10Play is Network Ten's free streaming service, and if you're an Australian living abroad or just travelling, it's probably one of the services you miss most. You get the full back catalogue of Ten's shows, live simulcasts of Channel 10, 10 Bold, and 10 Peach, and a big library of CBS content, all free with ads. No subscription, no payment details required.

The catch is it's geo-locked to Australia. Step outside the country and you'll hit a location error as soon as you try to play anything. An Australian VPN server fixes it in a couple of minutes. Here's how to do it in five steps.

1. Connect your VPN to an Australian server

10Play checks your IP address the moment you try to play something, so your VPN needs to be running before you open the site or app. If 10Play is already open in your browser, close the tab completely, get the VPN connected, and then reopen it.

With NordVPN, search for Australia in the server list and connect to Sydney. It's the most reliable city to start with and usually works on the first try.

On ExpressVPN, select Australia and pick a city. 10Play's geo-blocking is less aggressive than most paid services, so Sydney servers tend to get you straight in. Our guide to switching servers has the steps for each app if you need to try a different city.

10Play geo-restriction error shown when trying to watch from outside Australia
If you don't activate your VPN first, you'll get a location error or 500 code before anything loads.

2. Open 10Play in a private window

Once your VPN is connected, open 10play.com.au in a private or incognito window rather than your regular browser. This is a small but important step: if you've visited 10Play before without a VPN, your browser may have cached a location cookie that tells 10Play you're outside Australia. A fresh private window starts clean with no stored location data, so the VPN connection is what 10Play sees first.

3. Register your free account

10Play requires a free account to watch anything, but there's no subscription fee and no payment details needed. Just an email address and a password. Sign up on the site with the VPN connected; it only takes a minute. Once you have an account, you're logged in from any device and your watch history carries across.

If you already have a 10Play account, just log in as normal with the VPN running.

4. What you can actually watch

10Play is one of the best free streaming services for Australian expats, partly because of what's on it and partly because there's nothing to pay. The content library has two main pillars.

The first is CBS content. 10Play holds CBS rights in Australia, which means NCIS and its spin-offs, the FBI franchise, Survivor (current and older seasons), The Amazing Race, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. If you watch US network TV, a large chunk of what airs on CBS is on 10Play for free.

The second is Network Ten's Australian programming. The Project and Studio 10 for news and current affairs, Australian Survivor and The Bachelors for reality TV, and archived Neighbours episodes going back years. 10Play also carries live simulcasts of Channel 10, 10 Bold (classic and older content), and 10 Peach (movies and US series). So you can watch live Australian television from anywhere, which is something most paid streaming services don't offer.

5. Watching on your phone, tablet, or TV

10Play has official iOS and Android apps. Install your VPN app first, connect to an Australian server, then open the 10Play app. If the 10Play app isn't showing in your local App Store or Google Play because of your region, 10play.com.au in a mobile browser works just as well and doesn't require any region switching.

For smart TVs and streaming devices, 10Play is available on Apple TV, Chromecast, and Android TV. You'll need your VPN running on the same network, which usually means setting it up on your router so every device gets the Australian connection automatically. Some routers support VPN apps directly; if yours doesn't, check your VPN provider's router setup guide.

What to do if 10Play keeps blocking you

  1. Check what 10Play is seeing. Open our IP address checker with your VPN connected. If it shows your real country rather than Australia, the VPN isn't routing correctly. Disconnect, reconnect to a different server, and check again.
  2. Clear cookies and use a private window. A cached location from a previous unprotected visit can persist even after connecting. Open a fresh private window and load 10play.com.au from scratch.
  3. Try Melbourne instead of Sydney. If Sydney servers keep giving a location error, Melbourne is the next best option. Individual server IPs do get flagged occasionally, and switching cities usually finds one that works.
  4. Check for a DNS leak. A DNS leak can reveal your real location even when your IP looks Australian. Our DNS leak guide covers how to check and fix it in each app.