Software region: Difference between revisions
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'''Software regions''' are regions used for the purposes of {{wp|Regional lockout|region-locking}} and digital content distribution by [[Nintendo]] for some of their consoles. Region-locking is used in all systems in the [[Nintendo DSi]] family and the [[Nintendo 3DS]] family and all Nintendo home consoles prior to the [[Nintendo Switch]]. | '''Software regions''' are regions used for the purposes of {{wp|Regional lockout|region-locking}} and digital content distribution by [[Nintendo]] for some of their consoles. Region-locking is used in all systems in the [[Nintendo DSi]] family and the [[Nintendo 3DS]] family and all Nintendo home consoles prior to the [[Nintendo Switch]]. | ||
Most markets only retail one region of system and games, to prevent consumers accidentally purchasing games that are not compatible with their own system. However, in some locations, notably the Middle East and Southeast Asia, multiple different regions of system are retailed. | Most markets only retail one region of system and games, to prevent consumers accidentally purchasing games that are not compatible with their own system. However, in some locations, notably the Middle East and Southeast Asia, multiple different regions of system are retailed. | ||
Software regions are used to prevent physical copies of games being played on systems of a different region. This means that, for example, a Japanese region copy of [[Pokémon X and Y|Pokémon X]] cannot be played on an American region Nintendo 3DS system | Software regions are used to prevent physical copies of games being played on systems of a different region. This means that, for example, a Japanese region copy of [[Pokémon X and Y|Pokémon X]] cannot be played on an American region Nintendo 3DS system. | ||
==Game Boy and Game Boy Color== | ==Game Boy and Game Boy Color== | ||
The [[Game Boy]] and [[Game Boy Color]] families are not region-locked. However, Japanese Pokémon games for these consoles cannot communicate with games in any other languages. | The [[Game Boy]] and [[Game Boy Color]] families are not region-locked. However, Japanese Pokémon games for these consoles cannot properly communicate with games in any other languages; attempting to do so can cause corruption on both ends of the link. | ||
Special event distributions for the [[Generation I]] and {{gen|II}} games are only restricted by the inability of Japanese events to be received by games in other languages, and events in other languages cannot be received by Japanese games. | Special event distributions for the [[Generation I]] and {{gen|II}} games are only restricted by the inability of Japanese events to be received by games in other languages, and events in other languages cannot be received by Japanese games. | ||
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There are four regions for the Nintendo DSi family, as well as one for the iQue DSi (the equivalent of the Nintendo DSi in mainland China). Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Nintendo DSi firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on [[Bulbapedia]] are purely descriptive. | There are four regions for the Nintendo DSi family, as well as one for the iQue DSi (the equivalent of the Nintendo DSi in mainland China). Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Nintendo DSi firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on [[Bulbapedia]] are purely descriptive. | ||
Region-locking does not apply to Nintendo DS games, which can be played regardless of region, but does apply to Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games. It also does not apply to DSi-enhanced games when played on an original Nintendo DS, because region-locking on the Nintendo DSi is merely a software restriction and not a technical one. | |||
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo DSi Shop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo DSi Shop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | ||
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===Games=== | ===Games=== | ||
Due to region-locking, some Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games cannot be played on all Nintendo DSi systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games. | Due to region-locking, some Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games cannot be played on all Nintendo DSi systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games. | ||
Below is a list of Nintendo DSi-enhanced Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo DSi. | Below is a list of Nintendo DSi-enhanced Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo DSi. | ||
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| September 18, 2010 | | September 18, 2010 | ||
| {{game|Black and White|s}} | | {{game|Black and White|s}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| March 17, 2012 | | March 17, 2012 | ||
| [[Pokémon Conquest]] | | [[Pokémon Conquest]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| June 23, 2012 | | June 23, 2012 | ||
| {{game|Black and White|s 2|Pokémon Black 2 and White 2}} | | {{game|Black and White|s 2|Pokémon Black 2 and White 2}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
