PlayStation Network
A PSN account is assigned a fixed country at creation that can't be changed later without making a new account.
Nintendo eShop
Nintendo accounts work similarly: the country set on your Nintendo account determines which eShop cards you can redeem. Switch eShop credit is split by region into the Americas, Europe and Japan/Asia, each with its own pricing and catalogue.
Xbox
Xbox applies a region per Microsoft account, set at first use, and Microsoft gift cards are tied to it. Microsoft will not redeem a card from another country on an account set to a different region.
Steam
On Steam it is not an account country that decides but the currency of your Steam wallet: Valve limits redemption to codes in your wallet's currency. That currency comes from the address you give when you first add funds and does not change by buying a code from another country. A code in a different currency will not redeem.
How to avoid buying the wrong region
Before every purchase, check your account country in the platform settings and compare it with the region listed on the product page. Do not buy if the account country and card region do not match.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I change my PSN account's country?
- No. PlayStation states that you cannot change an account's country or region after the account has been created, regardless of your balance or purchase history. So choose the country carefully when you create it.
- Does a US Steam card work in Europe?
- Only if your Steam wallet is in dollars. Valve redeems a wallet code solely in your wallet's currency, so a dollar card will not work on a euro wallet.
- Is region locking the same as a game's region lock?
- Not quite. Account regions govern the storefront and payment methods, while some games separately limit who you can play with online based on server region.
