A regional lockout (or region coding) is a class of
digital rights management
Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...
preventing the use of a certain product or service, such as
multimedia
Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradition ...
or a hardware device, outside a certain region or territory. A regional lockout may be enforced through physical means, through technological means such as detecting the user's
IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...
or using an identifying code, or through unintentional means introduced by devices only supporting certain regional technologies (such as
video formats
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
, i.e.,
NTSC
The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...
and
PAL).
A regional lockout may be enforced for several reasons, such as to stagger the release of a certain product, to avoid losing sales to the product's foreign publisher,
to maximize the product's impact in a certain region through localization,
[ to hinder grey market imports by enforcing price discrimination, or to prevent users from accessing certain content in their territory because of legal reasons (either due to ]censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
laws, or because a distributor does not have the rights to certain intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
outside their specified region).
Multimedia
Disc regions
The DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
, Blu-ray Disc
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...
, and UMD media formats all support the use of region coding; DVDs use eight region codes (Region 7 is reserved for future use; Region 8 is used for "international venues", such as airplanes and cruise ships), and Blu-ray Discs use three region codes corresponding to different areas of the world. Most Blu-rays, however, are region-free.
On computers, the DVD region can usually be changed five times. Windows uses three region counters: its own one, the one of the DVD drive, and the one of the player software (occasionally, the player software has no region counter of its own, but uses that of Windows). After the fifth region change, the system is locked to that region. In modern DVD drives (type RPC-2), the region lock is saved to its hardware, so that even reinstalling Windows or using the drive with a different computer will not unlock the drive again.
Unlike DVD regions, Blu-ray regions are verified only by the player software, not by the computer system or the drive. The region code is stored in a file or the registry, and there are hacks to reset the region counter of the player software. In stand-alone players, the region code is part of the firmware.
For bypassing region codes, there are software and multi-regional players available.
A new form of Blu-ray region coding tests not only the region of the player/player software, but also its country code, repurposing a user setting intended for localization
Localization or localisation may refer to:
Biology
* Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence
* Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...
(PSR19) as a new form of regional lockout. This means, for example, while both the US and Japan are Region A, some American discs will not play on devices/software configured for Japan or vice versa, since the two countries have different country codes. (For example, the United States is "US" (21843 or hex 0x5553), Japan is "JP" (19024 or hex 0x4a50), and Canada is "CA" (17217 or hex 0x4341).) Although there are only three Blu-ray regions, the country code allows much more precise control of the regional distribution of Blu-ray Discs than the six (or eight) DVD regions.
Since Blu-ray discs are cheaper in America than in Japan, American releases of Japanese anime series are often protected in that way to prevent reversal importations. Some discs check whether the country code is US or Canada (sometimes also Mexico) and play only in these countries, others allow all country codes (even those of non-Region-A countries) except the Japanese.
''AnyDVD
AnyDVD is a device driver for Microsoft Windows which allows decryption of DVDs on the fly, as well as targeted removal of copy preventions and user operation prohibitions (UOPs). With an upgrade, it will also do the same for HD DVD and Blu-r ...
HD'' (7.5.9.0 and higher) has an option to enforce the US country code. The software developers say users can also change the country code to enforce in the registry value "bdCountryCode" themselves or set "no country code" by using the value 4294967295 or hex 0xFFFFFFFF. (Before the change of the value, AnyDVD must be closed, and after changing, it must be restarted.)
Some stand-alone Blu-ray players and player programs allow to change the country code (e.g. via the parental lock) and can bypass this protection like that.
Software
Some features of certain programs are/were disabled if the software is/was installed on a computer in a certain region.
In older versions of the copy software '' CloneCD'', the features "''Amplify Weak Sectors''", "''Protected PC Games''," and "''Hide CDR Media''" were disabled in the United States and Japan. Changing the region ''and'' language settings in Windows (e.g., to Canadian English) or patches could unlock these features in the two countries. SlySoft decided to leave these options disabled for the US for legal reasons, but, strangely enough, in the program "''AnyDVD''", which is also illegal according to US law, no features were disabled. The current version of CloneCD (5.3.1.4) is not region-restricted anymore.