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==Nintendo 3DS== | ==Nintendo 3DS== | ||
There are five regions for the Nintendo 3DS family, as well as one for the {{wp|iQue}} 3DS XL (the equivalent of the [[Nintendo 3DS XL]] in mainland China). Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Nintendo 3DS firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | There are five regions for the Nintendo 3DS family, as well as one for the {{wp|iQue}} 3DS XL (the equivalent of the [[Nintendo 3DS XL]] in mainland China). Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Nintendo 3DS firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | ||
Region-locking does not apply to backwards compatibility with Nintendo DS games, but does apply to Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games. Region-locking is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed. | |||
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the [[Nintendo eShop]]. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the [[Nintendo eShop]]. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | ||
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===Games=== | ===Games=== | ||
Due to region-locking, some Nintendo 3DS games cannot be played on all Nintendo 3DS systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games. However, despite region-locking, [[Pokémon Bank]] is able to communicate with games of any region (even if they cannot be played on that system). | Due to region-locking, some Nintendo 3DS games cannot be played on all Nintendo 3DS systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games. However, despite region-locking, [[Pokémon Bank]] is able to communicate with games of any region (even if they cannot be played on that system). | ||
Below is a list of Nintendo 3DS Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo 3DS. | Below is a list of Nintendo 3DS Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo 3DS. | ||
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| June 6, 2011 | | June 6, 2011 | ||
| [[Pokédex 3D]] | | [[Pokédex 3D]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| August 11, 2011 | | August 11, 2011 | ||
| [[Pokémon Rumble Blast]] | | [[Pokémon Rumble Blast]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| June 23, 2012 | | June 23, 2012 | ||
| [[Pokémon Dream Radar]] | | [[Pokémon Dream Radar]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| July 14, 2012 | | July 14, 2012 | ||
| [[Pokédex 3D Pro]] | | [[Pokédex 3D Pro]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| November 23, 2012 | | November 23, 2012 | ||
| [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity]] | | [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| October 12, 2013 | | October 12, 2013 | ||
| [[Pokémon X and Y]] | | [[Pokémon X and Y]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| December 25, 2013 | | December 25, 2013 | ||
| [[Pokémon Bank]] | | [[Pokémon Bank]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| December 25, 2013 | | December 25, 2013 | ||
| [[Poké Transporter]] | | [[Poké Transporter]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| March 12, 2014 | | March 12, 2014 | ||
| [[Pokémon Battle Trozei]] | | [[Pokémon Battle Trozei]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| June 5, 2014 | | June 5, 2014 | ||
| [[The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon]] | | [[The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| June 19, 2014 | | June 19, 2014 | ||
| [[Pokémon Art Academy]] | | [[Pokémon Art Academy]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| September 13, 2014 | | September 13, 2014 | ||
| [[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U|Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]] | | [[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U|Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| October 15, 2014 | | October 15, 2014 | ||
| [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Special Demo Version]] | | [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Special Demo Version]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| November 21, 2014 | | November 21, 2014 | ||
| [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]] | | [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| February 18, 2015 | | February 18, 2015 | ||
| [[Pokémon Shuffle]] | | [[Pokémon Shuffle]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| April 8, 2015 | | April 8, 2015 | ||
| [[Pokémon Rumble World]] | | [[Pokémon Rumble World]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| September 17, 2015 | | September 17, 2015 | ||
| [[Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon]] | | [[Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| December 2, 2015 | | December 2, 2015 | ||
| [[Pokémon Picross]] | | [[Pokémon Picross]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| February 3, 2016 | | February 3, 2016 | ||
| [[Great Detective Pikachu ~Birth of a New Duo~]] | | [[Great Detective Pikachu ~Birth of a New Duo~]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| October 18, 2016 | | October 18, 2016 | ||
| [[Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version]] | | [[Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| November 18, 2016 | | November 18, 2016 | ||
