Online gaming has become a favorite modern pastime. Hundreds of millions of players are cooperating, competing, and having a blast in countless virtual worlds. But what happens when someone cuts off your access to such a world? Can you still come back if you get an IP ban?
This article sheds light on the reasons for IP bans and their consequences. You also learn about the best ways to bypass them and whether or not you should.
What Are IP Bans & Why Are They Troublesome?
You can’t play with others before connecting to a shared game server. The game’s creators usually run official servers, but it’s also common for groups of players to set up their own. These private servers can be a fun shakeup since they’re known to fiddle with rules, allow mods, and generally have the potential for more fun than the regular kind.
Only some people want to get along and play nicely, so they stir up trouble. A player might harass others verbally or through gameplay, steal their items, or generally be a nuisance. One way of dealing with such bad apples is banning their account, either permanently or temporarily. They can always make new accounts, though, so this might not be an effective solution.
IP bans are another effective way to punish misbehaving players. Some games don’t need accounts for online play, so it’s up to the individual server’s administration to take action. Rather than targeting someone’s account, this type of ban denies access to the machine they’re playing from by banning the IP address currently associated with it.
How bad are IP bans?
The severity of IP bans depends on someone’s violations and how much time they’ve invested into a game.
It’s worth noting that IP bans don’t always result from bad behavior. A server could automatically detect the country you’re connecting from based on the IP your internet service provider assigns and ban you for that reason alone.
What Methods Are Useful for Bypassing IP Bans?
An IP ban doesn’t necessarily mean your situation is hopeless. You can circumvent it in various ways. Should you? We’ll get to that in a bit.
Proxies
Proxy servers are among the simplest and most effective means of getting around an IP ban. Using one lets you connect to a go-between before accessing the game server. This reroutes your traffic through the proxy server first, with the added benefit of assigning its IP address. The game’s server perceives the connection as coming from a different IP address and location, so there is no reason to prevent you from joining.
There are several proxy types to consider when gaming. Residential proxies use IPs from shared pools. They’re cheaper and easier to detect but won’t lag your game. They could boost your ping if the proxy server’s route is shorter than your ISP’s.
Residential proxies are more sophisticated since they use unique, real IP address providers issued to internet users in their respective countries. They’re more useful for other activities like data scraping. Still, you could use one for gaming to avoid detection better and don’t mind a small potential slowdown.
Other methods
While a proxy is likely all you need, you could try other methods too. For example, a good VPN will be just as effective. Sometimes resetting your router works, but it may not help if you use a static IP address. However, sometimes, selecting a reliable VPN takes more work. Check out Reddit’s VPN comparison table to find the best one.
Are There Legal Considerations?
Not as such. It’s not illegal to hide your true IP address behind a proxy or VPN, of course, depending on the country you live in. You can use them from day one and not worry about a thing. However, bypassing an IP ban has ethical considerations and may violate a game Terms of Service.
You could continue playing while trying to avoid the ban, but doing so comes with risks. Someone might discover your behavior eventually. Even worse, they may report such behavior to the game’s launcher if it has one. That could result in a ban on the gaming platform account, potentially locking you out of a games library you have been collecting for years.
A temporary IP ban might not even be so bad in the grand scheme. Some wrongdoers might wise up and stop being disruptive if they get a scare. The fewer troublemakers there are, the better the gaming experience for everyone. Take that to heart and do better, whether you circumvent the ban.
Conclusion
It can be harsh to get IP-banned from your favorite server for crossing the line one too many times. Luckily, there are ways of starting over. Consider your options, follow our suggestions, and ensure there’s no reason to get an IP ban in the future.