The newer versions of the copy software ' (9.1.5.0 and higher) come in a US version (''no Blu-ray-ripping feature''), which is downloaded if the homepage ''dvdfab.cn'' identifies a US IP address, and a non-US version (''with working Blu-ray-ripping feature). Some webpages allow the download of the non-US version also from the US (they store the non-US version directly and do not use download links to the developer's homepage).
The software CCleaner
CCleaner (, originally Crap Cleaner), developed by Piriform Software, is a utility used to clean potentially unwanted files and invalid Windows Registry entries from a computer. It is one of the longest-established system cleaners, first launc ...
v5.45.6611 has an added check to prevent the use in embargoed countries.
Some programs (e.g., games) are distributed in different versions for NTSC and PAL computers. In some cases, to avoid grey market imports or international software piracy, they are designed not to run on a computer with the wrong TV system. Other programs can run on computers with both TV systems.
Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab (; Russian: Лаборатория Касперского, tr. ''Laboratoriya Kasperskogo'') is a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider headquartered in Moscow, Russia, and operated by a holding company in th ...
sells its anti-virus products at different prices in different regions and uses regionalized activation codes. A program bought in a country of a region can be activated in another country of the ''same'' region. Once activated, the software can also be used in and download updates from other regions as long as the license is valid. Problems may arise when the license must be renewed, or if the software must be reinstalled, in a region other than the one where it was bought. The region is identified by the IP address (there is no activation possible without Internet connection), so the use of VPN or a proxy is recommended to circumvent the restriction.
The Kaspersky regions are:
*Region 1: Canada, United States, Mexico, and Bermuda
*Region 2: Western Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Egypt, and Japan
*Region 3: Southeast Asia
*Region 4: Central America, South America (excluding French Guiana), and Oceania; Mexico uses software that uses flags for both regions 1 and 4
*Region 5: Africa, India, and the Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
(also includes Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Serbia)
*Region 6: Mainland China
*Region 7: Elsewhere
*Region 8: Special international area (airplane, steamer, etc.)
The desktop versions of HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario are region-locked, according the build is 91UKV6PRA1, for the A6740uk released in 2009. WildTangent EMEA, Magic Desktop will not work on models in the US.
The HP FlexBuild Regions Are:
*USA: United States
*JAP: Japan
*KOR: Korean
*EMEA: Middle East
*TOUCH: Designed for HP Touchsmart only
Websites
On the internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, geo-blocking is used primarily to control access to online media content that is only licensed for playback in a certain region due to territorial licensing arrangements.
Video games
Regional lockouts in video games have been achieved by several methods, such as hardware/software authentication, slot pin-out change, differences in cartridge cases, IP blocking and online software patching. Most console video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s have region encoding.
The main regions are:
* Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
( NTSC-J)
* North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
( NTSC-U)
* Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
( PAL region)
* China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(NTSC-C
NTSC-C is a regional lockout created in 2003 by Sony Computer Entertainment for the official launch of its PlayStation 2 gaming system into the mainland Chinese market.
Mainland Chinese market
The system's original model, then called PlayStation ...
)
Atari Inc.
The Atari 2600 does not have regional locking, however NTSC games can display wrong colors, slow speed and sound on PAL systems, and vice versa.
Atari 7800 has regional locking on NTSC systems, making PAL games unplayable on them. However, the PAL versions of the Atari 7800 can run NTSC games, but still suffering from the same problems the Atari 2600 had.
The Atari 5200, Lynx
A lynx is a type of wild cat.
Lynx may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Lynx (constellation)
* Lynx (Chinese astronomy)
* Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory
Places Canada
* Lynx, Ontar ...
and Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
are region-free.
Nintendo
Nintendo was the first console maker to introduce regional locks to its consoles, and used them for every one of its consoles except the Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
, while mostly abstaining from using them for its handheld products.