| [[Pokémon Sun and Moon]] | | [[Pokémon Sun and Moon]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| November 17, 2017 | | November 17, 2017 | ||
| [[Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon]] | | [[Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
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| July 10, 2014 | | July 10, 2014 | ||
| {{ga|Pokémon Trading Card Game}} | | {{ga|Pokémon Trading Card Game}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| November 6, 2014 | | November 6, 2014 | ||
| [[Pokémon Puzzle Challenge]] | | [[Pokémon Puzzle Challenge]] | ||
| | | {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| February 27, 2016 | | February 27, 2016 | ||
| {{game|Red and Green|s}} | | {{game|Red and Green|s}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| February 27, 2016 | | February 27, 2016 | ||
| {{game|Blue|_(Japanese)}} | | {{game|Blue|_(Japanese)}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| February 27, 2016 | | February 27, 2016 | ||
| {{game|Red and Blue|s}} | | {{game|Red and Blue|s}} | ||
| | | {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| February 27, 2016 | | February 27, 2016 | ||
| {{game|Yellow}} | | {{game|Yellow}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| September 22, 2017 | | September 22, 2017 | ||
| {{game|Gold and Silver|s}} | | {{game|Gold and Silver|s}} | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
===Distributions=== | ===Distributions=== | ||
Special event distributions for the [[Generation VI]] and {{gen|VII}} games are restricted by region for [[Nintendo Zone]], serial code, and [[Nintendo Network]] distributions. Local wireless and infrared distributions are not region-locked. | Special event distributions for the [[Generation VI]] and {{gen|VII}} games are restricted by region for [[Nintendo Zone]], serial code, and [[Nintendo Network]] distributions. Local wireless and [[infrared]] distributions are not region-locked. | ||
Events in Hong Kong and Taiwan are generally made available for Taiwanese, Japanese, and PAL region systems. | Events in Hong Kong and Taiwan are generally made available for Taiwanese, Japanese, and PAL region systems. | ||
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==Super Nintendo Entertainment System== | ==Super Nintendo Entertainment System== | ||
There are three regions for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | There are three regions for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | ||
Region-locking on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System between NTSC regions is merely a physical restriction and not a technical one. It is possible to remove plastic tabs from an American region system so that it can play both Japanese and American region games; however, because American region game cartridges are larger than Japanese region ones, they do not fit in the Japanese region Super Famicom and so cannot be played on it. | |||
Conversely, due to PAL and NTSC games using different video standards, PAL games cannot be played on NTSC systems due to technical limitations, and vice versa. | |||
===Regions=== | ===Regions=== | ||
| Line 284: | Line 287: | ||
===Games=== | ===Games=== | ||
Due to region-locking, some SNES games cannot be played on all SNES systems due to not being released for some regions | Due to region-locking, some SNES games cannot be played on all SNES systems due to not being released for some regions. | ||
Below is a list of SNES Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of SNES. | Below is a list of SNES Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of SNES. | ||
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| June 14, 1994 | | June 14, 1994 | ||
| [[Super Game Boy]] | | [[Super Game Boy]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || ✓ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| January 30, 1998 | | January 30, 1998 | ||
| [[Super Game Boy 2]] | | [[Super Game Boy 2]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| April 1998 | | April 1998 | ||
| [[Monthly Coin Toss: Pokémon Card Magazine]] | | [[Monthly Coin Toss: Pokémon Card Magazine]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| April 1, 1999 | | April 1, 1999 | ||
| [[Picross NP Vol. 1]] | | [[Picross NP Vol. 1]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Nintendo 64== | ==Nintendo 64== | ||
There are three regions for the [[Nintendo 64]], as well as one for the {{wp|iQue}} Player (the equivalent of the Nintendo 64 in mainland China). The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | There are three regions for the [[Nintendo 64]], as well as one for the {{wp|iQue}} Player (the equivalent of the Nintendo 64 in mainland China). The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | ||
Region-locking on the Nintendo 64 between NTSC regions is merely a physical restriction and not a technical one; the difference is the position of tabs on the back of cartridges and the corresponding game port on the console itself. It is possible to remove plastic tabs from an NSTC system so that it can play NTSC games from both regions. However, due to PAL and NTSC games using different video standards, PAL games cannot be played on NTSC systems due to technical limitations, and vice versa. | |||
