diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
index 77fd66493a..c875403264 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Net;
 using System.Threading;
-using MaxMind.GeoIP2;
 using OpenRA.FileSystem;
 using OpenRA.Graphics;
 using OpenRA.Network;
@@ -44,8 +43,6 @@ namespace OpenRA
 		public static Renderer Renderer;
 		public static bool HasInputFocus = false;
 
-		public static DatabaseReader GeoIpDatabase;
-
 		public static OrderManager JoinServer(string host, int port, string password, bool recordReplay = true)
 		{
 			IConnection connection = new NetworkConnection(host, port);
@@ -216,14 +213,7 @@ namespace OpenRA
 				Settings.Server.AllowPortForward = false;
 			}
 
-			try
-			{
-				GeoIpDatabase = new DatabaseReader("GeoLite2-Country.mmdb");
-			}
-			catch (Exception e)
-			{
-				Log.Write("geoip", "DatabaseReader failed: {0}", e);
-			}
+			GeoIP.Initialize();
 
 			GlobalFileSystem.Mount(Platform.GameDir); // Needed to access shaders
 			var renderers = new[] { Settings.Graphics.Renderer, "Sdl2", null };
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Network/GeoIP.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Network/GeoIP.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fb42d78051
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Network/GeoIP.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#region Copyright & License Information
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007-2015 The OpenRA Developers (see AUTHORS)
+ * This file is part of OpenRA, which is free software. It is made
+ * available to you under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation. For more information,
+ * see COPYING.
+ */
+#endregion
+
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.Core;
+using ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.GZip;
+using MaxMind.GeoIP2;
+
+namespace OpenRA.Network
+{
+	public class GeoIP
+	{
+		static DatabaseReader database;
+
+		public static void Initialize()
+		{
+			try
+			{
+				using (var fileStream = new FileStream("GeoLite2-Country.mmdb.gz", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))
+					using (var gzipStream = new GZipInputStream(fileStream))
+						database = new DatabaseReader(gzipStream);
+			}
+			catch (Exception e)
+			{
+				Log.Write("geoip", "DatabaseReader failed: {0}", e);
+			}
+		}
+
+		public static string LookupCountry(string ip)
+		{
+			const string Unknown = "Unknown Location";
+
+			try
+			{
+				return database.Country(ip).Country.Name ?? Unknown;
+			}
+			catch (Exception e)
+			{
+				Log.Write("geoip", "LookupCountry failed: {0}", e);
+				return Unknown;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj b/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj
index a1e1d691a3..3b803ee298 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Network\Connection.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Network\FrameData.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Network\GameServer.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Network\GeoIP.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Network\Handshake.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Network\Order.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Network\OrderIO.cs" />
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/ClientTooltipLogic.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/ClientTooltipLogic.cs
index f028d99dc1..c6b48fb265 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/ClientTooltipLogic.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/ClientTooltipLogic.cs
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common.Widgets.Logic
 				address = UPnP.NatDevice.GetExternalIP().ToString();
 			var cachedDescriptiveIP = LobbyUtils.DescriptiveIpAddress(address);
 			ip.GetText = () => cachedDescriptiveIP;
-			var cachedCountryLookup = LobbyUtils.LookupCountry(address);
+			var cachedCountryLookup = GeoIP.LookupCountry(address);
 			location.GetText = () => cachedCountryLookup;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/LobbyUtils.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/LobbyUtils.cs
index cc61b42482..13f6ebaf57 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/LobbyUtils.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/Lobby/LobbyUtils.cs
@@ -235,21 +235,6 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common.Widgets.Logic
 			return ip;
 		}
 
-		public static string LookupCountry(string ip)
-		{
-			const string Unknown = "Unknown Location";
-
-			try
-			{
-				return Game.GeoIpDatabase.Country(ip).Country.Name ?? Unknown;
-			}
-			catch (Exception e)
-			{
-				Log.Write("geoip", "LookupCountry failed: {0}", e);
-				return Unknown;
-			}
-		}
-
 		public static void SetupClientWidget(Widget parent, Session.Slot s, Session.Client c, OrderManager orderManager, bool visible)
 		{
 			parent.Get("ADMIN_INDICATOR").IsVisible = () => c.IsAdmin;
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/ServerBrowserLogic.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/ServerBrowserLogic.cs
index a18dc9d68a..a00fb47a80 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/ServerBrowserLogic.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Widgets/Logic/ServerBrowserLogic.cs
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common.Widgets.Logic
 					var location = item.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("LOCATION");
 					if (location != null)
 					{
-						var cachedServerLocation = LobbyUtils.LookupCountry(game.Address.Split(':')[0]);
+						var cachedServerLocation = GeoIP.LookupCountry(game.Address.Split(':')[0]);
 						location.GetText = () => cachedServerLocation;
 						location.GetColor = () => !compatible ? Color.DarkGray : !canJoin ? Color.LightGray : location.TextColor;
 					}