{"id":26999,"date":"2024-04-29T22:38:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T05:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=26999"},"modified":"2026-05-27T06:31:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:31:44","slug":"play-xbox-games-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play Xbox Games Early"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have a massive new MMO that you\u2019re excited for? Or maybe a sprawling single-player RPG that you just know is going to suck up 70 to 500 hours of your life, or even more? If you\u2019re reading this article, we\u2019ve all been there. And, we\u2019ve all wanted to play on day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, day one sometimes comes sooner for some countries than others, and ain\u2019t that a pain? All that waiting, and some faraway friend or foe might just post spoilers on social media before you can play. Well, have no fear, because with a little time, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/buy-vpn-online?conversionpoint=play_xbox_games_early\">PIA VPN<\/a>, you too can dive in exactly when those lucky people halfway around the world do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color: #cfe2f3; padding: 10px; border-radius: 25px;\"><br>\n  <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-quick-guide-how-to-change-your-xbox-region-with-a-vpn\"><strong>Quick Guide: How to Change Your Xbox Region with a VPN<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ll need a few things to get started: a new Xbox\/Microsoft account, the aforementioned VPN, and maybe a payment method for the country in question.<\/p>\n  <ol>\n    <li>Get PIA VPN.<\/li>\n<li>Use your router to connect your console to the country in question through PIA\u2019s VPN servers.<\/li>\n    <li>Purchase and play your new game.<\/li><\/ol><br>\n  <a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/buy-vpn-online?conversionpoint=play_xbox_games_early\"><button class=\"bg-btn-1\"> Get PIA VPN<\/button><\/a>\n<\/div> <br>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color: #d5dde3; padding: 15px; border-radius: 10px; width: 500px;\">\n<h4>Table of Contents<\/h4>\n<a href=\"#1\">How to Change Your Region on Xbox\n<\/a><br>\n<a href=\"#2\">Can You Change Your Xbox Timezone to Play Games Early?\n<\/a><br>\n<a href=\"#3\">If You Pre-Order an Xbox Game, Can You Play It Early?\n<\/a><br>\n<a href=\"#4\">Why PIA Is the Best VPN for Gaming\n<\/a><br>\n<a href=\"#faq\">FAQ<\/a><br>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1\"><strong>How to Change Your Region on Xbox<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-official-way\"><strong>The Official Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s start with the official process. If you\u2019re moving to another country, this is what you need to change the region on your usual Xbox Account: a few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In a browser:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to your Microsoft account profile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select \u201cPayment and Billing.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Update your address in the Address Book.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll also want a payment method for the country you\u2019re moving to as soon as possible, to buy games. However, you don\u2019t need it just to complete the official region-change process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you are doing this via the browser, you\u2019ll want to choose the state, as well as a postal code and\/or time zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>On your Xbox One or Series S\/X:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hit the Xbox button on your controller.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select <strong>Profile &amp; system &gt; Settings &gt; System &gt; Language &amp; location<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There will be a dropdown list labeled \u201cLocation\u201d. Choose your new country there.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For people who still have Xbox 360s:<\/strong> you <em>will<\/em> need a payment method local to the country in question. The account migration process for the 360 is different and more annoying. This is true whether you migrate your account from a browser or your console.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Microsoft, this is the proper way to change regions. Of course, it only really works as intended if you\u2019re moving to another country. Sure, you could use a VPN to pretend you\u2019re in that country, but you can only change your account region every three months. This makes it highly impractical to change your account just to play a game that\u2019s available early in another country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So here\u2019s how to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-play-games-early-way\"><strong>The \u201cPlay Games Early\u201d Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This process is slightly more involved, and needs a little planning\u2026 though not as much planning as it takes to move to another country. Here\u2019s what you need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/gaming-vpn\/xbox-vpn\">Xbox VPN<\/a> like PIA.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A new Microsoft account with the location set to the country of your choice. You don\u2019t actually need more location info than this.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You don\u2019t need an Outlook email address for this, you can use any email address not already attached to a Microsoft account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A payment method for the country in question.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Credit cards work, but you\u2019ll need a local address for that.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PayPal likewise needs the account to be registered in the country in question.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gift cards can be purchased for any region online, and don\u2019t require a billing address.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you have completed all of that, here\u2019s the process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Set up your router to use PIA VPN\u2019s servers, and connect to the country of choice.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Not all routers support VPNs. In a pinch, you can use another PC or a smartphone to set up a hotspot, and connect your Xbox to the internet through it while running the PIA app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Power up your Xbox, and create a <em>new<\/em> Xbox\/Microsoft account.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This can also be done in a browser, as long as it\u2019s also connected to the right VPN server via the app or your router.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apply the payment method of your choice.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Again, gift cards for the country in question are recommended here. Just load up your new account with prepaid credit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See what games are available in the store in your newly accessible region, buy, download, and play.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, this comes with one mild downside \u2013 if the game isn\u2019t free, it will be attached to the new account alone. Your usual profile, achievements, etc. will not be available. For free-to-play games, you won\u2019t need a payment method, but again all progress will be tied to the new profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, to play your usual games, it\u2019d be best to connect back to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/vpn-server\">VPN server<\/a> in your own country and log back into your usual account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2\"><strong>Can You Change Your Xbox Timezone to Play Games Early?