The PS2 is region locked with four different regions for games, and more for other features such as DVD and movie playback.
Regional Model Differences
| # | Region | Game Region | Movie Region | DVD Player | Save Prefix | rom0:ROMVER region ID | MagicGate Region | OK Button |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Japan | NTSC-J | 2 | J (ROM only) | BI | I | JP | 
|
| 01 | North America | NTSC-U/C | 1 | U | BA | A | NA | 
|
| 02 | Oceania | PAL | 4 | A (OSD), O (ROM) | BE | E | AU |
|
| 03 | UK/Ireland | PAL | 2 | E | BE | E | EU |
|
| 04 | Europe | PAL | 2 | E | BE | E | EU |
|
| 05 | Korea | NTSC-J | 3 | K (OSD, 30005R to 55005), G (OSD, 70005 to 90005), A (ROM) | BA | H | ASIA |
|
| 06 | Hong Kong | NTSC-J | 3 | G (OSD), A (ROM) | BA | H | ASIA |
|
| 07 | Taiwan | NTSC-J | 3 | G (OSD), A (ROM) | BA | H | ASIA |
|
| 08 | Russia | PAL | 5 | D (OSD), R (ROM) | BE | E | RU |
|
| 09 | China | NTSC-C | 6 | C | BC | C | CH |
|
| 10 | Latin America | NTSC-U/C | 4 | M | BA | A | MX |
|
| 11 (only SCPH-50011) | Mexico | NTSC-U/C | 4 | M (*) | BA | A | MX |
|
- SCPH-70011 (Canada/USA) and SCPH-70012 (USA only) are not separate regions, but rather North American Slim consoles with an integrated dial-up modem.
- SCPH-50011 is the only known Mexican exclusive model and they're the only PS2 with a DVD Player version which is not the usual number plus region, having instead a weird alphanumeric sequence (
cvrM040402a). - Comparably, the SCPH-50009 is the only Chinese retail model.
- Although the Latin America region exists, it has been confirmed that Argentina saw officially imported PS2 with North American model numbers (such as SCPH-75001/SCPH-90001).
- The combination of update folder prefix and MagicGate region determines Memory Card update compatibility, while the latter alone influences other signed content i.e. utility discs; of course, unofficial updates can enable multiple/all regions in their KELF/KIRXs...
Region Jumper
Some models of PS2 motherboards (pictured: a SCPH-39003) contain a jumper indicating the region. This is merely to provide a reference for assembly line and service workers – it's not connected to anything else and therefore doesn't influence the console's operation at all.