The Best VPNs to Beat MLB.TV Blackouts

Unblocking geo-restricted MLB.TV games on PC and Mac is easy. Simply connect to a VPN server location outside the blackout area. Then, open MLB.TV and start streaming.

You can read more detailed instructions in the steps below.

On Android devices, the MLB.TV app checks your location by looking up your device’s GPS coordinates. Unlike the iOS app, you can’t deny the app from accessing your phone or tablet’s location services.

Normally, this would mean that changing your IP address location with a typical VPN will only work if you use it with a GPS spoofing app.

However, using Surfshark’s built-in ‘Override GPS’ function, you can fake your GPS location using one single (VPN) app.

The process is not as simple as on PC or Mac, but it’s still smoother than using a VPN in combination with a standalone Fake GPS app.

*Applies to Samsung only. You don’t need to tap ‘Build Number’ seven times with other brands.

Alternatively, watch the video below of us using Surfshark with MLB.TV on our Android smartphone:

MLB.TV’s iOS and iPadOS app also requests your GPS location, however there is a way to stop location services on the app and therefore bypass these location restrictions.

Streaming geo-restricted baseball games on MLB.TV is easy on Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV, as long as your VPN has an native app for your device.

Roku devices don’t support VPN apps, nor do they allow you to configure DNS settings, so they aren’t compatible with Smart DNS proxies.

MLB.TV also removed AirPlay compatibility from its iOS app.

The best way to use a VPN with Roku is to set up ExpressVPN directly on its Aircove router.

Any device connected to it will be automatically routed through the VPN with no further configuration needed. Aircove costs extra, though.

Instructions: How to set up ExpressVPN on an Aircove Router

1. Connect your Aircove router to your modem using an Ethernet cable and power it on.
2. Connect your PC or phone to the Aircove’s Wi-Fi network.
3. Open a browser and go to www.expressvpnrouter.com to access the router’s dashboard.
4. Sign in with your ExpressVPN credentials and activate the router on your account.
5. Select a VPN server location from the dashboard. To bypass local blackouts, choose a US city outside your blackout area. To bypass national blackouts, choose a server outside the US and Canada.
6. Connect your Roku to the Aircove’s Wi-Fi network from: Settings > Network.
7. Open the MLB.TV app: All traffic from your Roku now routes through the VPN automatically.

If you don’t have an Aircove router, you can instead share your VPN connection via a Windows PC Mobile Hotspot as a free alternative. It’s a more complicated process, though.

NordVPN is one of the most popular VPNs on the market, and it’s generally a great streaming VPN, too.

However, its performance was disappointing with MLB.TV. We found that only the New York, New Jersey, LA, and Chicago servers worked. All other regions were permanently blocked.

We were shown an error message when accessing MLB.TV using many of NordVPN’s servers.

When one of these servers suddenly stopped working, there wasn’t always a compatible server outside of the blackout area. It also struggled more than other services to stream on Fire TV and Android TV.

NordVPN is still a good option, but there are much better services available if you need to stream on your TV or need more reliable access.

PIA is one of our most highly-rated VPNs overall: it comes with dedicated streaming servers, best-in-class encryption, and fast speeds.

However, the VPN failed to access MLB.TV in our most recent tests. Most of the time, we weren’t even able to log in to the MLB website. When we connected to a PIA server while already logged in, the screen was blacked out and we couldn’t access any games.

PIA failed to access MLB.TV on all of its servers.

CyberGhost is usually a good option for bypassing streaming geo-restrictions. Its dedicated streaming servers work with many popular services, and its free browser extensions even stream US Netflix.

However, CyberGhost does not provide a streaming server for MLB.TV. Instead, we had to use its general US servers and those optimized for other platforms. Unsurprisingly, we weren’t able to access MLB.TV during any of our tests.

In short, CyberGhost is a bad VPN for MLB.TV. We don’t expect it to ever work unless it decides to add a dedicated MLB streaming server.

• Test Conducted: We connected to a VPN’s servers outside the blackout area, and attempted to stream a live out-of-market game on MLB.TV. We repeated this process using several servers in the US, in the UK, and in Japan.
• Why It’s Important: If a VPN is blocked by MLB.TV then it’s simply useless.
• Optimal Result: Consistent access to MLB.TV on most US and international servers, and on a wide selection of devices.

• Test Conducted: Using the VPN’s recommended protocol, we measured the download speed loss while connected to each VPN’s servers around the world.
• Why It’s Important: Fast and stable Internet speeds are necessary to stream at the maximum resolution available, without interruptions or blurriness.
• Optimal Result: A download speed reduction of less than 10% connecting to nearby locations, and less than 20% to countries further afield.

• Test Conducted: We tested each VPN’s US and international servers on every app, checking for IP location accuracy, and the number of locations actually available in the apps.
• Why It’s Important: A large network of servers across many locations reduces the chances of server congestion, and potential IP blocks.
• Optimal Result: Hundreds of reliable servers and diverse IP addresses in the US and around the world, especially in the UK and Japan.

• Test Conducted: We used every app made available by a VPN service to assess each one’s usability and access to MLB.TV. We also looked for the presence of additional streaming tools like a Smart DNS proxy and a router app.
• Why It’s Important: The MLB app is available on a wide range of devices—from smartphones to gaming consoles—and therefore it’s important that a VPN can easily bypass blackout restrictions on as many of them as possible.
• Optimal Result: User-friendly apps for desktop, mobile, and streaming devices like Fire Stick and Apple TV. Extra points are given for the presence of a dedicated router app, built-in GPS spoofing for Android, and a Smart DNS proxy with UK IPs.

We adjust the ratings of free VPNs to account for any data usage limits they enforce. The more restrictive the cap, the greater the reduction.

Here’s a breakdown of the percentage reductions we apply to the VPN’s overall rating:

• Unlimited bandwidth: No deduction to the overall rating
• 10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
• 500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
• 5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
• 1GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
• 200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
• 500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating