(Outdated) How to buy Chaos;Head and play it in English

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NOTICE: The announcement of an official localization of Chaos;Head NoAH—an objectively superior upgrade to this version of the game—renders this guide obsolete. Please support the official localization!

The following article will serve as a step-by-step guide on how to purchase Chaos;Head’s original PC release in regions outside of Japan and play it in English with the most up-to-date translation patch. At the moment, this guide only covers the setup process for Windows PCs.

This guide should take around 30 minutes to complete, and is mostly dependent on the speed of your internet connection. If you run into any difficulties, please join this Discord server and navigate to the Chaos;Head troubleshooting channel for support.

STEP ONE: Setting up

  • Starting out, you’ll need to decide if you want to buy the game physically or digitally. Physical copies of the game can be found on Amazon.jp, eBay, and proxy buying/shipping sites like Buyee. If you have a physical copy, follow these instructions. Then, skip to step four.
  • If you’re going the digital route, you’ll be buying the game from DLsite. The following step in this guide will describe/show you this process.

STEP TWO: Buying the game

If you can’t read Japanese, you can use the above video or Google Translate for help with navigating the website.

  • Begin by going to the game’s product page. If you see a pop-up about viewing the page in English, click the button to do so.
  • Hit the orange “Sign Up & Buy Now” button. Register for an account and confirm it through your email address. Then, finish your registration by inputting a password to use and your date of birth.
    • If you see a page about promotional emails, you can uncheck the box to avoid receiving them.
    • You may receive a coupon for signing up. If you do, you may be able to use it later in the process to get a discount on the game.
  • Go back to the product page. Add the game to your cart, and proceed to the checkout page. Continue until you get to the page about your payment method—if you’re using a credit/debit card, select the button that allows you to add one to your account. Do so.
    • If you live in the United States, you can optionally use Privacy.com to avoid giving DLsite your actual card information.
    • If you can’t use a credit/debit card, see the section below for info on buying the game via PayPal.
  • On the payment confirmation page, apply your coupon if you can. Then, hit the yellow button to confirm your purchase. Then, click the purple “download” button. You do not need the red code that appears on the next page, but it wouldn’t hurt to save it somewhere. Hit the “download” button again.

What if I don't have or can't use a credit/debit card?

If you can’t pay via card, you can alternatively use PayPal to buy the game.

  • Instead of adding a card to your account on the checkout step, go back to the product page and click the pink “Purchase Points” button.
  • Click the “DL Pay” link. Several point increments are available. You need to buy the same number of points as the game’s cost in yen according to DLsite. So, if the game costs 3,300 yen, you need to buy 2,000 points, 1,000 points, and 500 points to be able to purchase the game.
    • Don’t make these purchases too quickly in a row, or PayPal may limit your account due to “suspicious activity.” I’ve had this happen to me before, and it’s very annoying to resolve.
    • If you have a coupon that brings the price down to 3,000 yen, you will probably only need to buy 2,000 points and 1,000 points.
  • When you have bought the points, input them on DLsite’s serial code page to redeem them onto your account.
  • On the checkout step, choose to buy the game with your points instead.

STEP THREE: Installing the game

  • Once you’ve downloaded the .zip file from DLsite, extract it and run the .exe file inside of it.
  • You’ll be greeted with a Setup Wizard for the game. Accept the agreement on the first page, and modify the other pages’ settings to your liking.
  • When the game has been installed, uncheck the option to launch the game right away. Until you install the patch, the game will likely not function properly, much less display in English.

STEP FOUR: Patching the game

  • Download the English patch from this link. Extract it, and launch “Chaotic_1.23.exe.”
  • The installer should automatically detect the location where you installed the game, but if it doesn’t, change the installation path to wherever you installed the game in step two. Click “Start” to begin the patching process. You can close the installer when the log displays “Operation successfully completed!”

At this point, the game should be ready to play. When you launch the game (either from the install location or from a desktop shortcut), you’ll know the patch was successfully installed if the window is titled “CHAOTIC;HEAD.”

Frequently asked questions

  • Where can I find a guide for the game?
  • What are the green and red dots of light that occasionally show up at the top of the game’s screen?
    • That’s the game’s Delusion Trigger system. Choosing either the green choice or the red choice will allow the protagonist to see a positive or a negative delusion of what happens next in the story. You can also ignore both choices to keep him grounded in reality. These choices don’t affect what path the story takes until you’re aiming to get the B ending after your first playthrough. See this playthrough guide for more information.
  • I’ve finished the game and want to discuss it / I want to discuss the game while I am playing it, what are my options?
    • The Chaos World Discord server is the best place to do both of these. It can also be used for Chaos;Child, Chaos;Head’s thematic sequel.
  • What is the Lingerie Conversion System?
    • The LCS option in the game’s Config menu allows you to choose whether or not you want to have the game’s female characters appear in their underwear throughout the story. It’s a joke feature that will break your immersion while reading, so we recommend leaving it off until you’ve finished the game.
  • I’ve finished the game! What’s next?
    • Congratulations! Your next step is to read the Steins;Gate visual novel. If you’ve already done that, the rest of the series order is as follows: Robotics;Notes Elite, Chaos;Child, Steins;Gate 0, and Robotics;Notes DaSH.

Troubleshooting

Chaos;Head can be a finicky game on PC, and it may not work as intended depending on the system that it’s running on. If the following bullet points don’t solve your problems, please join the Science Adventure Discord server and ask for further assistance in the Chaos;Head PC troubleshooting channel.

  • The game won’t start, and an error shows up in its place.
    • You might be missing DirectX 9.0c, which is needed to run the game. You can download it here.
  • The game freezes during the prologue, and the rain isn’t animated.
    • You might be missing the K-Lite Codec Pack, which is needed to run the game properly. Download the basic pack here.
  • The fullscreen mode is broken.
    • Press “F” to exit fullscreen mode. Choose the “Config” option on the main menu, and select the third tab. Select “Stretch to fit,” then enter fullscreen mode. Select “Preserve as is.”
  • The game’s performance is poor on Windows 10.
    • You might be able to improve the game’s performance and/or fix some bugs by running the game in compatibility mode. Navigate to the folder where you installed the game, and right click “ChaosHead.exe.” Select the “Properties” option, and go to the “Compatibility” tab. Check the “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” option, and select “Windows XP (Service Pack 3)” in the dropdown menu. Press “Apply,” and re-launch the game.
  • The game’s glossary is partially untranslated.
    • The game’s original patch was unfinished on release, and despite many updates by those not involved with the original team, the glossary was unfortunately never completely translated. This may change in a future patch, but it’s an unavoidable drawback for now.

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