand all about DNS servers, why they are important, and which one you should choose.
When you type in a website name, the DNS server translates that name into a bunch of numbers known as Internet Protocol addresses (IP addresses). This helps to send requests to the correct server for the required webpage. All PCs use these numbers to talk to each other. In other words, when you dial your friend’s number from your smartphone, you tap his/her name in the Phone app. But it is the telephone number that gets dialed and helps you connect. Similarly, when you type the website address or name, the PC uses the numbers to connect to the correct server. The directory where the names and their corresponding numbers are stored is called the DNS Server.
Note: Windows allows users to maintain two DNS Servers – Primary & Secondary. The PC uses the Primary Server at all times. Only if the Primary Server is unresponsive then the Secondary Server will be used to ensure that the user can surf the internet without interruption.
The DNS server helps optimize the performance of games that run on a server. Basically, it verifies the presence of the IP address within the cache. If yes, then the gamer connects directly to the gaming server. If not, then the DNS server sends a query to locate the cache where the gaming server’s IP address is available.
Most gamers feel that DNS servers are responsible for browsing the internet and may not play an important role in online gaming. But that is not true. When you play online games, you always need to take care of Latency and Ping time.
The time taken for your data to travel from your computer to the Game Server and back. This is measured in milliseconds. If you have a low latency then your gameplay will be smooth because the time taken for data to travel forth and back is less.
Ping time is the measure of Latency. Lower Ping means that there is less delay between your action and the response visible on the screen.
Choosing the right DNS Server helps reduce Latency which means that your PC can connect to the right game servers with a quick translation of alphabets to numbers. This can help reduce the ping by a few milliseconds which may not be much in the real world but can make all the difference when playing a fast-paced online action game like PUBG, Fortnite, etc.
There are many DNS servers you can choose from. But when it comes to low-ping gaming, here is a list of tried and tested servers that gamers use across the globe.
Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1
This server includes DDoS protection as well as DNSSEC to make sure that your PC is protected against DNS attacks. It has a great server capacity that includes 100+ countries. The average lookup speed is 11ms.
| Pros | Cons |
| Can take 15 requests per second. | Privacy concerns can be raised as it stores all IP addresses visited. |
| Identifies malicious websites. | |
| Personal Data of the user is encrypted. |
Price – Free Basic plan. The premium plan begins at $20/month.
Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222.
Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220.
Open DNS is one of the good DNS for gaming that helps block malicious and phishing websites after the security parameters have been configured. It also boasts of an advanced feature like ‘Family Shield’ that prevents adult websites from opening on your children’s PC. All content can be filtered using Admin privileges.
| Pros | Cons |
| Works for all devices like laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets and consoles. | Does not block TOR. |
| Fast and Reliable. | |
| Minimum time and effort are required to configure Open DNS. |
Price – Free Basic plan. Premium plan begins at $19.95/year.
Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4
One of the largest public domain systems is the Google Public DNS. Experts recommend this DNS server for faster and more secure gaming. This is because it supports DoT and DoH that are secure DNS protocol implementations. It protects your PC against all types of DDoS attacks.
| Pros | Cons |
| Allows Dual Caching. | Latency rate can sometimes be high. |
| Support different encrypted transport protocols. | |
| ECS or EDNS client subnet is supported and includes the client’s location. |
Price – Free Plan.
Primary DNS: 9.9.9.9
Secondary DNS: 149.112.112.112
Another one on the list of best gaming servers is Quad9. This DNS server offers privacy to its users and is fully secured because it blocks all sorts of threats from phishing websites and bots. Quad9 does not store any IP addresses that the user is browsing. It claims to have 200 servers in different locations across the world.
| Pros | Cons |
| Allows DNSSEC validation security. | Does not block advertisements and trackers. |
| Separate App For Android. | |
| No redirection if domain names are misspelled. |
Price – Free Plan.
Primary DNS: 195.46.39.39
Secondary DNS: 195.46.39.40
Moving on we have SafeDNS, which is a strong contender for free DNS servers. This acts as a content-filtering service that protects devices that are online. It uses artificial intelligence to identify malicious websites and scripts. It also blocks unknown requests preventing any sort of bypass by any software or cloud systems.
| Pros | Cons |
| Free detailed Network Security reports. | Phone Support is only available for Pro+ plan. |
| Categorizes DNS requests. | |
| Database is updated frequently. |
Price – Free Trial. Plans are available for $0.9 per month.
It is very easy to change the DNS server settings. Here is what you need to do –
1. Press Win + R and type “Control” followed by the Enter key.
2. The Control Panel window will open.
3. Click on Network and Sharing Center.
4. Next, click on Change Adapter Settings in the left panel.
5. Locate your current network connection and right-click on it to select Properties from the context menu.
6. In the box, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click the Properties button.
7. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the details of the DNS server you wish to use.
Once you use the above steps to modify the DNS server settings, you need to check if the new settings have been applied. Here are the steps –
1. Press Win + R to open the RUN dialog box and type “cmd”.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt window in admin mode.
3. Now, type the following command “ ipconfig /all “ followed by the Enter key.
4. Some details will be listed. Look for the DNS Servers section and check if the entry matches with the numbers you had entered in the method explained above.
There are two ways –
Systweak VPN is a one-of-its-kind application that uses AES 256-bit military-grade encryption to protect the user’s IP address. It offers more than 4500 servers from over 50 countries along with a Kill Switch that ensures you can disconnect your connection if a server fails to protect your identity online. Systweak VPN uses IKev2 technology to provide a secure tunnel for data to flow back and forth between your PC and the Web Server, thus making your IP address at all times. Here are the steps to use this application.
1. Download, install, and run Systweak VPN.
2. Create an account and log in.
3. Run the Game client/app and, using Systweak VPN, connect to the country where the content is available.
4. Now, play the game, and you should not face any problems.
5. Disconnect when done, and that’s it.
We hope that the above information has helped you to choose the best DNS server for gaming. We have also explained why DNS is important and how to change the server details on your PC. Do write to us in the comments section about your thoughts on DNS server and which one you choose.
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