As Nintendo Switch 2 Launches in Japan, Shops Restrict Sales to Lottery Winners — and Nintendo's Official Stores Aren't Stocking Switch 2 at All

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