GeoRestricted - Why?

Ketagramed · Nov 6, 2022

I live in New Zealand and have received a game code as a gift from a friend in Australia.
I am not able to redeem this because Microsoft has geographically restricted the purchase..
Have tried changing my location settings and restarting the console but, my guess is Microsoft use my IP address to validate my location.

Why do Microsoft do this?
And, is there a way around this feature?

Would be such a waste of money to admit defeat, any advise would be appreciated.

:)

Nursemorph

Ermm..the OP lives in Switzerland, has a Switzerland address and card, has a Switzerland MS/Xbox account and, far as I can tell, is visiting family in Switzerland. Their Game Pass should not be geo-restricted given they didn't leave the country

ngocphi

There shouldn't be any restrictions with the exception of cloud games and bc titles

This is due to 360 and older games being region locked

And cloud games due to performance

As you would be accessing Switzerland cloud this also prevents people from cheating the system NY getting codes from different regions for better pricing or taking advantage of other regional offers like the free Japan or Korean content or games with gold program regional content

andersonpassos

Thank you for contact us! I'm Anderson, an Independent Consultant and a Microsoft user like you.

good morning

It's possible that the game you purchased is not available in the country you are currently in due to licensing restrictions. Many companies have distribution agreements with partners in different countries, and they may not have the rights to distribute certain content in all countries. This can lead to geographic restrictions on certain products, including digital content like games.

It's also possible that there may be other factors at play, such as local regulations or technical limitations that prevent you from accessing the game in your current location.

In any case, it's important to understand that these restrictions are often beyond the control of the retailer and are put in place by the content creators or distributors. If you have concerns about the availability of a specific game or product, it's best to reach out to the retailer or the content creator directly for more information.

list of countries supported by microsoft/Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-us/regions

ngocphi

No it's based on your billing info

so yes changing your location wont work

Most.services block.cross region gifting as it's a source of.fraud and monetization

If you want to.gift different regions you must usr etailer from the said region and take the risk yourself

(A lot of.shady websites.offer gifting but limited in regions at a discount )

When you hit it tells you about .the geo restrictions

Smwutches

Gifting is region locked. There is no way around that. Your friend can try requesting a refund and then buy the game from a place that does sell codes that would work for you.

GeoRestricted - Why?