Nintendo Switch Pre-Orders Sold Out? Best Buy, Target Will Have Consoles In-Store For Release Date

Nintendo Switch pre-orders sold out a long time ago, but Best Buy and Target will be among a select group of retailers selling new consoles in-store on the unit’s March 3 release date. Details arrive via statements to Polygon and tweets from reputable sources.

Starting with Best Buy, the most efficient way to score a console on day one is to head to a midnight release event beginning at 12:01 a.m. local time nationwide. However, those without a pre-order in hand are warned to line up early because “quantities will be limited.” As is standard practice for hot items, tickets will be doled out upon arrival.

If that’s something that interests you, be sure to check out the midnight release information page here. If your store is not one of the 600 participating in the event, Switches will become available once the store opens at its usual time.

The same practice is also true for GameStop. Limited quantities will be available at midnight, and you’ll have to line up early. Shipments are expected in the single digits.

Target’s Switch sales procedure is a lot less clear. Popular Twitter deal hunter Wario64 recently tweeted an image from a retail flyer that reads “Score your Nintendo Switch Friday, March 3.” Below that, fine print informs interested parties that the promotion is “in-store only” and will have scattered levels of availability. Presumably, this would take place during normal store hours, as there is no mention of a midnight release event. We’d recommend calling your local store in advance for clarification.

Suffice to say, you might want to have multiple people heading to multiple stores in the early hours of the morning if you want to find a Switch without a pre-order. That being said, there are plenty of options available if you’re willing to fight for it.

Nintendo Switch releases March 3 for $299. While supplies last, be sure to check out some of these featured Zelda bundles too.

Are you going to try and find a Switch without a pre-order? Is Best Buy or Target your retailer of choice? Tell us in the comments section!