Games for the Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
(NES) were locked through both physical and technical means; the design of cartridges for the NES differed between Japan and other markets, using a different number of pins. As the Famicom (the Japanese model) used slightly smaller cartridges, Japanese games could not fit into NES consoles without an adapter (and even with that, they could still not use the extra sound functionalities of the Famicom due to their differing hardware). Official adapters existed inside early copies of Gyromite
R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) is a toy robot accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was launched in July 1985 as the in Japan, and October 1985 as R.O.B. in North America. Its short lifespan yielded only two games in the ...
and could be disassembled then swapped with a different Famicom game.
Additionally, the NES also contained the 10NES
The Checking Integrated Circuit (CIC) is a lockout chip designed by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console in 1985; the chip is part of a system known as 10NES, in which a 'key' (which is stored in the game) is us ...
authentication chip; the chip was coded for one of four regions:
* ''NTSC'' (North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
)
* ''PAL-A'' (United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
)
* ''PAL-B'' (other Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an countries and South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
)
* ''Asia'' ( South East Asia, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
)
A game's region is recognized by the console using the 10NES chip. If the chip inside the cartridge conflicts with the chip inside the console, the game will not boot. The 10NES chip also doubled as a form of digital rights management
Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...
to prevent loading unlicensed or bootleg games. The redesigned Nintendo Entertainment System (Model NES-101)
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo, had numerous model variants produced throughout its lifetime. It was originally released in 1983 as the (and widely known as the ) i ...
released in 1993/1994 lacks the 10NES chip, and can play PAL and unlicensed games, although Famicom games still need a converter. The Famicom does not include a 10NES chip, but is still unable to play imports unless an adapter is used, due to the different size of the media.
The American Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
(SNES) and the Super Famicom use differences in cartridge cases. A Super NES cartridge will not fit in a Super Famicom/PAL SNES slot due to its different shape and two pieces of plastic in the SNES slot prevent Super Famicom cartridges from being inserted in the SNES. PAL SNES carts can be fully inserted in Japanese consoles, but a similar chip to the 10NES, called the CIC, prevents PAL games from being played in NTSC consoles and vice versa. While physical modification of the cases (either console or cartridges) is needed to play games from the different regions, in order to play games of different TV systems, a hardware modification is also needed. Region locks could be bypassed using special unlicensed cartridge adapters such as Game Genie. The swapping of cartridge shells also bypasses the physical regional lockout.
The Nintendo 64 features similar lockout methods as the Super NES. The GameCube
The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
and Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
are both region-locked, as well as the Wii Shop Channel
The Wii Shop Channel is a former digital distribution service for the Wii video game console. The service allowed users to purchase and play additional software for the Wii (called Channels), including exclusive games (branded WiiWare), and game ...
. On the Wii, channels from other regions will refuse to load and display an error message "This channel can't be used." The coded regions are:
* NTSC-U (The Americas and Asia)
* PAL (Europe and Oceania)
* NTSC-J (Japan)
* NTSC-K (South Korea)
The GameCube and Wii's regional lockout can be bypassed either by console modification (the Wii also through BIOS hacking, via The Homebrew Channel), or simply by third party software. Datel
Datel (previously Datel Electronics) is a United Kingdom, UK-based electronics and video game console, game console peripherals manufacturer. The company is best known for producing a wide range of hardware and peripherals for home computers in t ...
's FreeLoader or Action Replay discs are most notable.
The Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
is also region-locked, as well as its Gamepads
A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles.
Features
Gamepads generally feature a set of ...
.
The Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
allows to play games from any region whether through physical cartridges or digital downloads. For instance, games from the Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was en ...
can be purchased and downloaded regardless of region. These regions are:
* Japan
* The Americas (North/South America)
* Europe
* Oceania (Australia/New Zealand)
* Asia Pacific (Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea) (Versions 8.0.0 and later)
Before version 8.0.0, most Asian countries belonged to the Americas, just like with the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
The only exception to this is the Chinese version of the Nintendo Switch distributed by Tencent
Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the w ...
in Mainland China. This version can still play cartridge-based games from any region, however it is only able to connect to Chinese servers. Thus, it can not access any game updates, DLC or online modes from games in other regions, or download said games digitally. Conversely, all other versions of the Nintendo Switch are also unable to play cartridge-based games released by Tencent specify for the Chinese Nintendo Switch.
