What Blu-ray Region Is the US? Regions A, B and C Explained

The United States is Blu-ray Region A. Region A covers all of North, Central and South America plus US territories, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia. A US Blu-ray player plays Region A discs and region-free discs, but not discs locked to Region B (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand) or Region C (most of the rest of Asia, including mainland China, India and Russia).

The good news for collectors: 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays have no region coding at all, and plenty of regular Blu-rays are coded for every region. This guide shows you which countries sit in each region, how to check a disc before you buy, and what to do about the imports you really want.

#Which countries are in Blu-ray Regions A, B and C?

Blu-ray splits the world into three regions, a lot simpler than DVD's eight. Here's the breakdown, based on Sony's official region guide and the BFI's region notes:

Two things surprise people. First, Japan is Region A, so Japanese Blu-rays usually play fine in the US, even though Japan is Region 2 on DVD. Second, Mexico shares a region with the US on Blu-ray, while on DVD it's Region 4.

#Why does region coding exist?

Studios release films at different times and through different distributors in each market. Region coding lets a rights holder stop a disc from one market undercutting a release in another. It's enforced by the player: every Blu-ray player has a region set in its firmware, and a locked disc checks that setting before it plays (Wikipedia: Regional lockout).

In practice, that means the region rules affect three kinds of collectors:

#How do you check a Blu-ray's region before you buy?

Checking takes about ten seconds once you know where to look.

1. 01

   Look at the back of the case

   Most Blu-rays print a small region badge on the back cover, usually near the rating and the tech specs. It shows A, B or C. Some discs also print the region on the disc label.

2. 02

   Read the badge carefully

   One letter means the disc is locked to that region. A badge with A, B and C, or no badge at all, usually means region-free. Some discs are coded for two regions, such as A and B.

3. 03

   Check the listing or label page

   For online orders, the product page should state the region. Specialist label stores and import retailers almost always list it in the specs.

4. 04

   Look up community reports for tricky titles

   Collectors on forums and Reddit regularly test imports and post whether they're "actually region-free". A few discs are coded one way but check the player's country setting too, which is worth knowing for expensive imports.

5. 05

   Record it once you own it

   Add the region to your catalog entry so you know before you lend, sell or travel with the disc.

#Are 4K Blu-rays region locked?

No. The Ultra HD Blu-ray format has no region coding, so a 4K disc bought in London, Berlin or Tokyo plays on a US 4K player. Sony's support page states that Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are region-free and play on compatible devices wherever they were bought.

That makes 4K the easiest format to import. If a film you want is only out in the UK, buying the 4K edition instead of the Blu-ray often solves the region problem entirely. If you're weighing that upgrade anyway, our 4K Blu-ray vs Blu-ray guide covers what you gain and the gear you need.

If the film you want is only out in the UK, the 4K edition is often the import that just works.

#Can a US Blu-ray player play Region B discs?

Not out of the box. A standard US player is set to Region A in its firmware, and most standalone players don't let you change it. Put in a disc locked to Region B and you'll get an error message instead of a menu.

You have a few options:

Game consoles follow the same rules for movies. A US console plays Region A and region-free Blu-rays, and every 4K UHD disc if it has a UHD drive.

#Which Blu-rays are most likely to be region locked?

There's no master list, but some patterns hold:

• Big studio releases are often coded for all regions, because studios use the same disc in many markets.
• Boutique and independent labels lock more often, because they license films for one territory only. Many labels sell separate US and UK editions of the same film for exactly this reason.
• Mediabooks and limited editions from Germany and other European markets are frequently Region B.
• Japanese releases are usually Region A, which makes them easy for US collectors to import.

So the question isn't really "is this film region locked?" It's "is this edition region locked?" That's another reason to catalog by edition, not by film. The same applies to steelbooks: a UK steelbook and a US steelbook of the same film can have different region codes.

Dune2021 · Blu-ray · Dolby Atmos

Shelf locationLiving room · Shelf B · Slot 14

#Before you buy an import

Run through this list before you check out. Tick items off as you go:

#Frequently asked questions

#Import with confidence

Region codes sound complicated, but for a US collector the rule is simple: Region A and region-free discs play, Region B and C locked discs don't, and 4K discs always do. Check the badge, record the region for each edition you own, and you'll never be surprised by an error screen on movie night. Scanning your discs in batches with Movieshelf makes the record-keeping part quick.