How it works
When your PlayStation looks up PSN, Netflix, or BBC iPlayer, it first sends a DNS query. We intercept that query and answer it with an IP address from your chosen region — making every service think you're right there.
Real-world use cases
Region locks
A PlayStation game is not sold the same way in every country. A ratings board refuses one, a publisher withdraws another, a third goes out cut, and a fourth never arrives at all. Here is what that looks like in practice, with the store that still sells each one.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
The Classification Board refused to classify it in 2015 and it has never been sold in Australia since. It slipped onto the Australian store by mistake in 2024, and Sony pulled it back off and refunded everyone who had bought it.
Still on sale on the US, UK and European stores.
The Last of Us Part II
Taken off both storefronts ahead of release, so players in the Gulf watched one of the biggest launches of the generation happen without them.
On sale on every other store.
Mortal Kombat
Nothing in the series has had a Japanese release since CERO tightened its rules in 2012. Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat 1 are simply absent from the Japanese store.
On sale on the US and European stores.
Resident Evil
Capcom ships a separate Japanese build. Village went out in two CERO grades with less blood and no decapitations, and Requiem hides wounds behind a black shader.
The US and European releases are uncut.
BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4
These apps only exist on the UK store, and they check where the console is before they play anything. Installing one is not enough on its own.
They play once the console answers from the UK.
Peacock and Hulu
Both are United States only on PlayStation. Peacock is where NBC puts its Premier League and NFL coverage, and there is no equivalent listing on other stores.
They play once the console answers from the United States.
Two locks, not one
A PlayStation takes its store from the country on the PSN account, and Sony does not let you change that country later, so reaching another store means a second free account registered there. That part takes a couple of minutes and nobody can do it for you.
The one Horizon opens
The second lock is the one that catches people out. Apps and stores look at where your console actually is, so BBC iPlayer installed from a UK account still refuses to start from abroad. Horizon answers for your console from the region you picked, and what you installed behaves as though you were sitting there.
See the setupGlobal pricing
PSN prices vary enormously by region. Smart DNS lets you browse any store before buying.
Prices are illustrative examples — actual PSN prices change frequently and vary by sales. Always verify before purchasing.
Streaming on PS
Your PS5 is also a powerful media centre — but most streaming apps are region-locked. Smart DNS opens them all.
~5,800 titles — largest library. Exclusive US originals, all Netflix blockbusters day one.
~4,700 titles. Strong BBC co-productions, British dramas, and some EU exclusives.
Anime-heavy catalog. Dozens of anime-only originals not on US Netflix.
Full Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic. Hulu content included.
Star content included (equivalent to Hulu). More international originals.
Star content, early access to some titles ahead of European release.
Completely free. Full Premier League highlights, Glastonbury, Top Gear, EastEnders, all BBC dramas live and on-demand.
NFL Sunday Night Football, Premier League (US rights), WWE, Olympics. Affordable plans from $0/month with ads.
PSN runs a separate store in the US, UK, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Australia and dozens more, each with its own catalogue, prices and sales.
Smart DNS only re-routes the DNS lookup — your actual game packets travel the same path as always. No added latency.
PlayStation has never allowed VPN apps. Smart DNS is different — it works through a built-in network setting available on every console.
One Smart DNS subscription covers both streaming services and regional PSN access. Switch regions any time from your dashboard.
Setup guide
One minute in your dashboard, two on the console.
First, in your dashboard
A PlayStation sends no password, so our servers answer only the internet addresses you have put on your list. Your addresses live there too.
Authorise your address
The panel already knows the internet address you are browsing from. One click puts it on the list, and every device on that network is covered, console included.
Choose your region
Pick the country your PlayStation should appear to be in — Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the rest of our locations.
Copy your two addresses
The panel shows the two Smart DNS addresses to write into the console. They belong to your account, so read them there rather than from any guide.
An authorisation runs out after a few hours, and your home address changes on its own from time to time. Either way the console simply stops being answered, so open the dashboard and authorise again. The panel shows the exact time each one expires, and your console settings never have to change.
Open Settings
Press the PS button → Settings (gear icon top-right)
Network → Set Up Internet Connection
Settings → Network → Settings → Set Up Internet Connection
Select your network
Choose your Wi-Fi or wired LAN connection
Choose 'Advanced' setup
IP Address Setting: Automatic DHCP Host Name: Do Not Specify
Enter your DNS addresses
DNS Setting: Manual Primary DNS: your first address Secondary DNS: your second address Both are in your dashboard.