===Regions=== | ===Regions=== | ||
| Line 353: | Line 358: | ||
| August 1, 1998 | | August 1, 1998 | ||
| [[Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)]] | | [[Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| January 21, 1999 | | January 21, 1999 | ||
| [[Hey You, Pikachu!]] | | [[Hey You, Pikachu!]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| January 21, 1999 | | January 21, 1999 | ||
| [[Super Smash Bros.]] | | [[Super Smash Bros.]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| March 21, 1999 | | March 21, 1999 | ||
| [[Pokémon Snap]] | | [[Pokémon Snap]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| April 30, 1999 | | April 30, 1999 | ||
| [[Pokémon Stadium (English)]] | | [[Pokémon Stadium (English)]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| September 25, 2000 | | September 25, 2000 | ||
| [[Pokémon Puzzle League]] | | [[Pokémon Puzzle League]] | ||
| | | {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| December 14, 2000 | | December 14, 2000 | ||
| [[Pokémon Stadium 2]] | | [[Pokémon Stadium 2]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Nintendo GameCube== | ==Nintendo GameCube== | ||
There are three regions for the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | There are three regions for the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | ||
Region-locking on the Nintendo GameCube is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed. | |||
===Regions=== | ===Regions=== | ||
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==Wii== | ==Wii== | ||
There are | There are four regions for the [[Wii]]. Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Wii firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive. | ||
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Wii Shop Channel. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Wii Shop Channel. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | ||
Region-locking on the Wii is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed. | |||
===Regions=== | ===Regions=== | ||
| Line 449: | Line 458: | ||
| December 14, 2006 | | December 14, 2006 | ||
| [[Pokémon Battle Revolution]] | | [[Pokémon Battle Revolution]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| January 31, 2008 | | January 31, 2008 | ||
| [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]] | | [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| March 25, 2008 | | March 25, 2008 | ||
| [[My Pokémon Ranch]] | | [[My Pokémon Ranch]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| June 16, 2009 | | June 16, 2009 | ||
| [[Pokémon Rumble]] | | [[Pokémon Rumble]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| August 4, 2009 | | August 4, 2009 | ||
| [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare)]] | | [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare)]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| December 5, 2009 | | December 5, 2009 | ||
| [[PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure]] | | [[PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| November 12, 2011 | | November 12, 2011 | ||
| [[PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond]] | | [[PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
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| December 4, 2007 | | December 4, 2007 | ||
| [[Pokémon Snap]] | | [[Pokémon Snap]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| March 30, 2008 | | March 30, 2008 | ||
| [[Pokémon Puzzle League]] | | [[Pokémon Puzzle League]] | ||
| | | {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| January 20, 2009 | | January 20, 2009 | ||
| [[Super Smash Bros.]] | | [[Super Smash Bros.]] | ||
| | | {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Wii U== | ==Wii U== | ||
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Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo eShop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo eShop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country. | ||
Region-locking on the Wii U is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed. | |||
===Regions=== | ===Regions=== | ||
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===Games=== | ===Games=== | ||
Due to region-locking, some Wii U games cannot be played on any Wii U systems due to not being released for that region. However, all current Wii U Pokémon games can be played on each region. | Due to region-locking, some Wii U games cannot be played on any Wii U systems due to not being released for that region. However, all current Wii U Pokémon games can be played on each region. | ||
==Nintendo Switch== | |||
The [[Nintendo Switch]] is not region-locked; however, there are five regions for the [[Nintendo Switch]] that can be changed freely in the System Settings menu. The Hong Kong / Taiwan / South Korea region was added in version 8.0.0. | |||
The Nintendo eShop uses the country of the associated Nintendo Account. | |||
===Regions=== | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! Name | |||
! Primary markets | |||
|- | |||
| '''Japan''' | |||
| Japan | |||
|- | |||
| '''The Americas''' | |||
| The Americas, U.A.E, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore | |||
|- | |||
