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Versions
PAL, US or Japan: why one game has three prices
The same retro game sells for very different money in its US, PAL and Japanese versions. Why, with live prices, and how to pick the right one.
Three versions of one game
Most retro games came out in different versions for different parts of the world: NTSC-U for North America, PAL for Europe and Australia, and NTSC-J for Japan. Collectors treat them as different items, and they sell for different amounts. Sometimes the gap is small. Sometimes one version sells for many times another.
Why the prices differ
- How many were made, and how many survive. A game that sold well in Japan and poorly in Europe is common in one place and scarce in the other.
- Who wants it. Collectors mostly buy their own region's version, so demand follows the size of each region's collector market.
- Language and packaging. The box art, the manual and the language on screen differ, and a Japanese version is often cheaper outside Japan for that reason alone.
- Region locks. Many consoles only play their own region's games without an adapter or a modification, which keeps buyers in their own lane.
Live prices, version by version
| Game, boxed (CIB) | US | PAL | Japan | Biggest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silent HillPlayStation | $28057 sales | $14738 sales | $6512 sales | 4.3× |
| EarthBoundSuper Nintendo | $2,55128 sales | -no sales yet | $5828 sales | 44× |
| Pokémon Emerald VersionGame Boy Advance | $67033 sales | $44929 sales | $17026 sales | 3.9× |
| Super Mario 64Nintendo 64 | $12738 sales | $5835 sales | $3927 sales | 3.3× |
| The Legend of ZeldaNES | $15068 sales | $16534 sales | $12019 sales | 1.4× |
| GoldenEye 007Nintendo 64 | $8856 sales | $5031 sales | $6325 sales | 1.7× |
How gamepricefeed handles it
We never average versions together. Every version has its own price, its own sales count and its own rating, and every game page has a version switch. If a game has no sold data for a version yet, we say so rather than borrow another version's number.
Questions
Will a PAL game play on a US console?
Often not without an adapter or a modified console. Many consoles are region locked, and PAL and NTSC also use different TV standards. Check your console before buying another region's version.
Which version is worth the most?
It depends on the game. Look at the version switch on the game's page: each version is priced from its own sales.
Why is the Japanese version so cheap?
Usually because more copies exist relative to collectors who want them outside Japan, and the language puts some buyers off. A few Japanese releases are the rare, expensive exception.