Bought a disc abroad and wondering what is a dvd region code? It’s a lock tying a disc to one part of the world. Your player plays its own region’s discs, plus discs with no code.
If you are new to the hobby, start with the guide to film collecting for beginners, then come back here for the region details.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| DVD region codes introduced | 1997 |
| Region 1 | United States (incl. Puerto Rico), Canada, and Bermuda |
| Region 2 | Europe (except Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine), Middle East, South Africa, Japan and more |
| Region 4 | Latin America, Australia, Caribbean and Oceania, with exceptions |
| Region 6 | Mainland China |
| Blu-ray region codes | 3 regions (A, B, C) |
These figures come from Wikipedia’s DVD region code page and BGR’s explainer. Figures can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
How region codes work
Region codes are a digital rights management technique introduced in 1997, according to Wikipedia. They were designed to let rights holders control a release’s content, release date and price in each region.
The lock lives in the player. A region-locked player plays back only DVDs encoded to its region, plus those without any region code. Put in a mismatched disc and BGR says you may see a message such as “Error: Playing of this disc is prohibited in your region.”
A single disc can carry one code, several codes (multi-region) or all codes (region free). A disc marked Region 2/4, for example, suits Europe, Latin America, Oceania and any other Region 2 or Region 4 area, per Wikipedia.
The DVD regions and what they cover
Everyday discs use Regions 1 to 6, and Ursinus College’s guide counts 6 individual codes. BGR says Regions 7 and 8 are for special use cases. Wikipedia’s list is the fullest of the sources checked, so the summary below follows it.
- Region 1: United States (incl. Puerto Rico), Canada, and Bermuda.
- Region 2: Europe (except Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine), Greenland, British Overseas Territories, Overseas France, Middle East, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, and Japan.
- Region 3: Southeast Asia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
- Region 4: Latin America, Australia, the Caribbean and Oceania, each with listed exceptions.
- Region 5: Africa (with exceptions), Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Central Asia, South Asia, Mongolia, and North Korea.
- Region 6: Mainland China.
- Region 7: “media copies” of pre-releases in Asia, among other uses.
- Region 8: international venues such as aircraft, cruise ships, and spacecraft.
You will also see Region 0 or “ALL” on cases. Wikipedia says such discs have every region flag set, while one film distributor’s explainer says Region 0 is not an official setting: discs bearing the symbol either have no flag set or have several flags set. Either way, the disc is meant to play worldwide.
Odd cases that trip up collectors
The neat map has plenty of exceptions. These are the ones most likely to surprise you when a disc arrives.
- Region 2 releases may carry D1 to D4 sub-codes: “D1” are UK only releases, “D2” and “D3” are not sold in the UK and Ireland, and “D4” are distributed throughout Europe.
- Most DVDs sold in Mexico and the rest of Latin America carry both region 1 and 4 codes.
- Most DVDs in India combine the region 2, region 4, and region 5 codes, or are region 0.
- Mainland China uses region 6, but Hong Kong and Macau use region 3.
- A few discs used “region-code enhanced” (RCE), a retroactive attempt to stop one region’s discs playing in another region, even in a region-free player.
RCE was rare: Wikipedia says the scheme was deployed on only a handful of discs. Treat it as a curiosity rather than something to plan around.
Why do region codes exist?
The main reason is release timing. Ursinus College’s guide notes that new films nearly always have different release dates, sometimes months apart, for different areas of the world.
BGR says the codes were designed to protect distributor and publisher rights from those staggered release schedules. A film already on disc in one market could otherwise be imported before it reached cinemas in another.
That logic has weakened. BGR adds that movie premieres are not as staggered now, and physical and digital releases happen much faster worldwide.
Blu-ray and 4K discs
Blu-ray uses three region letters instead of numbers, according to BGR. Its breakdown is:
- Region A: North America, South America, U.S. territories, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
- Region B: Europe, Africa, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Region C: Central and South Asia, including China, India, and Russia.
The letters do not line up with the DVD numbers. Japan, for example, is in DVD Region 2 per Wikipedia but Blu-ray Region A per BGR, so check each format separately.
In the United States, most Blu-rays are Region A and most DVDs are Region 1. As of BGR’s June 26, 2026 article, most 4K UHD Blu-rays are region-free, while standard Blu-rays still use region codes.
Buying and playing discs from abroad
A little checking before you pay avoids most problems. A parcel-forwarding company’s guide says region codes are clearly stated in the item specifics of a website and on the DVD case.
- Read the region on the listing and, once it arrives, on the case.
- Compare it with your player’s region. Multi-region and region-free discs also play.
- If the region does not match, a region-free player is the usual fix.
On players, Wikipedia notes that region-free DVD players, which ignore region coding, are commercially available, and that many players can be modified to be region-free. BGR cautions that most multi-region players were made region-free by hacking and are not officially endorsed by the manufacturer. This guide does not cover the legal side of modifying a player.
A disc that refuses to play is not always a region problem. If the codes match, a damaged surface may be to blame, and a guide on how to fix a scratched dvd covers that case. Once your shelf holds discs from several regions, a guide on how to store dvds helps you keep them safe and easy to sort.
Frequently asked questions
What does Region 0 mean on a DVD?
Show answer
It is an informal label for discs meant to play worldwide. One distributor’s explainer says it is not an official setting, and that such discs have no flag set or have region 1-6 flags set.
Will a Region 1 DVD play on a Region 2 player?
Show answer
Usually not. A region-locked player plays only discs encoded to its region, plus those without a region code, per Wikipedia. A disc carrying both codes, or a region-free player, changes the answer.
Do region codes apply to streaming?
Show answer
Not the disc codes, but similar control exists. BGR explains that geo-blocking restricts access to online content based on your location, which is discerned through your IP address.
Are 4K UHD discs region-locked?
Show answer
As of BGR’s June 26, 2026 article, most 4K UHD Blu-rays are region-free. Standard Blu-rays still use region codes, so check those before buying abroad.
Where can I find a disc’s region?
Show answer
Look at the item details on the seller’s page and at the printed label on the case, as this guide points out. If a listing does not say, ask the seller before you buy.