All Nintendo handhelds except both Nintendo DSi models and the Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
are fully region-free. In the case of the former, only the physical and digital games that cannot be played on earlier DS models are region-locked. The latter's region lock strictly applies to all software designed for it, with the only exception being the application '' Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre'',[Wired]
Nintendo 3DS Louvre guide escapes region locking
which by itself is not a game but an application that serves as a guide for visitors of the Louvre Museum.
Sony
The PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
and PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
are region-locked into three regions: NTSC U/C, NTSC-J, and PAL. However, it is possible to disable region locking on said systems via a modchip or performing a disk-swap when the console starts. In the case of the PlayStation 2, a Swap Magic disc can be used to bypass regional locks.
All PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
games except for '' Persona 4 Arena'' and ''Way of the Samurai 3
''Way of the Samurai 3'' (Japanese: 侍道3, Hepburn: ''Samurai Dou 3'') is a video game made by Acquire, released by Spike on November 13, 2008, in Japan for the PlayStation 3, and later ported to the Xbox 360. It is the sequel of the PlayStat ...
'', are region free. Although publishers could choose to region-lock specific games based on a mechanism that allows for the game to query the model of the PS3, none did so during the first three years after the PS3's launch. In the case of ''Persona 4 Arena''; publisher Atlus declined to reverse its decision despite substantial outcry by some of their fanbase. The decision was made to avoid excessive importing, because all versions of the game share the same features and language support, but have differing price points and release dates in each region. They did, however, decide not to apply region-locking to its sequel (''Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
''Persona 4 Arena Ultimax'' is a fighting game, fighting video game co-developed by Atlus and Arc System Works. It was released for arcade game, arcades in 2013, and for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014 by Atlus in Japan and North America and b ...
''). There is region locking present for backwards-compatible PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, as well as DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
and Blu-ray Disc
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...
movies. Additionally, some games separate online players per region, such as '' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots''. The PlayStation Store only contains content for its own country. For example, the EU store will not supply usable map packs for an imported US copy of '' Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare''. In addition, downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
for the PlayStation 3 systems is region-matched with the game itself. For example, DLC from the US PlayStation Store must be used in conjunction with a US-region game. More specifically, the PS3's file system includes region-of-origin, so DLC cannot be shared between different region games much like save files cannot. Also, the PSN Store is tied to each user's PSN account, and payment methods for PSN is also region-locked. For example, a user with a Japanese PSN account will only be able to access the Japanese PSN store despite owning a US PS3, and can only pay for a game with a Japanese PSN gift card or Japanese credit card. However, with a few rare exceptions, notably ''Joysound Dive'', downloaded content from each PSN store are also region free, as are PSOne and PS2 classics offered on the store.
Although PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
has no region locking for UMD games; UMD movies are locked by region. However, Sony has confirmed that it is possible to implement region-locking on the PSP, and the firmware will disable features based on region. For example, Asian region PSPs will not display the "Extras" option on the XMB despite having been upgraded to the US version of Firmware 6.20, preventing owners of such PSPs from installing the Comic Book Viewer and the TV Streaming applications. As the applications are installed through a PC, and users from the region are not blocked from downloading them, it is possible to install them on non-Asian PSPs that have been imported into the region.
While PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
games had the potential to be region-locked, all games released for the system are region-free.
Like with the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
are not region-locked, although it is still possible to develop region-locked games. Sony's official stance is that they discourage developers from region-locking and will only relent in special cases (as with the PS3 ''Persona 4 Arena''). However, as with the PlayStation 3, digital content such as downloadable content for games still requires a PSN account from the region the content was made for. That said, PSN accounts themselves are not region-locked and an account for one region can be made on a console from another one.
Sega
The SG-1000 does not have region lockout between Japanese and Australian systems, the same applies with SC-3000 games on cartridge and cassettes, as well SF-7000
The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in Arcade game, arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of ...
disks.
