Nintendo Switch Buyer’s Guide: Where To Get A Console At Release With No Pre-Order

Nintendo Switch launch madness is upon us, and we want to make sure you get a console as soon as it releases. Even if you failed to find a pre-order, here’s how you can get lucky in the hours, days and weeks ahead.

Wal-Mart: Of course Wal-Mart is doing something big for the Switch launch. At midnight tonight, its 24-hour Supercenters will begin selling neon and gray versions of the console in limited quantities. We’d expect the standard practice of tickets in line as well. To find your nearest Supercenter, just use the Wal-Mart store locator here and type in your zip code. If its hours are listed as 24 hours, those are the first places to look if you want one Friday.

Beyond launch, simply use the store locator link above to get the telephone numbers of nearby stores. Call regularly over the next few days and weeks to learn when the next batch of shipments will arrive.

GameStop: In similar fashion, 3,000 GameStops are participating in midnight launches too. Just go to the events page here and type in your zip code to see the list of options. Doors will open at 9.p.m. local time, so get there early. That’s especially true if you want bonus credit for trading in a Wii U, 3DS or any game.

After launch, use the standard store locator here by typing in your zip code.

Best Buy: Best Buy has a few hundred midnight launch locations as well, but they seem somewhat rare compared to Wal-Mart and GameStop’s offerings. Check out the events page for a full store locator.

The locator will also show your store’s hours for the rest of the week. If your store isn’t open at midnight, you may want to be there at 10 a.m. when the vast majority of stores open. Keep calling and asking about stock numbers regularly without being rude.

Target: If you’d rather not stay up till midnight, Target will start selling the switch at 8 a.m. local time instead. As recapped earlier this week, each store is anticipated to get 35 to 70 consoles that will be sold via tickets in line.

Use the store locator here if you want to know who to call.

Some Of Those Stores You Wouldn’t Expect: It’s easy to think about the big box stores above when buying a major product, but there are plenty of other outlets that may get a few Switches even if they don’t focus on games.

Think about the Kmarts and Sears’ of the world. Not many gaming enthusiasts will think to go there at launch, so you may luck out. There are probably other local chains in the same ilk no matter where you are. If you need some store locators. Try here and here. Just call the listed numbers and see what happens.

eBay: If you simply couldn’t snag one from any of the avenues above, there’s always eBay. However, you should be aware that you’ll likely be paying a hefty fee from a scalper to get your console.

At the time of writing, if we search Nintendo Switch, console pre-orders are being sold from $450 to $750. Those prices are only going to go up in the fervor of launch. In this particular case, we’d recommend eBay as a last resort for those who must have the console in its first few days. After all, if eBay is your poison, you’ll have to wait for shipment too.

Nintendo Switch arrives March 3 for $299. Click here for even more midnight launch details.

Are you hoping to get a Nintendo Switch without a pre-order? What’s your chosen method for getting the most coveted gaming goods? Tell us in the comments section!