Modern Warfare 1 & 2 were extremely popular among Call of Duty fans. With the inception of the third game in 2024, this game quickly became a go-to option for many of them. However, in the same fashion, gamers are frequently looking for a VPN to use on Modern Warfare 3.
It’s not uncommon for VPNs to be great for gaming. This especially rings true in fast providers that often reduce your ping and improve the gaming experience. In this case, though, MW3 VPN users are looking to bypass SBMM, which can be righteous but also annoying and very competitive.
Getting easier lobbies is fun and allows for easier ranking, in which case a VPN for Modern Warfare 3 can help. No doubt, this service helps with reducing latency, gaining online privacy, and accessing restricted content. But what is the best MW3 VPN? And how to use one? Let’s find out!
Get the #1 VPN for Modern Warfare 3
Why Use the Best VPN for Modern Warfare 3?
Before moving on to our list, let’s quickly glance over why using a VPN for MW3 is smart.
Avoiding SBMM
The most notable reason to use a VPN for this game lies in the so-called Skill-Based Matchmaking or SBMM. As its name implies, this tool is used by the developers to pair players with similar skills in a lobby. This should, by extension, provide a balanced and challenging experience.
However, practice showed that it was not the case. Higher ranks tend to get extremely brutal, as many high-tier players put hours each day into honing their skills. You might have a higher rank but are not playing often, yet, you’re paired with players who spend their lives enjoying this game.
This means you’ll be destroyed by these players, even though you’re seemingly in the same ballpark. After a hard day at work, you simply want to relax and not go balls-to-the-wall in every game. That’s why avoiding SBMM is crucial for many Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 players.
Interestingly, Sledgehammer Games, the developer of this game, keeps this system sort of a secret and doesn’t explain how it works. But we can guess it uses information like your recent performance, latency, time zone, and others, to match you with the corresponding players.
For us, the most important metrics are time zone and latency, as in the latter case, the game will take note of your geolocation. It’s the same as in Modern Warfare 2. The good thing is that a VPN can help you by changing your online location, which can be in a different time zone.
This will “disrupt” and confuse the system, letting you get easier lobbies and avoid SBMM altogether.
Improving Gaming Performance
In the case of ISP throttling, a VPN can bring a much-needed performance boost. When using NordVPN, which is one of the best-performing VPNs, latency can be brought down significantly, improving the chances of winning one-on-one encounters in Modern Warfare 3.
Simply connect to a server and you’ll prevent your ISP from monitoring your traffic. This also prevents its ability to limit your connection speed, enabling you to enjoy gaming at full speed and performance.
Preventing DDoS Attacks
DDoS attacks are as common as it gets in gaming. Other players see your IP address, which means they know your geolocation and other tidbits. This allows envious players who often die by your hand to execute a DDoS attack, overload your network with data packets, and shut it down.
As a result, you’ll be kicked out of the game because the network will be “fried” temporarily due to an overload of packets. You’ll be back online in a minute or two but just the fact that someone can eliminate you from the game just like that is very annoying.
Thankfully, an IP change with a VPN will prevent this from happening. You’ll be protected by encryption and cutting-edge security of a server from the VPN for Modern Warfare 3. A simple DDoS attack won’t even phase the server and the effect will be zeroed, which allows for uninterrupted gaming.
Best VPN for Modern Warfare 3: Our Top 3 Picks
With the obvious improvements the best VPN for Modern Warfare 3 can bring, let’s discuss our favorite providers for this game. They include:
- NordVPN
- ExpressVPN
- CyberGhost
If you’re up for our in-depth analyses of each, keep reading.
1. NordVPN
According to our tests, the best VPN for playing Modern Warfare 3 is NordVPN. NordVPN comes with 5,500+ servers in 60 countries, all excelling in speed and performance. The 10 Gbps infrastructure allows for impressive speed while NordLynx, a modern VPN protocol, provides stability and low-ping gaming regardless of the server you pick.
