How to Change Your Steam Region (& Not Get Banned) (2024)

You’d think regional content restrictions wouldn’t exist in 2024, but they’re alive and kicking — and rage-inducing as ever.

Steam has to abide by copyright and distribution laws. This means you might struggle to buy a new game you really want to play.

Should you give up and miss out? Absolutely not. I’ll let you in on a secret: you can easily change your IP address, and continue to challenge everything.

Steam may have its limitations, but it can’t stop you from gaming the way you want to. All it takes is a bit of CyberGhost VPN in your life.

Before You Change Your Steam Region

Changing your Steam store location is extra easy with CyberGhost VPN, but keep the following in mind to avoid trouble later.

1. You can only change your store region once every three months. Steam implements this to prevent customers from cheating the system, so choose wisely!
2. Update your billing information to match your new country before making a purchase. If you don’t have an address in the country you want to change to, try using a hotel’s address.
3. Don’t change your location to Russia if you don’t have a Russian credit card. Games are unbelievably cheap in that region, but Steam doesn’t like it when you take advantage. If you’re caught attempting to switch to Russia from another country, your account could be disabled.

How to Change Your Steam Region with a VPN

Changing your Steam region is as easy as making friends in Animal Crossing. Follow these steps and you’ll access all the games you like — without breaking Steam’s ToS.

1. Install CyberGhost VPN. We support all your favorite gaming devices, including — but not limited to — PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. We use the fastest protocols for optimal speed and performance, and you get unlimited bandwidth on all plans.

2. Connect to a Server. Launch CyberGhost VPN and select a server in your preferred country. We provide high-speed servers worldwide to ensure fast speeds no matter where you are.

3. Launch Steam. Once CyberGhost VPN is running, go ahead and open Steam. When I tested this method, my currency automatically updated in my browser but not in the Steam desktop app. Don’t panic if your currency hasn’t been updated yet — we’ll get to that in the next step.

4. Visit the Steam Store but don’t buy anything yet! Simply pick a game you’re interested in and add it to your cart.

5. Select Your Country and navigate to your cart. Click on the country list above your item(s) — it will open a drop-down list. Choose the same country as the CyberGhost VPN server you’re connected to.

6. Set your default country. A pop-up window will appear, letting you set your default country to match your preferred location. This will update your store’s currency and game prices.

7. Return to your cart. The price will have updated automatically and you can proceed to checkout.

8. Add Your Billing Info. Add your payment method and billing information. Remember your new billing address must be in the country you’re switching to.

Once you make your purchase, your Steam region will default to your new location. Enjoy your new library!

Steam Not Working with CyberGhost VPN — Troubleshooting Tips

If you followed the procedure step-by-step and still ran into a problem, this section might help you. Here’s what you can do:

1. Log out and log back into your CyberGhost VPN account. Sometimes, simply logging out and logging back in can fix the problem.
2. Try connecting to a different CyberGhost VPN server. Switching servers may help resolve the issue, as some servers may offer better connections than others.
3. Reinstall the CyberGhost VPN application. Uninstall the app, restart your device, and then reinstall the app.
4. Remove parental or security controls on your router. Some routers have built-in security features to block VPN connections. Check your router settings and disable these controls if necessary.

If you’re still unable to connect to Steam using CyberGhost VPN after trying these troubleshooting steps, try contacting our Customer Support team via live chat or email — we’re always there for you!

How VPNs Improve Your Online Game Experience

Beyond changing your Steam region, a VPN can enhance your gameplay too. Here’s how, and why you should choose CyberGhost as your go-to VPN for gaming.

Prevent Cyber Attacks

A Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack happens when someone forcefully floods your device or network with false requests to overload it. It can result in your connection slowing to a crawl. These attacks are rapidly growing in popularity — and they can cripple your gaming session.

Likewise, swatting — making false reports to lure armed forces to someone’s residence – is spreading in the gaming community. It can be dangerous, even deadly.

CyberGhost VPN masks your IP address to keep you safe, both online and offline. If cybercriminals (and sore losers) can’t identify your connection, they can’t use it against you.

Protect Your Data

Public Wi-Fi is a godsend if you game on the go, but connecting to open networks without a VPN is risky. Many public networks aren’t secure, so cybercriminals use them as a playground.

CyberGhost VPN protects your privacy and safeguards your data with uncrackable 256-bit AES encryption. It’s what militaries use to guard their secrets, so cybercriminals don’t stand a chance.

Set CyberGhost VPN to launch automatically when new or open networks are detected, or set Smart Rules of your own. In case of emergency, our Kill Switch automatically shuts off your internet when you lose connection with the VPN.

Bypass ISP Throttling

Have you noticed your internet connection drops at certain times of the day, ruining prime gaming time? Blame your ISP. If they determine you’re using too much bandwidth on gaming or streaming, they’ll purposefully slow you down to lessen the strain on their servers.

We hide your activity from prying eyes. If your ISP can’t see what you’re up to, they can’t interfere with you or your games. Not to mention, you get unlimited bandwidth on all CyberGhost VPN plans. Try it yourself with a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Improve Ping

It doesn’t matter how fast your internet connection is, you could still have a high ping. If your ISP chooses a bad route for your connection to the game’s servers, you’ll experience lag. The further you are from your game server, the more infuriating lag will become.

VPNs can establish a more direct connection between you and your game server, removing interferences that increase your ping. Use CyberGhost VPN if you want to try to get a better connection to your game host.

Choose from our 116 server locations across 91 countries and stay safe anywhere in the world. We use the fastest, safest server protocols available, including WireGuard®, or you can pick a VPN protocol to suit your needs and speeds the best.

If you have any questions about configuring CyberGhost VPN for gaming, chat to our friendly 24/7 Customer Support team anytime. They’re happy to help.

Get More Games

Most of the games you buy on Steam won’t be region-locked, but you might run into a few limitations. Some games are only playable in the country you purchased them in, and some gifts can only be redeemed within their country of origin. A VPN easily gets you around these restrictions, and you can use one to join international servers too.

Remember, doing so may get your account into trouble, so you need a VPN that won’t sell you out.

We operate under a strict No Logs policy, and we’re headquartered in Romania, where there aren’t any data-sharing laws we have to submit to. We’ll never monitor, record, or share your activity with anyone, not even authorities.

Using a VPN to protect your identity, prevent cyberattacks, or improve your internet connection does not go against Steam’s terms of service.

Game On Your Terms

No one should have the right to tell you which games you’re allowed to play. Unfortunately, even gamers are at the mercy of copyright and distribution laws — and Steam is no exception. VPNs let you game your own way, and stay safe online while you’re at it.

If you want to explore a new world of Steam games — and get faster connection speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and uncrackable security — try CyberGhost VPN risk-free with our 45-day money-back guarantee.

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