After months of anticipation, Nintendo’s Switch 2 console has launched. While some might be hoping to walk into a store on June 5 and snag Nintendo’s next-gen offering, customers in Japan are disappointed to find that physical stores are holding off selling Switch 2 on launch day.
Ahead of launch, Japanese manga and anime news outlet Futaman (via Yahoo News Japan) asked some of Japan’s biggest retailers about their plans for selling the Switch 2 in stores. Bic Camera, GEO Holdings, Toys R Us Japan, and Don Quijote all said they will only be selling Switch 2 consoles to lottery winners on launch day. Major electronics retailer Bic Camera will have a “hands-on” event at its Ikebukuro store in Tokyo from June 5-8, but customers won’t be able to buy the console there and then (source: ITMedia).
“We honestly can’t say anything about over-the-counter sales on June 5 and onwards at this time,” said a Bic Camera representative, quoted by Futaman. According to its official X post below, Bic Camera Ikebukuro will be selling Mario and Kirby merch, not consoles, at its Switch 2 launch event.
Nintendo Switch 2
発売記念イベントまであと1⃣日🎮1階店頭イベントブースでは
Nintendo Switch 2 発売記念イベント仕様に✨マリオやカービィなどのキャラクターグッズを販売しております😊
Nintendo Switch 2 の体験会は明日より4日間開催😍
ぜひお見逃しなく🏃 https://t.co/F6V1iDcK8v pic.twitter.com/y9jpcgP6s9— ビックカメラ池袋本店【公式】 (@bicikebukuro) June 4, 2025
Another big Japanese electronics chain, Yamada Denki, also has no plans for launch day Switch 2 sales, but will hold lotteries when supply allows. Don Quijote has plans to hold another Switch 2 lottery later this month.
But what about Nintendo’s own official bricks and mortar stores? Gamers are out of luck there too. On June 4, Nintendo Japan issued a statement saying it will not be selling Switch 2 consoles and accessories at its physical shops in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto “for the time being.”
This move was likely made to prevent people lining up outside the stores, as well as possible overcrowding. At the time of writing, it is not known when Nintendo will stock Switch 2 products at its stores in Japan.
Many commenters on Nintendo Japan’s official X post expressed disappointment, with some recalling multiple failed attempts at Switch 2 preorder lotteries. “I hope we will soon be able to buy Switch 2 consoles normally,” was a common sentiment, with some musing whether Nintendo’s Fukuoka store will stock Switch 2 items when it opens in December 2025.
With the Switch 2 being such a hot commodity, Nintendo Japan has already taken steps to combat scalpers and fraudulent resales by working together with major online marketplaces. Japan’s Yahoo Auctions/Yahoo Flea Market has taken the strictest measures, banning all listings of Switch 2 consoles.
During the presale lottery period, Switch 2 demand far exceeded Nintendo’s initial expectations. In the Japanese My Nintendo Store’s first official lottery alone, over 2.2 million people tried to win the chance to purchase the console. In the run up to the June 5 launch, many Japanese retailers have offered their own series of Switch 2 lotteries, with various requirements to prevent oversubscription. Despite the console officially coming out tomorrow, it seems that gamers in Japan will have to keep trying their luck on Switch 2 lotteries for a while yet.
Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