We like NordVPN’s dedication to gamers, which comes on top with the Meshnet function. It lets you create safe LAN parties for up to 60 people and play Modern Warfare 3 with a VPN easily. Meshnet also allows you to remotely access other devices and share files without a hitch.
Moreover, NordVPN includes a variety of specialty servers, most notably Double VPN servers for added encryption. Plus, there’s AES-256 encryption to secure your traffic, along with a state-of-the-art kill switch to rid you of potential IP/DNS leaks.
NordVPN’s applications are simple to use. This VPN graces us with its presence on all systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can even install it on your Xbox and PS consoles via a router, and enjoy this VPN for Modern Warfare 3 on your gaming consoles!
The provider has 6 simultaneous connections, which is a bit limiting. On the other hand, it offers unlimited traffic and proper support for streaming, which can be handy when wanting to watch Netflix or Hulu. Finally, NordVPN is remarkably affordable having in mind its impeccable qualities.
With a 30-day refund policy for all plans, it’s even more enticing. Let’s not forget its 2-year plan, the best choice by far, which can cost you as low as $3 or so a month. For a VPN that’s so close to perfection, this price is low. Give it a shot and make MW3 even more enjoyable!
Check out our in-depth NordVPN review to learn more about the best VPN provider for Modern Warfare 3.
Get the #1 VPN for Modern Warfare 3: NordVPN
Pros
- Very fast servers for MW3
- 60 countries to pick from
- Meshnet helps host secure LAN gaming parties
- It can be installed on Xbox/PS consoles
- AES-256-bit encryption
- Affordable 2-year plans
Con
- Only 6 simultaneous connections
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a lot more expensive than its rival but nothing less impressive. With 3,000+ servers in 105 countries, getting over SBMM in MW3 will be a walk in the park. Just connect to a server in Egypt or Turkey, for example, and get even bot lobbies for easier ranking.
We like ExpressVPN because of its Lightway protocol that produces staggering speeds. It’s ever so slightly faster than NordVPN in some cases, although their performance is neck-and-neck. Furthermore, ExpressVPN offers the same great functions like a kill switch, IP leak prevention, and split tunneling.
Is ExpressVPN safe when compared to NordVPN? Yes! Its no-logs policy ensures the company is fully against any logging, plus, there are RAM-only servers to improve the performance and secure faster server updates down the line. Ease of use is another perk of this MW3 VPN.
ExpressVPN’s simple apps are here for all platforms, and unlike NordVPN, it has 8 simultaneous connections. Vital to mention is ExpressVPN’s Parental Control, which prevents children from accessing adultery and porn sites. The VPN works with a plethora of streaming services too.
On top of that, it’s fully optimized for P2P and torrenting, so you can always go to 1337x or RARBG to download stuff. ExpressVPN’s subscriptions come with a free password manager called ExpressVPN Keys, which can be useful if you often forget your passwords.
Its annual plan is currently discounted by 49% and users get 3 free months on top of that. ExpressVPN bundles it with a 30-day money-back guarantee to let you test it risk-free. In case you want to get the best VPN for Modern Warfare 3, you can do so below and claim this special deal.
For more information about this service, read our detailed ExpressVPN review.
Pros
- Servers in 105 countries
- Lightway VPN protocol is extremely fast
- SmartDNS for streaming
- ExpressVPN Keys (password manager)
- Parental Control
Con
- It could be more affordable
3. CyberGhost
CyberGhost takes the third spot on today’s list. It’s easily the cheapest VPN for Modern Warfare 3 with awesome performance, 10 Gbps servers, and solid speeds. The provider offers WireGuard, which helps boost the connection speed and thus, improves your gaming sessions.
Another perk is that the VPN has servers in 100 countries and offers nearly 10,000 of them. This can be beneficial for getting easier lobbies and avoiding SBMM, as you have plenty of locations to pick from. CyberGhost is nothing less safe and secure than its rivals.
The VPN uses 256-bit encryption to safeguard your online presence, along with a kill switch and an ad blocker. Users who pay a bit more can get their dedicated IP address, which aids in preventing captcha puzzles and unwanted VPN blocks that will interfere with your tasks.
