A gas injector for the direct injection of gaseous fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, which includes a valve seat, a valve needle having a sealing region, the valve needle releasing a first cross-sectional area at the valve seat in response to a lift, a component surrounding the valve needle, and a gas control region, which is situated directly next to the sealing region, the gas control region providing a constant cross-sectional area between the valve needle and the component surrounding the valve needle across a lift length from a first lift position to a second lift position.