How to fix Apex Legends lag using a VPN

Since Apex Legends is free to play and is incredibly popular, it’s no surprise that its servers can get overcrowded, which often causes lag. Your internet service provider (ISP) throttling your internet speeds could be another reason for lag on Apex Legends.

Fortunately, you can use a reliable VPN to fix FPS lag in Apex Legends. A quality VPN service will help you get out of overcrowded servers and bypass ISP throttling. It is also a great tool to avoid DDoS attacks while gaming, can help get rid of annoying and malicious ads, as well as provide more privacy and overall security online. Besides, many good VPNs have 30-day money-back guarantees, so even if you don’t end up using a VPN later, there is no risk in trying it out.

In this guide, we’ll explain why Apex Legends servers are lagging and how to fix lag on the most popular devices, including PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. So keep reading to find out how to defeat lag for good!

How to fix Apex Legends lag with a VPN

1. Choose a secure VPN with fast speeds for gaming – we suggest NordVPN, now 74% OFF.
2. Download and install the VPN on your device.
3. Connect to a server in a location that’s close to your gaming server.
4. Launch Apex Legends and enjoy gaming without lag.

How a VPN can help you fix Apex Legends lag

With more than 100 million players around the world, Apex Legends will usually have tens of thousands of gamers on its servers at any given time. This means that, while you won’t be short of opponents to play, having so many people playing at once can overcrowd the game’s servers, resulting in the game lagging.

Similarly, your ISP could be causing the problem by throttling your internet usage. This happens when your ISP deliberately slows down your internet speeds to manage the traffic on its network.

A top-notch VPN is the perfect solution to these issues because it will give you access to a large fleet of fast, secure servers that are ideal for playing online games, such as Apex Legends. This will allow you to switch to a faster, less congested server, lowering your ping and avoiding a laggy gaming experience.

Reduce Apex Legends lag with NordVPN

NordVPN is the perfect solution for reducing Apex Legends lag. You can connect to a different server and avoid traffic overload. Plus, a VPN is the best way to stop ISP throttling.

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And, by issuing you with a new IP address and encrypting your traffic, your ISP won’t know what you’re doing online and will therefore be unable to throttle your speeds. These VPN features will also keep you safe from DDoS attacks.

Why is Apex Legends lagging?

Apex Legends can lag due to various reasons, whether it’s because of the game server or your device. Here are a few possible reasons on why your Apex Legends session is lagging:

1. Overcrowded server. If you’re playing on a server where loads of players are online, you may simply experience lagging due to overcrowding.
2. Outdated driver. If Apex Legends is lagging, it can be that your network or graphics card drivers are outdated. Updating them could easily fix the issue.
3. Slow connection speed. If your internet connection is slow, you shouldn’t expect your gaming experience to be smooth either. Check your internet performance capabilities to see if it can handle games.
4. Low-spec hardware. Apex Legends has system requirements that your computer should have to handle the game. If it doesn’t, it’s not surprising to experience lagging.
5. ISP throttling. If you play online games regularly, your ISP might throttle your speeds to save bandwidth. Using a VPN like NordVPN can prevent such issues as it hides your internet activities from your ISP’s eyes.

If you’re experiencing lag often, here are a few steps you can take to fix the issue:

• Check your FPS (frames per second)
• Check your ISP’s bandwidth policy and whether you exceed it
• Update your drivers
• Find a less crowded game server
• Restart and reinstall Apex Legends
• Contact your ISP’s customer support agents

If your ISP seems to be the problem, check out the best Apex Legends VPNs to enjoy a lagging-free experience.

Best VPNs to fix Apex Legends lag

1. NordVPN – the best VPN for reducing Apex Legends lag
2. Surfshark – fastest speeds for gaming
3. IPVanish – great gaming VPN with strong security

Using a VPN is the best way to overcome lag on Apex Legends. And it’s really easy to do! The only slight difficulty is choosing a reliable VPN with a selection of secure servers in locations close to the game’s servers.

How to fix Apex Legends lag

Because Apex Legends is such a popular game, with over 100 million players worldwide, it’s not surprising that its servers can become overcrowded and congested, which causes lag. Equally, ISPs often throttle speeds on intense usage, such as gaming.

By using a VPN to connect to a fast and secure server, you’ll be able to reduce Apex Legends lag because a VPN’s servers are likely to be much faster and less congested than those used for the game. And even better, a VPN will also encrypt your traffic, so your ISP won’t know what you’re doing and will therefore be unable to throttle your speeds.

This section is full of helpful tips to ensure you avoid Apex Legends lag and get the fastest speeds possible to defeat your opponents.

