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How to Change Steam Region Using a VPN
Callum Tennent
Callum Tennent oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his VPN advice has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society. Read full bio
To change your Steam region, connect to a VPN server in a different country. This lets you access cheaper games and titles that aren’t available in your location. Our research has shown the best Steam region you can change to is India, as it offers significantly cheaper games while also accepting a third-party payment provider — so you don’t need an Indian payment method.
Steam is available worldwide, but what it looks like can vary depending on where you are. Different stores can have significantly different regional pricing and, in some instances, access to different games.
It’s possible to change your Steam region by using a VPN. By spoofing your geolocation and changing your IP address, a VPN can easily trick Steam into thinking that you’re in a different country.
However, the absolute cheapest Steam regions, like Turkey and Argentina, require a credit or debit card from within that country. Our testing has discovered the cheapest, easiest, and most reliable region to switch your Steam account to is India, as it doesn’t have that requirement. Here’s how to do it:
Quick Guide: How to Change Steam Region in 2024
Sign up for a VPN with servers in India. We recommend ExpressVPN and its India (via Singapore) server.
Create a Skrill account. Skrill is a reputable digital wallet that allows you to make international payments in different currencies.
Connect to an Indian VPN server, open Steam, and add a game to your cart. When checking out you will be able to change the currency to Indian rupees.
Complete the purchase using Skrill FastLane. You can fill out the billing address with random Indian details from Google Maps. Choose Skrill as the payment method and enter your account details, then pay using your regular bank card via Skrill FastLane.
You have now successfully changed your Steam region.You will now be shown the Indian Steam store and Indian rupees will appear as the default currency for all games. You don’t need to have your VPN connected when making future purchases or playing games.
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The process may seem intimidating, but our guide makes it as simple as possible. We’ll give you in-depth, step-by-step, illustrated instructions so that you know exactly what you’re doing.
We’ll also answer any important questions you might have including what changing your Steam region does and doesn’t do, whether or not Steam gift cards are worth it, and if you’ll get banned for using a VPN on Steam.
Changing Steam Store Regions: What You Need to Know
There are some important things you should know before changing your Steam account region:
You can only change Steam regions once every three months. If you decide you want to pick a new region, or if your chosen region stops working, you’re stuck with it for 12 weeks.
Most cheap Steam regions require a payment card from that country. While Turkey, Argentina, Russia, and Kazakhstan will usually offer incredible discounts compared to the US, UK, or EU nation stores, you cannot access them without a local bank card. India is the cheapest region you can switch to that doesn’t have that requirement.
Steam will ask for a billing address in the country you switch to. However, that address does not have to match the one linked to your payment method. We suggest simply using Google Maps to find a random address from within the region you’re switching to.
Make sure your VPN has servers in the region you want to change your Steam account to. Not every VPN has servers in India — if you choose one that doesn’t have any, then you won’t be able to make it your new Steam store location.
Your Steam region will only change after you successfully make a purchase. You can connect to a VPN server in any region you like to view the Steam store and its prices in different currencies. You can even add games to your cart. However, your account will only officially change regions once you actually buy a game.
After your first successful purchase you don’t need to use your VPN again. Once your Steam region has changed following your first purchase, you can disconnect from your VPN — it doesn’t need to be turned on while you’re playing Steam games, or even for any future purchases.
How to Change Regions on Steam Using a VPN
If you want to change your Steam region to get cheaper games, then you need two things: a VPN with an India server location and a Skrill account.
Follow our step-by-step instructions below where we walk through the whole process (we recommend you do this on your desktop or laptop computer, rather than your smartphone):
1. Sign up for a VPN with servers in India
To make India your Steam store region, you need to change your IP address to an Indian one. ExpressVPN is the best choice for this, although CyberGhost is an excellent alternative.
We’re using ExpressVPN for this walkthrough, but we also recommend CyberGhost and PrivadoVPN Free.
Once you’ve subscribed, download and install the VPN onto your computer.
2. Create a Skrill account
India is unique on Steam: it offers games for significantly cheaper than the US while also accepting a third-party payment provider. That means you don’t need an Indian payment method.
Signing up for Skrill is quick, easy, and safe.
