- A proxy adds an extra server on the route, so in-game ping does not go down
- Most online games send data over UDP, which our proxies do not support
- Per-GB billing is not meant for hours of play or game downloads
- A proxy fits web tasks around games: sites, stores and public data collection
“Proxies for Minecraft”, “proxies for Steam”, “proxies for games” are popular searches. The expectations behind them differ: lower ping, joining a server from another country, running several accounts. A proxy solves only some of these, and it is better to know that before you pay.
Why a proxy does not lower ping
Ping is the time it takes data to reach the game server and come back. A proxy adds one more server on the way, so latency mostly goes up. What can reduce it is a different route to the game server, and that depends on your provider, not on a proxy.
What traffic games use
Most online games send gameplay data over UDP because it is faster. HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies are built for regular web connections. Our proxies do not support UDP, so the game itself will not run through them. Some games use TCP, but their clients usually have no proxy settings.
Why per-GB billing is a poor fit here
An hour of play is tens of megabytes, while updates and game downloads run to tens of gigabytes. Our traffic is billed per GB, and spending it on file downloads makes little sense.
When a proxy makes sense
- seeing a store or publisher site the way it looks from another country: language, currency, catalogue;
- tracking prices and discounts on public pages in different regions;
- collecting public data: statistics, rankings, marketplace listings;
- running several accounts on websites and forums where their rules allow it.
For these tasks, residential proxies with country and city targeting work well, and for fast collection of public data the cheaper datacenter proxies do the job. More on data collection on the web scraping page.
Why free proxies are a bad idea for games
Addresses from public lists are slow and unstable, and their owner can see your traffic, including login details if the connection is not encrypted. It is not worth risking a game account with purchases on it. More in the article on free proxies.
What to do if the goal is a better connection in game
- use a cable instead of Wi-Fi;
- pick a game server closer to you;
- close apps that download files in the background;
- contact your provider if packet loss is constant.
Prices in game stores in different countries
Prices for games and in-game purchases really do differ from country to country, and you can view them through a proxy: an open store page will show the price and currency of the country whose address the site sees.
It will not help you buy at another region's price. Stores tie the region to the account and the payment method, and changing the region through a proxy breaks their rules and can end with the account and its purchases being blocked. Use a proxy to look and compare, not to get around restrictions.
Communities and messengers around games
Telegram works through a SOCKS5 proxy: chats, channels and files go over TCP. Voice calls will not go through our proxies - they need UDP. The setup is described in the Telegram guide.
Forum sites, wikis and marketplaces open through a proxy like ordinary web pages. If you run several accounts on such sites, check their rules: many allow only one account per person.
That helps more than any proxy. And if your task is web pages and data around games, a pay-per-GB proxy with no expiry will come in handy.
FAQ
Will a proxy lower my ping?
No. The request passes through an extra server, so latency usually goes up. Ping depends on the route to the game server and on your provider.
Can I play through Prokso proxies?
The service is not suited to the game itself: UDP is not supported and you pay for traffic. We say so up front so that you do not waste money.
Then why would gamers need a proxy?
For web tasks: viewing sites and stores from another country, price monitoring, collecting public data, and running several accounts on websites where their rules allow it.
Can I use a proxy to buy a game cheaper in another country?
You can view the price. You cannot buy at it: stores check the account region and the payment method, and getting around this with a proxy breaks their rules.
Will a proxy work for in-game voice chat?
No. Voice is sent over UDP, and our proxies do not support it.
