Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

How you can try the Nintendo Switch before you buy

Want to try the Nintendo Switch? Now you can rent your own demo station

By

Nintendo Switch
Nintendo
If you are undecided on the Nintendo Switch, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, there’s a number of ways to try the console before you decide to invest in the console. Nintendo will bring a Switch demos to a select number cities, though we also expect major retailers to start integrating demo kiosks to storefronts in the coming months.

Nintendo “Summer of Play” Tour

Nintendo is offering a chance to not just play the console, but also a selection of upcoming games through its 2017 “Summer of Play” demo tour. Each stop on the tour will let fans get hands-on with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Arms, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as well as a few upcoming 3DS games. My Nintendo members who scan their QR code will also receive a free gift. The full list of dates and locations is below.

Recommended Videos
City Venue Date
Irvine, California Irvine Spectrum Center June 9-11
Pleasanton, California Alameda County Fair June 16-18
Bloomington, Minnesota Mall of America June 23-25
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Henry Meier Festival June 30-July 2
Chicago, Illinois Navy Pier July 7-9
Glendale, Arizona Arrowhead Towne Center July 14-16
San Diego, California Marriott Marquis San Diego July 20-23
Arlington, Texas The Parks Mall at Arlington July 28-30
Miami, Florida Aventura Mall August 4-6
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Musikfest August 11-13
New York, New York DUMBO Waterfront August 18-20
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania King of Prussia Mall August 25-27
Baltimore, Maryland Harborplace September 2-4
Related

Retail Stores

Nintendo’s has partnered with six major retailers — GameStop, Best Buy,

Amazon

, Toys “R” Us, Walmart, and Target — to sell the Switch. Of those six, only GameStop has started receiving Switch kiosks in stores across the country. From speaking with multiple GameStop stores, the kiosks only let customers interact with the Switch’s touch display to play game trailers. We’ve reached out to GameStop to find out if and when it expects to receive playable demo units.

The other five retailers don’t have Switch kiosks in stores… yet. We spoke with Target and Best Buy, and will provide updates as we hear more. We also contacted Amazon, Toys “R” Us, and Walmart, but have yet to hear back.

GameTruck mobile gaming parties

If you don’t want to go to a retail store to try out the Nintendo Switch, you can always bring the experience to you, instead. Nintendo has partnered with GameTruck, a mobile gaming party service, to add Nintendo Switch consoles and games such as 1-2 Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to its fleet of rental demo stations through June 20, 2017. The stations will also feature Mario Kart 8 Deluxe once the game launches at the end of April.

Each GameTruck will be accompanied by “game coaches,” who can provide tips to those unfamiliar with the system. Each truck will have multiple Switch consoles, so no one will have to wait very long, and party guests can try out the system in its docked, tabletop, and handheld configurations.

GameTruck is currently available in 30 U.S. states, with locations limited to major cities thus far. You can enter your location information on the company’s website to find the closest GameTruck-supported area right here.

Updated on 3-20-2017 by Gabe Gurwin: Added information on GameTruck parties in 30 states.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
All upcoming video games (PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC): 2024, 2025 and beyond
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Keeping track of every new video game release is a nearly impossible task. Ggames are constantly being announced, delayed, rereleased on new platforms, remastered, canceled — you get the point. With the upcoming games lineup constantly shifting on PC, Switch, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and mobile, it can be hard to find games to look forward to playing (and to budget for) in the coming months.

Despite the herculean task of tracking an entire year of video game release dates, we're giving it our best shot. Check out this month-by-month schedule of new video game releases. We're focusing mainly on highly anticipated titles with concrete release dates, but will also include little-known indies and keep an eye on launch plans for up-in-the-air titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 or games that are still very early on in development like Hogwarts Legacy 2 or The Last of Us Part 3. If you're looking to get a quick glance at the future of video games, this is the place. We'll keep this list updated and as accurate as possible at regular intervals.
November release dates

Read more
The best Lego games for Nintendo Switch
Aloy holds a bow in Lego Horizon Adventures.

You can't talk about the best Switch games without at least one Lego game coming up. These games have adapted all of the major franchises, from superheroes to fantasy characters, into some of the most enjoyable games for kids and adults. Or, better yet, play them together since nearly all of them are best played in local multiplayer. At this point in the Switch's lifecycle, there are over a dozen Lego games out there to pick from. While you could always go with whichever one is based on your favorite franchise, there are a few others not based on a license that are just as good. These are our picks for the best Lego games on the Switch that mix in both license properties and original IPs.

If you do plan on playing these with a friend or family member, make sure you have a spare controller ready.

Read more
PS5 restock update: Where you can buy a PS5 right now
PS5 and DualSense art.

When the PlayStation 5 first launched back in November 2020, it was nearly impossible to get your hands on the highly anticipated console. Despite demand being through the roof, chip shortages heavily cut production -- and due to sustained consumer interest, it was a problem that plagued the PS5 for years after launch.

Thankfully, we're happy to report that those issues have largely been resolved, making it pretty easy to grab a PS5 these days. The launch of the PS5 Pro has ignited another buying frenzy, and with Black Friday coming up, Sony has even cut the price of the base PS5.

Read more