The Best Antivirus Software for Gamers 2024

If you’re an avid gamer and want to prevent malware and DDoS attacks, we’ll help you choose the best antivirus that won’t lag you out.

Patti Croft, Author

Catherine McNally, Editor

Last updated Apr 8, 2024

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4.8

Editorial Rating

On Bitdefender's website

Bitdefender

Antivirus software offering reliable security
Simple yet powerful interface tools
Perfect protection score in third-party tests
Premium features incur additional subscription fees

5.0

Editorial Rating

On McAfee's website

McAfee

Inclusive antivirus, scam, and web protection with the added privacy of a VPN, identity monitoring, and secure password manager
Get a real-time Protection Score that measures your online safety and offers guidance to improve security
Added peace of mind with 24/7 expert online support and McAfee’s Virus Protection Pledge
Multiple pop-ups for text notifications can be annoying

4.8

Editorial Rating

On Avast's website

Avast

High antivirus test scores
Ransomware protection
No parental controls

Hackers and salty opponents are all too eager to prey on unsuspecting gamers minding their own business. Using an antivirus protects you from vicious malware and DDoS attacks, but not every antivirus is built with gaming in mind.

If you enjoy mobile gaming on your Android device, Bitdefender has a highly-rated app. Parents with a child who plays computer games may want to consider McAfee’s solid parental controls. And if you’re on a budget and want a free antivirus solution, Avast has one of the best free antivirus software out there.

We know it can be a lot to unpack, so let’s break down the best antivirus for gaming that won’t destroy your gameplay.

In this article

The best antivirus for PC gamers
Bitdefender: Best for PC and Android gamers
McAfee: Best for family protection
Avast: Best free gaming antivirus
Honorable mentions
How we tested the best antivirus software for PC gamers
Best antivirus for PC gamers FAQs
Bottom line: The best antivirus programs for PC gamers

The best antivirus for PC gamers

In a sea of antivirus products, we choose the best ones to meet your needs depending on your situation. We’ve mentioned some features these software products offer, but there are more options gamers might consider, too. If you don’t want a computer virus or DDoS attack bringing your game to a halt, here are some recommended choices:

Bitdefender: Best value for PC and Android gamers
McAfee: Best for family protection with parental controls
Avast: Best free antivirus with good security features

Top 3 antivirus products for gaming compared

Antivirus
Starting price	$29.99/first yr	$39.99/first yr	$48.60/first yr
Free version
Firewall	Yes, Windows only	Yes	Yes, Windows only
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
Parental controls
Learn more	Get Bitdefender Read Bitdefender Review	Get McAfee Read McAfee Review	Get Avast Read Avast Review

Bitdefender: Best for PC and Android gamers

4.8

Editorial Rating

On Bitdefender's website

Bitdefender

Antivirus software offering reliable security
Simple yet powerful interface tools
Perfect protection score in third-party tests
Premium features incur additional subscription fees

Who it’s best for

Bitdefender works on Windows or macOS, but you won’t have access to as many features on an Apple device. But for PC and Android gamers, Bitdefender gives you plenty of bang for your buck and may be the best Android antivirus overall.

If you want an antivirus solution with real-time scanning, phishing protection, and a firewall for more gaming protection, Bitdefender is a reliable option.

Bitdefender offers several plans ranging from $14.99–$49.99/first yr to accommodate most budgets, and gamers will also appreciate the antivirus not showing any impact on system performance so your games won’t take a hit.

If you use Steam to purchase and download video games, be aware of popular Steam gift card scams.

What we liked

One of the features we thought stood out with Bitdefender is that it comes with a Rescue Environment for Windows. You can scan for threats that hide behind legitimate system processes and then remove them.

Bitdefender also protects against phishing with its browser extension, TrafficLight. It’s an extra security precaution when visiting websites, which can be good for gamers who download games or mods as these can contain malware — the Minecraft Fractureiser malware is one such example.

Ransomware protection is a feature that is a must for anyone who spends a lot of time online. The more time you spend online, the more you’re open to hackers, and the more chances they have to take control of your device, so we were happy this is included.

Bitdefender also includes parental controls to help parents monitor their children’s online activity. This is a helpful addition if you want to know how much time their children spend playing games instead of doing their homework.

The Bitdefender Total Security and Internet Security plans also include movie, work, and gaming modes to ensure your CPU is dedicated to your gaming experience and not to unnecessary background apps. Gaming mode also blocks annoying notifications that pop up in-game.

What we didn’t like

Bitdefender can be a bit confusing at first because it has two different parts: the antivirus application and the browser hub, Bitdefender Central.

You must be logged into Bitdefender Central to set up parental controls, and the process isn’t very user-friendly. Once that’s installed, it works well, but swapping between two parts to access what many consider a prominent antivirus feature can be time-consuming and tiresome.

