How to Play Valorant in Different Regions in 2024

While first-person shooters are my favorite genre of video games, I was never a huge fan of Valorant. However, this shooter came out in 2020 and took the world by storm with its smooth gameplay, intense PvP matches, and beautifully crafted maps for players to enjoy. Above everything, this is a free-to-play game, making it extremely accessible to anyone looking to get into it and experience the neck-breaking action firsthand. One of the main complaints people have about it is that the game locks you to a specific region when making an account.

That’s why many people want to know how to change the Valorant region and play against players in other countries. Changing your Valorant region is impossible at first because the developer allows you to do that only if you’re region-locked by mistake.

However, with the trick that I’ll show you today, you’ll find out how to change regions in Valorant with a VPN and play against or with your friends in another country or even continent. If you’re looking to maximize your enjoyment with this game, I recommend staying until the end.

How to Play Valorant in Different Regions – Full Tutorial

To be able to change your region in Valorant, you’ll need to use a VPN. Why use a VPN for this purpose? Well, as said, the developer of this game won’t allow you to change your region upon request unless it’s some kind of error that locks you to your specific region.

That said, there is no way to perform this solution without a VPN. A VPN will let you change your IP address by connecting to a server located in another country. In doing so, the game will see your new IP address in another country and use this as your real location.

Let’s say you’re from Europe and you manage to get an IP address in Japan. In this case, you’ll change your Valorant region to Japan, so when you enter the game, you’ll be able to play on Japanese servers against people in this country.

This applies to any other country you want, but the trick lies in using a high-quality provider with fast speeds, lots of countries to pick from, and stable connections. To show you my Valorant region change method, I’ll use ExpressVPN, and later on, we’ll talk about the best VPN for Valorant.

1. Subscribe to a VPN (Recommendation: ExpressVPN)

My recommended choice for playing online games is ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest provider on the market thanks to its Lightway protocol and 10 Gbps server infrastructure (more information can be found in our ExpressVPN speed test). This provider offers unlimited bandwidth and uncapped speeds, making sure your ping remains as low as possible.

While it’s not free, you do get a 49% discount and 3 free months for its 12-month plan. In addition, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans, so you can basically test it for free for 30 days, as long as you get a refund during this period.

Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free Now

To get this awesome deal, simply use the button above and claim your discount. Once you do that, download and install ExpressVPN on your computer. It has a native app for Windows, which you can download from ExpressVPN’s site, install, and use right away.

The application is shown in the image above and it looks the same on all platforms. Although, if you’re looking for a VPN for changing your Valorant region, you’ll be using it only on Windows since it’s the only platform on which the game works.

2. Change Your IP to Another Country

Now, it’s time to think about which region you want. ExpressVPN has 3,000 servers in 105 countries and 160+ locations (cities), so you have plenty of options. For this tutorial, I’ll change my IP to the US since I’m located in Europe.

I simply need to open the server list, click on All Locations, and select “Americas”. From there, I’ll see the US right away and by double-clicking on it, ExpressVPN will connect to a VPN server located in this country, giving me a US IP address as a result.

Once the app turns green, it’s a clear sign that your new IP is in place, which brings us to Step 3 of this Valorant region change solution.

3. Turn on Valorant and Start Playing!

If you have Valorant Launcher installed, turn it on and set up your new account. The Region of Residence should automatically be set to the country you selected in ExpressVPN – in my case, it’s the United States but it could be any other country you selected.

Once the account setup is finished and your new account is created, download the game, and when it’s done, click on Play. This time, you’ll be playing against players in another country, which means you successfully changed your Valorant region using ExpressVPN.

Best VPN for Valorant: Our Top 3 Favorite Providers

Many people use a VPN for COD Warzone to lower their ping and bypass potential restrictions. But if you need a Valorant VPN to change your region, avoid DDoS attacks, and preserve your privacy while playing, we have a few great choices to consider.

Let’s talk about them and see why they’re so good for playing Valorant and changing servers.

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is my go-to option for changing my region in Valorant. With servers in 105 countries, the fastest speeds, and cutting-edge encryption protocol, I always use this provider while playing games online to be able to maximize my performance.

In addition, this provider is compatible with a boatload of devices and platforms, so it can be installed not only on Windows but also on iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and even gaming consoles (it is the best VPN on PS5). ExpressVPN offers rock-solid security thanks to 256-bit encryption and IP/DNS leak protection.

As a result, it’s a solid choice for preventing DDoS attacks, swatting attacks, and other types of cyber threats that can endanger your privacy. ExpressVPN even offers a no-logging policy, which means it stores absolutely no logs of your online activities and IP address.

Another reason why ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Valorant is that it has 10 Gbps servers for the best stability. We’re talking about RAM-based servers that wipe every bit of data with each restart, ensuring your privacy while mowing down other players in this game.

The provider offers very intuitive apps and you get 8 simultaneous connections with each account. As a result, you can protect 5 devices at the same time and even share your subscription with friends or family to show them how to change region in Valorant.

