How to watch out-of-market NFL games (tested in 2025)

The new NFL season of 2025-2026 is starting Thursday, September 4 in Philadelphia with the Eagles hosting Dallas Cowboys. While the preseason games are already happening, many of the games are geo-restricted in states that are not local for the team.

Luckily, you can use a VPN to bypass NFL regional blackouts and watch all games from anywhere. A VPN changes your IP address, making it look like you’re connecting from another location and letting you watch American football without restrictions.

Continue reading to learn how to watch out-of-market NFL games and get ready for the new 2025-2026 season.

What are out-of-market NFL games?

Out-of-market NFL games are called “out-of-market” because they’re only shown outside your local broadcast region. The reason for their black out is so viewers would watch in-market games.

For example, if you live in Dallas but are a fan of the New York Jets, you won’t see the Jets’ game on local TV if it’s happening at the same time as the Dallas Cowboys. The game will be geo-restricted for you, unless it’s broadcasted internationally.

You can still watch blacked out games through the Sunday ticket or streaming services like Amazon Prime Video or YouTube TV. To access out-of-market NFL games, you can use a reputable VPN. With it, you can easily change your location and make it look like you’re watching NFL games from another state, letting you access any game that’s on.

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Best VPNs for NFL to bypass game blackouts

I researched the best sports streaming VPNs and tested which ones effortlessly access out-of-market NFL games. Additionally, I took into account how many servers in the US they have, their speeds while streaming, and privacy features. Here are the best VPNs I hand-picked based on my test results:

1. NordVPN – best VPN to watch out-of-market NFL games in 2025

2. Surfshark – affordable VPN for watching the NFL

3. ExpressVPN – secure VPN for streaming NFL games

 

Best ways to watch out-of-market NFL games

Getting access to most NFL games is challenging and can quickly become expensive considering you’d have to subscribe to multiple platforms. So, the best way to watch out-of-market NFL games is using a VPN. It will change your IP address, making it look like you’re from another state and letting you access content without geographical restrictions.

Plus, in some cases, you can find better streaming service prices by connecting to VPN servers in other countries.

NFL Game Pass on Amazon Prime Video

Since 2024, Amazon Prime Video offers the NFL Game Pass subscription as an add-on. It allows you to watch live out-of-market games and also gives you access to the NFL Network and NFL RedZone.

However, the NFL Game Pass add-on is only available in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. So, I took the time to test if I could get the add-on with a VPN, and it worked. Here are the detailed steps on how to do it:

1. Download and install NordVPN, since it’s one of the fastest VPNs available and has servers in 118 countries.
2. Log in to the app and connect to a server where the NFL Game Pass add-on is available. I used servers in the UK.
3. While connected to the VPN server, create a new Amazon Account instead of using an existing one.
4. After subscribing to Amazon Prime, open your account and go to “Memberships & Subscriptions.”
5. Locate the NFL Game Pass and subscribe.
6. Access out-of-market games while the VPN is connected.

NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV

Getting the NFL Sunday Ticket is the best way to watch Sunday afternoon regular season out-of-market NFL games. You can purchase it through YouTube TV, the so-called “exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket.”

If you just want to watch out-of-market Sunday NFL games, you can get the NFL Sunday Ticket for YouTube at $34.50/month. But if you want premium content and access 100+ live channels, you can bundle it with YouTube TV, which will cost from $84.49/month.

However, please take into account that YouTube TV is only available in the US. So, if you’re planning to travel outside the US and still want to watch the games, you’ll need to use a VPN like NordVPN to change your virtual location.

NFL+

NFL+ is another subscription service offered by the NFL that gives you access to out-of-market preseason games on all devices. With it, you can also watch live local, primetime regular season, and postseason games, but only on phones and tablets.

NFL+ can be accessed from within the NFL app and is available for $6.99/month or $49.99/season, making it the cheapest option.

It also has a premium version, called NFL+ Premium, which gives you access to NFL RedZone, NFL Pro, and game replays. NFL+ Premium costs $14.99/month or $99.99/season.

NFL+ is only available in the US, so if you live in another country, you’d need a VPN to purchase it.

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If you’re outside the US and want to get the NFL+ app on your smartphone or a tablet, using NordVPN is the best way to bypass geo-blocks. NordVPN ensures complete privacy, excellent speed, and no IP leaks.

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NFL RedZone

NFL RedZone can be availed through various streaming services, including Fubo, YouTube TV, and Hulu. It’s an ad-free service, so you can watch some of the best moments from various NFL games without any interruptions.

It’s usually included in a cable TV subscription at no extra cost. But if you don’t have cable, I’ve created a table with streaming services that offer NFL RedZone with their current prices below.

Just like NFL+, NFL RedZone is also only available in the US so it requires a robust VPN, like NordVPN, for viewers based outside America.

How to use a VPN to bypass NFL blackouts: detailed guide

The process of bypassing NFL blackouts will depend on what streaming service you’ll use to access the games. The VPN setup steps are similar, just make sure you connect to a server in a location where the NFL games are available.

Here’s how you can use a VPN to watch NFL games:

1. Pick a VPN with a large server fleet. NordVPN has servers in 21 US cities.
2. Download and install the VPN on your device.
3. Launch the app and sign up for the VPN service.
4. Connect to a server located outside your state. For example, if you want to watch Cleveland Browns, you’d need to choose a server outside Cleveland. If a streaming service is unavailable in the US, connect to a server in the country where it’s available.
5. Subscribe to a streaming service that broadcasts the games you want to watch, like YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fubo TV, Sling TV, or Hulu.
6. Enjoy the game!

NFL not working with a VPN

Is your VPN not working while trying to watch out-of-market NFL games? It might be because the NFL app or site has blacklisted an IP address hosted by the VPN. And other times, it’s because your browser has detected your actual location because of cache and cookies.

Luckily, you can fix these issues easily and continue streaming the NFL with a VPN. Here’s how:

• Clear cache and cookies – First thing you should do is clear the cache and cookies of your browser. Relaunch the browser and reconnect to the VPN.
• Enable DNS leak protection – It’s possible that your VPN is leaking your real DNS. Enabling the IP or DNS leak protection will solve the problem.
• Connect to a different server – Sometimes the most effective solution is to just keep connecting to a server until you find one that works. Also, make sure you’re connecting to a server outside your state.
• Switch to another VPN – Not all VPNs are equally good at bypassing geo-blocks. If you have chosen a less capable provider, we recommend you check NordVPN, as it unblocks all major streaming services, including the NFL apps.

Can I use a free VPN to watch NFL blackout games?

Yes, you can try using a free VPN to watch NFL blackout games. However, since they’re free, their servers are usually blocked by streaming services already. Plus, many of them are overcrowded, so your streams may lag.

Completely free VPNs are dangerous to use because they may sell your data as they don’t have other income streams. So, instead, you’d have better chances using freemium VPNs that are created as limited versions of premium VPNs.

However, they’re still limited in features and servers, so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to choose which US city to connect to. I’d recommend using a premium VPN with a free trial instead. For example, you can get NordVPN with a free 3-day trial on Android devices. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Final thoughts

The 2025-2026 NFL season is here, and once again fans are looking for ways to watch out-of-market games. If your local team is playing at home, you won’t be able to stream the game from home unless it’s a national broadcast.

The easiest way to bypass NFL game blackouts is to use a VPN for geo-blocking. My tests showed that NordVPN is the best for effortlessly accessing the matches without lagging. It has servers in 118 countries, including 21 US cities, so you can change your virtual location and watch games from anywhere.