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. This sort of trick hasn\u2019t worked for a long, long time. The Xbox platform doesn\u2019t rely on your local system time or time zone alone to decide whether you get to buy a game. It compares your time zone to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/what-is-my-ip\">IP address<\/a>, which tells it where you are geographically located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those two things have to match to buy and play games locked to a particular country. And that\u2019s where a VPN comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3\"><strong>If You Pre-Order an Xbox Game, Can You Play It Early?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That depends entirely on the game in question. Some of the current bigger AAA titles will offer a few days of early access for those who pre-order the game on any platform. It has little to do with Xbox, and everything to do with the game\u2019s publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It should also be noted that pre-order early access is far from guaranteed. Multiple large releases have suffered from major technical issues that ate up hours and even days of early access time. People paid extra and ended up playing when the rest of us did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4\"><strong>Why PIA Is the Best VPN for Gaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speed, security, and a wide-reaching network are what you want in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/gaming-vpn\/xbox-vpn\">gaming VPN<\/a>, and PIA has all three. For this use case in particular, PIA\u2019s global network of blazing-fast 10Gbps NextGen servers should interest you, because it means that wherever a game is released early, PIA probably has a server there to help you make a local Xbox account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After that, it\u2019s also good to consider the military-grade encryption, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/vpn-features\/no-logs-vpn\">no-logs policy<\/a>, the suite of extra security features, 24\/7 live customer support and\u2026 oh yeah, the console support. Not every VPN actively supports gaming consoles, but PIA does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\"><strong>FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1714196455364\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">How do I change my Xbox game time to play early?<\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">You can\u2019t. Console publishers caught on to that long ago, and upgraded their systems so that just won\u2019t work. They check your local system time against your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/what-is-my-ip\">IP address<\/a> to see if the time zone matches your location. If it doesn\u2019t, then you can\u2019t play. You\u2019ll need a VPN and a few other things to trick Xbox into thinking you\u2019ve changed your location.<br><br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1714196464082\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">Does the New Zealand trick work on Xbox?<\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">That depends on the game, of course. Nowadays, many games opt to be released at the same time for everyone, regardless of time zone. But, for the games that release at \u2013 for example \u2013 midnight in every region, the New Zealand trick will work. It might be worth maintaining a New Zealand Xbox account just for this purpose.<br><br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1714196471819\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can you play pre-ordered games early on Xbox?<\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Sometimes. It depends on the game publisher, and not on Xbox. Some offer early access for those who preorder, and some do not. Go to the game\u2019s page, and read through everything carefully to see if early access is available or not.<br><br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1714196482488\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can a VPN boost your gaming performance on Xbox?<\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Potentially, yes. A VPN can help you get a more stable connection by bypassing potential network issues and any ISP throttling. In some circumstances, a VPN can bypass enough network issues that it improves your ping. For best results, connect to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/vpn-server\">VPN server<\/a> in the same city as the game server you want to play on.<br><br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1714196489615\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can you change the location on Xbox to play games early?<\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes, you can. It\u2019s a little involved, but it\u2019s possible. You\u2019ll need to route your console\u2019s internet through the country of your choice with your router and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/\">VPN<\/a>, and you\u2019ll need an Xbox account for the country in question. You\u2019ll need to buy the game with that account, and always be connected to the VPN when you want to play.<br><br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1714196497126\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">What\u2019s the best VPN for gamers?<\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">That would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/buy-vpn-online?conversionpoint=play_xbox_games_early\">PIA VPN<\/a>. Of particular interest to Xbox gamers is that PIA supports many gaming consoles. It also has a global network of 10Gbps servers, industry-standard security, a 30-day money-back guarantee, 24\/7 live customer support, and everything else you need.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Play new Xbox games early with our easy tips! Switch up your Xbox region using a VPN, so you can game on safely and snag those games ahead of everyone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":27001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2726],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Access Xbox Games Early in {YEAR}<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Play new Xbox games early with our easy tips! Switch up your Xbox region using a VPN, so you can game on safely and snag those games ahead of everyone else.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Play Xbox Games Early\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Play new Xbox games early with our easy tips! Switch up your Xbox region using a VPN, so you can game on safely and snag those games ahead of everyone else.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PIA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/privateinternetaccess\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-30T05:38:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T13:31:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gaming_blog1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ezequiel Bruni\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@buyvpnservice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@buyvpnservice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ezequiel Bruni\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ezequiel Bruni\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/82f2a00a4db3fe94e663518b112b3115\"},\"headline\":\"How to Play Xbox Games Early\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-30T05:38:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T13:31:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/\"},\"wordCount\":1567,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gaming_blog1.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/\",\"name\":\"How to Access Xbox Games Early in {YEAR}\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/play-xbox-games-early\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gaming_blog1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-30T05:38:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T13:31:44+00:00\",\"description\":\"Play new Xbox games early with our easy tips! 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