Regional lockout is the programming practice, code, chip, or physical barrier used to prevent the playing of media designed for a device from the country where it is marketed on the version of the same device marketed in another country.
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6answers
3k views
Why is StarCraft 2 divided by regions?
I live in Argentina, but I love to get all my stuff (be it games, tv series, movies, etc) in English.
Battle.net will only let me select one region, which by default is Latin America, that has only ...
11
votes
1answer
5k views
I just bought an Xbox 360 game with wrong region. What should I do?
I just bought a game (Forza 4) for my Xbox 360 (bought in the US). When I tried to play the game, it wouldn't load because of region issue. Is there a legal way to solve this (no crack)?
8
votes
4answers
5k views
Will my Xbox 360 from the UK work when I move to Australia?
I own (and love) an Xbox 360 and nearly 50 games which I play regularly and I have a Live gold membership.
I will soon be emigrating to Australia and was wondering will I be able to take my 360 and ...
8
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2answers
1k views
8
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1answer
709 views
Why do you need a SS for some Korean games?
For some Korean games, you need a Korean Social Security number to play.
I don't understand, why is it a requirement? What's the justification?
8
votes
1answer
464 views
Is the Game Boy Advance slot on the DS region-locked?
Would I be able to play an American Game Boy Advance game on my European DS via the GBA slot at the bottom of the device?
I know the on the whole Nintendo don't region-lock their portables (at least ...
7
votes
1answer
4k views
Is the Nintendo 3DS region-locked?
I am thinking of buying a 3DS when the price drop comes into place in America, however I live in Australia. Will Australian 3DS games work on a North American 3DS?
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Is the PAL version of Halo 4 playable on an NTSC Xbox 360?
I have an NTSC Xbox 360. Can I play a PAL Halo 4 on it?
6
votes
2answers
7k views
Can I play DS games from any region on the 3DS?
I have a North American 3DS, and I really, really want to get a copy of the DS game Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland.
However, the only way to get it in North America is to import a European ...
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votes
5answers
5k views
Purchasing a Steam Game in Europe (though I am a US citizen)
Ok, I'm hoping this question doesn't get closed with regards to small locale as I'm trying to cover all of Europe with this one :)
I am a US citizen currently working on an international assignment ...
5
votes
1answer
458 views
Are console games locked to a certain region?
I'm going on a vacation from Europe to the US and was planning of bringing along some Xbox360 or PS3 games, but now I'm curious if they will be compatible with my European Xbox.
In that past there ...
5
votes
2answers
593 views
Are boxed PC retail copies of Skyrim region-locked?
I've heard that all PC copies of Skyrim require Steam activation and am wondering if this is forcing region locking. I want to buy a UK copy of Skyrim and be able to activate/play it in the USA. Can ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Will games from the UK work on consoles from Portugal?
I am planning on going out to Portugal soon and I am wondering if I should bring out some Xbox 360 games for a friend that stays there, as the games cost a lot more there than they do here. So,
...
4
votes
2answers
9k views
How to change installation region
I have two starcraft accounts on different regions - one on NA server and another on EU. Right now I have the NA client installed, which means I can only log into the NA battle.net.
What is the best ...
4
votes
3answers
444 views
Are there any issues if I bought a Nintendo Wii from the US and use it in India?
Will there be any issues if I buy a Nintendo Wii from the US and use it in India?
Issues like ports or game campatibility, etc.
4
votes
2answers
245 views
How do you tell the region of a 3DS game from its case?
How do you tell the region (America, Europe, Japan) of a Nintendo 3DS game from its case? A Wii game usually has "PAL" on front side if it's an European release, but how does a 3DS game indicate its ...
4
votes
1answer
5k views
Can you import Mass Effect 2 PS3 save into Mass Effect 3 if the games are from different regions?
Most PS3 game save I tried aren't compatible with different regional versions of the same game, but does Mass Effect 3 allow you to import a Mass Effect 2 save from a different region? For example, if ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Is it worth taking a UK Xbox to the US?
I may be moving to the US and I want to know if it is even reasonable to take my Xbox. I realise that there will need to be a power conversion, but that aside we have lots of kid's DVD's and Xbox ...
4
votes
1answer
438 views
How to make sure a steam key I redeem yields me the uncensored, not the German edition?
I want to buy the games offered in the current Humble Weekly Sale. What do I have to do in order to get the uncensored version? In particular, is the country of purchase defined by where the IP I ...
3
votes
2answers
8k views
Most convenient method to switch between PSN accounts to access PS Vita content from different Playstation Stores?
I have a Japanese PSN account, as well as a US PSN account.
On my PS3, I get the best of both world since I have access to Japanese Playstation Store as well as US Playstation Store. I can purchase ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
UK (region 2) DVDs, Can they play on a US (region 1) X-box 360?
Okay, as my friend just shipped me her Misfits (UK only show) DVDs so I can catch up on them over my holiday week- I am wondering if I should look at investing in a region free DVD player on my next ...
3
votes
1answer
609 views
How is the Wii U's region locking applied?
Can someone please let me know how the Wii U is region locked?
ie. what are the regions that games can be bought from for both the Wii U and how this applies to backwards compatibility for Wii ...
3
votes
1answer
322 views
Does the EU release of Pokemon Black / White work in a NA DSi?
The Japanese version of Pokemon Black & White does not work on North American DSi systems.