Western Sega Master Systems have a different shape from the Japanese cartridge connector, meaning Sega Mark III and SG-1000 games are incompatible with it. A BIOS included prevents Japanese cartridges (both Mark III and SG-1000) to be used on Western systems, even with adapters. The Sega Card slot on these systems has the same pinout from its Japanese counterpart, but they cannot run Japanese and SG-1000 cards due to lack of a certain code in the ROM header. This can be circumvented by removing the BIOS IC from it. However, some European-only games such as Back to the Future Part III
''Back to the Future Part III'' is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the final installment of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Stee ...
will refuse to boot on NTSC systems. Japanese games can be run on Power Base Converter
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as ...
with use of adapters, but it will not run SG-1000 games, regardless of region.
Japanese Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
cartridges have a different shape and will not fit in the Genesis or PAL Mega Drive slot, which have the same shape (although the Genesis 3 in the US will accept Japanese titles due to its wider slot.) Japanese Mega Drive systems have a piece of plastic that slides in a place of the cartridge when the power switch is turned on, thus, inserting an American or European cart will make it impossible to use on a Japanese MD (though minor modifications to the plastic locks in the systems will bypass this). The console’s main board, however, was designed with language and frequency jumper sets which originally activated features in the same ROM for different regions. This feature was later used to enable software-based regional locks that display warning messages that prevent the game from being played. Switches, instead of the jumpers, were used to bypass the locks. In region-locked games, if there is a multiple language feature, it can be changed with the switches after the game has booted-up (as with the case of Cyber Brawl/Cosmic Carnage for the Super 32X
The 32X is an add-on for the Sega Genesis video game console. Codenamed "Project Mars", it was designed to expand the power of the Genesis and serve as a transitional console into the 32-bit era until the release of the Sega Saturn. The 32X us ...
). Despite the console itself being region-locked, most of the games, especially ones made by Sega, were region-free and could be played on any region, unless the cartridge doesn't fit the console.
The Sega Game Gear
The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...
is region free, and some games have dual language depending on which system is used, such as Puyo Puyo
''Puyo Puyo'' (ぷよぷよ), previously known as ''Puyo Pop'' outside Japan, is a series of Tile-matching video game, tile-matching video games created by Compile (software company), Compile. Sega has owned the franchise since 1998, with games ...
(game name changes to Puzlow Kids) and Donald no Magical World (Ronald
Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'',#H2, Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; #H1, Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English ''Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised ...
in Magical World), which are both Japan-exclusive games, but if run on Western units, they will be fully translated.
Sega Mega-CD
The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...
games are region-locked. The region can be changed when making CD-R copies but it is not always possible (i.e. Sengoku Denshou in American consoles will hang in the Sega license screen with a region-changed CD-R copy). Furthermore, third party accessories exist that allowed to boot any regional Sega Mega-CD BIOS off a flashcart such as the Everdrive, in the main console's cartridge slot. Different region Sega Mega-CDs will also work with different region Mega Drive/Genesis systems, however the power voltages for the add-on will be different depending on the region, therefore requiring voltage converters to prevent damage to the add-on. For instance, the Japanese Sega Mega-CD will work in the Genesis, however it does not use the same AC voltage as the Genesis or the American Sega CD. In such case, using a step-up converter is recommended.
Most American Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
discs can be played in Japanese consoles, but most Japanese games are locked for American and European consoles. Like in the Mega Drive/Genesis, the use of a switch will circumvent the region-lock but won't change the language. In addition, the use of certain unlicensed backup/RAM cartridges will also allow a console to play games from different regions, except for games that use proprietary ROM-RAM carts. Games from different television systems may have graphical problems.
Sega Dreamcast GD-ROM
GD-ROM (an abbreviation of "Gigabyte Disc Read-Only Memory") is a proprietary optical disc format originally used for the Dreamcast video game console, as well as its arcade counterpart, the Sega NAOMI and select Triforce arcade board titles. It ...
discs were region-locked, but this could be circumvented with the use of boot discs. MIL-CD
MIL-CD or Music Interactive Live CD is a compact disc format created by the video game company Sega in 1998. The main purpose of MIL-CD was to add multimedia functions to music CDs, for use in Sega's Dreamcast video game console. For example, MIL- ...
s and backup CDs are region-free.
Microsoft
The Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
and the Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
are region-locked, but some games are region-free and will play in any region. Digital content through Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 and original Xbox are also region-locked, such as DLC, movies, and apps.
The Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
was initially planned to have a region blocking policy that would have prevented its use outside its region in an effort to curb parallel importing. Microsoft later reversed the policy and the final retail version of the console was not region-locked. It was reported, though, that the console would be region-locked in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. However, this decision has since been reverted as of April 2015.
Other
The Philips CD-i and the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, also referred to as simply 3DO, is a home video game console developed by The 3DO Company. Conceived by entrepreneur and Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, the 3DO was not a console manufactured by the company ...
are region-free. Japanese 3DO units, however, have a kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
font in ROM, which is required by a few games. When such games can't find the font, they can get locked or rendered unplayable.
The Neo Geo Pocket line is also region-free.
Amongst PC game
A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...
s, regional lockout is more difficult to enforce because both the game application and the operating system can be easily modified. Subscription-based online games often enforce a regional lock by blocking IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...
es (which can often be circumvented through an open proxy
An open proxy is a type of proxy server that is accessible by any Internet user.
Generally, a proxy server only allows users ''within a network group'' (i.e. a closed proxy) to store and forward Internet services such as DNS or web pages to r ...
) or by requiring the user to enter a national ID
An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID card, citizen ca ...
number (which may be impossible to verify). A number of other games using regional lockout are rare but do exist. One of the examples of this is the Windows version of '' The Orange Box'', which uses Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
to enforce the regional lockout. Steam also enforces a form of regional lockout in adherence to German law by offering to German users special versions of some games with banned content – most notably swastikas – replaced. Steam is also used to restrict the release of the PC port of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance to US and Europe only due to Sony having an exclusivity deal with Konami in Asia, and to restrict the Asian release of the Final Fantasy XIII
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles and later for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Released in Japan in December 2009 and international in March 2010, it is the ...
trilogy to Japanese-only versions of the games. Besides the law and licensing issues, there is also a financial reason for Steam to region lock their games, since in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and other CIS
Cis or cis- may refer to:
Places
* Cis, Trentino, in Italy
* In Poland:
** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central
** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north
Math, science and biology
* cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...
countries prices of games on Steam are much lower than in the EU or North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Printers
Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...
printer cartridges have been regionalised since 2004. Thus they do not work in printers with a different region code, unless the user calls technical support for the device to be reassigned to the appropriate region.
HP printers have four regions:
# Americas, Greenland, Australia, New Zealand, Koreas, Mongolia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, East Asia
# Western Europe, Turkey
# CIS, Africa, Near East, Japan
# China (except Hong Kong), Taiwan and India
The region can be changed three times; then, the printer will be locked to a region.
Lexmark printers use different region-coding systems:
a) e.g. OfficeEdge Pro4000, OfficeEdge Pro4000c, OfficeEdge Pro5500, OfficeEdge Pro5500t, CS310, CS410 Color Laser Printer
# Americas
# Greenland, EU, EFTA
# (in CS310, CS410 Color Laser Printer called Region 8): Former Yugoslavian states, except for EU members Croatia and Slovenia, and rest of world (East Europe, Africa, Near East, Asia, Australia)
b) e.g. MS710, MS810 Monochrome Laser Printer
# USA, Canada
# Greenland, EU, EFTA
# Asia, Australia, New Zealand
# Central and South America
# Former Yugoslavian states (except Croatia and Slovenia), Eastern Europe, Turkey, Near East, Africa
Canon print cartridges for the Pixma MP 480 will not work in printers of that type with a different region code either (even when listed on the packaging of the Canon printer cartridges in question).
Epson ink cartridges are also use region-coded.
Xerox
Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...
also uses region codes. Their printers are shipped with neutral "factory" ink sticks with no region coding. Upon the installation of the first new ink stick after these factory sticks, the machine will set a region code based on the installed ink stick and will only accept ink stick for that region from that point forward. "Officially, " only three starter ink sticks per color can be used; then, the printer will no longer accept them and will want region-coded ink sticks to be inserted, but there are workarounds for that problem.
Common region settings are:
* NA (North America)
* Metered-NA
* DMO (developing markets, such as Asia and South America)
* XE (Europe).
