VPN for Steam: big downloads, online games and your store
With Ben's VPN on, Steam connects through the location you chose. The store, downloads and online matches all take that route. Through a nearby location with a high speed tag, a large download depends mostly on your own connection. Through a location on another continent, it is slower. Your store country, prices and payment options stay the same with the VPN.
Steam downloads through the VPN: 2 factors set the speed
A Steam game travels from a content server to our server in the chosen location. From there, it goes to your computer. The speed depends on 2 things. The first is the distance from you to that location. The second is its speed class, a tag from 100 MBIT to 10 GBIT next to each location.
For a 50–100 GB game, choose a nearby location with a high tag. Servers with 10 Gbps ports are in more than 40 countries. Check the tags of the locations around you first. The download cannot be faster than your own internet plan.
One Steam setting also matters: Settings → Downloads → “Download Region”. Steam downloads files from that region. If the region is far from your VPN location, the files take a longer path to our server. Set the region to the country of your location or a country next to it. If Steam works for you without a VPN, a big download is fastest with the VPN off. Press Disconnect before the download and Connect after it finishes.
Online matches: distance matters more than the tag
A location near you or near the game servers adds little delay to a match. The VPN for games page shows how to test whether the VPN helps or hurts a particular game.
Steam needs no settings for this. Leave Tunnel → Split tunneling at Off. Then every program on the computer uses the VPN, Steam chat and voice calls included.
Your store country does not change with the VPN
The VPN changes the route, not the account. Your purchases and payment method set your store country. Steam allows a change at most once every 3 months. The change needs a purchase paid with a method from the new country.
At checkout, Steam may see the foreign address and offer to switch countries. Keep your own country unless you have moved. Section 3.A of the Subscriber Agreement bans hiding where you live with an IP proxy or similar methods. Valve may close your account for this. Buy with the VPN off to avoid this offer.
Plans with no device limit
All countries, including the 10 GBIT locations, are in every plan. The trial is available once. It is enough to test a Steam download through a nearby location on your own connection.
Bonus months come with purchases on this site. Refunds follow our refund policy. Send the request within 14 days of payment.
Questions from Steam players
Support 24/7: the chat on this site, Telegram @bensvpn and [email protected].
Is there a traffic limit for big Steam downloads?
No. Plans have no traffic limit, so a 100 GB game needs no special plan. The app shows your traffic for the last 30 days in Account → Statistics.
Can I keep the VPN on but let Steam downloads bypass it?
On a computer, exceptions work by address, not by program. In Tunnel → Manual, you list IP addresses, subnets or domains. Steam downloads files from many servers, so such a list is hard to complete. Disconnect for the time of the download instead.
Can I switch locations in the middle of a download?
Yes. With Automatically connect when changing location ticked, as it is by default, a new location reconnects the app at once. The download pauses for a moment, and Steam usually resumes it automatically.
Steam does not load at all with the VPN on. What should I check?
Open a few other sites first. If nothing loads, the problem is the connection to our server. Change the location. If the app shows Bad connection, click Fix the problem. The next screen lists another location and a server search. If only Steam fails, check whether Steam itself is down. In that case, no location helps.
Does Ben's VPN work with Steam on Linux?
Yes. The Linux version comes as a .deb package and as an AppImage (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+). While it is connected, Steam goes through the VPN like all other apps. The Steam Deck has a separate guide: Ben's VPN on the Steam Deck.
Start for 3 days, then decide
The trial costs $0.50 and opens all 187 countries and every app.
