Can American 3DS Play Japanese Games?

The American 3DS can play most Japanese 3DS games, but there are some exceptions, particularly games with advanced DSi features that are region-locked, meaning they will only work on a Japanese 3DS. The region lock is a common feature in Nintendo consoles, including the 3DS, which prevents games from other regions from being played on a console not intended for that region, but some Japanese games can still be played on an American 3DS with English language support.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. Is Japanese 3DS games region locked?: A small subset of Japanese 3DS games will not work on a US 3DS, particularly those with advanced DSi features.
2. Can I play Japanese games on my American DS?: Older Nintendo DS and DS Lite software is region-free, so you can play most of that software on a Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL from any region.
3. Can you play Japanese Pokemon Black on American 3DS?: Pokemon Black and White have DSi features that cause them to be region-locked on DSi, DSiXL, and 3DS.

Region Lock and Game Compatibility

4. Is there a region lock on 3DS?: Yes, the Nintendo 3DS is region-locked, which enables Nintendo to include parental controls and more efficiently deliver region-specific system and menu updates to users.
5. Do Japanese 3DS games work on a US Nintendo 3DS?: Most Japanese 3DS games can be played on a US Nintendo 3DS, but some DSi enhanced games are region-locked.
6. Can US 3DS play European games?: Only 3DS and DSi games are region-locked, so DS games from Europe can be played on a US 3DS.

Language Support and Game Settings

7. Can you play Japanese Pokemon games on an English 3DS?: Yes, you can buy a Japanese version of a 3DS Pokemon game and play it in English, but the language can only be changed at the start of a new game.
8. How do you tell what region a 3DS game is?: Check the game card itself for a code printed on the cartridge label, if the code does not end in “USA“, then it is meant for an overseas market.
9. Can you change the language of a Pokemon game?: Yes, you can change the in-game language in Pokemon UNITE by following the Settings options.

3DS Console and Accessories

10. Does it matter if a 3DS is Japanese?: Any region 3DS can play any region DS carts, but can’t play any DSi enhanced games that are not its specific region.
11. Can you use a US 3DS charger on a Japanese 3DS?: Yes, a US 3DS charger can be used to charge a Japanese 3DS.
12. Can all 3DS games work on all 3DS?: Games that specifically say they are for the New 3DS don’t work with the old 3DS, but games that don’t say New 3DS work with both the old 3DS and the new 3DS.

Region Lock and Homebrew

13. Can you change region code on 3DS?: You cannot change the region code to a country that is outside of the region in which the device was purchased.
14. Does homebrew 3DS remove region lock?: Homebrew access is required to bypass region lock, but it doesn’t involve anything that could brick your console.
15. Are DS games region free on 3DS?: DS games work with any DS/2DS/3DS regardless of region, but DSi enhanced games like Pokemon B/W 2 are region-locked.