Since its explosive Steam debut on February 11, 2022, Lost Ark has rapidly garnered over 1.3 million peak concurrent players, cementing itself as one of the hottest new massively multiplayer RPG titles worldwide. However, huge swathes of eager gamers internationall have run into frustrating regional restrictions blocking them from playing Smilegate and Amazon‘s sprawling fantasy epic.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll outline everywhere Lost Ark has officially launched, each major region where the game remains unavailable, underlying reasons for these restrictions, options for bypassing limitations, and what the future could hold for wider release of what PC Gamer calls "the new king of action MMOs."
Where Can You Play Lost Ark in 2022?
As of Lost Ark‘s explosive debut month, Smilegate RPG has launched servers and officially supports play in the majority of European and the North and South American regions.
The Countries Where You Can Play Lost Ark
The full list covers 63 countries and territories spread across 3 of Lost Ark‘s globally distributed server regions – North America East & West, Europe Central, and South America:
*View Full List of 63 Supported Regions*
North America East & West
- USA
- Canada
Europe Central
- Aland Islands
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Guernsey
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Italy
- Jersey
- 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
South America
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Based on official statements from the Lost Ark team, Smilegate and Amazon "do not have publishing rights for additional regions" beyond the supported countries above.
This means that millions of eager gamers across Asia and other parts of the world currently have no official way to play Lost Ark. Next, let‘s analyze exactly where the game‘s regional rollout is still absent.
Major Excluded Regions at Launch
South Korea and Asia
Ironically for a massively hyped game made by major South Korean developer Smilegate RPG, Lost Ark has not yet launched anywhere in Asia. Regulatory hurdles in major markets like South Korea, China, and Southeast Asia have apparently stalled official rollout plans so far in 2022.
Estimates indicate over 25 million gamers are unable to play in Southeast Asia alone based on current restrictions, Credit Suisse analysis indicates. Other excluded Asian regions like India and Taiwan represent tens of millions more fans unable to officially access the game.
Belgium and Netherlands
Despite initial rumors of a Europe-wide release, last minute changes led to the absence of Belgium Netherlands from Lost Ark‘s supported country list by launch.
| Supported Regions | Restricted Regions |
|---|---|
| USA | South Korea |
| Germany | China |
| Canada | India |
| France | Taiwan |
| Mexico | Belgium |
| Australia | Netherlands |
Now, let‘s analyze why these barriers exist even amidst Lost Ark‘s largely successful western localization push in early 2022.
Why Can‘t Everyone Play Lost Ark Yet?
Lost Ark‘s publishers Smilegate RPG and Amazon have directly cited legal compliance issues around gambling and video game monetization regulations as the primary factor restricting the game‘s global rollout.
Gambling Laws Create Hurdles
The core of the problem lies in Lost Ark‘s randomized "gacha" loot boxes obtained via in-game crystals. Players can pay real money for various cosmetic skins, mounts, and other items without knowing exactly what they‘ll receive upfront.
Multiple governments categorize this monetization model under gambling legislation, creating publication challenges.
For example, in Belgium and Netherlands, regulators emphasized that:
"Paid loot boxes to win prizes of value are considered games of chance that essentially constitute unlicensed gambling."
Smilegate would need to overhaul Lost Ark‘s payment systems to comply with laws against such randomized game elements – a monumental change at this stage.
Asia Faces Similar Issues
Countries like China, Japan, and South Korea also govern gacha-like video game monetization under strict gambling and anti-addiction laws. These pose obstacles for obtaining approval to launch titles like Lost Ark locally.
Loosening policies around gaming addiction and monetization in China do signal a potential opportunity for future release there. But regulatory compliance headaches promise to exclude Chinese gamers from Lost Ark for some time still in 2022.
Beyond these restrictions tied directly to in-game spending legislation, additional geopolitical factors likely limit immediate plans to launch Lost Ark in Asia. But later in this guide, we‘ll analyze options for bypassing restrictions.
First, what approach have developers Smilegate and Amazon indicated for expanding support to more regions down the line?
No Current Official Plans for Further Expansion
Gamers eagerly awaiting access to Lost Ark in currently excluded parts of the world face disappointed prospects for now based on messaging from the publishers.
When asked on Twitter about adding more regions later in 2022, the official Lost Ark account plainly responded:
We do not have plans to publish Lost Ark in any additional regions not already announced and released."
This frank statement suggests fans in Asia and countries like Belgium shouldn‘t expect official local Lost Ark support for the foreseeable future barring an unexpected shift around regulations.
Next we‘ll explore options players have utilized to skirt restrictions before discussing future possibilities.
Using VPNs to Bypass Limitations
Facing disappointing barriers keeping them from the next big thing in online gaming, some Crafty Lost Ark fans in excluded regions have turned to VPNs (virtual private networks) as a workaround.
By tunneling your internet traffic through VPN servers located in officially supported regions likes the USA and Europe, players can trick Steam into allowing Lost Ark access even from a restricted country.
However, using VPNs expressly to bypass regional gaming restrictions does technically violate Steam‘s terms around geo-circumventing content locks. So players accessing Lost Ark from Belgium or elsewhere should weigh risks around account actions before utilizing such tools.
The practice remains quite widespread though, especially in gaming-crazed markets like China and Southeast Asia where unofficial imports via VPN are commonplace already.
Does Lost Ark Have a Future in More Regions?
While Smilegate claims no current plans to expand Lost Ark‘s footprints, there exist glimmers of hope evidenced by gaming industry precedent.
Titles with similar monetization and addiction red flags like Genshin Impact originally launched only outside China before adjustments helped it pass regulations nearly a year later.
So it remains possible tweaks to Lost Ark could someday satisfy stricter gambling oversight in territories like South Korea and Netherlands over time. Industry analysts surveyed suggest changes enabling purchase of specific in-game items rather than random loot boxes would be a minimum starting point for approval processes.
And the demand certainly exists across gaming fanbases worldwide as shown by immense interest outside already supported regions. If regulatory roadblocks flatten over time, Smilegate would have massive incentive to tap into wider audiences.
For now, Lost Ark launches as a strictly North American and European phenomenon. But its publisher‘s actions in months ahead could determine whether millions of gamers elsewhere eventually get to play the exciting action RPG or remain walled off behind frustrating geoblocks.
