Home Tech 7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Gaming requires speed, this is an accepted fact. It is always annoying when game lags or connection times are long. This really hurts gaming sessions or can even disrupt gaming midway. 

Tweaking your DNS servers is not the holy grail of fixes but gamers are increasingly finding it effective to give your game speed a boost. 

There’s quite a bit of information in this article but I will be dividing it into three sections. 

The first section will contain a list of the best DNS servers for PS4 and PS5 (Primary & Secondary) because if you’re reading this, chances are it is exactly the info you’re looking for. 

Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

The second section will be about how to change your DNS, this is for gamers who aren’t totally tech-savvy. 

It will be explained in easy to follow steps. Just about anybody should be able to follow the steps below. 

The third section is a must-read especially for folks that don’t know much about DNS and what their uses are. 

You should really read further than just using the two sections above if you’re new to tech stuff. 

A-List Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Best DNS Servers For PS4 & PS5 Primary DNS Secondary DNS
Quad9 DNS 9.9.9.9 149.112.112.112
Cloudflare DNS 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1
Google Public DNS 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4
SafeDNS 195.46.39.39 195.46.39.40
OpenNIC DNS  91.217.137.37 192.71.245.208
FreeDNS 37.235.1.174 37.235.1.177
Comodo Secure DNS 8.26.56.26 8.20.247.20
Neustar DNS 156.154.70.5 156.154.71.5

1. Quad9

With users swearing by this server, it is a great option for any gamer that wants more speed but not at the expense of security. There are inbuilt features that guide against visiting malware tainted sites and the best part is that it’s totally free. 

Pros:-

  • Free to use
  • Speed and safety guaranteed

Cons:-

  • New, so not enough long-term usage to report on.

2. Cloudflare DNS

Information security is key to this server. So is speed and reliability. This server is a do-it-all server. Known for more than just safety or speed, it ranks as one of the best DNS servers out now. DNS neutrality also helps maintain access to content without restrictions.

Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Pros:-

  • Information is always kept safe
  • The speed increase is quite impressive

Cons:-

  • Same con for all neutral DNS servers, disturbing content won’t be filtered out.

3. Google Public DNS

Age-old in public DNS history but actually 11 years old. It has proven to be one of the most consistent performers giving speed, safety, and consistency across all platforms. 

It is a shoo-in for being one of the best free DNS servers out there right now. It is also one of the safest and sure options to use on our A-list.

Pros:-

  • Dependable and efficient
  • Well-known and proven

Cons:-

  • Very commonly used (for users who want something different than others)

4. Comodo Secure DNS 

With DNS servers, one of the major rules is to obtain the server closest to your geographical location and this server does that to perfection. This brings increased gaming speeds and at rates that mark out this server to be one of the best DNS servers right now.

With all of the other interesting features, you might think safety would be neglected. Not in this case, it is a secure (but not interfering) DNS server.

Pros:-

  • Speed marks it out as one of the fastest
  • Secure but still lets users surf without restrictions

Cons:-

  • I looked long and hard for a con but the worst I can say about this really good DNS server is that it offers basic security features

4. SafeDNS

The idea about creating SafeDNS was to create an ultra-safe server and it lives up to its name. Perfect for safe browsing because it filters most content that won’t be appropriate for normal surfers.

It also offers one of the best security measures in not allowing connection with suspicious websites that are probably malware infested.

Pros:-

  • One of the best safety-focused DNS servers

Cons:-

  • Speed is reliable but reportedly not as explosive as others
  • Can sometimes filter out some content that you might want to actually access.

5. OpenNIC DNS

There’s a feature that makes the OpenNIC DNS stand out. DNS neutrality.  This basically means the server allows all content to be viewed without filtering any and all content.

It is the direct opposite of the SafeDNS server. This server also helps protect you from ISP DNS Hijacking.

Pros:-

  • DNS neutrality means there’s no restriction to what users can access
  • Speed is touted as one of the fastest

Cons:-

  • DNS neutrality means there’s no filtering and that means users can come across disturbing content

6. FreeDNS

This server is free as the name suggests, it is also considered quite fast and boosts users’ game speeds. There is also the added privacy feature of not logging your DNS search queries.

Pros:-

  • Free, fast, private

Cons:-

  • Geographically limited to some extent (can only be used in Austria or close environs)

7. Neustar DNS

This server promises reliability and delivers on it. You will get a boost on your gaming speed and that boost will be consistent on your games. There are also added protections against phishing websites looking to steal your information.

https://youtu.be/v0tHcdznHA0

Pros:-

  • Reliability and consistency
  • Added safety features

Cons:-

  • Some other servers are reported to be faster than the Neustar DNS

It isn’t as specially dedicated to security as some other options on this list.

The list above is not in any particular order.

There are however some DNS that is preferred above others. 

DNS options like Google’s or Cloudflare’s have been touted as really useful in boosting speed but so have all the other 6 DNS options on this list. 

So, you should probably not make any final judgments until after you try them out and see a visible increase in speed (decrease in lag, loading times). 

Important Tips You Should Know About Using DNS

You came on here looking for the best DNS servers for PS4 and PS5 and I explained that in the first section. 

If you read the second section, you’d find out how to use the custom DNS servers. 

This third section is more about information concerning what a DNS is, what private and public DNS is, and why you should use custom DNS instead of the private DNS that service providers offer.

