Nintendo has instituted temporary restrictions on buying a Nintendo Switch 2 in Japan, though the restrictions don't apply to every Switch 2 sold in the company's home base. Users looking for the multilingual Switch 2 in Japan will have a tougher time finding one, as Nintendo adds new restrictions and suspends the sale of multi-language consoles, under suspicion that customers are hoarding them for scalping and reselling purposes.
You may recall that there are two kinds of Switch 2's you can buy if you're shopping for one in Japan: the Japan-only edition Switch 2, which is region-locked and only comes with Japanese language settings, or the multilingual version you'd find in the rest of the world.
But at least for the short-term future, the Japan-only variant will be the main one available to combat scalpers and resellers, Nintendo explained in a statement shared to its official X (formerly Twitter) account (via machine translation). "Regarding the sale of the Nintendo Switch 2 (multi-language compatible) at the Nintendo Store, we have identified multiple orders suspected of scalping and other such activities, so we have temporarily suspended sales."
"Moving forward, in order to deliver the product to as many customers as possible, we will be offering sales to customers who meet the following conditions. We kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation."
The restrictions are the same as those Nintendo placed on the earliest Switch 2 pre-orders, that those interested in buying a multi-language Switch 2 in Japan must have a playtime of 50 hours or more on a Nintendo Switch console as of May 31, 2026, time that must come from paid games, not demos or free software, and only one Switch 2 unit can be purchased per account.
This change comes ahead of the Switch 2's upcoming price increase, which is no doubt why users may be looking to buy multiple units in bulk to sell after the price rises.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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