1. Install the latest game version
2. Bypass ISP throttling
3. Check system requirements
4. Update outdated drivers
5. Configure game settings
6. Improve network speed
7. Disable game DVR
8. Check Apex Legends server status

1. Install the latest game version

If you’re experiencing any lag or sluggish speeds while you're playing Apex Legends, the first thing to do is to make sure you have the latest version of the game installed on your device. After all, it’s perfectly possible that there has been an update to the game that ensures faster load times and a smoother gaming experience.

To check if you’re using the most up-to-date version of Apex Legends, head to your app store or games library and check if the game requires an update. If it does, install that on your device and see if that speeds up the game.

2. Bypass ISP throttling

As we’ve mentioned, ISP throttling is one of the main reasons that could explain why you’re experiencing lag when playing Apex Legends. After all, your ISP may deliberately slow down your internet to manage the traffic on its network. It will often target particularly intense usage, such as gaming. Therefore, if you’re experiencing lag, this is a likely cause.

To get around this issue, use a secure VPN, such as NordVPN, to connect to a server close to Apex Legend’s servers, and you’ll be issued with a fresh IP address that your ISP won’t recognize. It’ll also encrypt your data so your ISP won’t be able to track or throttle your usage.

3. Check system requirements

To play Apex Legends without lag, you should check that you at least have the minimum system requirements for the game. If you have the minimum system requirements to play the game, but you’re still experiencing lag, it might be worth upgrading to the recommended system requirements instead:

4. Update outdated drivers

Using outdated drivers on your device can make your machine slow down, which will cause lag when you’re gaming. To fix this issue on a Windows PC, just follow these simple steps:

1. Open Device Manager from the Start section
2. Click on the driver that you want to update and check for updates
3. Your drivers are now updated

5. Configure game settings

If you’re experiencing lag when playing Apex Legends, you can adjust the settings. And while it may seem counterintuitive to lower your frames per second (FPS) rate to fix the problem, it could provide you with a more reliable FPS and a smoother gaming experience overall. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Steam, select Library, and right-click on Apex Legends.
2. Select Properties and find the Launch Options field.
3. Type in +fps_max 60.
4. Relaunch the game and see if the speed has improved.

On the other hand, making changes such as lowering the screen resolution on your device may help it run a bit quicker, or you could disable some of the game’s settings, such as the option to share your screen.

6. Improve network speed

If you’re experiencing slow internet speeds even when you’re not playing Apex Legends, it could be down to your network. Most game developers recommend aiming for at least 3 Mbps download speed, and 1 Mbps upload speed to avoid lagging.

If you want to know what your upload and download speeds are, you can run a quick network speed checker using a free online tool. If your average speed comes in at lower than this, it might explain why you’ve been having issues with laggy gaming.

To combat the issue, you may need to switch to a faster broadband deal or a different provider to guarantee faster speeds.

7. Disable game DVR

Windows 10 has a built-in Game DVR that records your gameplay in the background. It can also help you capture screenshots so you can share them online. However, this could interfere with your game’s performance, as background recording will take up some of your GPU power. This could lead to lag.

To fix this, open up the Game Bar while you’re on Apex Legends by hitting Windows+G on your keyboard. Then, select the gear-shaped Settings icon on the Game Bar, which will give you plenty of options to tweak the settings. You can even disable the game DVR altogether, which will stop it from taking up any of your GPU’s power.

8. Check Apex Legends server status

If there are any major problems with any of Apex Legends’ servers, they will be flagged on the game’s website and social media. So if you’re suddenly experiencing laggy gaming, it’s always worth checking if it’s part of a wider issue.

To bypass any server issues, use a gaming VPN, like NordVPN, to connect to a secure server close to those used by Apex Legends. This will then enable you to access the game and enjoy fast, smooth speeds.

Why is Apex Legends lagging on your devices?

Like many popular games, Apex Legends is available to play on multiple devices, from PCs and laptops to consoles and mobile phones. And if you’re experiencing laggy gaming on any of your devices, the first thing you should do is use a reputable VPN, like NordVPN, to connect to a less congested server, avoid ISP speed throttling and DDoS attacks.

However, if you’ve done this and you’re still finding that Apex Legends is lagging, we’ve got lots of device-specific tips and tricks you can try to give your speeds the boost they need.