And if that’s not enough, ExpressVPN offers exceptional streaming capabilities, allowing you to unblock geo-blocked platforms and TV channels. This is great for enjoying platforms like Netflix or BBC iPlayer when resting from hours-long sessions in this game.

This provider has no feasible downsides, to be honest, and it’ll be a great pick for gaming in general. Keep in mind that it’s on the more expensive side but there’s a 49% discount for the 12-month plan, plus 3 free months to help you decrease the price and save quite a bit of money.

Play Valorant With ExpressVPN

2. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is another VPN provider I use for playing games on my computer. It comes with 11,500+ servers in 100 countries around the globe, which allows you to change your Valorant region swiftly across a whopping 100 countries worldwide.

This service is characterized by cheap prices, lots of security features, and applications for pretty much all platforms and devices. Another great thing about it is the performance, which has to do with its WireGuard support and a modern 10 Gbps server infrastructure.

CyberGhost offers an ad blocker to cut down on annoying ads online but you also get 256-bit encryption, split tunneling, IPv6 leak protection, and OpenVPN support. CyberGhost is a no-log provider, which immediately ensures your privacy online.

Moreover, the provider comes with special NoSpy servers with a focus on additional security and you get special streaming and torrenting servers too. Streaming servers are optimized for unblocking foreign streaming platforms and channels, while P2P servers are blazing-fast for torrenting.

In terms of ease of use, CyberGhost is fairly decent although it’s not easier to use than ExpressVPN. However, it offers one-click connections to thousands of servers, making it simple to perform my Valorant region change solution.

We also shouldn’t forget about its other benefits, such as great mobile apps, 24/7 live chat support, and 7 simultaneous connections on a single subscription. Above all, we’re talking about a VERY affordable provider with the cheapest prices on this list.

Its longest plan costs in the neighborhood of two dollars a month with a humongous 45-day money-back guarantee. The only issue is that it’s not working in China so if you want to play Valorant there, it’s better to get ExpressVPN, or perhaps, NordVPN – the last pick on our list.

Change Valorant Region With CyberGhost

3. NordVPN

NordVPN is the last pick for today but it’s not a bad VPN by any stretch. Besides, with 6,000+ servers in 61 countries, you can expect it to offer all you need to change your region in Valorant. NordVPN is jam-packed with security features that it’ll take hours to explain them all.

But if you’re a passionate gamer, you’ll be asking about its performance. The good news is that it comes with NordLynx, a proprietary protocol based on WireGuard, which ensures stellar speeds, low pings, and stable performance for fast-paced games like this one.

Furthermore, NordVPN has other gaming features, such as Meshnet, which allows you to join and host secure LAN parties. This is very handy when playing Valorant with your friends and you want to securely and safely chat and create different tactics.

People will like that NordVPN also stores no logs, and with three audits from PwC and Deloitte, this provider takes extreme care of your privacy. NordVPN’s kill switch works really well and with 256-bit encryption and Private DNS, you can play online games without snoopers or hackers.

The provider has a modern-looking Windows app that’s fast and responsive. Plus, it comes with Double VPN servers for doubling your encryption as well as P2P servers for torrenting. Even better, there are obfuscated servers that help with bypassing censorship in China or Iran.

As such, NordVPN will let you play Valorant anywhere without too much effort. This provider comes with affordable prices too and it sits between ExpressVPN and CyberGhost in this regard. Albeit, it has value-added taxes that will increase its price in some countries.

The good news is that you can once again get its cheapest deal and claim a special discount through the button below. Its 2-year plan will be your best companion for saving money, especially with a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans, which makes getting a refund in the first 30 days possible.

Change Valorant Location with NordVPN

Best VPN for Valorant: Our Criteria for Selection

Getting a proper VPN for gaming will drastically improve the experience. In the same fashion, a slow and poor-performing provider will degrade it. That’s why our team took into account several criteria when creating the list of the best VPNs for Valorant. They include:

• Excellent performance. All VPNs on our list offer 10 Gbps servers and modern protocols like Lightway, NordLynx, and WireGuard. These ensure fast speeds and stable performance to avoid ISP throttling and high latency.
• Lots of servers. Our team picked the providers with the largest server fleets. You’ll get from 61 to 105 countries from them, allowing you to unblock Valorant or play on different servers. Pick a server and start shooting your way to the top!
• Proper security. A Valorant VPN should be secure enough to protect you against DDoS and swatting attacks. All our VPNs have 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and a heap of other tools to keep snoopers at bay. Once you connect to a server, you’ll be safe to go online and show your skills without compromising your privacy.
• Low prices. As you can see, VPNs for Valorant come with exclusive discounts that you can claim through our site. That means you can save money without skimping on quality. ExpressVPN and its promotion seem the most attractive – check it out.
• Ease of use. If you want one-click connections to play Valorant safely, you have them. Our VPNs are incredibly simple to use and even a total newbie can get around them. Best of all, they’re available on all devices and systems.

