Norton 360 for Gamers is a version of the Norton 360 security suite aimed specifically at gamers, you guessed it! But if all you do is play games in the comfort of your home, why would you need an antivirus tool? In this article, we describe in detail how Norton 360 for Gamers helps protect your PC and what additional defenses are in place for gamers in particular.
Basic virus protection
Norton 360 for Gamers gives you the same basic malware defenses as Norton 360 Vanilla Internet Security Suite. To be precise, you get everything Norton 360 Deluxe subscribers get, plus extras for games, which we'll talk about in the next section. This includes real-time protection to prevent malware from entering your PC, on-demand scans, heuristics to detect newly released threats, and dedicated anti-ransomware technology. As we found in our full Norton Antivirus review, these combine to provide a very solid basic level of protection.
(Image credit: NortonLifeLock) Norton puts its antivirus money where it's at, with the company's "virus protection promise" giving the customer money back if a device is affected by malware that experts at Norton cannot delete. High-quality URL filtering provides additional protection to keep web browsing safe, and Norton is also implementing an intelligent firewall. The latter is a very informative firewall that can help you make decisions about dodgy programs trying to use your Internet connection; is a nice and useful approach to running the firewall. So those are the main defenses, but Norton 360 for Gamers also offers the security suite extras found in Norton 360 Deluxe. This includes a backup facility with 50 GB of cloud storage space, which could come in handy if things go wrong (always back up your important files, no matter how sure you are about their security). from your PC). There is also a password manager and protection for the webcam. Another cool feature is a built-in VPN, which is far from standard with security suites. To be precise, this is Norton Secure VPN and while it may be a relatively basic VPN service, it's pretty solid and a great bundle inclusion that adds to the value proposition here. Using a VPN for gaming helps protect your privacy and anonymity online, along with other benefits like geo-blocking. This allows you, for example, to stream content that you would not otherwise have been able to access. A VPN can also help you avoid DDoS attacks, which can aim to crash your internet connection and ruin an online gaming session.
(Image credit: FrameStockFootages / Shutterstock) Dark Web Watch monitors all of your personal information or data that is involved in a data breach, as knowing that something has been spilled online can allow you to react quickly and keep your accounts safe. Finally, those with children will appreciate the parental control system. This is a great package for keeping kids safe online, with all sorts of content filtering and the ability to set time limits for device use, as well as features. In-depth location tracking to monitor your offspring not only online, but also in the real world via GPS.
play candy
In addition to all of the above, Norton 360 for Gamers offers a number of extras aimed specifically at those who enjoy PC gaming. We've already covered the Dark Web Watch feature, which along with the game pack is extended to also cover beacons and player accounts, helping to protect players from exploits by malicious types who might find their leaked information. Gamers running Windows also benefit from fewer Norton notifications, and the suite can detect when you're running full-screen apps, like games, and only interrupt you if something critical happens, like your PC is under active attack. The most important gaming-related feature, however, is the game optimizer, which allows Norton 360 for Gamers to intelligently allocate CPU resources to the game you're playing on Windows for better performance. The caveat is that this doesn't work with all games, but it is compatible with titles running on the Epic Games Store and Steam, as well as game launchers from Bethesda, Blizzard, EA (Origin), Rockstar, and Ubisoft (Uplay). And keep in mind that you'll need a quad-core processor to use this feature, but most gamers these days will have one in their gaming PC.
(Image credit: NortonLifeLock)
How does Norton 360 for gamers protect your device?
As we have seen, Norton 360 for gamers offers a wide range of protections. From its core anti-malware measures (and specialized ransomware and web protection), to security features like a smart firewall and built-in VPN. This VPN can help defend against DDoS attacks targeting players (or even the terrible practice of "smash", which attempts to summon a SWAT team or similar tactical response unit under false pretenses), and surveillance by the Dark Web is a great advantage to keep all your gaming accounts more secure. All in all, Norton 360 for Gamers offers a commendable level of comprehensive protection and nifty game-related extras for Windows users, especially since Norton claims that its optimizer feature can help some games run smoothly. It's worth considering as a security package for gaming enthusiasts, and the main drawback over Norton 360 Deluxe is that Norton 360 for Gamers only supports three devices, instead of five. The two deals are generally offered for the same price, and at the time of writing, Norton 360 for gamers is slightly cheaper. Get the best price on your preferred Norton plan