Amid Soaring Demand for Nintendo Switch 2, Major Japanese Retailers Are Restricting Pre-Orders to Customers Who Have Already Spent Loads of Money With Them

In the wake of the Japanese My Nintendo Store’s massively oversubscribed first lottery for the Switch 2 that received a staggering 2.2 million applicants, all of Japan’s major electronics retailers have been holding their own pre-order lotteries for the popular next-gen console. However, with high demand expected for an extremely limited number of units at launch, every store has placed strict restrictions on who can apply. These measures also aim to prevent scalpers and resellers profiting from the Switch 2.

Conditions vary by store and lottery but almost all require the applicant to be a member of said store and to have spent a certain amount over the last year or two. For example, major electronics retailer Bic Camera limited its in-store lottery to Bic Camera credit card holders who had spent over 30,000 yen (approx. $207 USD based on current exchange rates) between April 2023 and March 2025, with its online lottery limited to those who had spent over 50,000 yen ($345).

Similarly, competitor Joshin has been restricting its Switch 2 lotteries to Platinum and VIP members of its Smile point program. For context, to reach Platinum level, customers must have made a single purchase worth over 150,000 yen ($1,030) within the last year, or made purchases at Joshin on over five separate calendar days (as highlighted by Japanese news site game8). ID checks and limiting entries to one per person are also common measures employed by Japanese retailers to limit applicants and safeguard against scalpers.

Covering these restrictions, Japan’s Sankei Shimbun asked Hideki Yasuda, a senior analyst at Toyo Securities and expert on the game industry about the availability of the Switch 2. Yasuda predicts that Nintendo has around 800,000 to 1 million units ready for the Japanese market upon launch, but it’s likely that demand has since ballooned up to around 5 million units in Japan alone.

“I think the maximum amount of units they (Nintendo) can prepare in 2025 is probably around 4 million, but this will not be enough for the console to meet demand even after one year. There will likely continue to be a shortage overseas as well.”

One thing’s for sure, it's not going to be easy to score a launch day Switch 2, but if you are based in the U.S. it might be worth checking out IGN’s preorder tips, if you haven’t already.

Photo by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket 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.