{"id":1652,"date":"2022-05-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.virlan.co\/tech\/?p=1652"},"modified":"2022-06-07T08:14:53","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T12:14:53","slug":"the-best-antivirus-for-pc-gaming-bitdefender-norton-kaspersky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virlan.co\/tech\/gadget\/the-best-antivirus-for-pc-gaming-bitdefender-norton-kaspersky\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Antivirus For PC Gaming: Bitdefender, Norton, Kaspersky & More…"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve checked all the major antivirus for PC gaming<\/strong>\u00a0out there, and put together this compendium outlining those we’d recommend for keeping your gaming PC<\/strong> protected. None are hugely expensive, and there are even some free options if you’re looking to save some dollar.<\/p>\n

What to look for when choosing antivirus for PC gaming?<\/h2>\n

Choosing the best antivirus for PC gaming<\/strong> is not exactly easy if you don\u2019t know what to look for. So here are some features that a perfect gaming antivirus should have:<\/p>\n

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  • Game mode or game boosters. While antivirus software<\/strong> is necessary to protect you and your device, it can also negatively affect your gaming experience. In this case, you want to get an antivirus<\/strong> that has a game mode. Such a feature is designed to optimize CPU and GPU performance when gaming, so the antivirus<\/strong> can still run in the background without affecting the gameplay.<\/li>\n
  • Cloud-based scanning. If the whole antivirus suite is cloud-based, it means that it won\u2019t use your CPU power for scans and other antivirus-related activities, leaving processing units available for the best gaming experience.<\/li>\n
  • Device cleaning. Clearing cache and other files that just take up space helps with overall device performance. An antivirus that does this without prompting is worth considering.<\/li>\n
  • In-game threat detection. In-game malware is no joke – there have been instances of malicious code, files, and links being distributed in various multiplayer servers. An antivirus<\/strong> that is able to detect and inform you about harmful data before it reaches your device is always nice to have.<\/li>\n
  • Additional features. Any additional features like VPNs, cloud storage for your file, or a password manager just add to the best antivirus experience you could have.<\/li>\n
  • Price. Antivirus suites are known to be pretty expensive, so look for a service which\u2019s price won\u2019t hurt your wallet that much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Best Antivirus For PC Gaming<\/h3>\n

    Bitdefender Total Security<\/h4>\n

    While there are plenty of capable antivirus apps on the market, the best antivirus for gaming<\/strong> should do its job without hindering your performance or being too intrusive in your day-to-day use. What makes Bitdefender<\/strong> so good is that, once it’s installed, it immediately goes into Autopilot mode. Autopilot makes all the security-related decisions for you based on your usage patterns, so you aren’t bombarded with alerts and notifications. Don’t worry, though; you still have plenty of control if you want it as well.<\/p>\n

    One of our favorite things about Bitdefender<\/strong> is it can scan for any active vulnerabilities: whether that’s out of date software, missing Windows Updates, or even woeful passwords, and it presents this in easy-to-read reports. It has its own VPN and improved parental controls if you have a kid who uses your PC. We rarely ever see antivirus programs go the extra mile as much as Bitdefender<\/strong> does.<\/p>\n

    Like most antivirus<\/strong> programs, the pricing structure for Bitdefender is based on how many years of coverage you want for five or 10 devices.<\/p>\n

    Norton 360 Deluxe<\/h4>\n

    All of Norton’s antivirus<\/strong> products offer excellent malware protection, and the once-heavy system-performance load is much lighter. The number of extra features each program has varies, but the sweet spot in the lineup is Norton 360 Deluxe.<\/p>\n

    It includes a password manager that works on all major platforms, unlimited VPN service, dark-web personal-data monitoring, parental controls and up to 50GB of online storage space. Two other offerings, Norton 360 Premium and Norton 360 Platinum, give you more online storage and expand the antivirus and VPN coverage to 10 and 20 devices, respectively.<\/p>\n

    If you want full-on identity protection, Norton offers three bundles with varying degrees of LifeLock service and even more online storage. Their subscription prices run well into the triple digits, but still cost less than if you were to buy the identity protection, password manager, cloud-backup storage and antivirus<\/strong> software separately.<\/p>\n

    Kaspersky Total Security<\/h4>\n

    Kaspersky’s<\/strong> Windows products have excellent malware-detection scores and a light-to-moderate system-performance impact, the two most important criteria in our rankings.<\/p>\n

    The entry-level program, Kaspersky Anti-Virus<\/strong> (starting at \u00a312.49 UK\/$29.99 US), has dedicated ransomware protection, a virtual keyboard and a convenient online account portal. But it’s beaten by Bitdefender<\/strong> Antivirus Plus, which has even more features.<\/p>\n

    Kaspersky Internet Security<\/strong> (\u00a317.49 UK\/$39.99 US) is our top choice among midrange packages. It has a secure browser, anti-theft protection for laptops, webcam protection and a limited-use VPN client that kicks in when you connect to an open Wi-Fi network. It also includes software for macOS, Android and iOS.<\/p>\n

    The premium antivirus<\/strong> suite, Kaspersky Total Security<\/strong> (\u00a319.99 UK\/$44.99 US), adds backup software, parental controls, file encryption, a file shredder and an unlimited password manager. We think it’s the best antivirus software you can buy today.<\/p>\n

    McAfee<\/h4>\n

    McAfee Total Protection<\/strong> is a full-featured internet security suite with an advanced antivirus scanner, a secure firewall, and comprehensive parental controls. Its anti-malware engine performed really well in my standard series of tests, catching 100% of the malware files I placed on my gaming PC<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    I also really like McAfee\u2019s<\/strong> parental controls<\/strong>, which provide content filtering, device usage limits, and even device tracking for mobile users. I was able to set time limits on my test PC\u2019s internet time and block specific apps (which can be really useful if your kids need internet access for school work, but you don\u2019t want them to get distracted playing games).<\/p>\n

    McAfee\u2019s secure firewall<\/strong> is also really good for gamers \u2014 it was able to detect a wide variety of network attacks during my testing, and I could also set rules that allowed the games on my device and friends on my network to connect online.<\/p>\n