Paramount Plus is available in the US, Canada, Latin America and other parts of the world – now including the UK. It hosts all the content of the former streaming service CBS All Access, as well as exclusive originals and theatrical film releases from Paramount after their initial cinematic run

The biggest film of the year – Top Gun: Maverick – is expected to be available to stream on Paramount+ later on this year.

Paramount+ only just launched in the UK and a handful of other European countries, so residents there are now finally able to watch exclusives such as the Halo live-action series without the need for a VPN.

Here’s everything you need to know about Paramount+ in the UK – and how to watch it from anywhere in the world, including countries it hasn’t yet launched in.

Watch Paramount+ in the UK

Paramount Plus launched in the UK on 22 June. For now, there are a couple ways to watch.

First up, you can sign up for an account directly from Paramount+, which costs £6.99 per month, or £69.90 per year. That includes a 7-day free trial though, so you can check it out first and make sure you’re happy to commit.

You might not need to pay though. Customers who already pay for Sky Cinema get access to Paramount+ at no extra cost – and you can watch it through your Sky box, or on any of the mobile, web and TV apps. To claim your free account, just search for the Paramount+ app on your Sky Q or Sky Glass, and hit ‘Get Paramount+’. You’ll have to scan a QR code and then set up an account with Paramount, but that’s it.

How to watch Paramount Plus anywhere in the world

While Paramount+ has rolled out to the UK and a few more countries, it’s still not available worldwide. That means that if you’re in a country that doesn’t offer the service – either living their or visiting – you won’t be able to access the streaming service. Fortunately, there is a way around that.

In order to access Paramount Plus, you’ll need a VPN. This stands for virtual private network, and basically re-routes your IP address so you can browse the internet as if you’re based in another country. For watching Paramount Plus, you’ll need to connect to a US-based server.

There are lots of VPN providers to choose from but based on our testing NordVPN and Surfshark have the best performance and most competitive pricing. However, you can check out further paid VPN providers, as well as free VPN options – though these will likely not have enough servers to access the site successfully.

After you’ve downloaded your VPN of choice, you then have to overcome another hurdle if you don’t have an account already – payment options. Currently Paramount Plus only accepts cards that are tied to bank accounts in the countries it’s officially available. 

You can get round the payment issue through purchasing a digital gift card. Here’s what you need to do:

• Connect to a US server on your chosen VPN

• Purchase an online gift card from an online retailer such as Walmart (you can find other options here). $25 is the minimum, which will get you nearly four months worth of ad-supported viewing. You may also need to get a US address and phone number to sign up, but you can get hold of those for free online.

• Choose the subscription plan you want to sign up for

You should now be able to watch Paramount Plus. 

As always when using a VPN to access content abroad, be aware that you’ll be in violation of the terms of use of Paramount Plus, so the company could theoretically cancel your account if it realises you’re using a VPN. Proceed at your own risk.