However it takes more than when you want to play multiplayer games online with friends. That is when you need a good internet connection to go online and connect with the PlayStation Network(PSN). And even if your internet speed is fine, your online gaming experience can be full of lag, delay and frustration. This is where Domain Name server, commonly know as DNS, comes into play. An underperforming, and geographically distanced DNS from your internet service provider can dampen online gaming. You need good DNS servers for PS4 and PS5 to ensure low ping, higher download speeds and faster browsing experience on the console. An ideal DNS server acts a bridge between your console and the server. We have listed the best DNS servers PlayStation available right now. You will learn to change the DNS of PS4 and PS5 through the extensive tutorial in later part of the article.
25 Best DNS Servers for PS4 and PS5
What is a DNS Server?
Think of it like a library, where you need to know the books catalog number to find a book, but you don’t want to remember that number, so you ask the librarian for the location of the book. She gives you the books shelf number, you use that number to go to the shelf where the book is located.
25 Best DNS Servers for PS4 and PS5What is a DNS Server?How does DNS work?Best DNS Servers for PS4 & PS51. Google DNS2. OpenDNS3. Cloudflare DNS4. Quad9 DNS5. Yandex6. DNS.WATCH7. Century Link8. OpenNIC DNS9. Dyn DNS10. Level311. SafeDNS12. Xfinity DNS (Comcast)13. UltraDNS by Neustar14. CleanBrowsing DNS15. SmartViper16. DNSpai17. Comodo Secure DNS18. Uncensored DNS19. Adguard Public DNS20. Verisign DNS21. Hurricane Electric DNS22. DNS Advantage23. puntCAT 24. baidu DNS25. DNSPod Public DNSHow to change DNS on PS5 – SettingsHow to change DNS on PS4 – Settings
When you type a website name (like www.example.com) into your browser, your computer uses DNS to find the correct IP address for that website and then directs you to the correct website. This way, you don’t have to remember the IP address of every website you want to visit.
How does DNS work?
That’s how DNS works, it helps you find the right IP address by giving you the right catalog number or IP address associated with the website you want to visit.
Best DNS Servers for PS4 & PS5
1. Google DNS
The first DNS server for PS4 and PS5 is Google DNS which handles a trillion DNS queries per day, making it the largest public DNS service in the world. It promises high level of security and reliability for gaming. You don’t need to pay anything as it is a free public DNS with global data centers for the fastest propagation publicly available. You can take help from their forums in case of any issues. Google DNS supports IPv6 through 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844. Google also offers a more reliable and high performance DNS for enterprises, known as the Cloud DNS.
2. OpenDNS
OpenDNS, which was recently acquired by Cisco, is a one the oldest DNS services around, started back in 2015. It handles 100 billion DNS queries every day from 25 data centers worldwide. You can do much more than simply using it as a DNS service. It offers content filtering with 50 different categories for parents and guardians alike. Surf the web with confidence as OpenDNS blocks phishing sites and you will never have to deal with them. OpenDNS offers two premium plans apart from free Home package. The paid Home VIP and Umbrella Prosumer plans have data usage analytics and a locked environment “allowed list” which lets users to allow only specific domains on the network.
3. Cloudflare DNS
Cloudflare DNS is considered one of the fastest DNS server for PS5. Their DDoS protection is used by major sites around the world. It will never go down with 275 different data centers spread across the globe. Just like OpenDNS, there are different plans for users who want more control over DNS. The basic plan remains free here as usual. Cloudflare has built-in DNSSEC for protection against DNS spoofing, which may otherwise result in records hijack. Their DNS lookup time on average is around 11 ms , making it amongst the fastest around. Also Read – How To Change Theme & Wallpaper On PS5?
4. Quad9 DNS
When you looking for a DNS server that focuses primarily on privacy then Quad9 DNS is the answer. It enecrypts the DNS along with applying other security measures. Quad9 blocks malicious sites and domains, offering a seamless gaming experience on PlayStation consoles. They do it by teaming up with 20+ threat identifying partners. You can create an account to keep a track of the malicious sites and domain blocked on your end.
5. Yandex
Now have a DNS server for PS4 and PS5 from a Russian internet company which offers three sets of public DNS for free. Yandex offers three different modes – Basic, Safe, and Family. The first one are fast and offer uptime of 99.99%. Safe protects you from botnets, malicious sites along with everything in basic. Similary, family mode blocks adult sites and ads from ever reaching your browser. Even searches are sanitized and you will not get explicit results. Basic Safe Family
6. DNS.WATCH
DNS.WATCH has been around since 2014, as a part of net neutrality mission. The aim of the developers behind it is to improve privacy on the internet for free. They do not keep any data of your activities on the PS4 or PS5. No logs are kept so you can don’t have to worry about your data being sold to companies.
