Xbox 360: “The region code for this game does not match your console's region” error message
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Article ID : 908223
Last Review : April 25, 2007
Revision : 4.5
SYMPTOMS
When you try to play an original Xbox game on the Xbox 360 console, you receive the following error message:
The region code for this game does not match your console's region
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CAUSE
Xbox game discs only work with Xbox consoles that are sold in the same region.
For example, if you purchase an Xbox 360 console in North America, you cannot play game discs that are sold in Europe or in Asia. An Xbox 360 console that is sold in Europe can only play game discs that are sold in Europe, and an Xbox 360 console that is sold in Asia can only play game discs that are sold in Asia.
It is not possible to make an Xbox 360 from one region play discs that were produced for another region.
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THINGS TO TRY
1. Determine whether the game disc is from the same region as the region where you purchased the Xbox console. To verify the region, view the back of the game package. Look for a one of the following codes: • NTSC: North America and South America (United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil)
• NTSC-J: Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan)
• PAL: Europe, South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand
2. If this symptom occurs with only one or two discs, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for the specific game title or titles. If you find a known problem, follow the information that is discussed in the article.
3. If this behavior occurs with only one or two discs, and no known problem exists, return the disc or discs to the retail store where you made the purchase.
4. Turn off and unplug your console, remove the Hard Disk Drive unit and any attached Memory Units, and then reconnect your console. Try the disc again. If this appears to resolve the issue, turn off and disconnect your console, re-attach the HDD and MU, and then delete any saved games for the game title in question.
Note If you can, save the games to a separate memory unit.
If this issue is only seen with Xbox version 1 games, it may indicate that the Xbox version 1 backward compatibility update is missing from the HDD. If this is the case, download and burn a copy of the backward compatibility update to a disc, and install the update to correct the issue.
5. If this behavior occurs with more than two discs, the console may have to be serviced.
6. If you have exchanged the disc or discs, and no known problem exists, we will continue to research the behavior.