There was a time when the number of games that were trapped exclusively in Japan was far higher than it is today. As localization processes have improved though, so too has the ease with which Japanese developers have been able to translate their games for English language audiences. Region-free consoles have also helped a lot too in this regard.
RELATED: The Best SNES Games That Never Released Outside Japan (But Have Translations)
Despite these changes though, there remain plenty of games that never made their way to western shores and the Switch is home to more than its fair share, including the latest entry in the hugely popular Yo-Kai Watch series. Some of these titles may eventually receive official western releases, but, for the time being, at least, most remain in limbo and out of reach for the majority of players in the west.
Updated on August 9, 2021 by Tom Bowen: Though region-exclusive games are a lot less common than they used to be, there are still occasions when developers and publishers decide not to localize their titles. There can be a variety of reasons for this, but it usually comes down to whether or not a publisher believes that a game has the potential to sell well enough to justify the costs associated with localization; both in terms of time and money. When it came to Yo-Kai Watch 4 and these other nine titles, it appears that the decision-makers decided that they don't.
10 Yo-Kai Watch 4++
Although many of the Yo-Kai Watch games have been released outside of Japan over the years, there's still no word on whether the series' fourth mainline entry will ever follow suit. The creature collecting RPG was first released in Japan back in mid-2019 and remains a Japanese exclusive to this day; much to the dismay of many series fans. So much so, in fact, that some of them have decided to take matters into their own hands.
Since late 2020, a team of talented translators and programmers have been working on localizing the game for western audiences. The mod is still very much a work in progress, but seems to be shaping up nicely so far, with all of the game's text now translated. The team is currently working on replacing images and improving stability, but the game can already be played through to completion for those willing to put up with the odd technical hiccough.
9 Dragon Quest X
Together with the Final Fantasy series, Dragon Quest has helped to shape the JRPG genre, providing inspiration to numerous other developers and countless hours of enjoyment to those who have played the games. Unfortunately, however, those living in the west were never given the opportunity to check out the series' tenth mainline entry, with the MMORPG never being released outside of Asia. Almost a decade on from its original release though, that could all be about to change. Well. Kind of.
As part of the franchise's 35th anniversary celebrations, Square Enix announced that it was developing an offline version of the game for release in Japan at some point in 2022. As of the time of writing, there are still no concrete plans to bring the offline version to the west, but, given the huge success of Dragon Quest XI and the ever-increasing size of the series' North American fanbase, it wouldn't be too surprising to see X localized for non-Japanese speaking players at some point in the future.
8 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
The Nintendo Switch has a lot going for it, but when it comes to power, it struggles to keep up with the PS4 and Xbox One, let alone their next-gen counterparts. As a result, most multi-platform titles never make it to the console and many of those that do end up receiving substandard ports with missing features and noticeably inferior performance and visuals. In Japan, however, Nintendo found an interesting way to get around the system's hardware limitations.
RELATED: The Best PS1 RPGs (That Never Left Japan)
Together with a Taiwanese company called Ubitus, the Japanese giant worked on technology that allowed players to stream AAA titles directly to the Switch. Resident Evil 7 was the first cloud-based game available to Japanese players, releasing in early 2018. This was later followed by Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which was released simultaneously with the PS4 and Xbox One versions. By all accounts, both games worked incredibly well and so this technology may well be something that Nintendo revisits in the years to come.
7 Kunio-Kun: The World Classics Collection
Despite its huge popularity in the east, the Kunio-kun series was never brought to the west. With this in mind, it's perhaps unsurprising that Arc System Works opted to release Kunio-Kun: The World Classics Collection exclusively in Japan back in 2018.
As well as ports of 11 classic Japan-only games, the collection also features re-releases of a number of other 2D games; including River City Ransom and the original Double Dragon trilogy. For fans of retro games from the late eighties and early nineties, there really aren't too many better collections out there as a result.
6 eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020
Series like Madden and FIFA aren't too popular out east, despite the latter starting to make a little headroom in recent years. One sports franchise that does move decent numbers though is Powerful Pro Baseball. First released in 1994, the series has received annual updates every year since; the last few of which have been released on Switch.
Unlike other baseball series like MLB The Show and R.B.I. Baseball that strive for realism, Powerful Pro Baseball instead opts for a more gameplay-centric approach and it works surprisingly well. Sales are typically solid too, as are the games' review scores from Japanese publications.
5 Winning Post 9 2021
There can be no doubting that baseball is Japan's most popular sport, but horse racing is perhaps a close second. Japanese arcades often contain entire sections dedicated entirely to the pursuit and there are also plenty of horseracing-related video games available in the country as well.
RELATED: The Best Horses In Games (Ranked By How Realistic They Are)
Winning Post is without a doubt the biggest of these and is considered by many to be the most realistic horse racing sim game on the market. Each numbered version typically receives five or six different releases over the course of as many years, with Winning Post 9 having 2019, 2020, and 2021 editions available on Switch.
4 Doraemon Learning Collection
Many people assume that just because series like Dragon Ball and Pokemon were created in Japan that they must be incredibly popular in the country. While it's certainly true that there are sizable Japanese fanbases for both franchises though, they pale into insignificance when compared to that of Doraemon.
Having started life as a simple manga character, the blue robotic cat has gone on to become insanely popular amongst the children of Japan. Some of the many games including the character have even made their way west, including the 2019 title Doraemon Story of Seasons. The educational game Doraemon Learning Collection, however, remains exclusive to Japan for the time being.
3 Super Robot Wars T
The Super Robot Wars franchise combines elements and characters from several different anime, manga, and video game franchises, making it something of a licensing nightmare. It's perhaps for this reason that so few of its entries have received English language releases, although the fact that many of the characters it includes are unknown to the vast majority of western gamers likely also plays a part.
Released in 2019, Super Robot Wars T is the series' latest entry and is available for both the PS4 and the Switch. It includes elements from long-running mech series like Gun Sword and Mobile Fighter G Gundam as well as characters from popular anime including Cowboy Bebop.
2 Beyblade: Burst Battle Zero
Having once been fairly popular in the west, the appeal of Beyblade has diminished somewhat in recent years. In Japan, however, the series remains popular and can still be found in toyshops and on televisions all across the county. There's also a series of Beyblade video games available too, with Beyblade: Burst Battle Zero being the latest to release on the Switch.
Many fans of the series consider it to be the best Beyblade game ever made and, just for good measure, the game's special edition version even comes with a free Beyblade inside. Gameplay typically takes the form of a standard one on one duel and each player has access to several special moves that can be used throughout the battle. It's not the most visually impressive game out there, but it does offer a fairly solid multiplayer experience.
1 Jake Hunter Detective Story: Prism of Eyes
Unlike previous Jake Hunter games, Jake Hunter Detective Story: Prism of Eyes allows players to control two additional protagonists as well as the series' titular character. There are three distinct mysteries for players to unravel through and they must do so using a visual novel style approach that is not too dissimilar to the one found in the Ace Attorney series.
As well as the main stories, the game also includes ten scenarios selected from the mobile version of the game; with each one remastered into HD quality. Without at least a basic grasp of Japanese, it's almost an impossible game to play, but, for those who can actually understand what's going on, it offers an incredibly thought-provoking experience and hours of entertainment.
NEXT: Nintendo Games That Are Different In Japan