Additionally, we don’t recommend Bitdefender to Apple fans because you’ll miss out on some features, like a firewall, file shredder, and scheduled scanning. That’s a pretty big miss, in our opinion.

Bitdefender specs

Starting price	$29.99/first yr
Free version	Yes
Firewall	Yes, Windows only
Phishing protection	Yes
Ransomware protection	Yes
Webcam protection	Yes, Windows only
Network protection	Yes, Wi-Fi Security Advisor for Windows
Parental controls	Yes, Windows only
Extras	File shredder for Windows, VPN
Learn more	Get Bitdefender Read Bitdefender Review

McAfee: Best for family protection

Online Protection With VPN Access and Identity Monitoring

5.0

Editorial Rating

On McAfee's website

All-In-One

McAfee

Save $90 on a 2-year plan

Inclusive antivirus, scam, and web protection with the added privacy of a VPN, identity monitoring, and secure password manager
Get a real-time Protection Score that measures your online safety and offers guidance to improve security
Added peace of mind with 24/7 expert online support and McAfee’s Virus Protection Pledge
Multiple pop-ups for text notifications can be annoying

Who it’s best for

McAfee is premium antivirus software that protects up to an unlimited number of devices and comes with parental controls for family protection. There is no free version, but the good news with McAfee is that you can customize your plan to fit your needs. Do you only need one device covered? The McAfee Basic plan does that at a low cost.

What if you have multiple devices to protect? Then one of three McAfee+ plans might do the trick. While Essential and Premium focus on anti-malware protection, McAfee+ Advanced comes with bank and credit card transaction monitoring.

If you think you don’t need identity theft protection for gaming, you might recall how you pay for your games. Do you know if all of your online games are secure and reputable? Does your child have their own accounts?

What we liked

Right off the bat, we liked how quickly McAfee’s full scan searched through files. The firewall makes online browsing safer, and the real-time scanning in the background makes us feel more secure. There were no noticeable performance issues when we tested the software, and if you're a gamer, you’ll love that.

Plus, you can use the WebAdvisor feature to block suspicious websites or ones you don’t want to chance. The interface is easy to use and simplistic — we like that you can see the green notification with the checkmark to let you know all is well.

Curious if McAfee’s identity protection is worth the cost? Check out our McAfee Identity Theft Protection review where we put all of its features to the test.

What we didn’t like

One of the only sticking points we had with this software was that the identity features were a bit shaky when we tested them on our MacBook. To remedy this, we contacted customer support and were instructed to open a different web browser, which worked. It was still a nagging issue, though.

The other issue we had was that McAfee didn’t have any third-party test results for macOS. It did have results for Android and Windows, and both of these were reported in the first quarter of 2023. We know antivirus companies must pay for testing, but we aren’t sure why macOS was the one left out. It doesn’t mean there are any security problems when using the antivirus with macOS, but we’d like to see for ourselves.

McAfee specs

Starting price	$39.99/first yr
Free version	No
Firewall	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Ransomware protection	Yes
Webcam protection	No
Network protection	No
Parental controls	Yes
Extras	Identity features, privacy options, VPN, file shredder, password manager
Learn more	Get McAfee Read McAfee Review

Avast: Best free gaming antivirus

4.8

Editorial Rating

On Avast's website

Avast

High antivirus test scores
Ransomware protection
No parental controls

Who it’s best for

Since it has a free plan, Avast may be the best free antivirus software for gamers who want security protection without paying for it.

There is an Avast Premium plan, too. As you’d expect, it comes with more features like a firewall, remote access attack prevention, and webcam protection. If you have browser-stored passwords, you may also want to invest in the Premium plan for additional password security.

What we liked

When we tested Avast, we had an overall positive experience. Avast is great for beginners because there’s no tricky setup with this program. The options are turned on by default.

Granted, some features, like the advanced firewall and webcam protection, are only available with the Premium plan, but the free option includes ransomware protection and alerts you if your email account passwords have been hacked.

When you spend most of your time playing your favorite online game and don’t need an antivirus with many features, the Avast free version may be the perfect choice.

One caveat we’d mention is if you like to take your device with you and play video games in different settings, the Premium version comes with the Network Inspector, which allows you to scan new networks for vulnerabilities.

Also, a plus was that there was no performance hiccup when running scans while numerous browser tabs were open.

What we didn’t like

Avast offers a Stay Safe Guarantee, but you must enroll in auto-renew to receive it. The Stay Safe Guarantee covers your device if it becomes infected with a virus that Avast is unable to remove or fix. If the software can’t fix the problem, you get your money back.

We think it would be nice to include that with the product, even for users who don’t wish to auto-renew. That seems more like a marketing ploy than faith in the product’s ability.

We also felt left out again when using our Mac because the firewall is only available for Windows users. Apple fans won’t have this feature.

