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The specific application I have in mind is an annoying game that only supports LAN play through autodetection of other games on your local network, and it won't let you enter an IP address.

So, what I want to do is make it so that myself and two other friends in different locations appear to be on the same local network, so that the game is "fooled" into thinking it's just using local LAN to connect to my friends when it's actually going across the Internet.

I'm having trouble finding details on exactly how to do this, because most people want to do the exact opposite of what I'm trying. They want to make a local machine appear to be part of the public Internet. I'm trying to make a remote machine from outside the network appear to be part of the local network, and there doesn't seem to be as much information on doing that.

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    VPNs are designed to extend a network that is non-contiguous, as though it were. you have to pick the right vpn technologies (there are lots of things that say they are VPNs but are just tunneling encryption at Layer 3), and set your network up so that the remote server can VPN in to your network. from there it will act as part of your network at layers 2 and 3, provided you have everything right.
    – Frank Thomas
    Jul 27, 2018 at 19:27
  • tinc-vpn.org is your freind
    – Alex
    Jul 27, 2018 at 20:45
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    what game, if i may ask?
    – hanshenrik
    Jul 27, 2018 at 23:46
  • The best idea that I can come up with is to port-forward connections made to your own computer out to your friends computers. However, since I assume the game isn't looking for a server on the same computer it's running on, you'd need to mess around with IP addresses in order to get something like that to work. Eventually, it just leads to @Fanatique 's answer, which is to use a VPN.
    – Mr. Minty Fresh
    Jul 28, 2018 at 6:46

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You can use virtual private tunnels (VPNs) for that. VPNs allow you to create a private network tunnel over the Internet with other users, connecting you in a secure local network.
There are applications like Evolve and Hamachi that are designed specifically with that idea in mind - to connect users over the Internet in a private (local) network.

After installing a VPN application, connect with your friends in one server/group, and then, whenever you host a local game, all your friends in that same server/group will be able to see and join your game.

For more information, you can read the following articles:
What is a VPN?
How to play old LAN games over the Internet - despite it being for "old" games, it is a perfect example that can be used for any such game.

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  • Yep. I used Hamachi myself exactly for this purpose.
    – LPChip
    Jul 27, 2018 at 20:00
  • Would I have to run Hamachi on the same machine the game is running on, or would I be able to run it on my router and/or a different machine that I've configured as an Internet gateway?
    – Jeremy Andrews
    Jul 28, 2018 at 22:07
  • @JeremyAndrews You have to run Hamachi on the same machine. It's a client program.
    – Fanatique
    Jul 29, 2018 at 9:15

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