Region Priority

Written By Brian Faeran

Last updated 3 months ago

Your Region Priority settings in LaunchBox determine which regional versions of games and media take priority throughout your library. Whether you are importing ROMs or downloading/displaying images, Region Priority plays a role in helping LaunchBox automatically select the most appropriate media & metadata for your games.

What It Does

The Region Priority setting affects two major parts of LaunchBox:

  1. Game Imports

  2. Media Downloads and Display

Region Priorities can be set by going to Tools > Options, and then under Data > Region Priorities

Use the navigation buttons to select which regions you want to include, and move them up or down in the priority list.

Now, let's break downdown the 2 areas region priorities are used for.

1. Game Imports

When LaunchBox detects that you are importing more than one regional version of the same game (for example, a European ROM and a USA ROM), it uses your Region Priority order to decide which one becomes the main game, and which ones become Additional Apps under it.

Example:
If your Region Priority list has Europe above United States, and you import both versions of Super Mario Kart, then the European version will become your main game, while the USA version will be added as a Additional App.

This system ensures that the regional variant you prefer always takes precedence automatically, without any manual shuffling.

2. Media Downloads and Display

Region Priority also influences how LaunchBox handles images, depending on your download settings.

Case 1: When a Media Limit Is Set

If you have set a media limit (for example, "Download 1 Box - Front image per game"), LaunchBox will carefully pick that one image based on your Region Priority if downloaded from the LaunchBox Games Database. Here is how it works:

  1. Start with the Game's Region

    • LaunchBox first looks for images that match the region of the game you are importing. This is usually indicated via the game’s filename.

    • If the game has multiple regions, they are ordered using your Region Priority list.

    • The "World" region is always checked, even if it is not in your priority list.

  2. Fallback to Region Priority

    • If an exact match is not found, LaunchBox continues searching through your Region Priority order for a suitable image.

  3. Final Fallback

    • If no matching image is found even after checking your priorities, LaunchBox uses a built-in internal fallback list of regions.
      This ensures that, whenever possible, you will still get a relevant image displayed even if no image matching your preferred regional variants are available.

Case 2: When No Media Limit Is Set

If you do not set a media limit, LaunchBox will download multiple images for that image type (even more if the game itself doesn’t contain a region that we can deduce). Then, your Region Priority determines which one is displayed in-app.

Example:
If a game has both Japanese and North American Box - Front images, but the game itself does not have a region assigned:

  • If Japan is higher than North America in your Region Priority, LaunchBox will display the Japanese box art.

  • If North America is higher, the North American box art is shown instead.

This approach lets you keep full control over which images are visible in your collection, while still preserving all available regional variants behind the scenes.

Summary

Region Priority gives you consistent and predictable results across your collection. It decides:

  • Which regional ROM becomes the main game when duplicates exist.

  • Which images are downloaded and displayed when multiple regional versions are available.

Fine-tuning your Region Priority list ensures that LaunchBox always shows the versions you prefer, whether you are viewing your collection in the desktop app or Big Box mode.