Circumvention
One method to bypass printer-region-coding is to store empty cartridges from the old region and refill them with the ink of cartridges from the new region, but many modern ink cartridges have chips and sensors to prevent refilling, which makes the process more difficult.
Some manufacturers of regionalized printers also offer region-free printers specially designed for travelers.
See also anti-refilling protections used by printer manufacturers.
Smartphones, tablets, and computers
Samsung devices
Starting from the Samsung Galaxy Note 3
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is an Android phablet smartphone produced by Samsung Electronics as part of the Samsung Galaxy Note series. The Galaxy Note 3 was unveiled on September 4, 2013, with its worldwide release beginning later in the month. S ...
, Samsung phones and tablets contained a warning label stating that it would only operate with SIM cards from the region the phone was sold in. A spokesperson clarified the policy, stating that it was intended to prevent grey-market reselling, and that it only applied to the first SIM card inserted. For devices to use a SIM card from other regions, one of the following actions totaling five minutes or longer in length must first be performed with the SIM card from the local region:
* Make calls on the phone or watch from the Samsung Phone app
* Use the Call and Text on Other Devices feature to make calls
Changes for 2017
Samsung has changed the region locking policy completely since it was first introduced in 2013. Previously, the CSC was generally decided based on which region the phone was meant for, and it could be changed by user input. The SIM card now plays a central role in deciding what CSC is active.
= South Korea, US, Canada, and China
=
If the phone/tablet was purchased in any of these countries and the SIM card is from a different region, they cannot be used together. Although the restriction can be removed after using a local SIM card to make a call for at least 5 minutes, it only removes the restrictions for that particular country. Furthermore, the device may not work properly in some circumstances, such as Samsung Pay. An unlocked device purchased in these above markets can only work on other service providers within the same market where the device was purchased from, and so on, despite having the bands to work on other networks. For example, if one buys an XAA/OYM device in the United States but one is now living in China and using a Chinese SIM, the active CSC will not be changed to CHC/OYM, because the firmware does not include CHC in the multi-CSC file. As a result, the new SIM card cannot be used in a device made for another market.
Phones
* N: South Korea
* U/U1: United States
* W: Canada
* 0: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao
Tablets
* N: South Korea
* U/U1: United States
* W: Canada
* C: China mainland
= All other regions
=
The same rules still apply as usual, however, not all the countries will be unlocked for use. For example, if one buys a DBT/OXM device in Germany but one is now living in Portugal and using a Portuguese SIM, the active CSC is potentially TPH/OXM, which makes the new SIM card usable in the new region.
Phones
* E: Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, India, Asia Pacific
* B: Europe & CIS
Tablets
All countries except for South Korea, USA, Canada, and mainland China fall in the B section.
Country Specific Codes (CSCs) for Samsung devices
= Wi-Fi only devices
=
As of 2022, Samsung has simplified most CSCs into a larger one. Assume that all service providers are supported for each region. For example, if one buys an XAR/OXM tablet in the United States but one is now living in Taiwan and using a Chinese phone with a Taiwanese SIM card paired to an XAR tablet, the active CSC on both devices is potentially BRI/OXM, which makes the paired phone usable in the new region. However, if the SIM card is from mainland China, it cannot be paired with the tablet, since mainland China (CHN) is not part of the OXM multi-CSC file.
OXM
With the release of the Galaxy Tab S8 series, Southeast Asia is now Asia Pacific (APAC does not include Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan or China (Mainland China and Hong Kong)).
* KOO: South Korea
* XAR: North America (USA)
* XAC: North America (Canada)
* MXO: Latin America (Mexico)
* ZBR: Latin America (Other)
* EUX: Europe (1)
* EUY: Europe (2)
* SER: CIS (Russia)
* SEK: CIS (Ukraine)
* CAU: CIS (Caucasus)
* ILO: Middle East (Israel)
* TUR: Middle East (Turkey)
* XSG: Middle East (Other, formerly UAE)
* INU: India
* XSP: Asia Pacific (formerly Singapore/Southeast Asia)
* BRI: Taiwan
* TGY: China (Hong Kong)
= Cellular devices
=
* OKR: South Korea (cellular devices only)
* OYM/OYN: United States (cellular devices only)
* OYA/OYV: Canada (cellular devices only)
* OWO: Latin America (all devices?)