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Apex Legends lagging on PC (Windows, Mac, laptop)

Whether you’re playing Apex Legends on a Windows PC or Apple Mac, you should be able to enjoy a fast and smooth gaming experience. However, if your game is lagging, here are some potential issues that could be causing this and, more importantly, what you can do to fix it:

• You could be low on disk space – delete any unused files or programs to free up some room.
• Your PC may not have the minimum or recommended system requirements for the game – it could be time to upgrade your hardware.
• Your system or driver could be outdated – make sure you’ve checked for and performed all required updates.
• Your ISP could be throttling your internet speeds – use a VPN to get a new IP address and hide your activity.
• Your connection may be slow or unstable – check your internet connection and look into upgrading your broadband.
• You could be gaming on an overcrowded server – switch to a less congested server using a VPN.
• Your ISP could be throttling your internet speeds to save bandwidth, causing reduced speeds while gaming – use a VPN to get a new IP address and hide your activity.

Fix Apex Legends lag on PC

Apex Legends lagging on gaming consoles (Xbox, PlayStation)

Apex Legends is incredibly popular among Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4 and PS5 users. But you can still experience issues with lag if you’re playing on a games console. Here are some suggestions of problems and solutions that cause Apex Legends to lag on games consoles:

• You could be playing an old version of the game – check you have updated to the latest version of Apex Legends.
• You may have a poor or unstable internet connection – switch your router on and off or look into getting a better broadband deal.
• You may be experiencing ISP throttling or an overcrowded server – download a VPN and use it to switch servers and hide your online activity.

Fix Apex Legends lag on gaming console

You should note that most gaming consoles don’t support VPN apps. However, you can get around this by connecting your VPN to your Wi-Fi router so you can use it on all your connected devices.

Apex Legends lagging on mobile (Android, iOS)

Both iPhones and Android devices can experience lagging on Apex Legends. If this happens to you, the first thing to try is to download a strong VPN, such as NordVPN, onto your mobile and use it to connect to a different server. This will help you avoid overcrowded servers and ISP throttling.

If this doesn’t do the trick, here are some other common reasons why your game might be lagging and what you can do to improve your speeds instantly:

• You have lots of other apps running in the background – close all your other apps and stop any other downloads to help your phone run faster.
• You could be playing an older version of the game – check your app store to see if there’s a newer version to download.
• Your internet connection is slow or unstable – connect to your Wi-Fi and stop using your mobile data, as it can be less reliable.
• You’re experiencing ISP throttling – connect to a VPN server to conceal your traffic.

Fix Apex Legends lag on mobile

Can I use a free VPN to fix Apex Legends lag?

No, we strongly advise against using free VPNs for fixing Apex Legends lagging. A free VPN can even make it worse if not chosen wisely. For instance, since they’re free, such VPNs are usually overcrowded, making your device performance even worse.

If you want a budget option to fix Apex Legends lagging, you can try out free trials and money-back guarantees of premium VPN providers.

• NordVPN – with a 7-day trial for Android users and a 30-day money-back guarantee, you’ll bypass Apex Legends issues in no time
• Surfshark – 7-day trial for Android, iOS, and macOS users on top of a 30-day money-back guarantee to easily get rid of gaming lags.

Using a VPN and still lagging on Apex Legends?

If you’re using a VPN to improve your gaming experience, but Apex Legends is still lagging, it could be that your VPN isn’t working correctly at the moment.

Alternatively, it might be due to one of the following problems:

• You may be connected to a server in the wrong location
• You might be using a VPN with a poor reputation, such as a free VPN
• The game server may be congested
• Your VPN may not be able to deliver fast speeds in that region
• Your true IP address may be showing
• Your cookies could be giving away your real location

To remedy these issues, try:

• Making sure you’re connected to a server in the correct location
• Connecting to a different server
• Checking you have IP leak protection enabled on your VPN
• Using a different browser
• Clearing your cookies and cache
• Contacting your VPN’s customer support team

If these solutions don’t fix the problem, it’s worth taking a look at our helpful guide on how to use a VPN. And if this doesn’t help, it might be time to upgrade to a better VPN.

Bottom line

There are few things more frustrating for online gamers than lag. And if you’re experiencing slow and sluggish speeds when playing Apex Legends, it’s most likely that you’re connected to an overcrowded server, or that your ISP is throttling your speeds.

To bypass these issues and speed up your game, the best thing to do is download a secure VPN that’s good for gaming, such as NordVPN. Then, use it to connect to a server that works with Apex Legends, and you’ll be able to play on a much less congested server. And even better, the VPN will hide your traffic so that it can’t be throttled by your ISP.

On top of this, using a VPN is a good idea because it protects your data while you’re online to keep it safe from DDoS attacks.

Has this guide told you everything you need to prevent lag on Apex Legends? If you have any follow-up questions, please contact us in the comments section!

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