This payment provider is Skrill, and it’s 100% legitimate and trustworthy. You’ll need to provide some personal details when setting up your Skrill account, but the whole process is very straightforward — it’s no different to similar services like PayPal.
Verification is quick, and you should be done in less than half an hour.
3. Using your VPN, connect to an Indian VPN server, open Steam, and add a title to your cart
Pick any title you want to buy — for now it will still be in your local currency. View your cart and take a look at the ‘Country’ dropdown menu in the top-right corner.
You can choose to see your carted item in Indian rupees at this point – but your store region hasn’t officially changed yet.
Click on it and select ‘India’. The game’s currency will have switched to Indian rupees — and its price will likely have decreased significantly.
4. Complete the purchase on Steam Using Skrill FastLane
Head back to the Steam desktop client to complete the purchase. You’ll be asked to add billing details for your new region.
Other payment types will not work here, even with a VPN – you must choose Skrill.
These details do not need to match your Skrill account or bank card. All you need to do is open Google Maps and pick a random address from within India.
Choose Skrill as your payment method. When you’re directed to the Skrill payment window select Skrill FastLane as your payment method. This lets you pay with your regular debit card via Skrill. Payment will process as normal and your chose title will now be in your Steam library.
Once you’ve added your payment card to Skrill, FastLane payments are super quick.
You have now successfully changed your Steam region.
Following the completion of your purchase, your new Steam region is now set to India. You can disconnect from your VPN.
Once you’ve completed your purchase you can turn your VPN off – there’s no need to have it connected while playing.
All store prices will now show in Indian rupees but, other than that, nothing else has changed. You can still play all of your old games without any issues, and without using your VPN.
Any purchases you make in the future can be done without the VPN, too — you just need to keep your Skrill account topped up.
EXPERT TIP:
Sometimes Steam purchases made with Skrill can take a while to complete. To speed things up, contact Steam support.
You’ll be asked for some information about your purchase and, once it’s verified your transaction has completed correctly, your new game will appear in your library immediately.
How to Get a Payment Method from a Different Country
You may have read about how much cheaper Steam games are in countries like Argentina and Turkey.
However, there’s one catch that there’s no way around: even with a VPN on, cheap regions demand a payment method from a local bank.
Steam actually recommends you turn off any VPN or proxy before attempting to make a purchase.
We’ve spent hours trying to get access to a Turkish or Argentinian payment method. Conventional bank accounts, digital wallets, apps — we tried every approach. However, we were unsuccessful.
You may have read on other websites and forums that a bank card from your own country but administered by a bank like Revolut, Monzo, or Starling will work as they are capable of generating virtual cards that use foreign currencies — we can confirm that this will not work.
Steam looks at the first four digits of your payment card, which are used to identify the origin of the bank which administered it. Even a Turkish lira or Argentinian peso virtual card from one of these banks will still have a country code that reveals its true base of operations.
If you’re reading this article in North America, Western Europe, or Oceania, then chances are you’re in one of the most expensive Steam regions in the world.
Steam game prices are generally adjusted to match the buying power of a country’s currency. Stable, widely-accepted currencies like the US dollar and British pound sterling pay a comparatively high price for most games as a result.
In countries with a great deal of economic instability and a lower average salary, though, Steam games are priced much cheaper so that locals can better afford them.
Turkey and Argentina are often cited as the regions with the cheapest Steam prices, with AAA games from those regions allegedly over 65% cheaper than their price in US dollars, and indie games a staggering 97% cheaper.
ARS$6,000 is equal to roughly $17 – a 54% discount versus the US store.
However, following Valve’s decision to remove local currency support for those regions on 20 November 2023, Turkey and Argentina are no longer the cheapest Steam store regions.
Many developers haven’t updated pricing for their titles in these regions and, as a result, games in Turkey and Argentina are now often just as expensive as in the US.
Even if those regions were still the cheapest, though, using a VPN to change your location to one of them is only the first step. As we explain in the section above, you cannot purchase from those countries without a local bank card.
Unless you know someone in one of those countries or are able to somehow obtain a bank card of one of your own from them, India is the cheapest region for Steam games.
India is now consistently one of the cheapest Steam regions, with AAA titles on Indian steam costing up to 55% less than on US Steam, and indie titles costing up to 75% less.
