How to Unlock Other Regions on Your PS4

Few things are as good in life like getting all comfy on your La-Z-Boy recliner after a long day of work and playing your favorite PS4 games.

But you know what’d make the experience even better?

Having access to any region you want without having to deal with annoying restrictions.

Why Unblock Other PS4 Regions in the First Place?

There are plenty of reasons to do that:

• You get to save money. Some apps might be less expensive in some regions.
• To have access to more content since some apps (HBO NOW, BBC iPlayer, 7Plus, etc.) and games might not be available in all regions.
• To get early access to new games that are released earlier in some regions. A few days or weeks can make the difference when it comes to games you’re very hyped about.
• You want to redeem a gift card you received. Since they’re region-based, you can’t redeem it in any region.

How Can You Unblock Regions on Your PS4?

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just switching to a different region since you can’t do that.

Instead, you need to create a new account. Luckily, that won’t take too long – here’s what you need to do:

1. Head to Sony’s website to create a new account.
2. Use an email address that’s not linked to other PSN accounts. Use a service like Mail.com, Yandex, or ProtonMail to easily create one.
3. Come up with a password.
4. Now, choose the region you want, and fill out all the other info. If the language changes, use Google Translate.
5. Agree to what you want, and create the account.
6. Verify the account, set up the new user, and add the ZIP code or postcode if needed.
7. Skip past the social media stuff, and go to the PSN store. The currency should change, and you should see the content you want.

But you’re not done yet. Even with a new account and access to foreign regions, you still won’t have access to geo-blocked content on streaming apps (like Netflix, for example), and you also won’t be able to buy anything.

That’s where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) comes into play. The online service hides your IP address, so streaming services, PlayStation stores, and any other service/website won’t be able to see your real geo-location (since your IP address contains data that reveals it).

Keep in mind that if you only want to unblock geo-restricted content, you don’t necessarily need to create a new account. It’s enough to only use a VPN since some services don’t check your PS4 region, just your IP address.

And if you’re still having trouble with payments, just use PlayStation giftcards. Make sure they are in the right currency, though. For instance, a giftcard with US dollars won’t work on the Japanese store.

Other Perks You Get By Using a PS4 VPN

• You can bypass IP bans with ease.
• Your ISP can’t throttle your bandwidth since the service encrypts your traffic.
• Sore losers can’t target you with DoS/DDoS attacks since the VPN hides your IP address.
• You might decrease ping times and lag by using a server in the same country as the gaming server.

How to Set Up a VPN on Your PS4

Unfortunately, you can’t just download and install the VPN client on the console.

Why?

Because PS4s (like many other consoles and devices) don’t have native support for VPNs.

But while not all VPNs will work with your PS4, there are some services that allow you to set up VPN connections on your router. If you do that, your PS4 will automatically use the VPN connection whenever it accesses the web through the router.

Depending on the VPN provider, you might be able to use your existing router, or might need to flash it with DD-WRT or Tomato firmware. You can also get an out-of-the-box VPN router, but they tend to be quite expensive.

To set up a VPN on your router and PS4, do the following:

1. Log into the router’s admin page (its documentation should tell you how).
2. Find the Network tab (it might also be called WAN, Settings, or Setup).
3. Follow the provider’s instructions on what info to enter here.
4. When you’re done, save the changes, and log out of the admin page.
5. Next, start up your PS4, and head to Settings>NetworkSettings>Set up Internet Connection>Use WiFi.
6. For the connection method, pick Easy.
7. Lastly, pick your WiFi network from the provided list, connect to it, and make sure to check the Do Not Use a Proxy Server option.

Alternative Method

Another thing you can try is sharing your VPN connection through your desktop or laptop. Basically, you need to use an Ethernet cable to connect your PS4 to your desktop or laptop when you run a VPN connection on them.

Once you connected the cable, do the following:

1. On your device, head to Control Panel>Network and Sharing Center>Change Adaptor Settings.
2. Find the VPN connection, right-click on it, and go to Properties>Sharing.
3. Enable the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection” option, and use the “Home networking connection” dropdown menu to select the connection (Ethernet in this case).
4. Run the VPN connection on the computer/laptop, and boot up your PS4.
5. Go to Settings>NetworkSettings>Set up Internet Connection.
6. When asked, pick Use a LAN Cable.
7. Next, pick the Easy option for the connection method, and enable the Do Not Use a Proxy Server option.
8. Save your settings, and you’re good to go.

The only problem with doing that is the fact that you might get a weaker performance and slower speeds depending on how powerful your computer/laptop is. Setting up a VPN on a router is a bit more of a chore, but it’s more efficient in the long run.