Video Games from Japan

Will a Japanese video game play on my console?

It depends on the generation. Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5 are region-free for physical games, so a Japanese disc or card plays on an overseas console, though the game itself may be Japanese-language only and some DLC is tied to the region of the account. Nintendo 3DS is region-locked. Older systems differ by hardware: Famicom and Super Famicom cartridges have different shapes from their NES and SNES counterparts, and Japanese PlayStation, Saturn and Dreamcast discs need a Japanese console or a workaround. Japanese consoles run on 100 V with a Type A plug. Japanese shops deliver inside Japan only; OneMall supplies the Japanese address and yen payment and forwards from our Japan warehouse.

What do 箱説付き, 初回限定 and 動作確認済 mean on a Japanese game listing?

Whether the box and manual are present, whether the first-print bonus is included, and whether the seller tested the game. 箱説付き (hako-setsu tsuki) means box and manual included, which for retro games is most of the value; 初回限定 or 初回特典付 means the first-print edition with its bonus item; 動作確認済 means tested working. For cartridge games with battery saves, 電池切れ means the save battery is dead, and for discs, 傷あり means scratches.

• 箱説付き / 箱なし / ソフトのみ — box and manual / no box / cartridge or disc only
• 初回限定 / 初回特典付 — first-print edition with bonus
• 限定版 / 通常版 — limited edition / standard edition
• 動作確認済 / ジャンク — tested working / as-is
• 電池切れ / 電池交換済 — save battery dead / replaced
• 帯付き / ハガキ付き — spine card / registration card present

Where are Japanese games and consoles sold, new and retro?

New from Amazon Japan, Rakuten and the game retailers' online shops; retro and used from Suruga-ya, Mandarake, Yahoo Auctions and Mercari, where box-and-manual state and testing are stated. Japanese limited editions and Japanese-colourway hardware appear on all of them, and Yahoo Auctions is where complete retro sets and boxed consoles are listed.

Can consoles with batteries be shipped from Japan?

Handheld consoles and controllers contain lithium batteries, and each carrier's dangerous-goods rules decide which shipping methods accept them; a device with its battery installed is treated differently from loose batteries. OneMall's prohibited items list names wet batteries and magnetic materials, not lithium cells, so the carrier rules are what apply, and they determine the methods offered at our Japan warehouse. Games, home consoles without batteries and accessories ship as ordinary goods.

OneMall's prohibited items list for shipments from Japan →

What does it cost to ship games and consoles from Japan?

Games are light and consoles are boxed, so a stack of games ships cheaply and a boxed console is priced on its volume. At order time you pay the yen price, OneMall's service fee, shown before you confirm, and the seller's domestic shipping if charged; when the items reach our Japan warehouse you choose an international shipping method and pay for it. Import duty, if your country charges it, is collected on delivery, and consoles carry a declared value that customs will assess.

Estimate shipping with the OneMall calculator →

Which Japanese words find game listings?

The platform in Japanese and the title as Japanese sellers write it, which is the Japanese title, not the localised one. Add 箱説付き for complete retro copies and 限定版 for limited editions.

• スイッチ / PS5 / スーファミ / ファミコン — Switch / PS5 / Super Famicom / Famicom
• Japanese title + 箱説付き — complete copy
• 限定版 / 初回限定 — limited / first-print edition
• 動作確認済 / 電池交換済 — tested / save battery replaced
• まとめ売り / ソフトセット — game lots