You won’t find games like Cyberpunk 2077 much cheaper than in Steam India, where it’s roughly only $12.50.
Before Steam updated pricing in Argentina and Turkey we took a random sample of 10 of the most popular games on the platform (five AAA titles and five indie releases) and compared their US pricing to five other store regions:
We’ve used the US Steam store as a baseline – if you live in the UK or Eurozone then your savings are even greater.
We’ll update this chart with new pricing data once it becomes available. For now, just follow the steps we outline on this page and you’ll be saving money in no time.
STILL NOT SURE IF CHANGING STEAM REGIONS IS WORTH IT?
We understand that this process is a little time consuming. Before going through with it, we recommend using SteamDB’s price history feature to check how much the games you want cost in India versus your current location.
Can You Change Steam Regions Without a VPN?
The only way to change Steam regions without a VPN is to physically be in another country.
If you move or go on holiday then your Steam store region will automatically change to reflect your new location. However, just like using a VPN, that’s not enough — even if you’re really in the country, you’ll still need a working payment method from that country.
Steam makes it clear that just being in another country isn’t enough to change store regions.
If you do go to another country and acquire a local payment method, then you still might want to think twice before completing a purchase: you can only change your Steam region once every three months.
Unless you’re permanently moving to this new country you may want to consider leaving your region unchanged.
The Advantages of Changing Countries on Steam
Changing your Steam store region, while simple, can take a while to do properly. You should be absolutely certain that you want to do it before you follow the steps in this guide.
Here are the benefits of changing your Steam account region:
Get Cheaper Games & Software
This is by far the best, and most popular, reason to change countries on Steam. The potential savings are enormous, and there’s no limit to how many games you can buy this way.
Access Games Blocked in Your Country
This is a little more niche, but it may still apply to you. If you live in a region where video games are banned or often censored, like the UAE, Russia, or even Australia, then the library of games available to you on Steam will be restricted.
If you use a VPN to change your Steam account region to one where the games you want aren’t banned, you’ll then be able to freely purchase and play them.
Access Games Early on Release Day
Games on Steam usually become playable at midnight on their day of release. However, if you’re on the West Coast of the US, midnight for you arrives 17 hours after midnight on the East Coast of Australia.
If you get an Australian IP address and change your Steam region to Australia or New Zealand then it would allow you to play new releases a day early.
Misconceptions: What Changing Steam Countries Won’t Do
There’s a lot of misinformation on other sites and forums online about how to change your Steam region and what exactly this will achieve.
We’ve spent hours researching and trying everything out for ourselves, so we can say for sure what does and doesn’t work. Here’s what changing your Steam country won’t do:
Unban Your Account
If you’ve earned a Steam account ban for whatever reason, changing your region will not unban your account. There’s nothing you can do to remove that ban, unless specified by Valve in the ban’s terms.
Unblock Steam on Your Network
If Steam is blocked or banned on the internet network you’re connected to, changing your Steam store region won’t do anything to change that.
The good news, though, is that the solution may be far simpler. If you connect to a VPN server and then attempt to install or use Steam, it may well now be unblocked.
Fix Lag or High Ping
Your Steam region mostly affects things to do with the storefront. Lag and ping times in-game aren’t affected by it.
Instead, they’re affected by other, more complex, factors. Where you are in the world, where the game’s server is, the server load, how fast your internet connection is, and how your device is connected to the internet are all factors that affect ping while gaming on Steam.
Change Your In-Game Lobby
It’s actually very rare nowadays for your server or lobby in an online game to be dictated by the region of your Steam account.
If you want to get a different or easier lobby then you should take a look inside the game’s settings menu — there’s a good chance you’ll be able to simply change it there without altering your Steam account region.
If that doesn’t work, try connecting to the region you want on your VPN and then starting the game. That might work, too, and without you having to actually change your account region.
EXPERT TIP:
You might have seen other websites recommending using Steam gift cards for changing your store region. This is a bad idea.
It can work, but you’ll still need a local payment method every time you want to make a purchase – either that or keep buying gift cards which are poor value, time consuming, and increasingly hard to find.
3 Best VPNs for Changing Your Steam Region
Almost any VPN will work with Steam. However, if you want to follow the steps in this guide to get the cheapest Steam games possible, you’ll need to make sure you choose a dependable one with servers in the right location.