| '''Europe''' | |||
| Europe, South Africa, Russia | |||
|- | |||
| '''Australia / New Zealand''' | |||
| Australia, New Zealand | |||
|- | |||
| '''Hong Kong / Taiwan / South Korea''' | |||
| Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea | |||
|} | |||
===Games=== | |||
Some games do not support all languages in all regions, meaning that, for example, a copy of {{ink|Splatoon 2}} purchased physically in Japan or digitally on the Japanese eShop can only be played in Japanese, despite being released in other languages elsewhere. However, all current Nintendo Switch Pokémon games can be played in all supported languages regardless of where it was purchased. | |||
In [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]], the region determines whether American English, Canadian French and Latin American Spanish or British English, European French and Castilian Spanish translations are used. | |||
[[Category:Game mechanics]] | |||
Revision as of 00:44, 8 June 2019
Software regions are regions used for the purposes of region-locking and digital content distribution by Nintendo for some of their consoles. Region-locking is used in all systems in the Nintendo DSi family and the Nintendo 3DS family and all Nintendo home consoles prior to the Nintendo Switch.
Most markets only retail one region of system and games, to prevent consumers accidentally purchasing games that are not compatible with their own system. However, in some locations, notably the Middle East and Southeast Asia, multiple different regions of system are retailed.
Software regions are used to prevent physical copies of games being played on systems of a different region. This means that, for example, a Japanese region copy of Pokémon X cannot be played on an American region Nintendo 3DS system.
Game Boy and Game Boy Color
The Game Boy and Game Boy Color families are not region-locked. However, Japanese Pokémon games for these consoles cannot properly communicate with games in any other languages; attempting to do so can cause corruption on both ends of the link.
Special event distributions for the Generation I and II games are only restricted by the inability of Japanese events to be received by games in other languages, and events in other languages cannot be received by Japanese games.
Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance family is not region-locked.
Special event distributions for the Generation III games are restricted by language, rather than region.
Nintendo DS and DSi
The Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite are not region-locked, with the exception of the iQue DS, which can play Nintendo DS games, but its games cannot be played on other region systems.
There are four regions for the Nintendo DSi family, as well as one for the iQue DSi (the equivalent of the Nintendo DSi in mainland China). Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Nintendo DSi firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Region-locking does not apply to Nintendo DS games, which can be played regardless of region, but does apply to Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games. It also does not apply to DSi-enhanced games when played on an original Nintendo DS, because region-locking on the Nintendo DSi is merely a software restriction and not a technical one.
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo DSi Shop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country.
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong |
| USA | American region | The Americas |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia |
| KOR | Korean region | South Korea |
| CHN | Chinese region | Mainland China |
Games
Due to region-locking, some Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games cannot be played on all Nintendo DSi systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games.
Below is a list of Nintendo DSi-enhanced Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo DSi.
| First release | Game | J | U | E | K | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18, 2010 | Pokémon Black and White | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| March 17, 2012 | Pokémon Conquest | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| June 23, 2012 | Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Distributions
Special event distributions for the Generation IV and V games are restricted by language, rather than region.
Nintendo 3DS
There are five regions for the Nintendo 3DS family, as well as one for the iQue 3DS XL (the equivalent of the Nintendo 3DS XL in mainland China). Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Nintendo 3DS firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Region-locking does not apply to backwards compatibility with Nintendo DS games, but does apply to Nintendo DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive games. Region-locking is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed.
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo eShop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country.
The Nintendo 3DS Theme Shop and its contents are also restricted by region. Only Japanese, American, and PAL region systems have access to the Theme Shop (other regions do not have changeable themes at all).
