How to Use a VPN to Get Content Sooner

Rebecca Rosenberg -

Have you ever been so desperate to play that hot new game, hear your top artist's new album, or watch a new episode of your favorite TV show, that you considered inventing a time machine to rip a hole in the space-time continuum to somehow jump you into the future where that game, album or show already exists? Well, put away your copy of Time Machines for Dummies and hop on the VPN train. Let me tell you how this works.

Get a Game the Moment it's Released

Cover Art for DEATHLOOP (Source)

For certain games released on Steam and other sellers (I'm looking at you DEATHLOOP), using a VPN to change your location and time zone can give you access to games earlier. Some quick tips to keep in mind:

  1. Make sure to connect to Windscribe before launching/restarting Steam
  2. Do NOT use Windscribe to bypass Steam store regional pricing - this can result in an immediate ban.
  • Step 1: Purchase the game in your actual region (read: do not connect to VPN)
  • Step 2: Preload it on your normal network
  • Step 3: Close the Steam application
  • Step 4: Connect to Windscribe and change your location
  • Step 5: Re-open the Steam application and get your game!

But this trick doesn't just apply to gaming...

Blast Those Sweet Sweet Tunes as Soon as They are Live

Why wait for an album to drop when you can have it now?

When new albums/songs get released on Spotify, the artist can set how/when their music is released worldwide. For example, when Toronto producer AntiTaxi released his self-titled debut album on November 19, 2021, he had two options for launch time: the album could launch worldwide at the same time (midnight) in a time zone of his choosing; or the album could go live at midnight in the listener's time zone. He chose to go with the listener's timezone. For local Toronto fans, that meant they could set their VPN to an earlier time zone, such as New Zealand, to get the album a few hours earlier. Of course, if you already live in New Zealand, that's pretty much as far west as Windscribe goes, time zone-wise.

Stream Movies and TV Shows the Moment They Are Released

Waiting for a show to release? What are you, some kind of show-waiter?

While I am a fan of reality TV, I always considered myself relatively selective and wouldn't watch just any old un-scripted show that came up. But two years into this pandemic, I may have run out of TV to watch. Then along came Below Deck, with its spin-offs Below Deck: Mediterranean and Below Deck: Sailing Yacht. Friends and family recommended these shows for years, and I foolishly thought I don't care about yachts, people who work on yachts, and guests who rent yachts. Why would I ever watch this? How wrong I was. This series is captivating on every level. From the absurd guest requests to the gorgeous scenery to the wild staff dramas, this show filled a void I didn't even know was there. I prefer the spin-offs - specifically Below Deck: Mediterranean. But I digress.

As a Hayu subscriber, new episodes of the latest season of Below Deck: Mediterranean aired weekly, as one would expect. But for some odd reason, episodes aired one week earlier in the UK. Thanks to the beauty of Windscribe, my Below Deck addiction was satiated one week earlier than North American audiences by connecting to the VPN. My setup (Chromecast with Google TV with the Windscribe and Hayu apps) worked flawlessly:

  • Step 1: Log into Windscribe and select any UK location
  • Step 2: Log into Hayu
  • Step 3: Get that sweet Below Deck a week early (assuming you aren't already in the UK)!

These steps work with the Windscribe desktop app, mobile app and browser extension. Make sure to connect to Windscribe before logging into your streaming app. And remember, on the browser extension, there are some extra settings to keep in mind. Under Preferences > Privacy you will see options to turn on:

  • Location Warp - Spoofs your GPS to the location of the connected proxy
  • Time Warp - Changes your timezone to appear to be in the country you're connected to
  • Language Warp - Spoofs browser language to the location of the connected proxy

These three settings are like a trench coat, hat and fake glasses - all the better to disguise your actual location.

Now you may be thinking, I don't care about Below Deck. Well, you're mistaken, it's a fantastic show. But okay, forget about Below Deck - think about the implications! Netflix, for example, often releases content at midnight P.S.T. and some locally-licensed shows and movies are released at midnight local time. With our VPN software, you may be able to check out your favorite shows a few hours or even a whole week early, depending on where and when it first airs!

Using your VPN to change locations is one of the software's primary features - this is not a revelation. But realizing you may be able to access some of your favorite content hours or even days earlier by connecting to Windscribe? That's something to get jazzed about.