How To Change Your Region On Your PS5

How To Change Your Region On Your PS5

If you were lucky enough to get your hand on a PS5 over the course of the past year, then congrats! That means you were able to get around the chip shortage that’s been preventing the rest of us from being able to buy a PS5 (or you just had enough money and didn’t mind paying double).

Unfortunately, the shortage of chips needed to build new PS5s has meant that new game development for PS5 has been a bit slower than fans expected… When you combine this with the fact that Sony’s PlayStation Network geo-restricts certain games and content, it may leave you with nowhere near as many options as you thought you’d have from the console.

While the PS5 does offer backward compatibility for PS4 games, those who were lucky enough to come into possession of a PS5 probably aren’t interested in just playing PS4 games. So, if you’ve been trying to access geo-restricted games, content, and deals on your PS5, then this is the guide for you!

Below, we’ll show you how to use a VPN to “change” the geographical location of your PS5 and PSN account. This will allow you to access exclusive content that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. It’s time to evolve your gameplay experience, wouldn’t you say?

Advantages Of Changing Regions On Your PS5

So, what are some of the advantages of changing regions on your PS5? Well, for one, you’ll get to play more games. Secondly, you’ll get to access regional deals and specials. Lastly, you won’t have any issues accessing region-restricted content on your streaming apps like Hulu and Netflix.

Early Access To Games

Usually, when a major game studio releases a new game, they’ll work out deals with various media and game distributors around the world. This is why some games release earlier in some countries and later in others. If you can figure out which regions your favorite new releases are going to be sold in first, you can change your PSN region to reflect that and get first dibs.

Unlock Geo-Restricted Content

In addition to gaming, PS5 consoles also allow you to download popular streaming platforms for music, movies, and TV shows. However, due to media distribution contracts, not every title is available in other countries. If you’ve read some of our other articles, then you might remember that one of the main reasons people are using VPNs today is to access Netflix’s regional-restricted titles.

Special Pricing and Deals

Last but not least, changing your region on your PS5 gives you special access to deals, combos, and reduced pricing on certain games and titles. This is because Sony runs different deals in different countries, depending on what game titles they’re trying to promote or sell more of.

By switching your region, you’ll be able to take advantage of these deals and get the best price on your favorite games.

Is It Legal To Change Regions On Your PS5?

One of the first things that people ask before switching their PS5 regions tends to be, “Is it legal, though?”

In most countries, using a VPN is perfectly legal and you won’t have to worry about any legal repercussions or fines. Although there are a few countries where VPNs are illegal or restricted (such as Russia, China, and North Korea), most Western countries allow for regular VPN usage as they’ve deemed it an internet privacy right.

That being said, using a VPN to change your region on PS5 may be viewed as a violation of the terms of service agreement you signed with Sony when signing up for your PSC account. Typically, Sony won’t ban violators they discover using VPNs, but your account may be limited and you’ll probably lose access to those geo-blocked titles you previously purchased.

How To Change Your Region On PS5: Step-by-Step

So, now that we’ve explained some of the advantages of changing your PS5 region, it’s time for the tutorial that you’ve all been waiting on. Overall, the process of changing your PS5 region is fairly simple and easy. However, you will need a little bit of technical knowledge, such as how to change your internet connection. Most PS5 users shouldn’t have any issues, though.

1. Download a High-Quality VPN Service To Mask Your Location: First, you’ll need to download a high-quality VPN service to mask your location. We generally recommend ZenMate or NordVPN for gaming consoles, as they have pretty fast servers.

Your VPN works by disguising your computer’s data and tunneling your connection through a server located in another country or region before it accesses the internet. For all intents and purposes, this makes your device appear as if it’s accessing the internet from a completely different location, giving you an anonymous connection.

2. Do Your Research On Which Country Has The Deals You Want: Next, you’ll need to do a bit of research. Access the PlayStation online store from various country’s domain extensions. This will give you a good idea of what game titles are available and what some of the current deals are. You can only choose one country, so make sure that you pick one that offers the best perks.

3. Select a VPN Server Within Your Chosen Country: Now, you’ll need to open your VPN server and select a server that’s located within the country you’re trying to access the PlayStation store from. This will re-route your internet traffic and make it look like you’re located in that particular country.

4. Connect Your PS5 To A VPN Network: This is where things get a bit tricky. Since there are no VPN services available directly from the PlayStation store, you’ll have to decide between two different options.

One option is to install a VPN on your internet router. This requires a good bit of networking know-how and you’ll have to know how to change your router’s settings.

The second option is a bit easier for the average PS5 user to use. You’ll start by downloading a VPN on your laptop. Then, you’ll connect your PS5 to your laptop’s VPN by connecting the PS5 to your laptop via an ethernet cord. This gives you a hardwired internet connection for your PS5 and allows you to hijack the laptop’s secured VPN connection.

5. Create a New Playstation Network (PSN) Account: Now that your PlayStation is connected to the VPN in your chosen country, you’ll need to log off of your existing PSN account. Then, create a brand-new PSN account.

While signing up for your new PSN account, you’ll need to select the region that you’re “located in.” You may also be required to enter an address to keep on file for your account. If this question comes up, then just enter the address of an extended stay hotel in your chosen country.

6. Purchase A Playstation Gift Card Through Amazon: None of this will work if you try to purchase games and titles using a credit/debit card registered in another country, as Sony will be able to tell something fishy is going on. However, there is a clever way around this.

Using your VPN, access the Amazon store that correlates with that country. You may need to translate the web pages using your browser so you can read them in your native language.

Then, search for PlayStation gift cards from that region’s Amazon site. Purchase it, and then you’ll be emailed a code that you can enter into your PSN account to give it credits.

7. Use The Giftcard To Purchase Exclusive Content: Since the gift card code was registered in a foreign country, you’ll be able to purchase foreign titles and take advantage of region-specific deals in that country. Pretty nifty, right?

8. Keep Your VPN Connected While Downloading The Game and While You’re Online: As long as your VPN remains connected to a server within that country, you shouldn’t run into any connection issues. Just make sure that your PS5 is connected to your laptop’s VPN for the duration that you’re account is connected to the internet.

Are There Any Other Benefits To Using A VPN With My PS5?

Actually, there is! For one, it makes it impossible for other users to track your IP address back to your home country or region. Secondly, it also prevents other players from running “attacks” on your account by spamming your IP address in an effort to slow your connection down.

Even if you don’t have a PS5, you should invest in a VPN. Not only will it keep you safe during your everyday browsing but it also prevents any unwanted third parties from being able to track you down and locate your device.