7. Century Link
Century Link is now a part of Lumen techonology, who also own Level3 DNS. They offer two DNS sets of address for static and dynamic IP address users. The company is a internet service provider in the USA with additional facilities like live TV, network acesssories. As a result they provide their own DNS server which can be used for PS5 and PS5.
8. OpenNIC DNS
This DNS server for PS5 is a democratic effort by a group of vounteers who support DNS neutrality. OpenNIC is similar to DNS.WATCH and offers their DNS service for free as a part of a non-profit organization. OpenNIC supports a new range of domain names such as .bbs, .chan, .geek, libre, etc. amongst the set of 15 varieties. Along with that, they also work on preventing DNS hijacking at all costs. You browser will open the websites and pages that you want to visit. OpenNIC servers block the ISP-served search engines and ads opening new tabs.
9. Dyn DNS
Dyn DNS is acquired by Oracle in 2022 and some of their services are to be retired by May of 2023. We tried their DNS on PS5 and PS4 without any issue. They are offering the same speed and low ping. You can use Dyn DNS for gaming, especially when playing on PlayStation. They also offer a smooth browser experience.
10. Level3
Level3 are now a part of Lumen technologies, and has been around for a long time. They continue to offer good DNS servers for PS5 and PS4. You can continue to use it for free as there no paid plans by the company. We tested it and the speeds, ping was standard with little deviation.
11. SafeDNS
SafeDNS is a preferred DNS for PS4 gamers who want a cloud based solution. It uses continuous machine learning and relies on user analysis for malware detection. They have multiple premium plans which provides features such as content filtering, phishing detection, and advanced usage insights using a centralized dashboard.
12. Xfinity DNS (Comcast)
Xfinity is a cable comany in the United States which is owned by Comcast. This DNS for PS5 has been around for over a decade, serving company’s internet customers. They have multiple premium plans which provides features such as content filtering, phishing detection, and advanced usage insights using a centralized dashboard. Xfinity DNS has over 8 different DNS address with data centers across the country. Location 1 Location 2
13. UltraDNS by Neustar
Just like OpenDNS, you can setup this PS4 DNS and tailored for your individual experience. They offer three levels of DNS for free and they can be easily setup on your PlayStation. First one is unfiltered which does not block any specific categories of sites, domains. The second is is for threat protection against malware, ransomeware, spyware and phishing. And the third one is for families and the kids. This DNS blocks adult, hateful and gambling from being accessible on the PS.
14. CleanBrowsing DNS
CleanBrowsing is another great DNS server for PS5 and PS4 which offers free DNS filtering. This is similar to what OpenDNS and UltraDNS. They also offer three kinds of DNS offering different levels of filtering, starting from phishing, malware block to adult, malicious sites. They also prevent filter bypass of VPN, proxy and force search engines like Google, Bing to use the safe search mode. You can use these DNS for gaming on consoles just by entering the address in the network settings.
15. SmartViper
MarkosWeb Public DNS, popular known as SmartViper, is a DNS server run by a small web scrapping analysis company which offer multiple internet tools. You can use this DNS for PS5 and other consoles without any problem. There is no jitter and the ping is very low on most servers in your region.
16. DNSpai
DNSpai is from China, the land of Red Dragon where this PS5 DNS server was originally started for fishing websites. If you are living in Asia then this would be a good DNS server for PS5 and PS4 to play games online. They have several servers in China so nearby areas will get the best results in multiplayer gaming.
17. Comodo Secure DNS
Comodo Secure DNS is a free service offered by Comodo Group that aims to enhance internet security by providing a more secure domain name resolution process. This service directs internet traffic to Comodo’s own DNS servers for PS5, which are designed to provide secure gaming experience. Users can configure their PS4 or PS5 to use Comodo Secure DNS servers instead of the DNS servers provided by their internet service provider.
18. Uncensored DNS
This PS5 DNS server was started by a web developer named Thomas Steen Rasmussen, who wanted a DNS server which was free of filters. The aim was to provide an internet without any filter put by any user. All the data centers are located in Europe, mainly in Denmark. The aim is to expand it beyond Europe for a global coverage and provide lowest latency in gaming and internet browsing.
19. Adguard Public DNS
Adguard DNS does as the name says by blocking the ads on the internet. You will not come across any ads while browsing websites on PS5 and PS4. Adguard DNS uses a custom set of DNS servers that are designed to block requests to known ad, tracking and phishing domains, this way, when a user requests a website, the service will check if the website contains any unwanted elements and block them if necessary.
