For the first time ever, Hard Knocks will follow the Detroit Lions in 2022. The five-hour-long episodes should help shed some light on what’s going on behind the scenes at training camp as Dan Campbell’s young team look to continue their rebuild. Season 18 of Hard Knocks will premiere at 10 PM EST (7 PM PST) on Tuesday, August 9; read on to find out how you can stream every episode online.

Please don’t be tempted to try watching Hard Knocks via unofficial sources. Not only are these notoriously unreliable, they often only offer the bare minimum in terms of video quality. There are plenty of legitimate ways to watch, even outside of the US, and a little further down, we’ll be explaining how you can watch Hard Knocks season 18 for free. In other words, there are simply no benefits to using third-party streams!

The services showing Hard Knocks are all geo-blocked. If you’re traveling abroad and hoping to watch the show on your usual streaming platforms, you’ll need a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

How to stream Hard Knocks online from abroad

VPNs enhance your online privacy by encrypting your web traffic and hiding your true location. This latter feature also lets you access region-specific services from anywhere in the world. Best of all, these services are very easy to use.

Here’s how to watch Hard Knocks (Season 18) from anywhere:

  • Before we begin, you’ll have to decide which VPN you’d like to use. We recommend NordVPN. That said, Surfshark and ExpressVPN are two top-tier alternatives.
  • Once you’ve signed up, install the VPN app onto your preferred streaming device. It’s fine if you have a few; most providers let you secure at least five at once.
  • Choose one of the official broadcasters from the list below.
  • Log into the VPN and select a server in the appropriate country. You’d use a US server for watching on HBO or a British one for unblocking Sky.
  • Finally, try to play a video on your chosen service. If it fails to load, clearing your cookies and refreshing the page should fix most issues. Still struggling? You might want to contact your VPN’s support team for personalized, step-by-step assistance.

How to watch Hard Knocks on US TV

There are no hidden terms—just let customer support know within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn’t right for you and you’ll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.

New episodes of Hard Knocks: The Detroit Lions will be added to HBO Max at the same time that they’re shown on traditional TV (10 PM EST every Tuesday). HBO Max costs $9.99 USD per month with ads or $14.99 per month without, and unfortunately, there’s no free trial. However, if you’re already an HBO TV customer, you can just sign into HBO Max with your cable provider details instead.

Things are slightly more difficult if you’d like to watch live. HBO has slowly been removing its live channels from streaming services, and is now only available on YouTube TV. Of course, recently-aired episodes will be added to this platform’s on-demand library too, so don’t worry if you miss one. Normally, you’d have to pay $64.99 per month for YouTube TV, but it comes with a two-week free trial. In other words, if you can wait a few weeks after the premiere, you’ll be able to sign up, watch all five episodes, and cancel before your payment method is charged.

HBO Max and YouTube TV are both geo-restricted, so you’ll need a VPN to use them abroad. NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you the chance to try it completely risk-free. If you’re unimpressed, cancel within 30 days to claim a full refund, no questions asked.

Where else can I watch Hard Knocks online?

Even though football is primarily for an American audience, Hard Knocks has fans all over the world, and is being shown in several countries. Here’s everything we know about streaming Hard Knocks season 18 internationally:

Canada

While previous seasons of Hard Knocks have been exclusive to DAZN in Canada, there’s been no word regarding season 18. We’ll keep an eye out and update this if there’s any news. If Hard Knocks: Detroit Lions does come to DAZN Canada, you can expect to pay $24.99 CAD a month or $199,99 annually. Unfortunately, there’s no longer the option of a free trial.

DAZN has different content for different countries. However, if you’re outside of Canada, you can still watch Hard Knocks with the help of a Canadian VPN server. 

UK

Hard Knocks: Detroit Lions will air live on Sky Sports Action. If you’ve already got a Sky TV subscription, simply sign in to your Sky Go app to watch online. Alternatively, it’s possible to stream Sky Sports live online via Now TV, provided you have a Sports Membership. This is usually priced at £33.99 per month although there’s currently an offer with which you’d only pay £25 a month for 12 months.

Of course, Sky Go and Now TV are both geo-restricted services so you’ll need a VPN if you’re outside of the UK.

Worldwide

If you don’t mind waiting until after the initial live broadcast, you can stream episodes of Hard Knocks: Detroit Lions on NFL Game Pass. This streaming service operated by the NFL is available in most countries worldwide. Prices vary by country but, as an example, a subscription in the UK costs £150.99.

What can we expect from season 18 of Hard Knocks?

Hard Knocks season 18 sees the series follow the Detroit Lions for the very first time. As you can see in the official trailer, it will track the Lions’ progress through the 2022 NFL preseason as they look to take another step forward in their rebuild.

With promising young players including Penei Sewell, D’Andre Swift, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, as well as rookie (and second overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft) Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions are a team on the rise (but will it finally translate to wins?). Oh, and expect plenty of entertaining quotes from head coach Dan Campbell as well!