Dark Souls 3 recently launched in Japan, but the international release is on April 12, and some fans were very determined to shorten the waiting period.
That is why dexterous techies snooped around and discovered ways for U.S. players to enjoy the gothic title on their Xbox One.
To simplify: if you purchase the Japanese version of the game, there are ways to get the English variant. At least two modus operandi exist for this, and we are here to show you both.
Variant 1 (via NeoGAF user, bidguy)
1. Create a dummy account, and set your region to Japan region (this is necessary only if you're worried about a potential ban on your main account).
2. Go to Microsoft Store and buy Yen Xbox Credit. You can do so easily by setting region to Japan and searching for Yen cards on MS' site.
3. Buy the game, offer a Japanese address when asked for it. For example, users have successfully mastered this step by submitting the address of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
4. Go to your Xbox region and set it to UK or U.S.
5. Download the game and enjoy the third installment from the Dark Souls franchise.
Variant 2 (via Reddit user calebkeith)
1. Login to your main Microsoft Xbox account.
2. Go to the billing and payment tab and choose the payment options.
3. Create an additional payment option.
4. In the U.S. dropdown menu, choose Japan and Paypal.
5. Tap next and connect your PayPal account to your MS account.
6. Should you get asked to provide an address, use any valid address for Japan.
7. Buy Yen 8,000 (about $72) using your PayPal for the purchase.
8. Head to Xbox.com and, at the bottom left side of the web page, switch the language to Japanese.
9. Go to your email purchase confirmation and redeem the codes found at the bottom of it.
10. Using your recently purchased Yen credit, buy Dark Souls 3 using your Yen account.
In the case that you have to input an address before using credit, you can again use just about any address in Japan, as long as it's valid. The Microsoft Store does not validate payments via billing addresses, so you should be fine using it without creating any trouble for anyone.
Kotaku asked Microsoft about the implications of such an action and whether users who go through the motions risk any kind of penalty on their Xbox accounts. Microsoft said that it "does not condone" such practices, but it will take no action against those who do.
When the Dark Souls 3 officially launches, it will land on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Until then, you can play the game early on the Xbox One using the tricks noted above.
Keep in mind that Microsoft is already at work to close the region switching loophole, so should proceed at your own risk. And praise the sun!
