Is an NTSC game ok for PAL PS4

Question

I live in Turkey. We use the PAL standard here. All our games and PS4s are PAL. But recently I found a seller who sells NTSC games for lower prices. I know it will work on my PS4 but is there a disadvantage to using an NTSC game on a PAL PS4?

Answer 1

There should be no problem. PAL and NTSC are analogue standards. the PS4 doesn't even transmit them natively (it even lacks analogue ports). 720P / 1080P through HDMI is the standard.

If you use a modern TV that has HDMI, you should have no problem.

Answer 2

No PS4 console or PS4 game is in PAL (or in NTSC for that matter). What they produce on the HDMI output depends on what the console negotiates with the monitor/screen connected to it. Most of the time this will be 1920x1080@60Hz. This “Full HD” resolution is one of the most common resolutions sent over HDMI and practically supported by any screen/monitor. (A game might request a lower resolution to be driven by the console, or the console itself will drive a lower resolution if the screen can’t handle 1920x1080@60Hz, but this is rare. – And it will still work anyway.)

You can search online for cover photos (front and back) with “game name ps4 cover ntsc” or “pal” and will find out that not a single cover mentions PAL or NTSC.

Independent of video resolution and standards: the PS4 does not employ a “region lock”, so all games work in all consoles.

If someone uses the words NTSC or PAL with PS4, I guess it is to indicate the market the product was intended for, not a technical detail.

So, is there a disadvantage? Yeah, the price might be. ;-) Language and subtitle options might differ. Age restrictions/labels will cater to the intended markets only. And there might be some DLC availability/compatibility issues if you shop with a Playstation account linked to one market for a disc bought in another market.

I remember double checking the compatible disc IDs in some DLC description before buying.