But But the Australian version of it works on a Japanese 3DS.
Does anyone know if the European ...
3
votes
2answers
245 views
Regional differences in Borderlands 2
General question: Are there any differences in Borderlands 2, based on the game's region code?
Specific case: I received a game coded for Region 3, but I live in the U.S.. Are there any ...
3
votes
2answers
967 views
Xbox 360 region protection - system link between PAL and NTSC
I live in a country where we have a mix of regions here since all consoles are independently imported.
So I have an NTSC Xbox which I bought in the US some years ago. Me and my friends are going to ...
3
votes
1answer
229 views
How can I know if a game from a different region can be run
On a PAL xbox system - I can run some NTSC games. Is there a way to know which NTSC game will run on the PAL console just by its cover?
3
votes
2answers
572 views
Is Red Dead Redemption multiplayer region locked?
I have an american PS3.
I bought the UK version of Red Dead Redemption.
I am currently living in Italy
I tried to play a multiplayer match with a friend with an american PS3 and american RDD. He is ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
If I make a battlenet account in Australia, will I be able to swap it to US?
I am in Australia right now and I'm thinking of making a battlenet account for the various demos they claim to have on their site (which you have to have a bnet account to see). When I get back home ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Can I play PS3 games from another country?
I'm going to buy Assassins Creed 3 on amazon.com, but my friend told me if I buy it from there, I can't play because I have a PS3 from Iceland (where I live). It is true?
Does the PS3 have region ...
2
votes
1answer
213 views
Which console versions do Amazon.com sell? [closed]
Since they are in the US, I'm assuming Amazon.com sells the North American one? Or do they sell both? I am looking for the European version but I don't see any version in their catalog:
...
2
votes
1answer
9k views
How to play a region locked xbox 360 game and use my region's account on it?
So I realized that their have been a lot of xbox 360 games made in Europe & Japan that haven't made it to the US.
I found out though that setting up a PAL or NTSC-J xbox 360 to play these games ...
2
votes
1answer
184 views
Are Playstation 2 saved games (esp. Gran Turismo 3) portable across regions?
I've been playing the Japanese release of Gran Turismo 3 on my PS2. What happens if I take my PS2 memory card, and use it with the American release of GT3?
The GT games use an arbitrary "Credits" as ...
2
votes
1answer
279 views
Are PC games and expansion packs region locked?
Title pretty much says it. If I have the US version of a game (physical disc media, not Games for Windows edition or Steam download) and get a UK edition of an expansion pack, will they work? ...
2
votes
2answers
680 views
Does the absence of a region restriction notice mean a game is region free?
Steam has begun to display region restriction and language info for some games, as seen in the picture. Does the abscence of such a notice indicate that the game on offer is completely region free and ...
2
votes
1answer
400 views
Game compatibility on Wii
I have recently acquired my sister's Wii(PAL) from Australia. I live in the Philippines(which is an NTSC region). She sent me a NBA 2k11 with the Wii(PAL) and I was hoping if I could play any NTSC ...
2
votes
0answers
2k views
How to play Xbox 360 NTSC-J games in Europe?
I was 6-months in Japan and played Monster Hunter Frontier Online(who looks to be ip adress restricted game) with my hostfamilly' japanese ip adress and everything was perfect.
Before coming back to ...
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3answers
2k views
Are Battlefield 3 Premium keys region restricted?
I'm considering buying boxed CD key for Battlefield 3 Premium, as it has significantly better price than one in Origin Store. Are these keys region restricted in any way?
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1answer
497 views
Some US Xbox 360 games not working on my xbox360 - claiming region lock
I have two games: Skyrim and Fifa 13. They are both NTSC-U games but my NTSC-U xbox blocks me from playing the games due to region block.
The xbox was bought in Japan while on a trip there, but at ...
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vote
2answers
3k views
Can you play a Japanese N64 Game on a European console?
Back in Europe I have a N64 console. As I am currently living in Japan, I find myself tempted to buy some old N64 games in Japanese. However, the articles about the N64's region locking usually assume ...
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vote
1answer
55 views
Are SNES PAL games before 1993 region locked?
Are SNES games before 1993 region locked? I have lots of SNES games from 1993 and 1992 which I really wanna play on something like a SupaBoy, which is an NTSC system.
1
vote
1answer
81 views
Buying games across countries with GameTreeOnline
I am currently sitting in Sydney for a summer break and I want to buy games from GameTreeOnline. Unfortunately, their 'security' mechanisms prevent me from using my bank account while in Sydney, ...
1
vote
1answer
121 views
Are there any region-based server limits in ArmA2?
I am planning to buy ArmA2 (since I keep hearing and reading great things about the game!), yet I'd first like to check whether it is possible for players of versions bought in different places (e.g. ...
0
votes
2answers
235 views
Online games region restrictions
Is it possible to buy games in Asia (from web or when on holiday) and then play them in Europe? I'm worried that they may be some region restrictions on them.
It's mostly games from US or European ...
0
votes
1answer
218 views
Is there a way to bypass the Steam region lock?
I want to check out a game but when I view it from Steam, it says:
"This item is currently unavailable in your region"
Is there a way to go around this limitation? Not simply by using a proxy to ...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
Is there some way to determine your Wii's parent region?
A friend of my Wife's bought a Wii seconhand from some-person.
They cannot purchase games via the Wii store because they get a message stating that the game is not available in their region.
Since ...