Should I Use A Free VPN for Valorant?

Many of you will want to know how to change regions in Valorant using a free VPN. And while that is entirely possible, free VPNs leave a lot to be desired in terms of bandwidth, performance, and selection of countries that they offer.

Free providers have 1 Gbps servers which severely limit your performance and make it impossible to play games online without a sky-high ping. I recently tested Opera VPN and in this review, you can see just how painfully slow this free VPN is.

Not to mention that the majority of free providers limit your monthly bandwidth. Therefore, you can expect to get up to 10 GB of bandwidth each month, which isn’t the best for gaming. A game like Valorant consumes a lot of bandwidth and with 10 GB, you’re lucky to get 2-3 days of gaming tops.

Due to their free nature, non-paid providers will limit the number of server locations too. As such, you’ll be looking at mostly US and Dutch servers, although some providers include servers from Canada and Singapore, which most likely won’t fit in the Valorant regions you want.

The most infuriating thing about free VPNs is their lack of security. With weaker encryption and intrusive logging, they’ll often put your privacy in jeopardy and expose your IP to other players who can execute DDoS or swatting attacks, taking advantage of your vulnerability online.

The best VPN for Valorant region change is, therefore, a premium VPN, and with affordable choices like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and NordVPN, using a free provider is pointless and isn’t going to work.

Why Should I Use a VPN for Valorant?

Aside from changing your Valorant region and playing against players in other countries, there are a few more reasons for using a VPN for this game. Namely, being a first-person shooter, this game is banned in some countries. Iran and Syria are one of them.

If you live in a country where you can’t play this game, you can use a VPN to connect to a server in a country where it’s allowed, which will grant you full access to the game. Another reason to use a Valorant VPN is to be able to access its voice chat functionality.

Egypt is a country that bans VoIP services, so in this country, you won’t be able to use this functionality within the game. Changing your IP to a country without this ban will let you voice-chat with your friends and enjoy the game fully.

Last but not least, you can use a VPN to improve your ping and reduce lags in the case of ISP throttling. If you notice a slow internet connection for no apparent reason, chances are that your ISP is intentionally slowing down your internet to reduce the strain on the network.

A VPN will route your traffic through a different server, which hides your original IP and prevents your ISP from influencing your internet performance. This way, it can’t impose any speed limits, which makes it easy to enjoy full speeds while playing Valorant online.

Conclusion

Having said everything, you should now know how to change regions in Valorant and play on different servers. Logically, using a Virtual Private Network will give you this commodity given its ability to change your online location and make you appear as if you’re located somewhere else.

While I recommend ExpressVPN for this game, I also must say that CyberGhost and NordVPN are decent choices as well. In the end, it’s your choice. If ExpressVPN is outside of your budget, CyberGhost is a provider I’d go with due to its affordable long-term plans.

But if you want a balance between these two providers, NordVPN and its awesome security features are also a choice to consider. Whatever your choice is, I’m sure these providers will improve your gaming experience and make you enjoy this game even more.

Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free Now

FAQs on How to Change Server in Valorant

In the end, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Valorant region change.

Will I get banned on Valorant for using a VPN?

No, you won’t. The game doesn’t have any special conditions regarding VPN usage, so you can use the VPN legally in this game. However, we don’t encourage taking advantage of the benefits of a VPN to harass or insult other players or use cheats.

In this case, you can get reported and banned, but if this happens, you can always get a new IP from ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and NordVPN and start playing again. Just keep it clean, play fairly, and show respect to other players – that’s how games online should be played.

What is the best Valorant region?

The best Valorant regions, according to more experienced players, include Southeast Asia, Western Europe, and North America. Thus, when changing your Valorant region, you can go for any of these to get the best in-game experience.

Is using a VPN for Valorant necessary?

No, it’s definitely not necessary and you can play the game without it. However, if you want to change your region, avoid DDoS attacks, stay anonymous, or unblock the game in the country where it’s restricted, it’s mandatory to use this service.

Valorant server locations – which regions can be used to play Valorant?

Valorant offers servers in multiple locations across the planet, so when changing your account region, you should take them into account. Currently, the game offers servers in:

• US West (Oregon, North California)
• US East (North Virginia)
• US Central (Texas, Illinois, Georgia)
• Santiago
• Mexico City
• Miami
• Sao Paulo
• Europe (Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Warsaw, Stockholm, Paris, Istanbul)
• Tokyo
• Bahrain
• Seoul
• Singapore
• Hong Kong
• Sydney
• Mumbai

How to play on Valorant on the Japanese server?

Since Southeast Asia is one of the best Valorant regions, you might want to play the game on the Japanese server. To do that, simply follow these steps.

1. Get ExpressVPN.
2. Connect to a server in Japan.
3. Create a new Valorant account and set your region to Japan.
4. Download Valorant to your computer.
5. Open the game and play on Valorant’s Japanese servers no matter your location!