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan |
| USA | American region | The Americas, U.A.E, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia |
| KOR | Korean region | South Korea |
| TWN | Taiwanese region | Taiwan, Hong Kong |
| CHN | Chinese region | Mainland China |
Games
Due to region-locking, some Nintendo 3DS games cannot be played on all Nintendo 3DS systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games. However, despite region-locking, Pokémon Bank is able to communicate with games of any region (even if they cannot be played on that system).
Below is a list of Nintendo 3DS Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo 3DS.
| First release | Game | J | U | E | K | T | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 6, 2011 | Pokédex 3D | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| August 11, 2011 | Pokémon Rumble Blast | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| June 23, 2012 | Pokémon Dream Radar | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| July 14, 2012 | Pokédex 3D Pro | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| November 23, 2012 | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| October 12, 2013 | Pokémon X and Y | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| December 25, 2013 | Pokémon Bank | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| December 25, 2013 | Poké Transporter | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| March 12, 2014 | Pokémon Battle Trozei | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| June 5, 2014 | The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| June 19, 2014 | Pokémon Art Academy | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| September 13, 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| October 15, 2014 | Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Special Demo Version | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| November 21, 2014 | Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| February 18, 2015 | Pokémon Shuffle | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| April 8, 2015 | Pokémon Rumble World | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| September 17, 2015 | Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| December 2, 2015 | Pokémon Picross | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| February 3, 2016 | Great Detective Pikachu ~Birth of a New Duo~ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| October 18, 2016 | Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| November 18, 2016 | Pokémon Sun and Moon | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| November 17, 2017 | Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Virtual Console
| First release | Game | J | U | E | K | T | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 10, 2014 | Pokémon Trading Card Game | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| November 6, 2014 | Pokémon Puzzle Challenge | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| February 27, 2016 | Pokémon Red and Green | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| February 27, 2016 | Pokémon Blue | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| February 27, 2016 | Pokémon Red and Blue | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| February 27, 2016 | Pokémon Yellow | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| September 22, 2017 | Pokémon Gold and Silver | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Distributions
Special event distributions for the Generation VI and VII games are restricted by region for Nintendo Zone, serial code, and Nintendo Network distributions. Local wireless and infrared distributions are not region-locked.
Events in Hong Kong and Taiwan are generally made available for Taiwanese, Japanese, and PAL region systems.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
There are three regions for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Region-locking on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System between NTSC regions is merely a physical restriction and not a technical one. It is possible to remove plastic tabs from an American region system so that it can play both Japanese and American region games; however, because American region game cartridges are larger than Japanese region ones, they do not fit in the Japanese region Super Famicom and so cannot be played on it.
Conversely, due to PAL and NTSC games using different video standards, PAL games cannot be played on NTSC systems due to technical limitations, and vice versa.
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets | Television system |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan | NTSC |
| USA | American region | The Americas | NTSC |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia | PAL |
Games
Due to region-locking, some SNES games cannot be played on all SNES systems due to not being released for some regions.
Below is a list of SNES Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of SNES.
| First release | Game | J | U | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14, 1994 | Super Game Boy | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ |
| January 30, 1998 | Super Game Boy 2 | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| April 1998 | Monthly Coin Toss: Pokémon Card Magazine | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| April 1, 1999 | Picross NP Vol. 1 | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
Nintendo 64
There are three regions for the Nintendo 64, as well as one for the iQue Player (the equivalent of the Nintendo 64 in mainland China). The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Region-locking on the Nintendo 64 between NTSC regions is merely a physical restriction and not a technical one; the difference is the position of tabs on the back of cartridges and the corresponding game port on the console itself. It is possible to remove plastic tabs from an NSTC system so that it can play NTSC games from both regions. However, due to PAL and NTSC games using different video standards, PAL games cannot be played on NTSC systems due to technical limitations, and vice versa.
