Unlocking Gaming Restrictions: How to Play Regional Lockouts on Nintendo Switch, PS4 & Xbox One

Key Takeaways

• International storefronts offer unique games not available in all regions, as well as different discounts.
• Use international storefronts to access demos and online-only games that aren’t available in your region.
• You can also purchase physical disc and cartridge editions on modern Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch consoles without worrying about region locks (but be aware that codes and DLC will be locked to the country of origin).

Most modern console games can be found on digital storefronts, but plenty of releases are still only available in specific parts of the world. Normally, these region-locked games can only be purchased from specific countries, but there are a few ways to bypass region-locks on any console.

Reasons to Use International Storefronts on Consoles

There are numerous excellent games that you may be missing out on due to region locking. Region-locks are usually reserved for obscure releases and indie titles that were never localized, but even games from popular franchises such as Gundam Breaker 3 and Like a Dragon: Ishin! (2014) don’t always receive a global release or take years to arrive.

Along with a different selection of games, each storefront offers unique sales . A game that is currently selling at full price in your region may be discounted elsewhere, so it’s worth checking other storefronts for their current prices.

Even if you don’t plan on buying anything from these digital storefronts, you can still download demos and free-to-play titles that are unavailable in other regions. Some online-only games like Dragon Quest X and Blue Protocol use IP blocks, preventing you from playing on their servers outside their respective regions (unless you have a VPN ), but most other region-locked games are fully playable regardless of where you live.

Before You Buy Region-Locked Games

It should be noted that international storefronts only sell their respective region’s version of a game. These versions will still function on your console regardless of your location, but there may be language differences or content alterations depending on the region. Additionally, you will need to use the same storefront to purchase downloadable content for games bought from other regions.

In most cases, international storefronts will also require a foreign payment method to buy games. Fortunately, you can get around this requirement by purchasing region-specific gift cards from online retailers.

Finally, while you can theoretically search through every single international storefront across all three consoles, you’ll discover that most of their catalogs are nearly identical. To save yourself some time, you should primarily focus on accessing the Japanese, European, and North American versions of these stores (depending on where you live, naturally).

The Japanese digital stores contain the most region-locked games and demos, and they receive many major titles before other countries. Most European storefronts share a similar selection, including some games not found in other parts of the world. Finally, anything not found in either of these regions will most likely be available in North America. If you live outside these three regions, then it’s also best to check whether a game is available on your home storefront before going through the hassle of buying from other regions.

Easily Swap Regions on Xbox

The steps involved in accessing international storefronts differ between each system. Thankfully, finding region-locked games on the Xbox One and Series X|S is incredibly simple. You can access other storefronts on your Xbox by changing the console’s current region.

To change the region, go to console settings (represented by the gear icon on the home menu) and enter the “System” tab.

In the “System” menu, select “Language and location.”

This will take you to the “System Language & location” menu, where you should scroll down to “Location” and select the country linked to the store you want.

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Depending on the location you choose and your default language, you may receive a warning about your language settings not matching your selected region. Don’t worry about this message, because you will have access to the same selection of games regardless of your set language.

Once you select a region, restart your console for these changes to take effect.

Afterward, the Xbox marketplace on your console will include games from your selected region, allowing you to browse through titles that aren’t normally available to you.

Use Region-Locked Accounts on PlayStation

The process for accessing international storefronts is slightly more complicated for PlayStation owners. Unlike the Xbox One and Series X/S, the digital storefronts on Sony consoles are determined by your profile rather than your system settings. Thankfully, you can bypass this restriction by creating separate accounts for specific regions.

If you are using a PS4 or PS5, you will need to create a new PlayStation Network (PSN) account for the region you intend to access. You can complete this process through the PlayStation website or by adding a new user account to your console .

During the account creation process, you will be prompted to choose a country/region. Select the region you intend to access with your new account. Depending on the region you select, this may change the account’s default language, so you might need Google Translate to navigate the other menus.

You cannot change your PSN account’s country/region after creating it. To access a different storefront, you will have to create another PSN account for its region.

Continue setting up your account until you are prompted to add an email address. Enter an email address that’s registered with the same region you selected for this account. If you don’t have a region-specific email address already, take the time to create one before you continue.

Once you have finished setting up your PSN account, link it to a user profile on your PlayStation (assuming you haven’t done that already). Afterward, you can finally use this profile to browse the PlayStation store of your chosen region. Since each account is locked to its respective region, you can create multiple accounts to swap between different storefronts.

Access International eShops on Switch

Unlike the other consoles, there are two ways to access international storefronts on the Nintendo Switch.

The first method for accessing region-locked games on the Switch is to create a new account on the Nintendo website or through your console. When asked to select a country/region of residence, pick the region you want to access. You will also be required to enter an email address, but it does not need to be registered with the region you choose. After you create a new Nintendo account and link it with a profile on the Switch, you can view the eShop of its respective region.

As with PSN accounts, you can create multiple Nintendo accounts to have access to different regions on the eShop. However, if you’re willing to put up with some inconvenience, you can access any international eShop from a single account by changing the region on your Nintendo account.

To change the region listed on your account, go to the Nintendo website and log in to your profile. You can find the option to log in/sign up at the top right of the page.

If you are already signed in, you will see your profile picture and username instead. Click on your profile picture to open a menu, then select “Account settings.”

You will be sent to your User Information page, where you will see a chart labeled “Profile,” which contains your account details including the currently selected region. Click the “Edit” button on the top right of this chart.

Scroll down and click on the box labeled “Country/region of residence” to select a different region, then save your changes. The next time you log in to the Switch eShop with your account, you will have access to the storefront of your newly selected region.

There are a few drawbacks to accessing international eShops with this method. First, you will need to repeat this entire process every time you want to swap regions. You will also be logged out of your Nintendo Network ID and required to verify your email address. Finally, your eShop funds and Nintendo reward points can’t be transferred to other regions. The only advantage of using this method is that you can have all of your Switch games under a single account.

What About Physical Games?

Despite the many restrictions surrounding digital releases, physical games are entirely region-free on modern platforms. Whether you have a Switch, Xbox Series X|S, or PlayStation 5, you can easily play an international copy of any game without needing to change console settings or swap to a different account.

However, as with digital copies, downloadable content must be purchased from a game’s original region to function properly. This restriction also applies to download codes, which is why you should be wary of purchasing special editions from other regions unless their content is all on-disc, or you have access to their digital storefronts.

Buying physical games from other regions is also far easier (and sometimes cheaper) than ever before thanks to the abundance of online retailers and marketplaces like Amazon , Play-Asia , and eBay . Just be sure to research whether an international copy includes download codes or if it supports your language before you buy.

Region-Locked Games Are Worth the Hassle

Although most modern games receive worldwide releases, there are still plenty of titles that are permanently region-locked. Some of these are hidden gems, while others are part of long-running series that haven’t reached a global audience.

Take some time to browse through these region-locked games, because it might lead you to your next favorite.

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