System-by-system guide to getting into imports

The games importing hobby can be a difficult one to get into, purely due to logistics. As always, we want to help! So here’s the rundown on systems’ barriers and specialties, to help you know where to start.

Nintendo systems

Famicom (NES)
Region lock: Cartridges use a different pin output. Adapters are available, as are clone systems with Famicom-specific slots.
Import appeal: While the library is vast and diverse, the Famicom’s really the most ideal fit for fans of the platformer. There’s all sorts of weirdness we didn’t get in the West, even though we did get so very much.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Super Famicom (SNES)
Region lock: Cartridges are different shapes. You can play Japanese cartridges easily, though, by breaking off some plastic.
Import appeal: I love the Super Famicom, but its specialty is the least import-friendly genre: RPGs. They’re great ones, though, as the wave of fan translation efforts indicates. Still, there’s a bit of everything else on the system, too, and it’s a great place to start.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Nintendo 64
Region lock: Cartridges are different shapes, and modifying the system’s not as easy. Still, you could take apart the cartridge shell or use an adapter.
Import appeal: There are a few interesting titles, like a sequel to Flying Dragon and some two-dimensional shooters that publishers didn’t think would be marketable in the West, but it’s still not your first choice for fighters or shooters. (Those are both better found on the Saturn and Dreamcast.) Ultimately, its best quality is quirk, which it has in spades.
Check out our system recommendations here.

GameCube
Region lock: Yes. Import boot discs are available.
Import appeal: It’s not a robust library. There are a few gems, though, like Giftpia, Homeland and Nintendo Puzzle Collection. Generally speaking, what it offers is unprecedented weirdness, if you’re into that. And if you’re reading this site, that’s not unlikely.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Wii
Region lock: Yes. Can be bypassed with software mods.
Import appeal: We got most of the Wii’s best games, but people who like action-RPGs or rhythm games will find some nice options. The enticing bonus here is access to the full GameCube library as well as a wealth of Virtual Console releases.

Wii U
Region lock: Yes.
Import appeal: Taiko? Taiko is pretty great, and the system has three exclusive releases. Otherwise, you’re really looking at the Wii U as a way to access the Japanese Virtual Console, and maybe also jump into some of those Wii games we missed.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Switch
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: We’re getting more localizations than ever, and that’s especially true on a platform that makes it easier for small teams to publish worldwide. Still: there are some interesting little downloads and a few hefty adventures in Japan-only franchises!
Check out our system recommendations here.

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: The great part of the Game Boy is its simplicity; almost the entire library can be figured out regardless of the language barrier. There are some late-life gems we missed because the GBA was already out, like Game Boy Wars 3, Mobile Golf and Pokemon TCG GB 2.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Game Boy Advance
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: Platformers are back in full force on the system, as well as revived 16-bit franchises. It’s a great place to start for import newbies. If you’re venturing into the land of translation patches, that also opens up RPGs like Mother 3, Oriental Blue and Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Nintendo DS
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: It’s also a great place for RPGs, and quirky things. The library’s huge, and games play on modern systems. Check out games like Touch Panic, Densetsu no Starfy 4 and Learn with Pokemon: Typing Adventure!
Check out our system recommendations here.

Nintendo 3DS
Region lock: Yes.
Import appeal: Lots, if you’re willing to pick up a Japanese system. It has built an especially robust catalog of rhythm games and, for some reason, beat-’em-ups. And it’s getting cheaper, now that its time on the market is coming to a close.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Sony systems

PlayStation
Region lock: Yes. Import boot discs are available.
Import appeal: With high popularity and low development costs, the PS1 has some truly bizarre games. That said, it’s strong in a lot of genres, and the segment of its library that never left Japan is quite large.

PlayStation 2
Region lock: Yes. Import boot discs/tools are available.
Import appeal: Once again, lots of stuff here, like rhythm games, fighters and (if you can handle them) RPGs. (And demo discs, if you’re into that!) It may not be the easiest platform to start, though.

PlayStation 3
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: If you just want to dip your toes into the import world, the PS3’s a great place for that. Get started with a little Aquanaut’s Holiday: Hidden Memories (in English!), E.X. Troopers or something with a Gundam in it.
Check out our system recommendations here.

PlayStation 4
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: There are a few choice “Asia English” titles like Gundam Breaker 3 (which is miles better than its localized follow-up), which have been translated (if not exactly localized) and are easier to play without that pesky language barrier. Outside of that, we’re seeing fewer projects made solely for domestic release, but they still occasionally happen.
Check out our system recommendations here.

PlayStation 5
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: Nothing yet, but we’re keeping an eye out for things as they release!

PlayStation Portable
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: RPGs. All of the RPGs. Also, if you like Monster Hunter and want to play about 300 games that are trying to be like Monster Hunter, boy, are you in the right place! In all seriousness, the platform offers some good (if supplanted by successors) rhythm games worth checking out.
Check out our system recommendations here.

PlayStation Vita
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: Rhythm games are once again a big deal, but they’re joined by a nice collection of action-RPGs. And, well, visual novels. Yeah, don’t start by importing those; they’re very language-dependent.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Other notable systems

Mega Drive (Genesis)
Region lock: Yes, though earlier games didn’t have one.
Import appeal: It’s a great system for fans of shoot-’em-ups! Also a few action-platformers. The platform had a lot of success in the West and relatively little in Japan, so there’s less of a wealth of Japan-only fare.

Sega Saturn
Region lock: Yes, bypassed most easily with an Action Replay.
Import appeal: Almost the system’s entire library remained exclusive to Japan, but what the system was best at was advancing 2D in a 3D era. If you like detailed sprite work, the Saturn is the system for you. Also it’s drowning in quirk. So much quirk on this thing. And then there’s the weird release like strategy gem Shadows of the Tusk, which is already completely in English?
Check out our system recommendations here.

Sega Dreamcast
Region lock: Yes, bypassed by an import boot disc.
Import appeal: Fighters and shoot-’em-ups are myriad here, as the Dreamcast was the last of the generation of consoles focused on replicating the arcade appeal. If you miss the last days of the quarter-consuming cabinet’s dominance, that’s what the DC’s built to remedy.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Neo Geo Pocket Color
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: While its older brother is great, it’s also crazy-expensive for new importers. The Pocket is much, much cheaper, and also has fighters and arcade-style games that are refreshing in their simplicity. (Also play Card Fighters 2.)

Bandai WonderSwan Color
Region lock: No, technically?
Import appeal: An entirely Japan-only system, it built its library on licenses like Gundam and Digimon and has a lot of text-heavy fare as a result. Still, though, it has some surprisingly robust rhythm games and a few choice platformers.
Check out our system recommendations here.

Microsoft Xbox/Xbox 360
Region lock: Yes, though some games aren’t locked.
Import appeal: I put both of these in one item, because they need to be included, but neither has much for importers. Well, Western importers. Japanese importers probably love these things!

Microsoft Xbox One
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: Basically none? There are a few aberrations, but there’s essentially no Japanese community for the platform.

Microsoft Xbox Series X/Series S
Region lock: No!
Import appeal: Literally nothing yet, but we’re keeping an eye out for things as they release!

PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)
Region lock: Yes
Import appeal: Were you looking for all the scrolling shooters? In all seriousness, the PC Engine has a near-endless well of options for those who prefer gameplay nice and simple, with its limited tech specs and button configurations. If you’re looking to dip a toe into its library, it may be worth taking a look at the microconsole release, which includes both TG-16 and PC Engine game libraries in all territories.

Hopefully that gives you a good idea of where you should start, though once you get in, there’s a whole world to explore! We apologize to your bank account in advance.