The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 are popular around the world, but not every game is available in every country at the same time. There are many games that never leave Japan or that are released in the UK or Europe before the US (or vice versa). Some countries, like Australia and Germany, have strict content laws, so many of the games that are marked “M for Mature” in North America are completely banned – but there are ways to get around the blockages.
While you could import a physical copy of regionally linked games and play the disc on your console, the simpler option is to purchase a digital copy directly on your PS4 or PS5 through another country’s PlayStation Store. You’ll need to create a new PSN account linked to the country whose online PSN store you want to access – but it’s much easier (and often much cheaper and faster) than importing games from overseas.
There are some limitations, of course: you can only access paid DLC with the account it was purchased with, and some online features require accounts with the correct location settings. Oh, and if the game didn’t come with an English option, you may not be able to understand what’s going on in the story or read the in-game menus (although translation guides and walkthroughs may be available if a game is popular enough ). Outside of these limits, however, you can play the full games and demos, or even use the system themes that you purchase from the Japanese or European PlayStation stores with your US account.
Create a regional PSN account
We recommend doing this part on a desktop with Google Chrome because the browser can automatically translate web pages, which makes the process a lot easier if you’re trying to create an account for a country that speaks a different language. However, this can also be done directly on your PS4 or PS5 or on your smartphone.
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- If you are Sign in on desktop or mobile device: go to https://id.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/signin/#/signin?entry=%2Fsignin and click “Create Account.” If you are Registration on PS4 or PS5: Create a new account from the login screen when you start the console.
- Fill out the registration form. When you get to the page asking for your country / region, select your desired country from the drop-down box. For example, if you are trying to access the Japanese PSN store, select Japan.
- The page will reload in the correct form for the selected country. The language of the site can also change. If you’re using Google Chrome on the desktop, the browser will ask if you want to translate the page (or, depending on your settings, the text may be translated automatically). You can also right-click anywhere on the page and then select “Translate into English.” If your browser can’t translate it for you, or you’re logging into your console, try Google Translate on your phone as the app can translate text through your phone’s camera.
- Depending on the country you want to create an account for, you may also be asked to provide a state, prefecture, or similar location. You can choose any from the drop-down lists. However, remember that it must match the information that we will add later.
- Please fill out the registration form. If you’re asked for an email address, make sure you’re using one that isn’t linked to any other PSN accounts.
- In the next steps you have to solve a CAPTCHA code and confirm your email address. Google Translate will come in handy for this step.
- In the final form, you will be asked to add personal information. Be sure to answer all of the required fields. This can be a home address, zip code or similar information. It must be a real address in the state / prefecture you selected in step 5. So if you create a Japanese PSN account and set your preferred location to Tokyo, the address you write to should also be in Tokyo.
- One of the final steps is to set up payment information, but unless you have a bank card that works for international purchases (and you are willing to pay any currency conversion fees) it is best to skip this step and add money to your account later with prepaid gift cards from the PlayStation Store.
- Proceed to the last few steps – this usually includes accepting the Terms of Use (required), setting your contact preferences (you can choose what you want), and / or subscribing to PSN (entirely optional). And if you didn’t verify your email address in step 6, do so now so you can access the PSN Store.
Access to the PlayStation Store
Once your new PSN account has been set up and your email address has been verified, you will be able to access the PlayStation Store for the region of your account. This can be done in several ways:
- On PC or mobile phone: You can log into your new PSN account on the PlayStation Store website. The store will automatically load with the account’s regional / language settings, and you can use your browser’s translation function if you need to interpret the text. (Note that you will need to sign in to your PSN account on your PS4 / PS5 and verify the device before you can play games.)
- On PS4 / PS5: Once you’ve created the account on your PS4 or PS5, when you turn on the console, simply select it from the user list and then open the PlayStation Store app. If it’s not the right region, tap over and select that “…” Symbol, then “Shop region”, and select the correct country from the list.
Regardless of how you sign in, each region’s PlayStation Store is built the same, so browsing shouldn’t be too difficult. And as long as you’re downloading free content, you don’t have to worry about payment information.
However, if you want to buy a game, DLC, or any other item, you will need to add your payment information.
As mentioned in step 8 above, we recommend using PlayStation Store gift card codes Available in a variety of currencies through Play Asia. You can try using your own bank account or credit card, but only some payment methods are accepted internationally and most charge a conversion fee.
Play the games
The good news is, once you’ve downloaded your games to your console, they’re ready to play. In most cases, even if the account is registered in a different country than the one in which you purchased the game, you will be able to play them using your primary PSN profile.
The PS4 and PS5 aren’t the only consoles that you can use your international PSN accounts on. It also works on the PS3 and PS Vita and can be used to access their respective digital storefronts.
And if you own a Nintendo Switch, you can create a Japanese or European eShop account to buy and play games not normally available in the US
[Android Central]