* OJM: Middle East and Africa (some devices)
* ODM: India (some devices)
* OLM/OLO: Southeast Asia (excluding Indonesia) and Oceania (some devices)
* OLE/OLP: Indonesia (all devices, excluding smartwatches)
* OXE: Post-Soviet states (some devices)
* CHN/CHC: Mainland China (all devices)
* OZS: Taiwan and Hong Kong (some devices)
* XJP: Japan (some devices)
* OXM: Europe/All other countries (including US/Canada/South Korea Wi-Fi only devices)
As of the Galaxy Tab S6, Wi-Fi only devices are no longer region locked, and the Call and Text on Other Devices features on those devices can work on SIM cards from most regions (excluding mainland China). All regions (except for mainland China) share the same CSC in their firmware version.
Windows devices
Starting with Windows Phone 7 for mobile devices and Windows 8
Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012; it was subsequently made available for downl ...
for computers, not all display languages are preinstalled/available for download on all devices with an OEM license of Windows. Users may not see all the display languages listed as options on the device or as options available for download as separate language packs. These exact options depend on the device manufacturer and country/region of purchase (and the mobile operator, if the device features cellular connectivity). Microsoft believes region locking is necessary because these display languages (which contains additional features like text suggestions, speech languages, and supplementary fonts) can take up a significant amount of storage, which leaves less space for data and media and impacts device performance. For cellular-connected devices, some mobile operators may choose not to support particular languages. For example, a wireless carrier in North America may not feel comfortable supporting European languages.
Credit cards
As a protection against theft and misuse in foreign countries, some credit cards can be locked for certain regions. If the card holder wants to travel abroad and to use the credit card there, the lock of a certain region can temporarily be deactivated by the bank.
Not all banks offer this service yet, and the region systems used vary by banks.
For example, the ''Sparkasse Schwyz AG'' (Switzerland) uses the following system:
Region 1: Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Region 2: Europe (''including Turkey and Greenland; overseas territories have the region code of their location.'')
: (''Regions 1 and 2 are usually not locked.'')
Region 3: Russia and CIS
Region 4: Africa
Region 5: Canada
Region 6: USA (''except American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands'') and Mexico
Region 7: Latin America and Caribbean
Region 8: Middle East (''except Turkey and Egypt''), Asia-Pacific, Australia
See also
* 10NES
The Checking Integrated Circuit (CIC) is a lockout chip designed by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console in 1985; the chip is part of a system known as 10NES, in which a 'key' (which is stored in the game) is us ...
* CIC
CIC may refer to:
Organizations Canada
* Cadet Instructors Cadre, a part of the Canadian Armed Forces
* Canadian Infantry Corps, renamed in 1947 to Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
* Canadian International Council
* Canadian Islamic Congress
* Chemi ...
* Fan translation
* Geo-blocking
Geo-blocking or geoblocking is technology that Internet filter, restricts access to Internet content based upon the user's geographical location. In a geo-blocking scheme, the user's location is determined using Internet geolocation techniques, su ...
* Modchip
* NTSC-C
NTSC-C is a regional lockout created in 2003 by Sony Computer Entertainment for the official launch of its PlayStation 2 gaming system into the mainland Chinese market.
Mainland Chinese market
The system's original model, then called PlayStation ...
* NTSC-J
* NTSC
The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...
* PAL region
* Parallel import
A parallel import is a non-counterfeit product imported from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner. Parallel imports are often referred to as grey product and are implicated in issues of international trade, a ...
* Parallel importing in video games
Import gamers are a subset of the video game player community that take part in the practice of playing video games from another region, usually from Japan where the majority of games for certain systems originate.
Reasons for importing
There ...
* Trusted Platform Module
* Vendor lock-in
In economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in or customer lock-in, makes a customer dependent on a vendor for products, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs.
The use of open standards and alternative ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regional Lockout
Criticism of intellectual property
Compact Disc and DVD copy protection
Digital rights management
DVD
Ethically disputed business practices
Hardware restrictions
Video game development