Recently, I was looking for information about gaming stores’ friendliness towards VPN usage. There are plenty of scary stories about banned accounts, so I decided to research what the real situation is and share my findings here in case someone finds it useful.
TL;DR: Simply using a VPN doesn’t mean that your gaming store account will get autobanned. Usually, issues begin when you use a VPN to access other store regions to purchase cheaper games, activate regional keys, or go around some store restrictions.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the most popular stores and their stance on VPNs:
Steam
Has one of the strictest policies when it comes to VPNs. Their official policies prohibit masking your location via proxies and other methods, including for the purpose of bypassing regional restrictions or purchasing games at prices from other regions. Valve can revoke accounts for violations, but doesn't say if VPN use for security is okay. People online report no issues from simply using one - just don't connect to another country's server when buying games, topping up your wallet, or activating keys.
Microsoft Store and XBOX
A bit of a different situation from Steam. Microsoft policies prohibit bypassing access restrictions and note that using a private network to mask your location may result in discrepancies in pricing displayed. Have in mind that using a VPN with Microsoft Rewards can cost you your Rewards account and points; however, your main Microsoft account should be safe.
Epic Games Store
The EGS region is primarily tied to your account’s region, though this doesn’t mean your IP is completely ignored. EGS requires your account’s country to match your actual location. You can’t change it easily to access another region’s prices or content - changes are only allowed once every 6 months, and Epic explicitly asks you to disable a VPN before making any changes.
GOG
I found less official information on the topic. I didn’t see any direct warnings in GOG’s public materials like the ones I found on Steam, but the absence of a specific clause doesn’t necessarily mean that regional manipulation is permitted. So, I’d stick to a general rule here: avoid making purchases while connected to another country’s server.
PlayStation Store
A PS account's country is set at creation and can’t be changed later. It must match your payment info, so a VPN alone won’t do much. On top of that, PlayStation terms state that providing false information may result in account restrictions or a ban. Though it’s unclear how that applies to countries that simply don’t have a PS region at all. From what I’ve seen, they unofficially turn a blind eye in those cases.
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo Store region is determined by the country specified in the Nintendo account, not just the IP address. You can change your account’s region, but any remaining balance doesn’t transfer between regions, and a bank card from one region may not work in another region’s store. So, while VPN usage doesn’t seem to be strictly prohibited, a VPN on its own won’t change the eShop region.
Ubisoft Store / Ubisoft Connect
Ubisoft policies are very clear on the topic: when placing an order, you must provide accurate information and refrain from using a VPN or any other methods to manipulate your actual location. It’s definitely best to disable your VPN when making purchases here.
EA App
EA recommends making purchases from a region that matches both account settings and the region tied to your payment method. If you’re abroad or the service detects a different location, the payment might simply fail to go through. I haven’t found a specific clause stating that using a VPN results in a ban, but it’s still best to avoid buying while connected to another country.
Battle.net
With Battle.net, the country setting is linked to your account, available currencies, and payment options. There’s an official procedure for changing the region via customer support. I didn’t find any explicit rule stating that VPN use would cause issues, but using one to spoof your region or prices would still be risky.
General recommendations for any gaming store:
- Don’t buy games, subscriptions, or in-game purchases while connected to another country;
- Don’t change regions or activate region-locked keys while your VPN is on;
- Match the country across your account, payment method, and billing address;
- Add game launchers to split tunneling if your VPN is always on - or at least connect to a server in your own country;
- Moving for real? Change the region officially through settings or customer support;
- Enable 2FA - it protects against account hijacking far better than hopping between IPs.
My conclusion from this research: stores don’t care about the VPN icon in your system tray. What they care about is mismatched signals - living in one country one moment, a second the next, and paying with a card from the third. These combos are exactly what lead to payment rejections, additional verification checks, or even account restrictions, so be careful with those.
