Split Tunneling for Gaming: Route Only the Game

Split tunneling lets you choose which apps use the VPN and which connect directly, and for gamers that control is genuinely useful. Instead of forcing everything through the tunnel — and paying the latency tax on all of it — you route only what needs the VPN. This guide covers the two ways gamers use split tunnelling, when each makes sense, and the platform limits to know before you rely on it.

The feature goes by different names — Surfshark calls it Bypasser, others just call it split tunnelling — but the idea is the same everywhere: a per-app switch for the VPN.

What split tunneling does

Split tunnelling divides your traffic in two. The apps you choose go through the encrypted VPN tunnel; everything else takes your normal direct connection. So you can have your game protected while your streaming, downloads and browser stay direct, or the reverse — all without connecting and disconnecting the VPN every time you switch tasks.

For gamers this matters because a VPN always adds a hop. Split tunnelling means you only pay that cost on the traffic that actually benefits, keeping everything else on the fastest possible path.

Strategy 1: route only the game through the VPN

Send just the game through the VPN when you need the VPN for the game itself — reaching another region, joining a friend's server, or masking your IP in an IP-exposing title. Everything else on your PC stays direct and fast. This is the setup for playing in other regions without slowing your downloads, voice chat or second monitor's stream.

Strategy 2: keep the game off the VPN

The opposite is often smarter. Exclude the game from the VPN so it runs on the fast, direct route, while you route other traffic — a big download, torrenting, a work app, or a streaming service — through the tunnel. Your game keeps its lowest possible ping because it never takes the VPN hop, and you still get protection where you want it. For most players who do not need the VPN for the game itself, this is the better default.

If the game does not need the VPN, keep it off the VPN. Split tunnelling lets you protect everything else without touching your ping.

Platform limits to know

Split tunnelling is not everywhere. It is commonly available on Windows and Android, frequently missing on iOS and often limited on macOS, and it does not exist on consoles, which cannot run a VPN app at all. Support and exact behaviour vary by provider and platform, so check that your VPN offers it on the device you actually game on before you count on it. NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN and PIA all offer some form of it, with the details differing per platform.

Setting it up

1. Open your VPN app's split tunnelling (or Bypasser) settings and choose whether you are including or excluding apps.
2. Add the game's executable or launcher — and remember the launcher and the game can be separate processes.
3. Test in a match with the VPN on to confirm the game is behaving as you intended — protected or direct — and that latency matches your expectation.

Split tunnelling pairs naturally with the rest of a low-latency setup. Combine it with a nearby server and a fast protocol from our best VPN for gaming picks, and follow the full lowest-latency VPN setup to keep the added delay to a minimum.

A concrete example: streaming while you game

Say you stream your gameplay and want your broadcasting software protected or routed a certain way, but you do not want the game itself paying the VPN's latency tax. Split tunnelling is the clean solution: route the streaming or capture app through the VPN and leave the game on the direct connection. Your broadcast gets whatever you needed the VPN for, and your in-game ping stays at its natural best because the match never touches the tunnel.

The same logic covers a huge game download while you play something else, a region-locked service running on a second monitor, or a work app that must use the VPN during the day. In each case you protect exactly one thing without dragging your game or your whole connection through the detour — which is the entire reason the feature is worth learning.

Inverse split tunneling and how to choose

Most apps offer the choice in two directions. Inclusive mode sends only the apps you list through the VPN and everything else direct — best when just one or two things need the tunnel. Inverse, or exclusive, mode sends everything through the VPN except the apps you list — best when you want broad protection but need your game left out for latency. For a gamer whose main goal is protecting general traffic while keeping the game fast, the exclusive approach with the game excluded is often the simplest setup.

One practical gotcha: a launcher and the game it starts can be separate processes, so if you split-tunnel only the launcher, the actual game may not follow the rule you set. After configuring, always confirm in a real session that the game — not just its launcher — is behaving the way you intended, protected or direct.

Used well, split tunnelling is the rare VPN feature that can genuinely keep your ping at its best while still giving you protection where you want it — which is why it belongs in every gamer's setup checklist.

The bottom line on split tunneling

Split tunnelling is the feature that lets a gamer have it both ways: protection where you want it, and full speed where you need it. For most players the smart default is to keep the game off the VPN so its ping stays at its natural best, while routing whatever genuinely needs the tunnel — a region-locked app, a big download, a broadcast, work traffic — through it. When you do need the VPN for the game itself, flip it and route only the game.

Just remember the two caveats: it is not available on every platform, and a launcher and its game can be separate processes, so always confirm the real behaviour in a live session. Get it set up once and split tunnelling quietly becomes one of the most useful, latency-friendly tools in a gamer's VPN kit.