Avast specs

Starting price	$48.60/first yr
Free version	Yes
Firewall	Yes, Windows only
Phishing protection	Yes
Ransomware protection	Yes
Webcam protection	Yes
Network protection	Yes
Parental controls	No
Extras	Hack alerts, web shield
Learn more	Get Avast Read Avast Review

Honorable mentions

If you’re looking for antivirus protection alternatives, there are others that may fit your budget or align better with the features you need. Based on our testing and research, we can recommend more of the best antivirus software to help you up your gaming.

Surfshark Antivirus: Developed by the makers of Surfshark VPN, this software includes malware and antivirus protection with an intuitive interface at reasonable prices. It comes as part of Surfshark’s well-rounded cybersecurity bundle, Surfshark One, which includes the VPN, an ad blocker, and a private search engine.

Get Surfshark Antivirus | Read Our Surfshark Antivirus Review
Norton 360: Norton is a popular antivirus product, and with good reason. Along with excellent malware detection rates, this antivirus provides excellent protection against online threats. It also comes with webcam protection, parental controls, a password manager, and Norton Secure VPN.

Get Norton | Read Our Norton Review
TotalAV: TotalAV offers affordable antivirus protection with a user-friendly interface and high third-party protection scores. Its simple, budget-minded approach makes it great for beginners and anyone who’d rather “set and forget” about their antivirus protection.

Get TotalAV | Read Our TotalAV Review

How we tested the best antivirus software for PC gamers

When choosing the best antivirus for gaming, we looked at a variety of products that might meet different needs. Not every gamer wants the same features.

We wanted to include a free option for those who need protection without paying for a plan. We also looked for an antivirus that works for families with children who like to game. And since a majority of gamers play on PC, we included an option that has more features for Windows and Android users.

We also noted features for macOS since some gamers log into their Apple products for some game time. It also helps to have an antivirus that works on any device, so we checked those out, too.

All in all, here are the main features we looked for when testing the best gaming antivirus programs:

Family protection: Parental controls can help parents monitor how much time kids spend gaming and also block not-so-savory download and mod sites.
Budget-friendly: Not everyone can or wants to pay for antivirus coverage, but even free protection is better than none.
Ransomware protection: Hackers may try to trick gamers into downloading malware that gives them remote access, so ransomware protection ensures you won’t lose any files.
Firewall: A firewall shields your network or device from malicious traffic.

Best antivirus for gamers FAQs

What’s the best antivirus for gamers?

The best antivirus for gamers could be different depending on your unique needs. If you need free software, Avast has a good plan at no cost. We also recommend Bitdefender for strong security and extra features for both Microsoft Windows PCs and Android devices. Also at the top of our list, McAfee comes with parental controls to ensure your child’s gaming PC is safe from spyware, Trojans, and other types of malware.

Do gamers need antivirus?

Gamers can come in contact with malware threats that cause system performance issues, device crashes, and other more worrisome problems. This means they need an antivirus suite as much as anyone else.

Does antivirus affect gaming performance?

While we can’t speak for every situation, the antivirus products we’ve tested in this article did not cause issues with system resources — even with numerous websites and apps running,

However, some antivirus solutions are known to cause FPS drops or inhibit your PCs performance, making it difficult to game while they’re running. This is why it’s important to either try an antivirus out before you commit or check third-party test results to analyze system performance.

How does antivirus protect against DDoS attacks?

A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is geared at getting you to give hackers remote access to your machine. Antivirus can help identify these threats before they become an issue, as can a good gaming VPN.

Bottom line: The best antivirus programs for PC gamers

We recommend Bitdefender, McAfee, or Avast as the best antivirus for gamers. Bitdefender works great with a Windows PC and offers affordable plans and features like ransomware remediation and a firewall. McAfee has family protection that covers unlimited devices with a suite of antivirus features, like a VPN, parental controls, and a password manager. Avast offers a free antivirus version for those who aren’t ready to pay.

If you’re a gamer, you can’t afford to go around unprotected, so if our three recommended antivirus suites don’t cut it, TotalAV, Norton 360, and Surfshark Antivirus are also solid antivirus programs that offer protection against malware threats.

3 best gaming antivirus programs

Starting price	Best for	Learn more
$29.99/first yr	Best value for Android and PC gamers	Get Bitdefender Read Bitdefender Review
$39.99/first yr	Best for family protection	Get McAfee Read McAfee Review
Free or $48.60/first yr	Best free gaming antivirus	Get Avast Read Avast Review

4.8

Editorial Rating

On Bitdefender's website

Bitdefender

Antivirus software offering reliable security
Simple yet powerful interface tools
Perfect protection score in third-party tests
Premium features incur additional subscription fees

Author Details

Patti Croft

About the Author

Patti Croft is a seasoned writer specializing in technology, with three years of experience. With a B.S. in Computer Science and a background as a technical analyst and security specialist, she covers a range of topics like data security and parental control software.