PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 Games Aren’t Region-Locked

Game discs and game cards for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 are not region-locked, the makers say, so a game bought in the US is not blocked by region on a console from another country. What does not travel is the store: gift cards, subscription codes and some add-ons work only in the country or region they were sold for.

That makes a physical game the simplest thing to send to family abroad, and a gift card the easiest to get wrong. Each card has to match the country the recipient’s account or console is set to, not yours.

The three consoles side by side

Console	Game discs and cards	Digital store and account	Gift cards and codes
PS5 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Not region-locked (Sony’s PS5 FAQ); disc add-ons must match the disc’s region	Account country fixed once created; store content varies by country	Voucher must match the account’s country or region
Xbox Series X|S	Game discs “not coded to regions”; region-coded movie discs must match the console	Store follows the console’s location; billing address must match it	Gift card spends only in its own marketplace; Game Pass cards only where bought
Switch 2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Game cards not region-locked; DLC and upgrade packs “depend on the software”	eShop follows your Nintendo Account country; balance does not move with it	eShop cards only where sold; Switch Online codes region-specific
Switch (original)	Not region-locked, except China-region consoles and cards; DLC must match the game’s region	Same as Switch 2	Same as Switch 2

PS5: discs play anywhere, your account does not move

Sony’s PS5 launch FAQ is direct: “Are PS5 games region-locked? No.” That FAQ dates from November 2020, updated in April 2021; Sony’s current support pages deal with the parts around the disc instead.

The first is add-ons. Sony says “An add-on can’t be used with a game on disc if its country/region doesn’t match with the country/region of the game on disc,” and points you to the small print on the back of the box. A US disc in a UK console plays, but DLC bought on a UK account may not attach to it.

The second is the account. A PlayStation account’s country is set when it is created: “Once created, your country/region can’t be changed.” Sony says what PlayStation Store offers varies by country or region, and that voucher codes “can only be redeemed in the same PlayStation Store region”, with the region printed on the voucher. Digital games follow the account, not the console: Sony’s FAQ says you can log in to any PS5 with your account and access your content. If you are gifting credit, our guide to gifting a digital game on each console covers Sony’s gift-card route.

One hardware catch: Sony says the first PS5 Digital Edition (CFI-1000 model group) “doesn’t support disc-based games or media”, and the CFI-2000 Digital Edition and CFI-7000 model group consoles need the separately sold Disc Drive to play discs. Check what the recipient owns before you send a disc.

Xbox: discs are region-free, movies are not

Microsoft states it plainly on its Blu-ray help page, which covers the Xbox Series X and Series S: “Game discs for the XBOX console are not coded to regions.” The same page says each console is made for one Blu-ray and DVD region and plays movies “sold in the same region as the console”, unless the disc is region-free.

Digital purchases travel too. Asked whether a game bought in one country plays in another, Xbox Support answers: “Yes. There is no playback restriction on purchased and downloaded games.” The limit is redownloading: if the game is not sold in your new country, you cannot download it again from the store. Microsoft also warns that some apps are “geo-fenced” by physical location.

On Xbox the store follows the console, not the account. Your console’s location decides which Microsoft Store you see, and buying needs “a valid billing address and payment option that matches your console locale”. You can change the location in settings with a restart, but local currency stored on the account is lost when you switch. Gift cards stay in their own currency: Microsoft says a card bought and redeemed in the US can be spent only “in the US marketplace”. Game Pass cards “are only redeemable in the country or region purchased”, so check the code’s region before buying a Game Pass gift; what each Game Pass tier includes is a separate question.

Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch: cards are free, the eShop is not

Nintendo says “Nintendo Switch 2 game cards are not region locked.” For the original Switch, the same holds “with the exception of consoles and game cards distributed in the Chinese region”, which are not compatible with Americas consoles.

Nintendo adds a caution: overseas games “may work” but it has “not tested all overseas software”, so it recommends buying for the console’s region. On Switch 2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), DLC and Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs from another region depend on the game; on the original Switch, DLC “will only work with games that are released for the same region as the DLC”.

The eShop follows the Nintendo Account’s country. You can change it if you move, but “your Nintendo eShop account balance does not carry over”. eShop cards work only for the country or region they were sold for, and Nintendo will not replace, exchange or refund a wrong one. Switch Online membership codes are region-specific too: codes for the Americas work on an account set to any Americas country where the eShop is available, but “a Japanese code will not work with a Nintendo Account set to the U.S.” Buy a Nintendo card for the recipient’s account country, not your own.

Sending a console to family abroad

Nintendo says using a Switch 2 in another country “may be possible” but names “voltage requirements, wireless communication requirements, warranty coverage” as factors, and recommends using it where it was bought. Its warranty “is applicable only within the country/region where the console was intended to be sold”. Within the Americas, Nintendo notes that the Switch 2 AC adapter sold in Chile and Peru has different specifications.

Nintendo also says “certain models of Nintendo Switch 2 cannot be changed to other regions”; the system region menu offers Japan, the Americas, Europe, Australia/New Zealand and Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea on models that allow it.

Microsoft says you can sign in with an Xbox account from any country where account creation is supported, and system updates download anywhere with an internet connection, but “XBOX support and warranties are only available in XBOX-supported countries and regions”.

If the recipient already has a console that takes it, a disc or game card sidesteps the store-region rules above. If you are sending credit, buy it for their country. And if they share a console with others at home, how each console shares a library explains who else can play it; for online play on PS5, see what each PlayStation Plus tier costs.

Questions people ask

Are PS5 games region locked?

No, according to Sony. Its PS5 launch FAQ asks “Are PS5 games region-locked?” and answers “No.” An add-on for a disc game has to match the disc’s country or region, though, and your account’s country is fixed once it is created.

Will a US Xbox game work on a UK Xbox?

Microsoft says Xbox game discs are not coded to regions, and that a game you bought and downloaded keeps playing after you move. Movie Blu-rays and DVDs are different: they must match the console’s region unless they are region-free.

Are Switch 2 games region locked?

Nintendo says Switch 2 game cards are not region locked. It still recommends buying games for your console’s region, because it has not tested every overseas game, and DLC and upgrade packs depend on the game.

Can I use a US gift card on a PlayStation account from another country?

No. Sony says voucher codes and your account’s country or region must match, and the region is printed on the voucher. Buy the card for the country the recipient’s account is set to.

Can I send a Switch 2 to family abroad?

You can, but Nintendo recommends using the console in the country where it was bought, mentions voltage and wireless rules, and says the warranty applies only in the country or region the console was meant for.

Do Game Pass or Switch Online codes work in other countries?

Game Pass cards redeem only in the country or region where they were bought. Switch Online codes are region-specific: Americas codes work on accounts in any Americas country with the eShop, and a Japanese code does not work on a US account.