We like CyberGhost’s antivirus for just $1 a month and the fact that it uses specialty servers for various purposes. Streaming servers will work with Netflix and Hotstar, for instance, while P2P servers will enable torrenting. Even better, NoSpy servers are here too.
They’ll make you even safer online, as they’re directly operated and owned by CyberGhost. Gamers like CyberGhost’s inclusion of SmartDNS and RAM-only servers but also Private DNS servers for handling your DNS requests without logging. Like its two rivals, this is a fully audited VPN.
But unlike them, CyberGhost costs way less and comes with a hefty 45-day refund policy for all plans longer than a month. The VPN will cost you in the neighborhood of $2 a month but keep in mind that it won’t work in China and other censored countries where NordVPN and ExpressVPN shine.
Learn more about CyberGhost’s full range of features in our in-depth review.
Bypass SBMM in MW3 With CyberGhost
Pros
- Specialty servers for streaming/torrenting
- Dedicated IP addresses in many locations
- WireGuard is fast for gaming
- A 45-day refund policy for all longer plans
Cons
- Not working in China
- A bit confusing Windows app
How to Get Easier Lobbies With a VPN for MW3
Getting easier lobbies with the best VPN for Modern Warfare 3 isn’t complicated. Let’s go through the required steps and see how to make this fast-paced shooter more approachable.
- Subscribe to one of the best VPNs for MW3 on our list. We recommend using NordVPN and claiming its exclusive discount for the biggest savings.
- Download and install NordVPN on your PC.
- Open NordVPN and sign in with the credentials provided during the subscription process.
- Now, connect to a server and you’re ready to go. We advise using a server in a country where it’s currently nighttime to get easier lobbies. Locations like Turkey, Egypt, and Eastern Europe are often recommended by other players, so use them in NordVPN.
- Once you connect, boot up the game and start playing. Now, you should be able to get an easier lobby in MW3 or perhaps, even enable a bot lobby for the fastest and easiest ranking.
What Is the Best Location to Get Easier Lobbies in MW3?
When discussing the best VPN for Modern Warfare 3, many are wondering what is the best location. Simply put, the best location is the one that’s closest to the actual game server but only performance-wise. For getting easier/bot lobbies and mitigating SBMM, it’s not always the case.
The first thing to keep in mind is the time in a particular location. It’s best to choose the one where it’s nighttime – around 3.00 am until noon. During this time, most of us are sleeping, so we have better chances to avoid stronger lobbies and even play with bots.
Another thing to take into account is the popularity of the game. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is very popular in Germany, China, the US, Brazil, and the UK, so you want to avoid these countries. More popularity means more dedicated players, and by extension, harder lobbies.
In our experience, and from the experiences of our team members who play this game, the best VPN locations for MW3 include:
- Turkey
- Egypt
- Eastern Europe
Turkey and Egypt are probably the best, as the game isn’t very popular there. On top of that, the time difference between the US and these two countries is large – about 7-8 hours, depending on the country. Let’s say you sit down to play Modern Warfare 3 with a VPN at 8 pm in the US.
You then connect to a Turkish VPN server, and in this country, it’s already well past 3 am. It’s the perfect time to get a few hours in, rank up quickly, and get out.
Summary
With the best VPNs for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, getting easier lobbies shouldn’t be too hard. Remember that SBMM is an integral part of the game and it can’t be avoided completely. However, it can be mitigated through the use of a MW3 VPN.
In doing so, you increase your chances of finding an easier lobby and improve your rank significantly. Our #1 VPN for Modern Warfare 3 is NordVPN, and therefore, our advice is to go for that one. You can also try ExpressVPN and CyberGhost as two dependable and fast gaming VPNs.
All of them will boost your privacy, prevent ISP throttling, and keep DDoS attacks at bay. Above all, they offer servers in Turkey, Egypt, and Eastern Europe for battling the game’s annoying SBMM system.
