Skip to main content

Can’t afford the Nintendo Switch Lite? You can now put it on layaway at GameStop

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Consoles aren’t cheap, and the price of video games can add up during holiday season when a bunch of huge titles release. GameStop wants you to be able to still play the games you want when they launch, and has rolled out a new no-fee layaway program so you can get the gaming goods you need to do so.

Recommended Videos

Beginning now and running through December 11, the annual No Fee Layaway program allows customers to put down $25 or more on an upcoming game, with the final date for paying your item off being December 18. You can trade in games or hardware to help fund your layaway purchase, as well, and you can get a refund for your deposit at any time.

Right now, options for layaway at GameStop include the Nintendo Switch Lite, a PlayStation 4 Pro console, and a PlayStation VR bundle with Blood & Truth and Everybody’s Golf VR included. Any of these are great choices for a gift this holiday season, and putting down your deposit should guarantee you receive the item and don’t have anyone disappointed, unless you got them the wrong color Nintendo Switch Lite.

Felicia Miranda/Digital Trends

GameStop specifically mentioned only game systems and hardware in its announcement of the layaway program. Because of this, we don’t anticipate video games themselves being available for layaway. Because a $25 down payment would be needed, it would not really make much sense to pay off the remaining $35 in smaller chunks, either.

The GameStop layaway program also doesn’t need a credit check, requiring just an ID and the initial deposit. You must be at least 18 in order to participate, and there are no interest charges associated with the program. Your payments and pickup must be made at the same store where you made the initial deposit.

If you are waiting for the best possible deals on hardware before the holidays, we suggest waiting to participate in this program. Black Friday and Cyber Monday always provide huge discounts on game systems, often knocking more than $100 off their typical price. Just make sure you’re quick because the best deals don’t last very long online or in retail stores.

Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
The Nintendo Switch 2 already has its first accessory, and you can reserve it now
The Nintendo Switch 2 sits in a Killswitch case.

Ahead of this morning Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, manufacturer Dbrand has opened reservations on the console's first third-party accessory. The Killswitch is a case for Nintendo's new console that comes with an open dock adapter, a travel cover, and ergonomic Joy-con holders.

The Killswitch is a variation on Dbrand's Steam Deck case, which soups up Valve's handheld. The company has been teasing a similar device for Switch 2 since December, even leaking the system's design before Nintendo could reveal it. Over 10,000 users have signed up for the device's waitlist since then, but they can formally reserve it starting today.

Read more
The sequel to my favorite Fire Emblem-like is out now and I can’t put it down
Dark Deity 2 heroes Gwyn and Kira stand together.

It’s hard to explain why I like Dark Deity so much. The easy answer would probably be, because it’s like Fire Emblem, but it’s not just that. It takes the skeleton of one of the world’s most successful strategy RPGs and fleshes it into its own world with charming characters and challenging gameplay, enough that conquering each map felt like an accomplishment. That feeling continues in its sequel, Dark Deity 2, which makes those strengths even stronger and adds stakes with decisions that affect the outcome of the story.

It pained me to learn that the developer itself was apparently harsh on the first game, because it's actually the most fun Fire Emblem "clone" that I've played to date. Dark Deity 2 is equally -- if not more -- engrossing. Each map keeps me coming back for more, eager to find loot boxes or objectives I missed, or to discover the "what-if" of what I didn’t do before.
Same but different
The first Dark Deity game starred Irving, a teenage boy with a sword and his story fighting in a war with his schoolmates and unexpected allies. It’s more of a standard hero’s journey. Dark Deity 2 takes more of an effort to spin the trope with an established group of adult heroes, three of which are Irving’s children. The story takes a backseat to the satisfying combat, character customization, and maps, but even the multiple decision paths give Dark Deity 2 more replay potential than the original.

Read more
33 Immortals is the most fun you can have with Xbox Game Pass this month
33 immortals early access impressions lucifer

If the past year has taught me anything, it’s that players are hungry for creative co-op games. Helldivers 2 emerged as one of 2024’s biggest hits thanks to its creative squad play, Monster Hunter Wilds is enormous right now, and Split Fiction is already being hailed as a game of the year frontrunner. There’s a definite hunger right now for games that let people play together in something other than a straight shooter.

So, 33 Immortals couldn’t be dropping into early access at a better moment. The latest game from Spiritfarer developer Thunder Lotus is a top-down action roguelike with a big twist: 33 players work together at once to vanquish monsters. That might sound like a recipe for complete chaos at a glance, but it’s not. Thunder Lotus has its ambitious concept under control thanks to a bevy of ingenious co-op ideas that make players feel like they’re part of an army rather than a lone wolf in a sea of them.

Read more
OSZAR »