The Big N does not want certain resourceful people to hoard the “international” version available in Japan so they can later make a profit from it.

The Japanese company has introduced temporary restrictions on purchasing the Nintendo Switch 2 in Japan, although these restrictions do not apply to every Switch 2 sold on home turf. Users looking for a multilingual Switch 2 in Japan will have a harder time getting one, as Nintendo is introducing new restrictions and suspending sales of multilingual consoles because it suspects buyers are hoarding them for speculation and resale.

Let us not forget that two Switch 2 models are available in Japan. One is sold in Japan, has a region lock, and only supports Japanese language settings, while the other is the multilingual version available in the rest of the world, so it can also be called the international model. At least for the near future, however, the Japan-only version will be the main one available in order to fight scalpers and resellers, Nintendo explained in a statement shared on its official Twitter account:

Nintendo StoreにおけるNintendo Switch 2（多言語対応）の販売につきまして、買い占め等の疑いがある注文を複数確認しましたので、一時的に販売を停止しておりました。…

– 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) June 11, 2026

“Regarding the sale of the multilingual Nintendo Switch 2 on the Nintendo Store, we identified several orders where there was suspicion of speculation or similar activity, so we temporarily suspended sales. Going forward, in order to deliver the product to as many customers as possible, we will offer the product to customers who meet the following conditions. We ask for your understanding and cooperation” – Nintendo wrote.

The restrictions are the same as the conditions Nintendo introduced for the earliest Switch 2 preorders: those who want to buy a multilingual Switch 2 in Japan must have at least 50 hours of playtime on a Nintendo Switch console by May 31. This time must come from paid games, not demos or free software, and only one Switch 2 can be purchased per account.

This change takes effect before the upcoming Switch 2 price increase, which is undoubtedly why users want to buy more units and sell them after the price hike.

Source: WCCFTech