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets | Television system |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan | NTSC |
| USA | American region | The Americas | NTSC |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia | PAL |
| CHN | Chinese region | Mainland China | PAL |
Games
Due to region-locking, some Nintendo 64 games cannot be played on all Nintendo 64 systems due to not being released for some regions.
Below is a list of Nintendo 64 Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Nintendo 64.
| First release | Game | J | U | E | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1, 1998 | Pokémon Stadium (Japanese) | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| January 21, 1999 | Hey You, Pikachu! | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| January 21, 1999 | Super Smash Bros. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| March 21, 1999 | Pokémon Snap | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| April 30, 1999 | Pokémon Stadium (English) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| September 25, 2000 | Pokémon Puzzle League | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| December 14, 2000 | Pokémon Stadium 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Nintendo GameCube
There are three regions for the Nintendo GameCube. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Region-locking on the Nintendo GameCube is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed.
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets | Television system |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan | NTSC |
| USA | American region | The Americas | NTSC |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia | PAL |
Games
Due to region-locking, some Nintendo GameCube games cannot be played on all Nintendo GameCube systems due to not being released for some regions. However, all Nintendo GameCube Pokémon games can be played on each region.
Wii
There are four regions for the Wii. Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Wii firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Wii Shop Channel. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country.
Region-locking on the Wii is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed.
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong |
| USA | American region | The Americas |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia |
| KOR | Korean region | South Korea |
Games
Due to region-locking, some Wii games cannot be played on all Wii systems due to not being released for some regions. The Japanese, American and European regions dominate the other regions in the number of available games.
Below is a list of Wii Pokémon games, indicating whether they can be played on each region of Wii.
| First release | Game | J | U | E | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 14, 2006 | Pokémon Battle Revolution | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| January 31, 2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| March 25, 2008 | My Pokémon Ranch | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| June 16, 2009 | Pokémon Rumble | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| August 4, 2009 | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare) | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| December 5, 2009 | PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| November 12, 2011 | PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Virtual Console
| First release | Game | J | U | E | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 4, 2007 | Pokémon Snap | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| March 30, 2008 | Pokémon Puzzle League | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| January 20, 2009 | Super Smash Bros. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Wii U
There are three regions for the Wii U. Each region has an associated letter used to represent it, which can be found at the end of the Wii U firmware version number. The regions do not have publicly known official names, so the names used for the regions on Bulbapedia are purely descriptive.
Regions are also used to restrict the list of countries that can selected from when choosing the country for the Nintendo eShop. This means that American region systems cannot select Japan as their home country.
Region-locking on the Wii U is merely a software restriction and not a technical one, as fans have created hacks that allow region-locking to be bypassed.
Regions
| Code | Name | Primary markets |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | Japanese region | Japan |
| USA | American region | The Americas |
| EUR | PAL region | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia |
Games
Due to region-locking, some Wii U games cannot be played on any Wii U systems due to not being released for that region. However, all current Wii U Pokémon games can be played on each region.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is not region-locked; however, there are five regions for the Nintendo Switch that can be changed freely in the System Settings menu. The Hong Kong / Taiwan / South Korea region was added in version 8.0.0.
The Nintendo eShop uses the country of the associated Nintendo Account.
Regions
| Name | Primary markets |
|---|---|
| Japan | Japan |
| The Americas | The Americas, U.A.E, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore |
| Europe | Europe, South Africa, Russia |
| Australia / New Zealand | Australia, New Zealand |
| Hong Kong / Taiwan / South Korea | Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea |
Games
Some games do not support all languages in all regions, meaning that, for example, a copy of Splatoon 2 purchased physically in Japan or digitally on the Japanese eShop can only be played in Japanese, despite being released in other languages elsewhere. However, all current Nintendo Switch Pokémon games can be played in all supported languages regardless of where it was purchased.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the region determines whether American English, Canadian French and Latin American Spanish or British English, European French and Castilian Spanish translations are used.
