If you love Steven Spielberg films, you definitely heard of Ready Player One. Many of you have probably been trying to watch the movie on Netflix for a while, but with no luck. Is the movie just not available on the site?
It is, but you’re not going to like this – it’s not available everywhere Netflix is. In fact, you can only watch the movie in a few countries. To find out which ones, you can use StreamCatcher from ProPrivacy (https://streamcatcher.proprivacy.com). It’s an online service that tells you where Netflix titles are available.
According to that tool, it seems that Ready Player One is available on Netflix in the following countries:
- Australia
- Hong Kong
- India
- Singapore
- Switzerland
- The UK
A pretty big letdown, we know. But don’t worry – we’ll show you how to quickly unblock this movie on Netflix in this quick guide. Also, we’ll answer other relevant questions you might have too.
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How to Unblock & Watch Ready Player One on Netflix Right Now
img source: tvrev.com
We ran numerous tests, and the results speak for themselves – the easiest way to watch that movie on Netflix is to use a VPN.
If you don’t know what a VPN is, it’s an online service that hides your IP address and encrypts your traffic. Basically, it intercepts your data, and routes it through a VPN server that sits between your device and Netflix. When your traffic finally reaches Netflix’s servers, the site will think it’s coming from the VPN, not your device.
So, Netflix will only see the VPN’s IP address, while yours remains “hidden.” That’s important because your IP tells Netflix what city and country you are from. With that information, Netflix can route your traffic to your country’s content library (which doesn’t have Ready Player One).
As long as you use a VPN server in a country where the movie is available, you’ll be able to watch it.
How to Watch Ready Player One on Netflix (4 Quick & Simple Steps)
- Sign up for a VPN (ExpressVPN always works well for us).
- Download and install the right app for your device.
- Use the VPN app to connect to a VPN server in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, or Switzerland. Pick the country that’s closest to your current location to get optimal speeds.
- Go to Netflix and log into your account. Look up Ready Player One, and start watching!
Why Isn’t Ready Player One Available Worldwide?
img source: medium.com
Netflix didn’t exactly give a reason for this. But we believe it’s due to the licensing agreements they signed. Essentially, Netflix only bought licensing rights for India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, the UK, and Switzerland.
Why?
Maybe those were the only areas they could get licensing rights for.
Or maybe Netflix’s analytics showed that only people in those countries would be interested in this movie. Licensing content for regions with little to no interest in that title would be a bad investment. And given how much Netflix spends on licensed content, they can’t afford to do that.
Can You Unblock Ready Player One with a Free VPN?
You can try, but it probably won’t work. You’ll either end up on your country’s regional library (because the VPN leaks your IP), or you’ll see the Netflix proxy error message (because Netflix blocked the VPN’s IPs).
Since free VPNs don’t really have a sustainable business model, they can’t really afford to lease new IPs on a regular basis. If they don’t do that, they can’t unblock Netflix 24/7.
What’s more, even if you manage to unblock Ready Player One with a free VPN, you won’t have fun watching it. Most of these services offer slow speeds, buggy apps, and little to no support. Oh, and they also annoy you with spammy ads.
You’re much better off using a paid VPN like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN, or Surfshark. They’re not even that expensive, to be honest – especially if you get the long-term plans. Plus, they all offer decent money-back guarantees.
Can You Unblock Ready Player One with a Proxy?
img source: airtame.com
Maybe. It’s hard to say, really. Netflix is really good at detecting VPN and proxy IP addresses, so you’ll face the same issue as you do with free VPNs – intermittent access to the site due to the proxy error message.
Some paid proxies might be able to properly unblock Ready Player One, though. The only problem is that proxies don’t offer powerful encryption like VPNs. So, they can’t protect you from bandwidth throttling (when ISPs lower your Netflix speeds).
Can You Unblock Ready Player One with a Smart DNS?
Yes, that should work. Netflix tends to focus more on blocking VPNs and proxies than Smart DNS services.
If you’re not sure what a Smart DNS is, it’s an online tool that hides your geo-location by:
- Tweaking your DNS settings.
- Routing your traffic through different proxy servers.
- Changing your DNS queries so that they don’t leak your geo-location.
However, there’s not much point in using a stand-alone Smart DNS. Most of the top VPNs on the market offer built-in Smart DNS functionality alongside their main VPN service. With them, you get a two-in-one deal which is much better.
Can You Unblock Ready Player One with Tor?
img source: vox-cdn.com
No – at least in our experience. Official Tor documentation also says that the service doesn’t work with Netflix.
It’s not really surprising considering Tor was built for privacy, not streaming. Even if you manage to unblock Netflix, you’ll get very, very slow speeds (2-3 Mbps). There are only 6,000+ servers for over two million users, after all.
You’re much better off just using a VPN (a paid one).
The Bottom Line
Ready Player One is available on Netflix, but only in a few countries. To watch it, you’ll need to use a VPN server in those countries (India, Hong Kong, Australia, the UK, Switzerland, or Singapore).
Were you able to watch this movie using a VPN (or unblock other titles)? Also, do you know other unblocking methods that work with Netflix? Please let us know in the comments below.
