Is the PS4 Region Locked? The Ultimate Compatibility Guide

If you’ve ever found a great deal on an imported Japanese RPG or tried to play a European Blu-ray on your American console, you’ve likely run into the confusing world of PlayStation region locking.

The short answer is: It’s complicated. While the PS4 is largely “region-free” for games, it is strictly “region-locked” for movies and digital content.

This guide breaks down exactly what will work, what won’t, and the workarounds you need to know.

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The Quick Breakdown: What’s Locked?

Category	Is it Region Locked?	The Catch
Physical Game Discs	No	Any disc works on any console hardware.
DLC & Add-ons	Yes	DLC must match the region of the base game.
Digital Store / PSN	Yes	You cannot change your account’s home region.
Blu-ray & DVD Movies	Yes	Locked to the hardware’s original region.
Save Data	Yes	Saves from a US game won’t work on an EU copy.

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1. Physical Games: The “Region-Free” Hero

The best news for collectors is that PS4 physical game discs are region-free. You can put a Japanese disc into a North American console, and it will boot up and play perfectly. Sony designed the hardware to be universal for gaming to encourage global distribution.

Note for Mainland China: Consoles sold in Mainland China are a rare exception and may have hardware-level locks to comply with local regulations.

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2. DLC & Digital Content: The Major Trap

This is where most gamers get stuck. While a foreign disc will play, its Downloadable Content (DLC) is region-locked.

• The Rule: Your PSN account region, the DLC region, and the Game Disc region must all match.
• The Scenario: If you buy a European (Region 2) copy of Elden Ring but use a US (Region 1) PSN account, you cannot buy the “Shadow of the Erdtree” expansion from your US store. It will download, but the game won’t “see” it.

How to identify a game’s region:

Look at the back of the game box. You will see a small globe icon with a number:

• Region 1: North America
• Region 2: Europe, Japan, Middle East, South Africa
• Region 3: Southeast Asia
• Region All: Works globally (but DLC still usually defaults to a specific region).

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3. Blu-ray and DVD Movies

Unlike games, movie playback on the PS4 follows traditional home cinema region coding.

• DVDs: Divided into 8 regions. A US console (Region 1) cannot play a UK DVD (Region 2).
• Blu-rays: Divided into 3 regions (A, B, and C).
• The Workaround: For DVDs only, the PS4 allows you to change the console’s DVD region up to 4 times. After the fourth change, it is permanently locked to that region.

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4. Can You Change Your PSN Account Region?

No. Sony does not allow you to change the country or region of an existing PlayStation Network account.

If you move from the UK to the US, your account remains a UK account. You will need a UK credit card or UK PSN gift cards to buy anything on that account forever.

The Workaround: Creating a “Foreign” Account

The most common solution for importers is to create a second user profile on their PS4:

1. Create a new user on your console.
2. Sign up for a new PSN account using a different email.
3. Select the region that matches your imported game (e.g., Japan).
4. Set that console as the “Primary PS4” for that new account.
5. Benefit: You can download the DLC on the Japanese account, then switch back to your main account to play it.

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FAQ: Common Concerns

Will my save data carry over if I buy the same game in a different region? No. Save files are keyed to the specific “CUSA” code of the game. A US save file is incompatible with a European version of the same game.

Does a VPN help change the PS4 Store region? Not for your existing account. A VPN can help you access different streaming apps or hide your IP, but the PlayStation Store is locked to the address you used when you created the account, not where you are currently sitting.

Are 4K UHD Discs region-locked? While the PS4 Pro cannot play 4K Blu-ray discs, it’s worth noting that 4K UHD discs are almost always region-free by industry standard—but the standard PS4 only plays standard Blu-rays.