Finish & test connection
MTU Settings: Automatic → Proxy Server: Do Not Use → Test Connection
Note: Smart DNS changes your apparent location but does not encrypt your connection. For full privacy, set Smart DNS on your router — then your PS5 plus every other home device benefits automatically.
Yes. Smart DNS comes with the plan, and your two addresses are answered only for internet addresses you have authorised in your dashboard. That is also where you choose the region you want to appear from. Free trial available — you can test it on your PS5 before paying.
No. Smart DNS only re-routes DNS lookup requests — your actual game data (latency-sensitive) travels directly as normal. You will not notice any change in ping or gameplay performance.
Yes, with one step Smart DNS cannot do for you. The store a console shows comes from the country on the PSN account, and Sony does not let you change that country afterwards, so you make a second free account registered in the country you want. Horizon keeps the console answering from that same region while you use it, which is what stops the region checks from tripping. To pay you normally need a method accepted there, or a PSN gift card for that store, and Sony's own terms are worth reading first.
Yes — fully supported on both. The settings screens look slightly different (PS5 is cleaner) but the DNS fields are identical on both consoles.
Two ordinary things stop it, and both are fixed the same way. An authorisation lasts a few hours and then expires, and your home IP address changes on its own (router reboot, ISP rotation). Open your HorizonVPN dashboard, authorise your address again, and the console works as before. Takes 30 seconds, and nothing on the PlayStation has to be touched.
Yes, from your dashboard rather than from the console. The two DNS addresses never change; the region is a property of the authorised address. Remove the entry, authorise it again with the country you want, then reconnect on the PS5 — your apparent location follows.
Sony's ToS restricts certain activities like fraudulent regional purchases. Changing DNS for streaming purposes is generally accepted, but always review Sony's current policies for purchasing from other regional stores.
Yes. Once purchased and downloaded, games are permanently tied to your PSN library and will launch normally regardless of your current DNS setting. You only need the foreign-region DNS active when browsing and purchasing from that store.
PS Plus pricing varies by region and some regions have historically offered lower subscription costs. You can purchase a PS Plus code online for a specific region and redeem it on your console. Smart DNS helps you access that regional storefront. Note that Sony has tightened regional PS Plus rules over time — always verify current pricing and terms before purchasing.
A few hours, and your dashboard shows the exact time each one runs out. Home addresses get handed from one household to the next, and an entry that never expired would keep answering whoever holds the address next. Authorising again is one click from the network you want to use.
A small number per account — your dashboard shows the limit and what you are using. One authorised address covers every device on that network, so a household usually needs one for home and one for wherever else they watch. Remove one to make room for another.
Not at all. Trophies, save data, and your PSN profile are all stored on Sony's servers tied to your PSN account. Changing DNS only affects which region's content you can access — your progress, friends list, and account remain completely untouched.
Yes. Online multiplayer matchmaking is handled by game servers independently of DNS. Switching to a US or Japanese DNS doesn't affect who you can play with online — you'll still match with players as normal. Some games do have region-locked servers; in those cases, switching regions may change which server pool you connect to.
Yes. PS VR2 runs on your PS5 and uses the same network connection. Any DNS you've configured on your PS5 automatically applies to PS VR2 content and the PlayStation VR storefront.
Authorise your address in the dashboard with the United Kingdom as the region. Then open the PlayStation Store on your PS5, search for BBC iPlayer, and download it (it's free). Once installed, open BBC iPlayer — it will see you as a UK user and give you full access. Keep the authorisation live while watching. You don't need a TV licence to access BBC iPlayer from outside the UK.
Download speeds on PSN depend on Sony's CDN infrastructure and your physical distance to their servers — not your Smart DNS region. Choosing a US or EU region won't increase your download speed for games already available in your region. Where it can help: some regional stores release game updates sooner, so switching regions temporarily can get you patches hours before your home region.
PSN uses multiple signals to detect location: DNS, IP geolocation, and sometimes payment method country. Smart DNS changes your DNS signal, but your actual IP address remains the same. For full IP-level location spoofing, use the complete HorizonVPN app (not available natively on PS5, but can be set up on your router to cover the console).
Authorise your address in the dashboard, enter two DNS addresses on your PlayStation, and your console is in a new region. Try free for 7 days.
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