London is finally getting a Nintendo Store (but it's not here for long)

Nintendo is opening its first official store in London next month, joining San Francisco, New York and Tokyo among the short list of cities with such a shop.

There’s just a little bit of bad news. The Nintendo Store in London will be a pop-up, one that won’t even hang around for a full month.

The London Nintendo Store will open its doors on October 22nd, in Shepherd’s Bush’s Westfield shopping centre, on the ground floor. And it will last until November 16th. It’s there for peak Christmas shopping season. Well, late shoppers aside.

Preparation needed

It’s hard to describe how big a deal the Japanese and US Nintendo stores are. But the logistics of the London Nintendo pop-up opening provide some clues.

You need to book a ticket to get inside its doors during the opening week — yep, even though it’s just a shop — after which the Nintendo Store will revert to a good old queueing system. Proper British style.

Tickets for those opening week slots become available on October 7th, and will cover times between October 22nd and October 26th.

We don’t yet have the link you’ll use to snag those tickets, but Nintendo has opened up a dedicated X account for the pop-up, which will no doubt provide details closer to the date.

As well as simply having the same sort of appeal as London’s ultra-popular LEGO stores, Nintendo Stores also sell “exclusive” gear you wouldn’t usually find outside of Nintendo’s “permanent stores in Japan,” says the company.

The catalogue will include “keyrings, pins, and charms to cosy apparel, stylish bags, and home essentials,” so may well be a must-visit if you live with a Nintendo fanatic. Or are one yourself.

One warning: in order to reserve a ticket for the opening days, you’ll need a Nintendo account. As will any other people aged seven or above you’ll also be booking a ticket for. Those aged six and under won’t need a ticket.

The store will be open from 10am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sundays.

For a vague idea of what you can expect, here’s a tour around Nintendo’s permanent New York store:

Inside NINTENDO STORE New York City: SUMMER 2025 - YouTube

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The first Nintendo Store started as New York's Pokemon Center, which opened in 2001, before being rebranded a Nintendo Store in 2005.

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