SNES:Region Locked Games
NTSC and PAL SNES systems use a different lockout chip, which prevents games from one region being played on another. This can be bypassed by disabling the lockout chip in the console or using a "piggyback" cartridge adapter, but despite this, some games are capable of detecting what region console they are running on and will not run. The following is a list of games which check for the console's region, assuming the lockout chip has been bypassed. This can also be bypassed by adding a switch to select between 50 Hz and 60 Hz, or a SuperCIC mod board.
All games have been tested on both an NTSC SNES and a PAL SNES, using an SD2SNES with the SuperCIC function switched off.
NTSC Games on PAL Console
The following are NTSC games which will not work on a 50 Hz console. Note that US games use a different cartridge shape than PAL or Japanese games, which acts as another form of regional lockout.
Title | Publisher | Notes |
---|---|---|
The Adventures of Batman and Robin | Konami | |
Animaniacs | Konami | |
Ardy Lightfoot | ASCII | |
Biker Mice from Mars | Konami | |
Bushi Seiryuuden: Futari no Yuusha | Enix | |
Captain Commando | Capcom | |
Castlevania: Dracula X / Akumajou Dracula XX | Konami | |
Donkey Kong Country / Super Donkey Kong | Nintendo | Displays the lockout message after the Nintendo logo |
Donkey Kong Country 2 / Super Donkey Kong 2 | Nintendo | |
Donkey Kong Country 3 / Super Donkey Kong 3 | Nintendo | |
EarthBound / Mother 2 | Nintendo | |
Kirby Super Star / Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe | Nintendo | Uses an SA-1 chip, can also detect if the lockout chip has been bypassed |
Kirby's Avalanche | Nintendo | |
Kirby's Dream Course | Nintendo | |
Kirby's Dream Land 3 / Hoshi no Kirby 3 | Nintendo | |
Mega Man's Soccer / Rockman's Soccer | Capcom | |
Metal Warriors | Konami | |
Ninja Gaiden Trilogy / Ninja Ryukenden Tomoe | Tecmo | |
Panel de Pon | Nintendo | |
Popful Mail | Falcom | |
R-Type III | Irem (JP) / Jaleco (US) | |
Sparkster | Konami | |
Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario Collection | Nintendo | |
Super Mario RPG | Nintendo | Uses an SA-1 chip, can also detect if the lockout chip has been bypassed |
Super Metroid | Nintendo | Displays the lockout message after the Nintendo logo |
Tetris & Dr. Mario | Nintendo | |
TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventure | Konami | |
Umihara Kawase | TNN | Not region locked but the screen rapidly flashes during gameplay |
Some NTSC games from Capcom, such as Breath of Fire II, Mega Man 7, Mega Man X2 and Saturday Night Slam Masters will display a lockout message but will actually work fine on a PAL console. They will however play at a slower speed.