Where And How To Purchase An SNES Classic Edition Console At Launch

Today marks Nintendo's launch of the highly anticipated SNES Classic Edition, which interestingly has the same hardware inside as the NES Classic Edition that came before it. This scaled down console brings 21 retro video games that many gamers grew up on and crams them into one package with no need to sling cartridges like back in the day. Nintendo has promised higher production levels of the SNES classic than the previous retro NES offering that was so hard to find.

More production doesn't necessarily mean that the new console will be easy to find. We are going to run down all the places you can get one (or at least try to get one) today. Note that just about every electronics retailer out there is promising to have some of the consoles in stores. The caveat is always "limited supply" in store. What does that even mean? It could be two or two hundred, we just don't know.

Some retailers will hand out tickets and some will just sell them to whoever shows up. You will likely find lines in most retail locations. At Best Buy, a ticketing system is being used and every location will have stock. Everyone in line gets a ticket in the order they are standing until the tickets run out. If you get a ticket, you get a console. Best Buy is only allowing one console per customer.

All GameStop locations will have some consoles in stock on launch date. While most electronics retailers are known for being coy with stock numbers for consoles, GameStop is being surprisingly up front this time out and simply letting people line up outside and putting the number of available consoles on the door. If there are more people in line than that number, you can leave. Even better news is that GameStop isn't forcing bundled offers on you as it did with the Switch. Signs with number of consoles will be posted up before the store opens and could be up right now.

Another place to get your retro gaming fix is Target, which is also going with a ticketing system. The good news here is that Target tends to open much earlier than some other retailers making it a good first shot at getting a console before trying somewhere else.

Each Toys-R-Us store will have stock and its will be using a ticket system. Walmart is another place to go, but you may be too late already. With most locations being 24 hour stores, those consoles went on sale at 12:01 AM ET leaving your hopes of getting one pretty slim.

If you don't want to stand in lines or go out, you can try to order online. A quick run around all the major online retailers show no stock anywhere as of writing. As an aside, when trying to get my mitts on a Nintendo Switch I learned something rather annoying about my local Walmart. The electronics workers there can't buy new items like the SNES Classic Edition for 24 hours after they come in stock. I witnessed them telling people who called to ask about stock that they had no Switch consoles despite having ten in the display. The sales guy went so far as to ask me not to tell anyone they had them so he and his buddies could buy them later. Moral of the story is go in and check stock, don't call.