After testing 61 VPNs with Steam, these are our three best recommendations:
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Steam — particularly when it comes to changing your Steam account region. It’s fast, secure, and (most importantly) reliable.
Make sure you use ExpressVPN’s India (via Singapore) server, and not its India (via UK) one.
India via Singapore Server Works for Cheap Games
What really sets ExpressVPN apart from its rivals is the consistency and reliability of one of its India servers.
There are two available, but we’ve found that ExpressVPN’s India (via Singapore) server has a 100% success rate for beating Steam’s region protection. Once connected, you’ll be able to browse and make purchases from the Steam store with discounted Indian prices.
Plenty of rival VPNs offer virtual servers with Indian IP addresses, just like ExpressVPN, but the difference is that ExpressVPN’s actually work to bypass geoblocks — including Steam’s.
Fast Speeds for Lag-Free Gaming
ExpressVPN is also our number one VPN for gaming. A big part of that is thanks to how it keeps latency as low as possible, even on long-distance connections, to ensure gaming as lag-free as possible.
You don’t need to leave your VPN running after changing your Steam store region but, if you choose to anyway, ExpressVPN is a super-fast choice. Over months of testing, our average ping on short-distance ExpressVPN connections has never climbed above 10ms.
No Questions Asked 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
ExpressVPN is expensive compared to almost any other rival, there’s no denying it. What makes it great for changing Steam regions, though, is its excellent refund policy.
If you sign up to ExpressVPN and use it to change Steam regions within 30 days, you can speak to ExpressVPN’s 24/7 live chat support and request a full refund. You don’t need to give a reason, and the refund will be processed in a matter of days.
If you’re unsure if you want a lengthy VPN subscription but still want to change your Steam region, CyberGhost is a perfect choice.
CyberGhost only has one India server, but it’s always worked with Steam in our testing.
Generous Free Trial Is Perfect for Changing Steam Regions
CyberGhost has a one-day free trial on desktop that requires no card or payment details at all. It also has a three-day free trial on Android and a seven-day free trial on iOS.
You can use these trials to create an account for free. Once you’re done using CyberGhost to change your Steam region you can then let the trial expire without spending a cent — there’s no obligation to sign up for a subscription.
Virtual India Server Works to Spoof Your Steam Location
Like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost is another VPN that removed all of its servers from India for privacy reasons. However, it still maintains virtual servers that will give you an Indian IP address without putting your data or privacy at risk.
Our testing found that CyberGhost’s Mumbai virtual server isn’t quite as reliable as ExpressVPN’s servers, but is still good enough to get the job done.
Not as Fast as ExpressVPN, but Quick Enough for Gaming
Compared to some of its biggest-name rivals, CyberGhost can seem a little slow. But make no mistake — it’s still a fast VPN. Its ping times are particularly impressive, with an average of just 6ms on local connections.
Combine that with its nicely-designed VPN apps for Windows and macOS (it has a Linux client, too, but with no GUI) and CyberGhost is a reliable VPN for Steam gaming.
PrivadoVPN is the best free VPN for Steam — in fact, it’s the only free VPN we recommend that also has a server in India.
PrivadoVPN is one of the only free VPNs with a server in India, and it works with Steam every time.
Reliable Free Access to Indian IP Addresses
If you want to change Steam regions to get cheaper games, then PrivadoVPN Free will allow you to do it for free. There’s no catch — you just download and install it, then create an anonymous account without spending a cent.
Once you’re done switching Steam regions, you’re then free to stop using the VPN whenever you want. There’s no charge, and our testing found that it really works.
Fast & Easy to Use
Unlike so many free VPNs, PrivadoVPN is extremely easy to use. We love its design and how simple it makes everything, so you have nothing to worry about if this is your first time using a VPN.
PrivadoVPN Free is also fast — not just for a free VPN, but even compared to some expensive competitors. If you don’t live near India (or any other region you want to connect to), our testing has found that your download speeds should still barely be affected. Our connection speed dropped by no more than 11% no matter what server we chose.
Watch Out for the 10GB Data Cap
PrivadoVPN does have one downside though, and it’s one shared by almost every good free VPN: it has a monthly data cap.
