How to Get Around ESPN Blackout Restrictions in 2025

If you’re a sports fan, chances are you’ve occasionally dealt with blackout restrictions when trying to tune into a game on ESPN. Blackouts are an unfortunate part of every sports league, from the MLB to the NHL, and they occur due to broadcast rights issues. This can be incredibly frustrating when you’re paying for a premium service like ESPN or ESPN+.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this issue! In this article, we’ll cover how to get around ESPN blackout restrictions, why the blackouts happen in the first place, and how PIA VPN can help you get the most out of your ESPN subscription.

Why Does ESPN Blackout Games?

Picture this: You sit down, snacks in hand, ready to watch your favorite team play on ESPN, only to see a “Blackout in effect” message. If you’re wondering what a blackout means on ESPN, the answer is fairly simple.

Blackouts impact all the major sports leagues, including the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB. Local broadcasters or regional networks often make exclusive deals with teams or leagues, giving them the broadcast and streaming rights to the game in certain areas. ESPN must then implement regional blackout restrictions to abide by these rights. 

You typically run into blackouts if you live in the home territory of a team that’s playing in the game. However, you can also get the blackout message if you try to watch teams from nearby cities. 

For example, let’s say you’re in the Chicago area and want to watch a Blackhawks game. You could get a blackout error if the Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) has broadcast rights to the game. Unfortunately, that blackout can extend far outside of Chicago, even affecting viewers in nearby states.

Perhaps the most extreme example of ESPN blackouts occurs in Iowa. Although the state doesn’t have its own MLB team, it’s in the blackout zone of six nearby teams: the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesota Twins.

Types of ESPN Blackouts

While each sports league has its own broadcast rights agreements that affect blackouts, ESPN has different types of blackouts: local and national. These blackouts apply whether you’re watching on ESPN or ESPN+. 

The most common type is local, in-market blackouts. These are the blackouts that occur when you live in or near a team’s market, and a local or regional network has the rights, meaning ESPN can’t broadcast the game. 

There are also national blackouts that stop ESPN from showing a game in any market. This can happen when a national network, like NBC, has broadcast rights to a game. The result is an ESPN blackout, meaning you cannot watch the game on ESPN and must instead watch it on the national broadcast channel. 

Unfortunately, there’s no way to bypass national-level blackouts. However, this is a fairly rare occurrence and usually only happens with championship-level games, like the Super Bowl or the World Series. 

If you subscribe to ESPN via a streaming service, like DirecTV Stream, you may face additional issues. ESPN and DirecTV recently had a disagreement during negotiations, resulting in DirecTV removing ESPN and ESPN+ from the platform, though they’ve since come to an agreement and added ESPN to their offering again.

How to Get Around ESPN Blackouts on Any Device

Blackouts are frustrating, but bypassing them is easy with PIA VPN! Here’s how you can do it on every device.

Desktop or Laptop Computer

ESPN uses your IP address to determine your location when you stream on your computer. To bypass blackouts, you simply need to get a new IP address in a location where the game is available. 

Here’s how:

1. Get PIA VPN and download the app on your computer. 
2. Connect to a server in a city where the game is available. For example, if you’re in Los Angeles and want to watch a Lakers game that’s blacked out on ESPN, you’ll likely be able to watch it by selecting a server a few states away, like Colorado or Kansas. PIA has VPN servers spread across the US, so you can always find one that works.
3. Log into ESPN and enjoy the game!

Streaming Device

If you’re wondering how to get around an ESPN blackout on Firestick, Roku, or another device, the process is simple! Just like when you stream on a computer, ESPN uses your streaming device’s IP address to check your location. 

To bypass blackouts, you just need to swap your IP for one outside of the blackout zone:

1. Get a VPN and download the app onto your streaming device. PIA VPN has native apps for most popular devices, including Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, and Google TV. You can also configure it on your router to use with Roku and other devices that don’t support VPN apps.
2. Connect to a server outside of the blackout market. If you’re not sure what server to connect to, you can use an ESPN blackout map to determine how far the blackout stretches and choose a server outside of this zone.
3. Open ESPN and stream the game as usual.

Mobile Phone or Tablet

If you’re streaming on a phone or tablet, ESPN collects your location using your IP address and your phone’s GPS data. This makes it a little trickier to bypass blackouts, but the process is straightforward. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up for a VPN and download the app on your phone or tablet. 
2. Download a reputable GPS spoofer from the app store. Be sure to find a trustworthy option with positive reviews. 
3. Follow the GPS spoofer’s directions and change your phone or tablet’s location to a place where the game is available. Note that some GPS spoofing apps require you to connect your computer and your phone in order to make the change. 
4. Once connected, open the VPN app and choose a server that matches the location of your GPS spoofer. 
5. Log into ESPN, stream the game, and cheer on your team!

Why Use a VPN with ESPN?

A VPN allows you to avoid blackouts, ISP throttling, and streaming disruptions so you get the most out of your ESPN subscription. When you connect to a VPN server, it swaps your IP address with one from its own location, making it look like you’re watching TV from that location. That means you can stream ESPN content that’s not available in your region when you’re traveling out of state. 

At the same time, VPN encryption conceals your internet traffic from anyone who might be snooping on you, including your ISP. This protects you from activity-based ISP throttling, which sometimes occurs when your ISP wants to save bandwidth. The result? Smooth, reliable internet speeds for better video quality during the game. 

Encryption can also help you get around network restrictions at work or school, so you never miss a tournament. And if you’re streaming on the go and need to connect to public Wi-Fi, encryption helps keep you safe by hiding your streaming passwords and other private data from any lurking cybersleuths. 

PIA VPN: The MVP for Streaming ESPN

PIA VPN makes it easy to bypass blackouts and get the best streaming experience. Our massive server network includes servers in every state, so you can always find one where your game is available to stream. 

Our 10-Gbps server network provides lightning-fast speeds so you get smooth streaming performance in any resolution. Additionally, a PIA VPN subscription includes unlimited bandwidth. That means you can stream for as long as you want – we’ll never slow you down or cut you off.

You can watch ESPN however you like with PIA VPN. We have easy-to-use apps for all the major streaming devices, including computers, phones, Android TV, Fire TV, and Apple TV. It’s easy to get set up, but if you run into any questions, our 24/7 customer support team is always here to help.

Try it for yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Get PIA VPN

FAQ