diff --git a/scripts/truth.py b/scripts/truth.py
index 3488136d9..302d6562e 100644
--- a/scripts/truth.py
+++ b/scripts/truth.py
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ _FILLED_FIELDS = (
     "note",
     "aliases",
     "contents",
-    "region",
 )
 _COPIED_FIELDS = (
     "sha1",
@@ -290,6 +289,27 @@ def _fold_into(existing: dict, file_entry: dict, emu_name: str) -> None:
         if file_entry.get(field) is not None and existing.get(field) is None:
             existing[field] = file_entry[field]
     _merge_priority(existing, file_entry.get("priority"))
+    _merge_region(existing, file_entry.get("region"))
+
+
+def _merge_region(existing: dict, theirs: str | list | None) -> None:
+    """The regions every reader selects the file for, the pack's own rule.
+
+    region.build_region_index takes the union of the tags and keeps a file
+    untagged as soon as one reader declares it without a region. The first
+    tag used to win: psxonpsp660.bin came out japan from pcsx_rearmed while
+    SwanStation tags it world and beetle_psx not at all.
+    """
+    if existing.get("_region_void"):
+        return
+    if not theirs:
+        existing.pop("region", None)
+        existing["_region_void"] = True
+        return
+    ours = existing.get("region") or []
+    ours = ours if isinstance(ours, list) else [ours]
+    added = [r for r in (theirs if isinstance(theirs, list) else [theirs]) if r not in ours]
+    existing["region"] = [*ours, *added]
 
 
 def _merge_hashes(
@@ -373,6 +393,8 @@ def _new_truth_entry(file_entry: dict, emu_name: str, db: dict | None) -> dict:
     crc = entry.get("crc32")
     if isinstance(crc, str):
         entry["crc32"] = crc.removeprefix("0x").lower()
+    if not file_entry.get("region"):
+        entry["_region_void"] = True
     entry["_cores"] = {emu_name}
     entry["_required_by"] = {emu_name} if file_entry.get("required") else set()
     entry["_named_by"] = {emu_name} if file_entry.get("_opens_by_name", True) else set()
@@ -814,6 +836,7 @@ def generate_platform_truth(
     for sys_id, sys_data in systems.items():
         for fe in sys_data.get("files", []):
             fe.pop("_hash_by", None)
+            fe.pop("_region_void", None)
             fe["_cores"] = sorted(fe.get("_cores", set()))
             fe["_required_by"] = sorted(fe.get("_required_by", set()))
             fe["_named_by"] = sorted(fe.get("_named_by", set()))
diff --git a/tests/test_truth_layout.py b/tests/test_truth_layout.py
index 73f514d28..d644350aa 100644
--- a/tests/test_truth_layout.py
+++ b/tests/test_truth_layout.py
@@ -454,5 +454,38 @@ class TheModelIsAFunctionOfItsInputs(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
 
+class RegionFollowsEveryReader(unittest.TestCase):
+    """The first core to tag a file set its region in the truth: the ST-V
+    BIOS kept beetle_saturn's Americas and lost mednafen_stv's Korea, and
+    psxonpsp660.bin read japan although beetle_psx declares it untagged.
+    The pack's region index takes the union and voids it on an untagged
+    reader, and the truth now says the same."""
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _profile(name: str, region: list[str] | None) -> dict:
+        entry = {"name": "bios.bin", "system": "sega-stv", "md5": "a" * 32}
+        if region is not None:
+            entry["region"] = region
+        return {"emulator": name, "type": "libretro", "systems": ["sega-stv"],
+                "files": [entry]}
+
+    def _region(self, profiles: dict) -> object:
+        config = {"cores": sorted(profiles), "systems": {"sega-stv": {"files": []}}}
+        truth = generate_platform_truth("p", config, {}, profiles)
+        (entry,) = truth["systems"]["sega-stv"]["files"]
+        self.assertNotIn("_region_void", entry)
+        return entry.get("region")
+
+    def test_tags_of_every_reader_are_kept(self):
+        region = self._region({"a": self._profile("a", ["north-america"]),
+                               "b": self._profile("b", ["south-korea", "north-america"])})
+        self.assertEqual(region, ["north-america", "south-korea"])
+
+    def test_an_untagged_reader_leaves_no_region(self):
+        for order in (("a", "b"), ("b", "a")):
+            profiles = {"a": self._profile("a", ["japan"]), "b": self._profile("b", None)}
+            self.assertIsNone(self._region({k: profiles[k] for k in order}))
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()