HBO Max Australia: How to watch HBO in Australia

Max blends the full suite of HBO original programming, like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, with WarnerMedia content, which includes original programming (called “Max Originals”) with popular Discovery content like Alone, Deadliest Catch and House Hunters. 

Max officially launched in Australia on 31 March 2025. First impressions show it has a comparable library to the US version, but still there may be some content you still can't get in Australia due to licensing restrictions.

If you're looking for something that isn't available on Max in Australia, chances are you might have better luck access the US version of the service through a VPN. Even though these steps outlined below will lead to you legally paying for a service, the chances are good that accessing content from a different country is violating the terms of use of Warner Bros. Discovery. have laid out.  This can lead to your account being cancelled at any point, which may mean you’ve thrown money down the drain. Our advice? Don't take up the annual subscription if you're accessing Max via a VPN. 

If you want to watch HBO content in Australia without a VPN your best options are now Foxtel and Max. 

As of launch, Max took back the vast majority of its content from Binge, minus mid-season releases like The White Lotus. If you're looking to watch the best HBO content, you'll find it at its new home Max (which you can snag for a good deal right now).

Alternatively you can also catch a bunch of HBO content on Foxtel, or at least with your Foxtel subscription. As some kind of middle ground every IQ box subscription comes with a Basic with Ads Max subscription included in the price. So while you will still technically be watching on Max, you don't need to pay any extra for it.

Max doesn't have a free trial, but it has some solid value intro plans available until April 30th. More on that below.

You’ll need a few things to watch the US version of Max (HBO Max) in Australia.

1. Use either a VPN or smart DNS service to make it look like you’re in the US
2. Pay for the services without a US credit card
3. Figure out which device you will stream with (NOTE: The Max app is not available in Australia)

Not every VPN will allow you to access Max from Australia but in our tests, big-name services like NordVPN and ExpressVPN tend to do the trick. Below is a list of VPNs we've used to access Max.

There are two options when it comes to accessing region-locked content in Australia: a VPN or a smart DNS service. As far as entertainment is concerned, both digital services have the potential to achieve the same goal of unlocking region-locked content.  I’ve researched several, but Express VPN and Getflix are the best VPN and smart DNS service, respectively.

It might also be best to consider alternating between both as each has their uses; plus, if one goes down, the other is there as a backup.

Smart DNS services tend to be cheaper than VPNs, but generally aren't as versatile: a smart DNS doesn’t encrypt data, nor does it change your IP address (the unique ID for your internet connection). While VPNs are more secure, they’re also slower than smart DNS services, which isn't great when you're primarily streaming video (particularly on slower or shared internet connections).

A reliable smart DNS or VPN service can also be used to access different Netflix and Amazon Prime Video libraries (which are region locked), or other non-Australian services like Showtime, BBC, and Hotstar.

In the US, Warner Bros. Discovery charges between US $9.99 (AUD $15.88) and US $20.99 (AUD $33.36) per month for Max streaming. The lowest tier still includes ads and the highest tier is the only option that gets you 4K streaming. That's pretty rough.  Luckily Australian pricing is far more reasonable.

Plans start from $11.99/mth for Basic with Ads, and go up to $21.99/mth for Premium. Until April 30 these are discounts bringing these down to $7.99/mth and $17.99/mth for the first 12-months. Even if you don't opt for the annual plan.

The plans have the usual streaming structure. More money gets you more simultaneous streams, and better streaming quality, but with Max you'll also pay more for higher download limits. The Basic plan doesn't support offlining at all, while on the Standard plan you'll get 30 downloads at once, and on Premium up to 100.

Have a gander at the table below for a rough idea of how Max's plans compare with the options currently available in Australia: 

Now that you have signed up and paid for everything, the final decision is how are you going to access these services?

VPNs and smart DNS services will give you details to change in your internet settings; either your IP address or your DNS addresses.

You can adjust these settings on your router/modem-router, but bear in mind, if you change these settings in your router it will affect all other devices connected to your network. This may slow down your internet connection when doing other things online, like gaming or video-conferencing, or it may lock you out of Australian online services.

In many respects this is personal preference, but there’s extra effort required per device if you don’t have or don’t want to input VPN or smart DNS details directly into your router or modem-router. In terms of tests, the easiest devices are PCs, Android devices, and the Xbox One.