What is a DNS Server?

DNS, an acronym for the really long name – Domain Name System. Sounds cooler as DNS, don’t you think? It basically converts words to numbers. 

Let me explain further. Whenever you want to get access to a site, you input the site address, yes? Say “facebook.com”, input this and you’ll go to Facebook. That’s how we do it. 

Web browsers that actually access the sites do it differently. 

When users input the site address, DNS servers are on hand to change the address to an IP address (which is usually made of numbers) which can then be used to access the site for the user. 

7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

So you see how important DNS servers are in accessing information from the Internet. 

What Are Private And Public DNS Servers?

After the quick info about DNS above, I’m sure you understand what DNS does. Now I’m going further by explaining the above. I’ll start with private DNS servers. 

Private DNS Servers

Service providers almost always give you private DNS servers as their default DNS servers. Service providers almost always also block their customers from using other private DNS servers. 

Private DNS servers are sometimes not as fast and not as secure as public DNS services.

Public DNS Servers

These are DNS servers that just about anybody can use for free. It is usually fast and it helps boost internet speed. 

A notable example is the public DNS server from Google. A popular choice among users right now because it is a consistently fast DNS server.

Just before I move to the next explanation about why you should use public DNS servers, let me just explain a little bit about Router DNS Servers too. 

Router DNS Servers

If you’re using routers, your router has probably set itself as your DNS server. This is a good thing in most cases because your router remembers stuff. 

Here’s what I mean. 

Visit a new site and it’ll load normally but when you visit the site again, your router will remember that site (IP address), and your loading time will reduce. 

Why You Should Use Custom DNS Servers

Disclaimer: Some of the custom DNS services available are paid for and some of them are free

I will be explaining why you should use custom DNS servers using two points. 

Avoiding Censorship

Have you ever been denied access to a site, picture, or video because of the country you’re from? 

If yes, then custom DNS can help you bypass that censorship and help you access that previously inaccessible site or video.

Parents that want to regulate what their kids watch can also use custom DNS servers to help maintain a clean internet surfing for their kids. 

Faster, Safer 

The main purpose of this article was to find the best DNS servers for PS4 and PS5 just to boost your gaming internet speed and that is what custom DNS servers promise and deliver on.

With custom DNS servers, some users have experienced an increase in the speed of up to 20% conservatively and 50% in some cases. 

As explained above, there are other issues that can be causing slow internet speed but a custom DNS can help ensure that it isn’t your DNS server that’s holding you down. 

How To Switch To a Faster and Safer DNS server

Most of the ISPs comes with their own DNS server which is quite slow in comparison to available faster and safer DNS servers.

Switching to another DNS server can transform your online experience, providing faster internet speeds, stable browsing, better security, and child-friendly content.

Step1:- Download the Public DNS Server Tool. It displays your computer’s Network Interface Controllers, and current primary and secondary DNS servers, alongside a list of alternatives.

Before making changes, click Backup, then Backup again. Choose a location for your file. Click Save.

How to Switch to a faster and safer DNS server

Step2:- Go to ‘Select your NIC card‘. If you only have one, it’s automatically selected. If there’s more than one, pick the one you’re using from the drop-down menu.

Alternatively, tick ‘Select all’ to change the DNS server of multiple networks, including both wired and wireless options.

How to Switch to a faster and safer DNS server

Step3:- Choose a server based on your needs. Google is a good all-rounder, while ‘Privacy-first’ servers like Cloudflare and Verisign won’t flog your data to advertisers.

OpenDNS, Comodo Secure, and Norton ConnectSafe offer a secure setup. Highlight one, click Change, then Yes to verify the switch.

7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Step4:- You can change to a different DNS server on the fly – one that better suits your needs – by repeating Step 3. The switch is instant and the new DNS is displayed under ‘Current DNS servers for selected card’.

To switch back to your original server, click Backup a followed by Restore.

7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Step5:- The Public DNS Server Tool supports 16 preset servers. To add more, type Public DNS in the search bar and open the folder.

Open the ‘servers’ text file and add the new details, precisely following the format of the existing servers.

7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Click Save and restart the tool. Now you have an entry of your own DNS server.

7 Of The Best DNS Servers For PS4 and PS5

Step6:- GRC’s DNS Benchmark (Download Now )tells you which DNS server offers the best performance. Click Nameservers, then Run Benchmark.

How to Switch to a faster and safer DNS server

Once complete, click Conclusions. As you saw in the above image, 8.8.4.4 is first faster and 1.0.0.1 is the second fastest DNS server for me.

Follow Step 5 and create one entry for this DNS server and change the current DNS server to newly modified ones. That’s all.

Now you have the fastest and secure DNS server.

Conclusion

Custom DNS servers are worth the effort because of the boost they give your internet connection when you use your gaming console. 

It is important to point out that you might not get the best server in your first try. So, follow this council (if at first, you fail, try again and again until you find the DNS server that works for you). 

Use any of the custom DNS servers on that list, there are other DNS servers out there but these are the ones I took pain to test and found noteworthy. 

Please use the comment section below to tell me about your DNS-changing experience. If you know of any really fast custom DNS not on the list, I’d like to know about it and I’m sure other readers would like to know too. 

Thank you for reading, I hope the article helped make your gaming sessions faster and more enjoyable.