The Lowdown on Lost Ark‘s Launch

Hey there fellow gamer! Are you one of the many fans eager to join the action-packed adventures of Lost Ark but find yourself blocked from playing? I totally get the frustration! As a long-time MMORPG enthusiast and founder of the popular gaming site Followchain, I‘ve been investigating which countries can actually play this phenomenal new game.

In this guide, I’ll be outlining everywhere that Lost Ark is currently available, reasons for its limited launch, and tips for accessing the game from restricted regions. Whether you‘re in Europe, the Americas, Asia, or beyond, I’ve got you covered!

In case you‘ve been living under a rock, here‘s a quick refresher. Lost Ark is the brand new MMORPG developed by the Korean studio Smilegate RPG. It launched in Korea back in 2019 to massive success with millions of players.

Finally, after much anticipation, the Western version of Lost Ark was published globally by Amazon Games on February 11, 2022. In its first week alone, over 1 million concurrent gamers logged on, making it one of Steam‘s biggest launches ever!

However, Lost Ark did not release worldwide all at once. Due to various legal and licensing restrictions, the game launched with servers only in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. For gamers in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, no official way to play exists yet.

But don’t abandon hope! The developers have stated interest in expanding to more territories soon. But until then, some fans are using VPNs to access blocked regions. Later, I’ll provide tips on this gaming “lifehack” so you can join the action regardless of your location!

First, let’s break down exactly where Lost Ark is available along with insights into why certain areas are unfortunately still excluded.

Smilegate has activated servers and granted access to Lost Ark for players in 4 main regions:

North America 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

Covering the United States and Canada

This region has data centers on both the East and West Coasts for maximum performance. Servers are located in Virginia (East) and Oregon (West).

Europe 🇪🇺

Including the UK, Central Europe, Nordic countries, and more

European servers are based in Frankfurt, Germany, placing gamers across the continent within close proximity.

Latin America 🌎

From Mexico down through South America

Latin American fans get their own centralized server in Brazil for low latency. Players across the region can enjoy a smooth, lag-free experience.

Oceania 🇦🇺

Australia and New Zealand

With servers situated in Australia, Antipodean gamers benefit from a more localized connection as well.

So in summary, if you reside in any of the countries listed below, you‘re in luck and can officially download Lost Ark!

Here is the complete list of all countries and territories that can currently play Lost Ark:

North America

Canada 🇨🇦
United States of America 🇺🇸

Europe

Åland Islands 🇦🇽 (Finland)
Albania 🇦🇱
Andorra 🇦🇩
Austria 🇦🇹
Belgium 🇧🇪
Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦
Bulgaria 🇧🇬
Croatia 🇭🇷
Cyprus 🇨🇾
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
Denmark 🇩🇰
Estonia 🇪🇪
Faroe Islands 🇫🇴 (Denmark)
Finland 🇫🇮
France 🇫🇷
Germany 🇩🇪
Gibraltar 🇬🇮 (UK)
Greece 🇬🇷
Guernsey 🇬🇬 (UK)
Hungary 🇭🇺
Iceland 🇮🇸
Ireland 🇮🇪
Isle of Man 🇮🇲 (UK)
Italy 🇮🇹
Jersey 🇯🇪 (UK)
Kosovo 🇽🇰
Latvia 🇱🇻
Liechtenstein 🇱🇮
Lithuania 🇱🇹
Luxembourg 🇱🇺
Malta 🇲🇹
Monaco 🇲🇨
Montenegro 🇲🇪
Netherlands 🇳🇱
North Macedonia 🇲🇰
Norway 🇳🇴
Poland 🇵🇱
Portugal 🇵🇹
Romania 🇷🇴
San Marino 🇸🇲
Serbia 🇷🇸
Slovakia 🇸🇰
Slovenia 🇸🇮
Spain 🇪🇸
Sweden 🇸🇪
Switzerland 🇨🇭
Turkey 🇹🇷
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Vatican City 🇻🇦

Latin America

Argentina 🇦🇷
Bolivia 🇧🇴
Brazil 🇧🇷
Chile 🇨🇱
Colombia 🇨🇴
Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
Ecuador 🇪🇨
El Salvador 🇸🇻
Guatemala 🇬🇹
Honduras 🇭🇳
Mexico 🇲🇽
Nicaragua 🇳🇮
Panama 🇵🇦
Paraguay 🇵🇾
Peru 🇵🇪
Uruguay 🇺🇾
Venezuela 🇻🇪

Oceania

Australia 🇦🇺
New Zealand 🇳🇿

So in total, Lost Ark is fully playable without restrictions in around 80 countries! Not too shabby. However, some major markets are still conspicuously missing…

It may seem confusing why a hugely hyped game like Lost Ark isn‘t available globally on day one. Let‘s break down the major factors blocking its worldwide release:

Gambling Laws 🎰

One of the primary obstacles is strict gambling regulations in certain countries. Places like Belgium and the Netherlands classify random in-game loot boxes as a prohibited form of gambling.

Lost Ark contains plenty of random drops and gacha-style mechanics with its collectible cards and treasures. So by default, it‘s considered illegal in these countries.

Companies can sometimes adjust games to meet regulations, but this takes time. Until changes are made, these gambling laws will continue blocking Lost Ark‘s release.

