Strictly speaking… mostly. VPNs can cause some mild issues when using the Steam store, and the folks at Valve themselves don’t recommend it. Using VPNs to play the actual games is more than fine, but using the store while one a VPN network comes with no guarantees of full functionality.

Assuming you’re connecting to a VPN server inside of your own country, and playing nice with Steam’s Terms of Service, there shouldn’t be any real issues. And if you do have trouble connecting, do contact our Customer Support team for 24/7 live chat help.

Yes and no. If you’re connected to a server in your own country or region? No, you don’t have to worry about bans. However, a VPN can technically be used to get games for cheaper prices by buying them in other countries, as prices vary. And that can definitely get you banned.

Simply put, Valve wants you to buy your games in the same country where you’re going to play them, and that’s that. If you get caught trying to circumvent those rules, be prepared to lose access to your entire game library.

Yes. The Steam Deck itself is only available in the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but… if you can get your hands on it, you’re golden. It’s essentially a small PC, and none of its features are region-locked.

Do keep in mind, of course, that you’ll be dealing with the game selection and prices that are already available for your region on Steam. If you’re in a country where Steam happens to be banned… then you’ll definitely need a VPN. Try PIA VPN risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee.

Ideally? Move to a different country. Failing that, you can use a VPN to route your internet traffic to the country of your choice (this method is against Steam’s ToS, you’ve been warned). Then, go into the Steam store, and add a game to your cart. In the shopping cart, you’ll be given the option to update your country.

You’ll need two more things: a billing address in the country of your choice, and a valid credit card for that country. Once your billing address and credit card have been updated, you’re good to go. This can only be done once every three months.

If Steam is telling you to disconnect from a VPN, then most likely it has blocklisted that server, and possibly attempted to blocklist the whole VPN. This is usually because someone has tried to use that VPN to do something shady, like cheating in games, or they’ve used it to take advantage of Steam’s regional pricing.

You’ll want to sign up for a proper gaming VPN. PIA VPN’s servers are constantly updated with fresh IP addresses.

Not much at all, in the long run. PIA in particular only costs per month. If you’d like to pay for three years in advance, that price can go down as low as per month, making it one of the best Steam Deck VPN options out there.

After all, you just spent a bunch of money on the Deck itself. Gotta save where you can. Also, you can try out any plan risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee. Make sure it works for you, and your Steam Deck, before you commit.