20. Verisign DNS
This PS5 DNS server is by Verisign, which provides domain registry services to websites. You can sign into their app and manage how DNS works on your console. Verisign’s DNS services include a variety of options for managing and securing domain names, including managed DNS service, DDoS Protection Service, and DNSSEC. It is considered one of the most reliable DNS service providers in the industry.
21. Hurricane Electric DNS
Hurriance Electric DNS is by an internet service provider from the USA. You can use this DNS on PlayStation 5 and Playstaion 4 for free to enjoy lagless gaming experience. This DNS provider is known for their stability with data centers spread across several countries of Europe and North America. DNS propagation from your end will never be an issue while gaming on PS5 and other consoles.
22. DNS Advantage
DNS advantage has the same parent company as UltraDNS. This will be the ideal DNS server for PS4 and PS5. You can easily switch to different DNS with zero issues or cofigration time. We tried DNS advantage without any reservations and it passed our tests with flying colors. They provide good download speed for games on PS5. It will come in handy with games on the console as they generaly go into 50-100 GBs.
23. puntCAT
puntCAT is another PS5 DNS server which is run by a non-profit organization. Their servers are located in Barcelona, Spain. This would be best for users living in Europe and surrounding areas. We tried this DNS on PS4 as well and there were no issues. You can use it for gaming without any issue. Only their IPv4 DNS server is available which is enough for PlayStation users.
24. baidu DNS
We now move to Asia and try the DNS from the biggest search engine from the region. It uses recursive DNS resolution to improve look up speed. They also offer only a preferred DNS server for PS4 and PS5. You can use it in China and other surrounding regions for the best results. You can access Baidu search engine using the DNS server as it not available outside the country.
25. DNSPod Public DNS
DNSPod is another public DNS for PS5 which is hosting from China with servers around the word. They have their own patented method to prevent DNS leaks. Here the ping is low and the game download speed is as promised by your internet service provider.
How to change DNS on PS5 – Settings
We have discussed the best PS5 and PS4 DNS servers above. Now let us learn to change DNS on PS5 in easy steps. We will add Google public DNS in this process for this tutorial. Here is how it is done.
Head to PS4’s home and go to Settings.
Go to Network in the settings menu.
Select Settings in the Network menu.
Now head to Set Up Internet Connection.
Click on the connected network with which you are connected to the internet for opening the options. Here we are connected through WiFi using the Netgear router.
Select Advanced settings from the menu.
Scroll down and select DNS Settings in the Advanced Settings.
Select Manual from the popup menu.
Two new rows named Primary and Second DNS will appear with 0.0.0.0 filled.
Click Primary DNS to open the menu for entering a DNS for PS5.
Fill in the primary DNS server address and then click save changes by clicking R2 on the controller or the Done button the screen.
Select Secondary DNS server and click to enter the dialog box.
Type in the alternate address in the secondary DNS server and press R2 on the controller to save the settings.
Click OK after filling in both the DNS addresses.
Settings will take few seconds to get applied and the DNS on your PlayStation 5 will change.
How to change DNS on PS4 – Settings
Just like PS5, you can change DNS on PS4 in a matter of minutes. We will first change the DNS and then also check the connection to make sure that it is working properly. Here is how it is done.
Go to your PS4’s home screen and head to Settings.
Scroll down and go to Network from the Settings menu
Select Set Up Internet Connection from the Network menu.
Select Use Wi-Fi from the Set Up Connection menu. If you using a wired internet on the PS4 then select Use a LAN cable. The setup steps will be the same for both.
Select Custom in this step.
Select Automatic in the IP Address Settings.
Now select Do Not Specify in DHCP Host Name page.
Select Manual in the DNS Settings.
Click Primary DNS in this menu to add primary DNS.
Fill in the primary DNS server and then press R2 on your controller or click the DONE button to save the change.
Do the same with the Secondary DNS row and start filling with the alternate DNS address. Save the changes using the DONE button to move forward.
Click Next after filling the DNS address and proceed to the next step.
Select Automatic in the MTU settings.
Select Do Not Use in the Proxy Server menu.
In this test we will test the internet connection after changing the DNS. This will ensure that the changes are sucessfully applied. Click Test Internet Connection button to begin the internet test.
The internet connection’s result will show download and upload speed along with other parameters. You can compare the speeds to determine if DNS has an any negative impact on the connection.
Over to You These the best DNS servers for PS4 and PS5 to use for the best experience in online gaming and downloading games. Along with that we have described the way to change DNS on both versions of the PlayStation. You can always change the DNS and compare difference in performance. Most global DNS servers with worldwide datacenters will deliver similar metrics.
