Are Nintendo DS Games Region Free? Which Cards Are Locked

Most Nintendo DS games are region free: a standard DS game card bought in one region runs on a DS from any other. The rule has a short list of exceptions, and they all trace back to the DSi.

The plain DS card

Wikipedia’s article on the Nintendo DS states that the system is generally region-free, so any console runs a game bought anywhere. Its region-lock article lists the DS among region-free handhelds. The same facts were reported when the DSi launched: a 2008 statement from Nintendo, covered by Pocket Gamer and TechCrunch, said any DS software could be played on a DSi from any region, with the lock applying to DSi-specific content.

The one named exception on the original hardware is the Chinese iQue DS. It plays DS games from other regions, according to Wikipedia, but its own games do not run on other DS models.

Where the DSi changed things

The DSi was Nintendo’s first region-locked handheld, per Wikipedia. What the lock covered is the part sources word differently. The DSi article says DSi-specific software is locked to its region, while cartridge software for earlier models is not. The region-lock article says only the games that cannot be played on earlier DS models are locked, in both physical and digital form. The DS article is broader and says the restriction applies to DSiWare and to DSi-enhanced or exclusive cards, while the region-lock article adds that DSi-enhanced games can be played by non-DSi models from any region.

For a buyer, the safe reading is that the locked group is the exclusives and the downloads. The enhanced cards are the ones that also run on older machines, which is what made them usable across regions on a plain DS.

The six exclusive cards

Few retail products fall into the locked group. Wikipedia’s DS article says only six DSi-exclusive game cards were released, and its DSi game list names them: Face Training, Foto Showdown, Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal, Hidden Photo, Picture Perfect Hair Salon and System Flaw. Ghostwire is marked as unreleased in every region listed.

The release dates show why the lock mattered for those few. Foto Showdown came out in Japan on 19 November 2009 and in North America on 9 March 2010. Picture Perfect Hair Salon reached Europe on 13 November 2009, a little before North America on 24 November 2009. System Flaw, the exclusive published by Storm City Games, launched in North America on 27 October 2009, and its European retail release followed on 21 January 2011, according to Wikipedia.

DSiWare is locked as well. Wikipedia’s DSi article says titles were downloaded from the DSi Shop and paid for with DSi Points, and the shop closed on 31 March 2017. System Flaw Recruit, the downloadable version, came out in Europe on 16 April 2010 and in North America on 26 April 2010.

Playing DS cards on a 3DS

A 3DS follows the DS rule for DS cards. Nintendo’s support pages say most DS games work on 3DS family systems, with the exceptions being games that need the Game Boy Advance slot. Neither of Nintendo’s support answers mentions a region restriction on ordinary DS cards.

The warning appears for DSi software. Nintendo UK says some DSi games bought outside the PAL region may not be playable on a PAL-region 3DS. That fits the DSi rule rather than adding a new one.

The 3DS has its own lock. Wikipedia says it applies to software designed for the 3DS, with the single exception of the Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre application, and that custom firmware such as Luma3DS can bypass it. That is a separate matter from DS cards and from the full compatibility rules in the DS-on-3DS guide.

Multiplayer and online across regions

Wikipedia’s DS article mentions a side effect: some multiplayer games from different regions may not connect to each other, though Mario Kart DS is compatible across regions. The article does not say which other games fail, so no list can be drawn from it.

Online features ended regardless of region. Wikipedia reports that most functions of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection were discontinued worldwide on 20 May 2014.

Titles in the Nintendo DS games library carry the regional release dates that public sources give for each.