I’ve spent more Saturday nights than I’d like to admit getting absolutely destroyed in Warzone lobbies. You know the feeling—you drop in, grab your loadout, and before you can even plate up, some TTV sweatlord with a 4.2 K/D ratio has ended your whole career with a perfect slide-cancel into a headshot from 200 meters.
That’s when my buddy Jake (who mysteriously always seemed to get easier lobbies) finally spilled his secret: he was using a VPN to “lobby shop.” At first I thought he was cheating, but after digging into how Warzone’s matchmaking actually works, I realized there’s a whole underground meta to finding manageable lobbies.
Below, I’ll break down exactly how VPNs affect Warzone matchmaking in 2025, which regions offer the easiest games, and whether this strategy is even worth your time.
How Warzone’s matchmaking system actually works
Before we dive into the VPN stuff, we need to understand what we’re trying to bypass: Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM).
Activision doesn’t share the exact formula behind their matchmaking (for obvious reasons), but after tracking my own matches and analyzing data from sites like WZStats, here’s what we know for sure:
- The game tries to match you with players of similar skill level
- Your recent performance has more weight than your overall stats
- Time of day significantly affects lobby difficulty
- Geographic location plays a massive role in who you match with
That last point is the key to the whole VPN strategy. Warzone tries to match you with players who are:
- Close to your skill level
- Physically close to you (for better connection)
But what happens when there aren’t enough players nearby at your skill level? The game has to make a choice: either expand the skill range (giving you easier or harder opponents) or increase ping (matching you with distant players).
A chart showing average lobby K/D ratios across different regions and times of day, with Middle East and Southeast Asian servers showing consistently lower average K/D ratios compared to North America and Europe.
Why VPNs are the secret weapon for easier lobbies
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) essentially tricks Warzone into thinking you’re playing from a different location. When you connect to a server in, say, Egypt or India, the game tries to match you with players in those regions.
Here’s why this works so well:
- Player pool differences: Regions like North America and Western Europe have huge populations of highly skilled players. Meanwhile, regions like the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia tend to have smaller player pools with lower average skill levels.
- Time zone advantages: By connecting to a region where it’s currently 3-4am local time, you’re matching with a tiny fraction of that region’s player base—mostly casual gamers rather than the sweaty tryhards.
- SBMM priority shifts: When the available player pool is small, the matchmaking system prioritizes filling lobbies over strict skill matching. This means you’re more likely to get placed with players outside your skill bracket.
Last month, I ran an experiment comparing my regular lobbies (Eastern US) with lobbies I accessed through VPN connections to Egypt, India, and Japan. Here’s what I found:
| Region | Avg. Lobby K/D | My K/D in Those Lobbies | Avg. Wait Time |
| US East (No VPN) | 1.21 | 0.92 | 25 seconds |
| Egypt VPN | 0.84 | 1.76 | 1m 42s |
| India VPN | 0.91 | 1.51 | 2m 17s |
| Japan VPN | 1.05 | 1.27 | 1m 35s |
The difference was night and day. In Egyptian lobbies, I went from getting stomped to dropping double-digit kills regularly.
Best VPN settings for Warzone lobby shopping in 2025
Not all VPNs are created equal when it comes to Warzone. After testing seven different services, I’ve narrowed down what actually matters:
- Server locations: You want a VPN with servers in Egypt, India, Morocco, or Indonesia. These consistently provide the lowest-skill lobbies in my testing.
- Connection speed: Many VPNs will tank your ping, making the game unplayable. Look for services advertising “gaming-optimized” servers with low latency.
- Split tunneling: This feature lets you route only Warzone through the VPN while keeping everything else on your normal connection. It’s a game-changer for stream quality if you’re broadcasting.
A screenshot showing a VPN application interface with server selection highlighting recommended locations for easier Warzone lobbies, with Egypt and Morocco servers marked as “Best for low K/D lobbies.”
The best time to use your VPN is during off-peak hours in your target region. For example, connecting to Egypt between 2-5am Egypt time (which might be afternoon or evening in North America) typically yields the easiest lobbies.
The downsides nobody tells you about
Before you rush to sign up for a VPN, there are some serious trade-offs to consider:
- Higher ping means disadvantages in gunfights: When I connect to Egyptian servers from the US, my ping jumps from 25ms to around 150-180ms. That’s a significant delay that can make you lose direct gunfights against local players.
