How to Get Switch 2 During the Year-End and New Year: A Complete Guide to "Realistic Strategies" for Online and In-Store Purchases (2025 Year-End Edition)

1) First, let's clarify the premise: During the year-end and New Year holidays, "where you can buy" is different from usual

Nintendo Switch 2 will be released by Nintendo on June 5, 2025, with a suggested retail price in Japan of 49,980 yen (official announcement in Japan). Nintendo Homepage
Meanwhile, during the year-end and New Year holidays, the priority of "places where you can buy" changes. There are three main reasons for this.

• Official (My Nintendo Store) year-end sales may be limited or halted
  As of December 26, 2025, My Nintendo Store has announced plans to "resume sales in mid-January 2026," "set certain conditions for purchase," and "provide details in January." In other words,the reality is that the official route is unlikely to be the shortest during the year-end (late December to New Year). My Nintendo Store+1
  
  

• Conditions such as "identity verification, membership presentation, purchase history" vary by store and chain
  For example, GEO has changed its sales method, stating that from December 4, sales will be "limited to in-store stock, first-come-first-served," with conditions requiring presentation of a Ponta card with rental membership function or a GEO app membership card. GAME Watch
  Bic Camera also sometimes requires membership registration status and purchase history as conditions for lottery applications. Bic Camera+1
  
  

• Closures, shortened hours, and uneven stock arrivals are likely
  During the year-end and New Year holidays, logistics and in-store operations tend to be irregular, making stock arrivals unpredictable. As a result, both "preparing for online lotteries" and "short-term battles at physical stores" become important.

From here on, to maximize your chances, we will present realistic strategies divided intoonline and physical stores as an "action manual."

2) The "basic strategy" for targeting Switch 2 during the year-end and New Year holidays is to run two lanes simultaneously

Conclusion: The most realistic approach is to parallel **"lottery (condition) lane" + "first-come-first-served (same-day) lane."**

• Lottery (condition) lane:
  Meeting conditions such as membership registration, app registration, and purchase history directly impacts your chances. During the year-end and New Year holidays, application windows may be closed, so it's valuable to prepare for the next opportunity.
  
  

• First-come-first-served (same-day) lane:
  Sales limited to in-store stock, tickets, and purchases with membership presentation. During the year-end and New Year holidays, chains operating in this lane are more likely to emerge (e.g., GEO's first-come-first-served policy). GAME Watch

"Not just one, but doing both" is the winning strategy.

A. Targeting online (online edition)

3) Don't rely too heavily on the official (My Nintendo Store) during the year-end

As of December 26, 2025, My Nintendo Store has announced plans toresume sales in mid-January 2026, with details on purchase conditions and sales start dates to beannounced in January. My Nintendo Store+1
In other words, relying solely on "buying officially during the year-end and New Year holidays" is likely to be inefficient.

However, since the official route is also "the safest way to buy genuine products," it is rational to prepare for the following immediately.

Pre-checklist for winning officially

• Keep your Nintendo account up to date (email reception, two-factor authentication, address, payment information, etc.)

• Understand the official sales terms prohibiting actions (multiple accounts, false entries, applications for resale purposes, etc.)
  Prohibited actions are clearly stated in the rules for invitation sales and lottery sales. My Nintendo Store+1

• Be ready to act immediately with the January announcement (consider the year-end as a preparation period)

By focusing on this, you will be less likely to fall behind during the resale phase at the beginning of the year.

4) For major EC sites, the "buying method" prioritizes "accident-free procedures" over technique

The most common failures in year-end online purchases are surprisingly not "connection speed."
The most common are "procedural accidents" like the following.

• Time loss due to re-login

• Payment errors (card authentication, address errors, exceeding limits)

• Out of stock after adding to cart (not secured)

• Buying without confirming "official seller/shipping source" on marketplaces, etc.

These types of accidents can be reduced simply by preparing your account and payment in advance.
The tasks are simple.

Online pre-preparation (effective for any EC site)

• Keep address, phone number, delivery address, and billing address up to date

• Prepare two payment methods (credit card + another card/cash on delivery if available)

• Turn on notifications (app notifications, emails, disable spam filters)

• Always check "seller/shipping source" (avoid "extremely high prices compared to retail" and "unnatural descriptions")

Here, the priority is not on "specific store techniques," but oncreating a system to reduce accident rates. During the year-end and New Year holidays, delivery troubles and inquiry delays are more likely, so we do not recommend taking risks outside of official routes.

5) Strengthen your online lottery skills: In Japan, "membership, apps, and purchase history" are key

A characteristic of Japan's gaming console competition is thatlotteries often come with conditions, rather than being "equal for everyone."
For example, in Bic Camera's Switch 2 lottery, conditions such as membership registration and purchase history are specified. Bic Camera+1
Yamada Denki also requires a digital membership number for lottery applications, with instructions on purchase procedures and identity verification after winning. MyMD

Point: The lottery battle begins "before you apply"
Rather than aiming to "win immediately" during the year-end and New Year holidays,it's more realistic to prepare to win in the next wave.

• Install apps from stores where you are not yet a member

• For chains with purchase history conditions, consolidate "necessary purchases" within a reasonable range
  (※It's counterproductive to make unnecessary purchases just for Switch 2. Consolidating daily necessities, peripherals, and usual purchases is realistic)

B. Targeting in physical stores (in-store edition)

6) During the year-end and New Year holidays, stores tend to adopt "first-come-first-served": GEO's policy change is symbolic

On December 4, 2025, GEO changed its sales method for Switch 2 from a coupon distribution model tofirst-come-first-served sales limited to in-store stock. Purchase conditions include the presentation of a Ponta card with rental membership function or a GEO app membership card. GAME Watch

What can be clearly understood from this is that
during the year-end and New Year holidays, "first-come-first-served operations" where "those who can buy will buy" are more likely to increase, rather than "rescue for those who lost the lottery."

Realistic moves for GEO in-store

• Prepare the Ponta card rental membership function or GEO app membership card in advance (avoid scrambling on the day) GAME Watch

• Store announcements and restocking timings tend to be at the store's discretion, somake multiple stores within reach candidates

• When lining up, follow the store's rules (avoid inconveniencing neighbors or passersby/avoid dangerous early morning actions)

It's not about "guts," but about ensuring you're not turned away due to lack of preparation.

7) Electronics retailers mix "lottery" and "in-store handling": The key is "membership status"

Bic Camera's lottery sometimes involves conditions such as membership registration and purchase history, and if you don't meet the application conditions, you can't even enter the competition. Bic Camera+1
Yamada Denki also indicates operations such as entering a digital membership number and identity verification in its lottery sales announcements. MyMD##HTML