How to change PSN Region on PS4: Unlock global gaming

Have you ever felt the sting of being unable to access exclusive PS4 games or discovering new titles yet to be released in your region? Or did you miss out on incredible content from foreign streaming services? If geo-blocks are altering your PlayStation experience, then employing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) might be your game-changer.

Like streaming services, the PlayStation Store also varies its library from one country to another, offering a treasure trove of unique RPGs in Japan and an array of streaming apps in the US, for instance. And, yes, many people are frustrated with being unable to access everything they want.

At Comparitech, we have researched and tested many VPNs to guide you through the intricacies of accessing foreign content on your PS4. Whether you crave unrestricted access to international PS Stores or wish to maneuver around app restrictions, we have found the best VPNs for the PS4.

How to create a PlayStation account for a different region

Here’s the bad news upfront: you can’t just change the region of your existing PlayStation Network account. This means you’ll have to create a new account but bear in mind that PS Store credit cannot be transferred from one user to another. The good news, though, is that creating another PSN account only takes a few minutes. Below, we’ll explain exactly how to do this, using a US account as an example:

Here’s how to create a PlayStation account for a different region:

1. Start by going to the Sony Entertainment Network website.
2. Enter an email address that isn’t associated with another PSN account. If you don’t have one, you can quickly create a new email address using a free service like Mail.com.
3. Next, fill in your date of birth, and desired password.
4. Choose your new PSN region from the dropdown menu. Note: if you pick a non-English region, you might need Google Translate as you move through the process.
5. When you’re ready, click the submit button and verify your email.
6. You can now set up a new user on your PS3 or PS4, using the account you just created. You’ll be asked to enter your local ZIP or postcode, but any from your chosen state or country will work.
7. Skip past all of the social media options. If you’d like to share screenshots or clips, you can send them to your usual account in a message, then upload them to social media from there. This removes the need to create a secondary Facebook or Twitter account.
8. Visit the PSN Store and you should find that the required currency has changed to match your chosen location. The text may be in another language, but the layout of the store shouldn’t have changed, so you can make educated guesses as to where your desired content will be.

However, there are still two problems: Netflix and other streaming apps don’t show their foreign libraries, and while you can see another country’s offerings, you can’t actually buy anything. Below, we’ll explain how to fix both of these issues.

How to pay when using another country’s PlayStation Store

As the PlayStation Store only allows you to add funds with a credit card or PayPal account registered in your region, you’ll have to use PlayStation gift cards instead. It’s important to obtain gift cards with the appropriate currency. You cannot use a $50 USD gift card on the Japanese store, for instance.

Various forums recommend creating an Amazon or PayPal account in the desired region using a fictitious billing address, but we strongly advise against this. Not only is this method more complicated, but it can also make things more expensive if your fake address is in a state or country with a sales tax.

Once you’ve acquired a gift card, just go to the PlayStation Store, scroll down to the bottom of the menu on the left-hand side, and click on “Redeem Codes”. Simply enter the voucher code and the funds will be added to your account.

How to unblock geo-restricted content on a PS4 with a VPN

If you’d like to access geo-restricted streaming services on your PS4, you don’t necessarily need a foreign PSN account. Some apps, like Netflix, check your IP address instead of your PSN region to see which country you’re in, and as such, which content you’re allowed to watch. As a result, you can simply unblock these services from abroad by connecting to a VPN.

A VPN routes your web traffic through an encrypted tunnel via an intermediary server in a location of your choice. This means that any outside observers, like your Internet Service Provider (ISP), will be unable to monitor your online activities. Further, VPNs enable you to connect to servers all over the world, and give you a temporary, region-specific IP address. This tricks websites and apps into believing you’re located somewhere different and letting you access them from abroad.

Note: Some apps are only available for download in specific regions and a VPN won’t be able to help there. For example, even while connected to a US server, you be unable to download the Hulu app unless your store region is set to US.

The best VPN for PS4: NordVPN

Apr 2024

We recommend using NordVPN. It has more than 5,000 servers across 60 countries, pegs the fastest speeds we’ve seen, and works with some of the most popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. What’s more, it can be configured on wifi routers, making it one of the best VPNs for accessing geo-restricted apps on a PS4.

TRY IT RISK-FREE:Sign up for NordVPN’s longer-term plans to get steep discounts. This service includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out completely risk-free.

Read our full review of NordVPN.

How to install a VPN on PS4

No PlayStation store currently includes any VPN apps, so the setup process is a little more complex. Instead of installing a VPN directly on the PlayStation, you’ll have to either install it on your router or run an Ethernet cable from your PC to your console.

We’ve written guides to install VPNs on Tomato and DD-WRT routers, but most reputable VPN providers almost have detailed instructions for specific brands and models. Some providers even sell pre-configured routers with their software already installed. These are usually bought from a third party such as FlashRouter.

There are significant advantages to installing a VPN on your router. Firstly, a router only counts as one connection, no matter how many devices are on your network. Additionally, every device that uses that router will be automatically protected and have access to the same range of geo-locked services.

Can I use a free VPN on my PlayStation?

You might be tempted to use a free VPN, but they have several major disadvantages and we advise against them. Firstly, free VPNs usually can’t be installed on a router, which makes them a poor choice for use on PlayStations. Further, these services are far slower than premium VPNs. As a result, you’re likely to experience choppy video, long loading times, and possibly even random disconnection from the VPN. That’s assuming you can actually access geo-blocked platforms, since their restrictions often block free VPN users entirely.

International server networks are particularly expensive to build and maintain, so how can free VPNs afford it? While these services often rely on ads to bring in revenue, that’s far from their only way of making money. Some profit by using tracking cookies to build extensive consumer profiles. These can then be sold to third parties without the user’s knowledge. By acting in this way, free VPNs take away their customers’ control over how their personal data is used.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way for the layman to tell if they’re using a genuine VPN or merely one of the dozens of malware-carrying apps hiding on the Google Play Store. Equally dangerous are VPNs that appear to work as intended, but don’t actually encrypt web traffic or prevent IPv6 leaks. Your safety isn’t guaranteed with a well-known free VPN either, as we discovered when Hola was caught selling its users’ idle bandwidth to help run a botnet.

To keep yourself safe online, we recommend using a reputable VPN with a privacy policy that puts its customers first.

Potential issues when you change PSN region

For the most part, you should be able to use your new, region-specific PSN account as if you were actually in your chosen country. However, there are a couple of minor problems that you should be aware of, and we’ll cover these briefly below.

Downloadable content (DLC) for games is region-locked. If you bought a particular game and its DLC via your new account, it should work as intended. However, if one of your other PSN accounts has the game and you buy DLC on your new account (registered under a different region), you won’t be able to access it. This also applies if you bought a hard copy of the game from a region other than the one your new account is registered in.

Not every game will be available in your native language. Many offer the ability to switch subtitle language in the game’s menu, but you’ll have to find the relevant option first, if it’s present at all. This is a particular problem for Japanese titles like the Yakuza series; Japanese is an incredibly complex language, and since localization takes an extremely long time, games usually don’t have English subtitles until their Western release.

FAQs about changing your PS4 region

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