Global Gaming Communities: Using VPNs to Connect with Steam Players Worldwide

Steam is a digital game distributor that offers both – free and paid video games. As good as it is, it can’t avoid the responsibility and has to follow copyright and distribution laws. As a result, the game list differs from country to country. However, this article isn’t bad news as we’re about to tell you that you can bypass Steam geo-restrictions with a VPN.

With it, not only can you access games that are only available in other corners of the world, but you can even unblock Steam itself if you live in a heavily-censored country, such as China. You can also open up access to global gaming communities or some local channels that would otherwise be inaccessible to you. There are other benefits you can get from a VPN, like ping reduction and speed limit protection. However, its main use is to connect with Steam players and access blocked Steam games. We will concentrate on this.

What do you need to know in advance?

Changing your store region and currency on Steam may appear straightforward, but it’s crucial to consider a few key factors. Before, during, and after changing your Steam country, there are important points to remember:

• Time Interval: Steam only allows you to modify your store region and currency every three months. This limitation aims to prevent frequent changes for the sake of finding better game deals.
• Billing Address Requirement: When changing your Steam store region, you’ll need a billing address from that specific region. If you don’t have access to one, it’s essential to seek assistance from friends willing to share their addresses and zip-code for this purpose. Without a valid address, purchasing games from different countries becomes impossible.
• Matching the region of the credit card and your account: If you find yourself in Ukraine and want to top up your Steam Wallet, ensure you use a Ukrainian credit card. Failure to do so may result in a Steam ban. This is due to the significant price difference, with games and in-game items being considerably cheaper in Ukraine compared to other regions.
• VPN Considerations: When selecting a VPN to use with Steam, take various factors into account. Check if the VPN provider has servers in your desired countries, evaluate the speed and security of the encryption protocols, and determine if any bandwidth limitations exist.

How to change the Steam region?

Changing your Steam region manually in your account settings is not possible. However, you can switch your Steam region when making a purchase using a payment method from that specific country.

To achieve this, follow these steps:

1. Download a reliable VPN for Steam. This is the first thing you need to do before changing the Steam region https://veepn.com/blog/how-to-change-steam-region/ and most importantly. VeePN offers lightning-fast speeds and a vast network of servers in 50+ countries for seamless global connections. This VPN for gaming is the top choice for Steam users. Connect to a server located in the same region as your desired Steam region.
2. Log in to your Steam account and add an item to your shopping cart. No need to complete the purchase; this is just to gain access to the shopping cart.
3. Locate the dropdown menu next to “Country.” Here, you can view your current store region as well as the country to which you want to change your Steam region.
4. Click on your new Steam region and wait for the automatic change to take effect. You’ll notice that the store prices will adjust to match the local currency of your new region.
5. Begin exploring the Steam store in your newly selected region. Take note that you can only purchase games if you have a payment method and billing address corresponding to your new location.

Can I buy games cheaper on Steam?

A VPN is a useful tool for accessing the Steam marketplace from another country where games are available at more affordable prices. However, it is recommended to use a payment method registered in the same country as the VPN server you connect from to avoid the risk of an IP ban. To ensure smoother transactions, consider setting up a virtual credit card specific to that country and converting it to the local currency.

Is using a VPN against Steam Terms of Service?

The Steam Subscriber Agreement explicitly mentions “IP proxying” and warns that Valve may terminate your account if you use a VPN to circumvent geographic restrictions or purchase from another country’s store. However, using a VPN while playing a game is not a violation of Steam’s Terms of Service. As long as you’re not using a VPN for accessing blocked content or seeking cheaper deals, you shouldn’t be concerned about facing a ban.

Conclusion

Although you already know that a VPN can connect you to the online community and unlock games, you don’t know everything. For example, does VPN affect ping and connection speed? Yes, it can slow down the service a little or even increase the speed. It all depends on the provider. If it’s good enough, it can give you access to a fast server as close as possible and provide smart traffic routing. Otherwise, there may be a serious slowdown in speed. In other words, the correct choice of a service provider is important, in this case, there will be only advantages from VPN.

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