You only get 10GB to use per month. Once that’s used up, you’ll have to wait to get more — there’s nothing you can do about it.
10GB is more than enough to complete the process of changing your Steam account region, but you won’t be able to leave it on for too long while gaming online.
Whether or not Steam can ban you for using a VPN depends on what you’re using the VPN for.
You will not get a Steam ban if you just have a VPN connected while playing games. VPNs are legitimate pieces of software, and just having one turned on while you use Steam does not break any of its rules or terms.
This paragraph technically blanket-bans the use of VPNs for any reason whatsoever.
It specifies that you should not use a VPN to bypass content blocks or to purchase games at a cheaper price.
It’s important to bear this in mind when following any instructions laid out in this guide. However, during research and testing our account was not banned, nor have we seen any evidence or stories online of anyone else’s account being banned for this.
If you choose to change your Steam region with a VPN then you do so at your own risk — but we believe the risk is minimal. If you’re still unsure if you want to change your Steam region with a VPN, you could always create a new Steam account so that, should it get banned, you still have your original account and library to fall back on.
How to Fix Steam Not Working with Your VPN
Changing your Steam region can be a little complex, but if you follow our steps closely you’ll be fine. If you can’t change your Steam region for any reason, though, here’s how to get around the most common errors:
Steam Error: “An unexpected error occurred. Your purchase has not been completed.”
If you see this error message, you are trying to use a payment method that does not match your desired Steam region. This is most common when trying to change regions to one significantly cheaper, like Argentina, where you absolutely must have a payment card from a bank within the country.
The Steam error message may not specify it, but this is what you’ll see if you use an ineligible payment method.
The solution is to try to change Steam regions to India following our guide instead, or to choose a region where you have access to a local bank card.
Steam Error: “Your Purchase could not be completed because it looks like the currency of funds in your Steam Wallet does not match the currency of this purchase”
This error message will show if you try to change Steam regions by making a purchase using funds already in your Steam Wallet.
Adding funds to your Steam Wallet can be convenient – but only after you’ve changed your region.
Using Steam wallet funds as a way to bypass the payment requirements for changing Steam regions may seem like a good idea but, sadly, it won’t work — this is the message you’ll be shown if you try it.
If you change Steam store regions by following our guide, you’ll then be able to add all the funds to your Steam Wallet that you like — but only after making your first purchase using a different payment method.
Steam Error: Why Is My Purchase Not Showing in My Library?
This is a fairly common error that can arise when purchasing games via Skrill. The transaction will have been completed on Steam and the money will have been taken from your account, but the game will still not show in your library.
If a purchase doesn’t show in your library immediately then you don’t need to wait – just message Steam support as soon as you can.
If you don’t want to wait for the product to appear, then the solution to this is to simply speak with Steam support:
In your web browser, go to store.steampowered.com and click Support in the top menu bar.
Click on Purchases, then the title you’re having a problem with.
Click on the title again under the header I have a problem with a product in this purchase.
Click It’s not in my library.
You’ll now be asked to fill out a message for Steam Support. Just explain that money has been taken from your Skrill account, but the game is not yet in your library.
Steam Support should reply promptly (usually in under an hour) and ask you for a screenshot of your Skrill account proving the funds have been taken. Once it receives this proof, the game will appear in your library.
FAQs
Can I Use a Free VPN to Change Steam Store Regions?
You can use a free VPN to change Steam store regions. Almost any free VPN will let you do it, but you’ll only be able to change Steam account regions to a country where your free VPN has a server.
Why Are Steam Prices Different in Different Countries?
The buying power and average salary of residents in different countries can vary greatly. Developers and publishers often try to price games so that they are equally affordable to players wherever they are in the world.
As a result, regions like Argentina and Turkey, with unstable economies and volatile currencies, end up with Steam game prices much cheaper than in regions like the Eurozone or the US.
Will Steam Ban Me for Changing Region?
This entirely depends on why you’re changing regions. If you are changing Steam regions because you have moved countries then you categorically will not get banned. It is 100% allowed and accommodated by Steam.
There is a chance you might get banned, however, if you use a VPN to change Steam regions purely to access cheaper games. It’s mentioned on the Steam website briefly — however, we have never known of any account actually being banned, and it didn’t happen to us in our testing.
