Is PS3 Region Free DVD?

The PS3 is a fantastic gaming console but it also has built-in DVD playback to let you enjoy movies together with family members. But what happens if you insert DVDs that you had bought overseas during vacation? Would they even work?

The PlayStation 3’s hardware settings are set according to its original region of manufacture, restricting playback options for DVDs from other regions. If you had bought your PS3 from Japan, the console will only be able to read DVDs that are region-coded to be played in Japan

Still, there are workarounds to this restriction. Although the PlayStation 3 will never be region-free, you are able to change its hardware region setting letting you play other regions’ DVDs.Read this article to find out how to set this up.

These methods are considered jailbreaking and void any warranties still attached to your PS3 console.

Want a device that can play all blue-ray/DVD discs no matter what region, a Sony BDP-S3700 Region Free Blu-ray Player that you can get for a bargain on Amazon is your best option.

CAN PS3 PLAY ALL REGION DVDS?

Officially, the PlayStation 3 is not capable of playing all region DVD due to its encoded hardware settings. Although the majority of PS3 games are not region-locked

However, these may be circumvented by jailbreaking your PS3 or installing third-party software to bypass any hardcoded security protocols (at your own risk). 

This is not supported by SONY and may expose your confidential information to untrusted parties providing these ‘solutions’.

To protect their digital rights, most publishers opted to separate their DVD distributions into different regional categories. As a result, specific region codes have been created as per the following.

DVD Region Codes

1The United StatesCanadaPuerto Rico, and Bermuda
2Europe (except BelarusUkraine, and Russia), GreenlandTurkey the Middle
East
EgyptEswatiniLesothoSouth AfricaJapan, and French Guiana
3Southeast AsiaSouth KoreaTaiwanHong Kong, and Macau
4Latin America (except French Guiana and
Puerto Rico), Australia, the Caribbean, and Oceania
5Africa (except EgyptLesothoEswatini, and South Africa), RussiaBelarus,
UkraineCentral AsiaSouth AsiaMongolia, and North Korea
6Mainland China
7MPAA-related DVDs and “media copies” of pre-releases in Asia
8International venues such as aircraftcruise ships and spacecraft.
ALLThese region discs have all 1-8 flags set, allowing

SONY’s official support article details this topic further if you are looking to understand a specific issue regarding the DVD region codes. 

As DVDs are slowly becoming a thing of the past in today’s world of social media and virtual platforms, you can always consider subscribing to HBO which offers all the latest movies and drama series for you to binge on, without leaving the comforts of your own living room.

Curious if the PS4 is a multi region DVD player? See my post to find out.

CAN I CHANGE THE REGION ON MY PS3?

You cannot change your PlayStation 3’s hardware region settings, directly limiting your DVD and Blu-ray disc playback options. But certain third-party software may allow you to do so at the cost of jailbreaking the PS3.

Fortunately, your PlayStation 3 games are not impacted by the different hardware regions, so you can always enjoy your playthroughs no matter where you are located around the world.

Your PlayStation Network (PSN) account will be the region server your PS4 is connected to.

If you are determined to explore the various PS3 exploits to enjoy limitless DVD playabilities (among other things) by tampering with the hardware’s region settings, Blaine Locklair’s detailed YouTube above shows what you need to do.

CAUTION!!!

Always BACK-UP your sensitive data files and saved games before you jailbreak your PS3, you can do this using an external hard drive take a look at my Toshiba hard drive from Amazon

Jailbreaking can be tricky, so pay attention to all the steps in the above video if you get stuck at any point.

Curious after upgrading to a PS4, but unsure if PS5 will make PS4 obsolete? Learn the truth in my article.

CAN A DVD BE REGION FREE?

Certain DVDs are region-free depending on the distribution. These can be identified at the back of the DVD’s packaging cover as well as on the disc itself (number representing its region code). A region-locked DVD can also be duplicated to create another copy which is region-free for use.

By owning region-free DVDs, you can certainly enjoy unlimited access to your favourite movies anytime, anywhere! Your PlayStation 3 will also have no problems doing this for you, hassle-free.

You can find multitudes of available tutorials on converting your DVDs into region-free copies, scattered throughout the Internet. However, the easiest method can be summarized as below:

  1. Download and install VLC Media Player After installing, open the VLC Media Player software
  2. Click on the ‘Media’ tab (top-left corner), and proceed to click on ‘Convert/ Save
  3. After a new window pops up, click on the ‘Disc’ tab
  4. Under ‘Disc Selection’, choose ‘DVD’ and then proceed with ‘Convert/ Save
  5. 6. Under the new ‘Convert’ window, mouse to ‘Profile’ and choose your intended video format (example: Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4))
  6. Select ‘Browse’ and choose your preferred destination to save the converted video later on (example: C:\Users\John\Dekstop\World War Z)
  7. Finally, press ‘Start’ and let the software convert the DVD into the chosen video format.9. Done! You now have a copy of the DVD unlocked from any region-codes, saved inside your computer.

If you have trouble following the guide, Aspiration’s above video breakdown walks you through the process.

From here on out, you can decide to do whatever you want with the new DVD copy (region-free). If you are looking to ‘burn’ the copy inside a new physical DVD (especially to play using your PS3), WinX DVD Author can also help you do just that.


You can also check out Wondershare too, which offers its own unique software converter along with an informative guide on how to transform your old school DVDs into PlayStation 3 compatible movie formats.