Over the generations of consoles from various companies they have moved in and out of Region-Free and Region-Locked systems. This is a quick break down of each company and their systems to give you a quick idea of their status.
Nintendo:
Region-Free:
- Game Boy (Original)
- Game Boy Color
- Game Boy Advance
- Virtual Boy
- Nintendo DS, DSi, DSi XL
- Nintendo Switch (excluding Chinese Region Models)
- Nintendo Switch 2 (excluding Chinese Region Models)
Region-Locked:
Sony:
Region-Free:
- PSP
- PS Vita
- PlayStation 3 (For Games)
- PlayStation 4 (For Games)
- PlayStation 5 (For Games)
Region-Locked:
- PlayStation (Original)
- PlayStation 2
Sega:
Region-Free:
- Sega Master System (non-Japanese Models)
- Sega Saturn (Japanese Models)
Region-Locked:
- Sega Master System (Japanese Models)
- Sega Genesis
- Sega 32X
- Sega Saturn (non-Japanese Models)
- Dreamcast
Microsoft:
Region-Free:
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X|S (For Games)
Region-Locked:
Atari:
Region-Free:
- Atari 2600
- Atari 5200
- Atari 7800 (PAL can run NTSC but not vice versa)
- Atari Lynx
- Atari Jaguar
Other Companies:
Region-Free:
- ColecoVision
- Philips CD-i
- Panasonic 3DO
Whether you're hunting for region-free handhelds to play Japanese exclusives or looking to expand your retro collection with imports, knowing your console's region status is the first step. Browse our retro gaming catalog to find cartridges, CIB games, and collectibles across all the systems covered in this guide — including Japanese and PAL variants where available.