How to play Steam Games on different region servers
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
Steam is a great platform for games but there are plenty of restrictions which are mainly related to regions.
In this guide we’re going to show you the really easy way you can play your Steam games on different region’s servers.
This isn’t a guide about buying games from different regions that could get your game revoked or your Steam account banned but about how to play games you’ve legitimately purchased on servers in other regions.
All you’re going to need to play on different region’s servers is a VPN service which allows you to change your online location and below we’ll explain how.
How to play Steam Games on different region servers
When you load up your favourite Steam game ready to play multiplayer online you’re usually offered a selection of servers based on your location.
For example, on the game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ if you’re in the United States you usually get access to North American servers, if you’re in the UK then you’ll get access to European servers and if you’re in China you’ll get access to Chinese servers.
Local servers are not always the best or if a game isn’t popular in your region but is in another you could be left with low-populated, low-quality online playing.
The good news is there is a way to alter your online location by using an app called a VPN. Just follow the instructions below.
How to play Steam Games on different region servers
- Visit the VPN provider IPVanish and sign-up.
- Download their Windows or Mac software from the VPN Apps area of their website.
- Install it, run it and login when required.
- Select a country in region you want to play in. Eg; if you’re in China and want to play on North American servers then select the United States.
- Press Connect.
It takes around 15 seconds for the IPVanish software to make connection.
Below you can see an example screenshot of how to connect on a Windows or Mac system.
Once you’ve connected any websites you visit or apps you use such as Steam will now think you’re in the United States or whatever country you selected to connect to.
All you need to do now is launch Steam. Then launch the game you want to play.
When you visit the server selection you should now have access to servers in the new region you’re connected to.
You can now connect to a server and play in the new region.
When you’ve finished playing simply quit the game and press Disconnect on the IPVanish app. You can of course reconnect at any time as long as you have a valid subscription to IPVanish and there are no limits on how many times or how many different locations you can connect to.
Troubleshooting
You may run into a few problems and below we’ve rounded up a few of the most common issues you may come across.
Slow or laggy play
Physical distance makes a difference to your online play. The greater the distance the bigger the lag.
If you’re in China for example and you’re trying to play on European servers, try changing to North American ones as you may get a better connection due to the smaller distance.
You can also try changing VPN servers within a region. For example, try connecting to California if you’re in Asia, but if you’re in Europe try connecting to New York.
Not recognising new region
If you’re still getting the same list of servers it’s possible the game you’re using works in a way that no matter what region you change your internet connection to it still doesn’t change.
There is currently no way to fix this issue.
Other VPN Providers
IPVanish is the best solution for playing Steam games on other region’s servers because they have servers in all the main locations around the world.
However, if you want to choose another VPN service then a few more we recommend are:
The process is the same as with IPVanish. Just sign up to their service, download their app for your system and once installed connect to a server location in a region you want to play in.
Don’t forget, all you need is a VPN and to follow the instructions earlier in this guide to play on servers in any region. Click the button below to get yourself a VPN.
