PAL vs NTSC Calculator
Calculate frame counts and timing differences between PAL (50fps) and NTSC (60fps) standards for retro gaming.
| Console | Standard | Frame Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NES / Famicom | Both | NTSC: 60.1fps / PAL: 50.0fps | PAL cartridges run slower |
| Super Nintendo (SNES) | Both | NTSC: 60.1fps / PAL: 50.0fps | PAL games 17% slower |
| Sega Genesis / Mega Drive | Both | NTSC: 59.9fps / PAL: 49.7fps | Some games had PAL fix |
| Game Boy | NTSC-like | ~59.7fps worldwide | Handheld, universal timing |
| Sega Master System | Both | NTSC: 60fps / PAL: 50fps | PAL more common in Europe |
| Atari 2600 | Both | NTSC: 60fps / PAL: 50fps | Separate PAL/NTSC versions |
| Nintendo 64 | Both | NTSC: 60fps / PAL: 50fps | Many PAL ports ran at 50fps |
| PlayStation 1 | Both | NTSC: 60fps / PAL: 50fps | Some games PAL-optimised |
| Dreamcast | Both | NTSC: 60fps / PAL: 50fps | PAL versions sometimes updated |
| Game Boy Advance | NTSC-like | ~59.7fps worldwide | Handheld, universal |
Why PAL Games Ran Slower
PAL (Phase Alternating Line) is the broadcast television standard used in Europe, Australia, and much of the world. NTSC (National Television System Committee) was the standard used in North America and Japan. The fundamental difference is the power grid frequency: Europe uses 50Hz mains power, while North America uses 60Hz — and early game consoles were designed to sync their video output to the local power frequency.
This meant PAL consoles ran at 50 frames per second versus NTSC's ~60fps. When developers ported games from NTSC to PAL markets, they often simply released the same game running at 50fps instead of 60fps. The result: PAL games ran about 17% slower, sound pitched slightly lower, and gameplay felt sluggish compared to the original. A 10-second clip in NTSC became an ~11.7-second clip in PAL.
Some developers did the right thing and adjusted game logic speed to compensate, making PAL versions feel identical in play speed even though they rendered at 50fps. These "PAL-optimised" versions are often considered the better releases. The Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog is a famous example where PAL was not optimised, leading to noticeably slower gameplay cherished (or cursed) by European gamers.
For speedrunners, this distinction matters enormously: PAL runs and NTSC runs are tracked in separate categories for many games because timing is not directly comparable.