As a gamer, I know all too well the frustration of not being able to play my favourite games due to region locks.
Region locking is when a game publisher restricts access to certain versions of their game in certain countries or regions.
This means that even if you buy the same game from two different places, one version might be playable and the other won’t work at all.
So, in this article, I’ll share with you are PC games region-locked, and if so then how you can trick them and play in the restricted region.
Let’s dive in!
What Is Region Free Games
Region free games term is used for games that you can play from anywhere in the world regardless of the location where you are living.
On the other hand region lock is its opposite term, that is used for those games that are only available for specific regions.
The early generations of the cartridge based consoles were subject to region locking due to the combination of the licence and technical difference related to the TV refresh rate.
So, the early PC games were less region locked as; you can pick a disc with the game and can play it on your computer.
If those games were region locked you were able to play them by just changing your computer’s language or the location.
Now in this modern age of the Internet it is not easy to play region locked games on your PC, everything is complicated.
Are PC Games Region Locked
Most PC games are not region locked, so most of them are region free. We can examine it from two prospective physical and digital games.
There are a few effective methods for the developers and distributors to enforce the region locking on PC.
As you can buy some physical games that are a form of region lock, you will need to go through the activation process which usually requires an Internet connection.
So, during the activation process if the games server detects that the game is purchased outside the region they will block you from playing it.
However, the system will be tricked and you can use VPN; and a secure connection that shows your device in the locked free country.
On the other hand, for digital games the matter of the region lock has to do with policies of online gaming platforms like stream, Gog, or Humble.
If you go to these online gaming platforms you will notice that their library is slightly different for each region.
So, these differences for the gaming platform library are due to the culture, regulatory matters, or licence issues.
Why Are Games Region Locked?
Here are a few common causes for the PC games region locking:
Localization & Marketing
One of the reasons for PC games region lock is staggered game release, localization and marketing. The game developer region locks their games so that they can slowly release in the other regions all over the world.
So, this act helps them to take more time to handle the tasks; marketing, localising the game in different languages, or setting up marketing strategies for foreign markets.
License and Distribution Issues
The other reason for region lock games is the licence issues and distribution deals. For example company (A) might just have legal right to distribute games in one region, and company (B) have rights for the other region.
Profit
For the PC games region locking can be another motive of the profit. As you can buy a region free game anywhere from any market.
So, why should not everyone buy games from the market that has lowest prices, and stronger currency than the local currency.
The game locking is a serious profit making method for the developers and distributors. And they prevent the player from buying games from the cheapest market.
Regional Laws
Another reason for region locked games is regional laws and censorship requirements. As different countries and regions have their own rules, regulations, and restrictions about what will not be added to the games.
So, region locking helps the developers to make games according to each country, region rules and regulations.
What are Different Types Of Region Locking Games
There are different region locking for the computer games that you should consider while purchasing the new games.
- Games that can only be purchased but played in a certain region by the player.
- Games that can be purchased by players in the specific region and played outside of this region.
- Games without no region locking.
How to Know If the Game is Region Locked
Checking the games whether it is region locked, is quite easy that you can do using the online gaming platforms.
You can go to the Steam store and type the game that you want to download. You’ll see a detailed disclaimer in the game description box, and regions list that are locked.
The other way to check region locked games is to use online region lock checker softwares. As you can go to steamlocks, or the site steamdb.
On these platforms you can see detailed background information for the game, and region locking list by just adding the game Steam ID.
How to Bypass PC Game Region Lock
As we’ve discussed what is a region locking for PC games and how you can check the region locked games.
Here are a few steps that you can use to bypass the region locked games:
Use VPN
The easiest way you can purchase and use the region locked games is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) on your PC.
It lets you set your IP address from a given region and the locked free area where you want to purchase the game.
It shows you as you are based in the locked free country and shows the IP of that particular region.
You can simply build your own virtual router instead of using/purchasing a VPN. A virtual router is like the VPN for your entire network.
Change Steam Location
Steam sets your location based on the first purchase, let’s suppose if your first purchase was from the EU, it will set your location to Europe.
Steam and other gaming platforms allow you to change your location, however there will be a few restrictions to prevent abuse.
For example Steam offers you to change your region once every 3 months, they also have rights to block any user that they think is abusing.
In order to change the region you should click the drop down arrow next to your name, click account details and then update store country.
Purchase from your Home Country & Currency
Another way you can manage the region locking is to always ensure your purchases are set to your home country.
So, when you are travelling you’ll be able to still purchase and play games as if they were available in your region.
However, you will still need to use a VPN to play these region locked games in the region locked country.
Final Words
Not all PC games are region locked, there are a large number of games that are region free and can be played from anywhere in the world.
However, you have also learnt to check the region locked games and how you can bypass the region locked games.
CyberPower PC Not Connecting to Monitor
How to Factory Reset Skytech Gaming PC
References:
