How to use a VPN to play games early

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It’s possible, but not always.

Razer Wolverine V3 Pro in a reviewer's hands
(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

We’ve all been there - you’re desperate to play a new game, and flicking through social media shows screenshots, clips, and people holding physical copies in their grubby mitts. It’s not that you’re jealous - you just wish the good things happening to them would happen for you.

Whether it’s a long-anticipated title like GTA 6 or an annual instalment like Call of Duty, it’s possible to get access a little earlier with one of the best VPNs for gaming - but not always. The success rate is affected by your platform of choice, the game, your location, and sometimes even your account information.

Confused? We’re here to clear up how to use a VPN to play games early.

Before we begin: A note on terms and conditions

Anecdotally, it used to be much simpler to buy games from other regions, with many players jumping into Call of Duty titles of yore a few hours earlier.

Loopholes get closed all the time, however. Account restrictions, or needing to buy currency in the relevant location to be spent on that specific region’s storefront, are key things to consider.

Digital stores will occasionally block VPN users to avoid giving up region-specific pricing that’s been promised for publishers, too.

Platforms like Steam have been known to shut down accounts that hop around the globe to snag cheaper games, potentially threatening your existing collection. Thankfully, most games that launch on Valve’s platform do so globally at the same time.

Can you play games early using a VPN?

VPN

(Image credit: Flickr)

Yes, and many gamers have used the “New Zealand Trick” to achieve this. By leveraging the time zone differences for new releases, players with a VPN (or who change their console or PC’s location manually within the settings) can buy games earlier.

There are some major caveats, however. For one, you’ll usually need to buy the game in the relevant location. This means you couldn’t pre-order, say, GTA 6 in the US, then hop to New Zealand to trigger a download.

Instead, you’ll need a payment option that works in New Zealand to make the purchase, and occasionally your account will need to be set to the same location.

Windows users will also encounter some irritations when switching their PC’s location. From emails being out of sync to notifications getting more than a little confused, you’ll have to weigh up if the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak.

In essence, then, yes - it’s possible, but you should be mindful of the setup work required. Thankfully, it’s easier than ever to find a VPN that does a great job of allowing you to pre-order a game and download it early.

Connect to your service of choice, then purchase from, say, New Zealand. When the game launches in that region, use the VPN again to jump to get it downloaded.

Advantages of grabbing a game early

Aside from the obvious ones like avoiding spoilers and getting to play that title you’ve waited for, you can sometimes take advantage of region-specific pricing if the storefront in question doesn’t require you to create a fresh account in that region.

You may also gain access to additional pre-order bonuses depending on the game and where you’re buying it from.

GamesRadar+’s VPN recommendations

There are three fantastic options for VPNs - all of which do a great job of geo-unblocking.

NordVPN

NordVPN

NordVPN has been around for so long that it’s one of the most reliable names when it comes to getting around geoblocked content and spoofing your location.

View Deal
Surfshark

Surfshark

Surfshark is a cheaper alternative with a growing collection of servers and an unlimited device limit that makes it a rarity for gaming VPNs - or VPNs in general.

View Deal
ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN can cost as little as $3.49 per month, with fantastic circumvention of geoblocks for things like Netflix and even gaming storefronts.

View Deal
Disclaimer

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

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Lloyd Coombes
Freelance Writer

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of loot-driven games like Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, and can’t stop buying Magic: The Gathering cards.

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