- Inconsistent results: The effectiveness varies wildly depending on time of day, player populations, and even recent game updates. What worked last week might not work today.
- Potential account flags: While not officially confirmed, there are reports that Activision has begun flagging accounts that frequently connect from wildly different locations. I haven’t seen any bans specifically for VPN usage, but it’s something to be aware of.
- Cost factor: Decent gaming VPNs aren’t free. You’re looking at $40-120 per year for a service that may become less effective as Activision catches on.
During one particularly frustrating session using an Egyptian VPN, I found myself winning more matches but losing most direct gunfights due to ping disadvantage. I was basically only winning when I could ambush enemies or third-party fights.
How to set up a VPN for Warzone (step-by-step)
If you’ve weighed the pros and cons and still want to give this a shot, here’s how to set it up:
- Choose a gaming-optimized VPN: Look for services that specifically mention low ping and gaming performance. The three that performed best in my tests were NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and CyberGhost.
- Install and configure: During setup, enable the kill switch feature (prevents game connection if the VPN drops) and split tunneling if available.
- Select your server region: Based on my testing in 2025, the current best regions are:
- Egypt (Cairo)
- Morocco (Casablanca)
- India (Mumbai)
- Indonesia (Jakarta)
- Test your connection: Before jumping into a match, run a ping test to the Warzone servers. If you’re seeing 200ms+ ping, try a different server location—the lobby advantage isn’t worth it if the game becomes unplayable.
- Check lobby stats: Use companion apps like WZStats or COD Tracker to verify your lobby’s average K/D. This helps confirm whether the VPN is actually making a difference.
A gif walkthrough showing a player connecting to a VPN server, launching Warzone, and then checking the lobby statistics in a third-party app to confirm lower average K/D.
One trick I’ve found helpful: if you’re playing with friends who aren’t using VPNs, have the person with the worst stats host the party. Then, with your VPN connected, you’ll often get even easier lobbies thanks to the combined effect of the VPN location and your party host’s lower skill bracket.
Is this actually fair play?
I’ve gone back and forth on the ethics of this. On one hand, you’re not modifying the game or using aimbots—you’re just connecting from a different location. On the other hand, you’re deliberately manipulating matchmaking to get an advantage.
Warzone streamers have been particularly divided on this issue. According to a poll of 50 popular Warzone content creators:
- 62% have admitted to using VPNs for easier lobbies
- 28% claim they’ve never used VPNs for matchmaking advantages
- 10% declined to answer
What’s particularly interesting is that Activision hasn’t explicitly banned the practice, despite clearly knowing about it. Their focus has remained on combating actual cheating software rather than VPN usage.
My take? It’s a gray area. If you’re a casual player just looking to have some fun without getting stomped, I don’t see the harm. But if you’re a content creator publishing “HIGH KILL GAMEPLAY!!” videos without disclosing you’re playing in Egyptian lobbies at 3am local time, that feels dishonest.
Alternatives to VPN lobby shopping
If the ping disadvantage or ethical concerns have you reconsidering, there are other ways to get more enjoyable Warzone matches:
Play during off-peak hours in your own region: I’ve found that weekday mornings (9-11am) typically have the most casual player base in North American servers.
Try different game modes: Resurgence and limited-time modes often have looser SBMM than the main Battle Royale mode.
Squad composition matters: Playing with friends who have lower stats than you can bring down the overall lobby difficulty.
Consider Plunder or other objective modes: These typically have more casual players focused on completing contracts rather than pure PvP.
In my experience, simply switching from evening to morning play sessions improved my gameplay experience more than any VPN, without the ping penalty.
Final thoughts
VPNs do work for finding easier Warzone lobbies in 2025, but they come with significant trade-offs in ping, consistency, and potentially fair play.
For casual players who are frustrated with constantly facing TTV sweats and just want a more relaxed experience, a gaming VPN might be worth trying. Just be prepared for the ping disadvantage and inconsistent results.
If you’re a competitive player trying to improve, though, I’d argue you’re better off facing those tougher lobbies head-on. My own skills improved far more playing against tough competition than they ever did dropping 20 bombs in Egyptian lobbies.
Either way, the “VPN meta” has become an undeniable part of the Warzone ecosystem. Whether Activision will eventually crack down on it remains to be seen, but for now, it remains one of the most widely used tactics for manipulating matchmaking.
Have you tried using a VPN for Warzone? Did you notice a significant difference in your lobbies? Share your experiences in the comments below.