Regional Publishing Rights 📜

Similar to video streaming, the rights to host and operate games like Lost Ark are sold on a region-by-region basis. Amazon Games purchased the licenses to publish Lost Ark in the West.

However, no company yet holds the publishing rights for Eastern territories. Until someone buys these licenses, Lost Ark remains unavailable there.

Server Locations 🌏

To offer low latency and smooth performance, online games need servers hosted close to players. Right now, Lost Ark only has data centers in North America, Europe, and Brazil.

Areas like Asia and Africa have no nearby servers. So even if legally available, the game would be unplayably laggy from such remote locations. Building more data centers takes significant time and investment.

Localization 🗣️

For a full launch in Asia, Lost Ark would need extensive translation work into Chinese, Korean, Japanese and other languages. Thorough localization also involves adjusting content to suit each culture.

Smilegate has mentioned localization as a prerequisite for wider expansion. This meticulous process lengthens the timeline until certain regions can come online.

Fans worldwide are eagerly awaiting word on exactly when they’ll get to play. While Smilegate has confirmed intentions to expand further, no exact timeline exists yet. But we can make some educated guesses:

Asia – Many experts predicted Lost Ark would launch in Asian territories soon after the Western release. However, Smilegate has said no Asian launch is planned for now. Realistically, localization issues probably prevent release until late 2022 at the earliest.
Middle East / Africa – No servers exist in these regions currently. And localization needs make a 2022 launch very unlikely. 2023 would be more plausible depending on infrastructure investment.
South America – The existing Brazil server can probably provide playable latency to most of South America already. A wider release could happen within months assuming licensing discussions are progressing.

Overall, it seems reasonable to expect Lost Ark to launch in most major territories before the end of 2023 based on typical gaming industry timeframes. But fans need patience – global accessibility won‘t happen overnight.

Of course, that doesn‘t help gamers waiting right now! Later I‘ll suggest a creative solution for accessing Lost Ark from blocked regions in the meantime.

Before we get into the geographical workaround, let‘s recap why this game is so dang popular! Here are some of the standout features that make Lost Ark a must-play MMORPG:

Jaw-Dropping Visuals 🎆

Lost Ark‘s graphics and artistic design are simply stunning – even blowing away fans of top games like Genshin Impact. The environments, characters, effects and more are AAA quality.

Slick Combat ⚔️

The fast-paced, action-oriented combat feels amazing. Dodging, combo chaining, and unleashing skills is intuitive yet immensely satisfying.

Multi-classing 🧙‍♂️

You can freely switch between various unique classes on one character rather than being limited to one. This diversity keeps gameplay fresh and flexible.

Strong Story 📖

The immersive storytelling and lore suck you into the world of Arkesia. Plenty of cinematics and interesting quests drive the narrative forward.

Social Features 👥

Lost Ark is highly social – you can chat, dance, and emote with friends or random players. Strong guild support builds communities.

Charm and Humor 🤣

Don‘t let the epic fantasy visuals fool you – Lost Ark isn‘t afraid to be cute, quirky, and funny! Whimsical creatures and comic moments give the game personality.

…And It‘s Free! 🆓

You can experience all this MMORPG goodness without paying a cent. Optional microtransactions exist but aren‘t essential.

There are certainly many more reasons Lost Ark is dominating discussion among gamers worldwide. But you get the idea – this is a very appealing title!

Alright, let‘s get to the good stuff. I‘m sure you eager gamers stuck in unsupported regions are dying to play, am I right? Well frequent travelers and techies alike know all about VPNs…

What is a VPN?

A VPN (virtual private network) allows you to route your internet traffic through servers in a different location. This can trick sites and services into thinking you are connecting from somewhere else entirely!

How VPNs Work for Lost Ark

By running your computer traffic through a VPN server in say Los Angeles, you appear to Smilegate‘s servers as being in the United States. This grants you access even from a blocked country. Sneaky!

Now I must provide a disclaimer – using a VPN to circumvent regional restrictions technically violates the game‘s Terms of Service. You access the game at your own risk, plus latency may suffer.

However, players in unsupported countries are left with few options if they hope to play anytime soon. Just use wise judgment!

Tips for Picking the Right VPN

If you decide to implement this crafty solution, here are some tips for choosing the best VPN for reducing lag and avoiding bans:

Select VPN servers as physically close to you as possible – this reduces latency.
Avoid free VPNs – these are usually slow, unreliable, and could get you banned.
Pick a premium VPN like NordVPN or ExpressVPN known for speed, security and reliability.
Connect only to launch the game, then turn your VPN off while playing to maximize speeds.

Again while not sanctioned by the developers, a high-quality VPN offers one clever workaround for impatient Lost Ark fans. Millions are eagerly awaiting the day they can explore Arkesia without needing to spoof their location. But until then, where there‘s a will, there‘s a way!

While I fully empathize with gamers stuck on the sidelines currently, the future shines brightly. Lost Ark marks an evolution in action combat and visual splendor that has clearly resonated worldwide.

As servers and localization expand, Smilegate is committed to sharing these adventures with fans everywhere. Plus once available, the game will remain free and supported long-term.

The community eagerly awaits the day when warriors from every corner of the world can band together against the demonic forces of Kazeros. Until then, stay strong, keep your swords sharp, and get ready to dodge roll into excitement the moment Arkesia opens up in your region!

Your fellow gamer,

William Decker
Founder, Followchain