Why You Can Trust CNET 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3': Streaming Release Date and How to Watch From Anywhere
The wait is nearly over to watch it on Disney Plus.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's scrappy band of misfits may have moved on from theaters, but it's not too late to hitch a ride with the beloved heroes on Disney Plus.
In the final chapter in James Gunn's Guardians trilogy, Star-Lord and his team wrestle with defending the universe and protecting one of their own. The flick is set to hit Disney Plus 89 days after premiering in theaters -- on par with Ant-Man 3, but a longer journey to streaming compared with other recent Marvel movies.
If you're ready to put earthly matters aside and join the Guardians, here's what you need to know about the film's Disney Plus debut, plus why you may want to use a VPN to stream it.
How to Watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney Plus
You can watch the latest Guardians of the Galaxy starting Aug. 2 at 12:01 a.m. PT (3:01 a.m. ET). It'll be available at that time in every country Disney Plus is available in, except for France and Turkey, which will get access to the movie at a later date, according to Disney.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the last outing for this particular team of Guardians, according to writer-director Gunn. But if you want more, Disney Plus hosts the following adventures containing the crew: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Disney Plus offers an ad-supported tier for $8 a month and an ad-free tier for $11 a month that includes downloads. If you'd prefer not to subscribe, the third Guardians movie is currently available to purchase digitally for $20 from sites, including Amazon.
You can get Disney Plus on its own or opt to bundle it. Bundling ad-supported Disney Plus and Hulu costs $10 per month. Another bundle costs $3 more a month and tacks on ad-supported ESPN Plus. Finally, it costs $20 per month to bundle ad-free Hulu, ad-free Disney Plus and ad-supported ESPN Plus. Here are the Disney Bundles and our review of Disney Plus.
How to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 from anywhere with a VPN
Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream Disney Plus while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.
A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, our Editors' Choice is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices, and provides stable streams. It's normally $13 a month, but it currently costs less overall to go for a 12-month subscription, where each month shakes out to $8.32.
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our review of ExpressVPN.
Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be streaming on Disney Plus. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you are connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream Guardians 3 on more than one device, it's possible you'll need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Disney Plus to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.