Despite some strong alternatives, Twitch is currently the world’s most popular live online entertainment platform.
However, you might be unable to access Twitch and watch the sort of content that interests you. This can be a disappointing feeling.
This is especially true if it is caused by your geographical region. You probably won’t want to move to another country just to access Twitch.
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The Problem Explained
Feel free to skip this section if you’re not interested in the origin of the error and want a solution.
When Twitch users first started seeing Error 7000 messages, it was unclear why. Speculation could be found on Reddit, but nobody knew exactly what the error code meant.
Some users formulated a theory that the problem might be related to KBS, the national public broadcaster of South Korea.
How is this connected to Twitch? Here’s where things get interesting.
Every Twitch broadcaster builds their channel differently. Some focus on showing entertaining gameplay, while others watch content alongside their community.
Although Twitch is a community-oriented platform, it has also become a noteworthy organization as its popularity has increased. As such, Twitch now needs to abide by laws and restrictions to avoid any legal issues.
A trend developed on Twitch where streamers started hosting watch-along sessions featuring older, copyrighted Korean content, which required permission from the previously-mentioned KBS.
To watch these Korean TV shows, you need to either be from Korea or purchase the rights to them. Neither of these applies to the average Twitch user.
A few streamers who desired to watch Korean programs with their viewers were already aware of this and were fine with it because the majority of their audience comes from Korea. They would also inform their worldwide viewers beforehand, letting them know they couldn’t access the upcoming broadcasts.
What they didn’t know was that doing this once would place a region lock on their channel. This meant viewers from other locations couldn’t watch their broadcasts, even when a different type of content was shown.
This frustrated both the fans and broadcasters. To make matters worse, it doesn’t only happen with Korean-based channels and content!
What’s the solution to this issue?
Fix 1: Utilizing A VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Virtual Private Networks are familiar to many members of the Twitch community. If you are trying to avoid advertisements on the platform, you might already know how to use a VPN.
The issue mentioned above is connected to your physical position. Hence, utilizing a VPN to hide your signal and give the impression that it originates from Korea or another nation is the optimal fix.
According to this Reddit comment, some VPNs don’t fix the issue, so you might need to try different providers until you find one that allows you to watch region-locked channels on Twitch.
We have a comprehensive guide on PC Strike covering this topic. It should be a big help if you still haven’t decided which VPN is the most suitable for your needs.
Once you choose your VPN, the process is quite straightforward.
- Activate your VPN and set it to a location of your choosing. If you want to bypass a region lock, you should set it to the country where the streamer is located.
- Visit Twitch and open the stream.
- When you have finished watching, disable your VPN to enjoy your normal internet speeds and access websites and other online services in your country.
It’s that simple. The only problem you might encounter during the process is your chosen VPN does not work on the first attempt.
Fix 2: Use A Different Browser To Access Twitch
Browsers that feature a built-in VPN can be a good solution to this problem. However, your experience watching Twitch might not be the smoothest or most enjoyable.
An improved solution is to use a VPN, which allows you to adjust your location and has rapid server speeds for various countries.
However, an increasingly popular browser for Twitch has a built-in Twitch player and VPN. This greatly increases your chances of bypassing a region lock. The browser in question is Opera GX.
Conclusion
Many members of the community have been frustrated by Twitch’s decisions regarding region locks. However, such a prominent company needs to be as protected against any legal issues as possible.
By using the two workarounds from this guide, you will be able to bypass the lock and never again have to experience the Twitch 7000 error.
