Following this week’s Pokemon Presents and the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 Pokemon console bundle, retailers have started sharing details on exclusive preorder bonuses for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Best Buy might have the best bonus we’ve seen for a Nintendo Switch game in years. If you preorder Pokemon Legends Z-A for Switch 2 or Switch–physical or digital–you’ll get an oversized desk mat featuring a map of Lumiose City surrounded by key art and a handful of Pokemon. Meanwhile, Walmart customers will get an exclusive pin of the game’s logo or one of the three starter Pokemon.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will send players back to the Kalos region on October 16. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition retails for $70, while the original Switch version is $60. Preorders are also available at Amazon, Target, and GameStop. You can upgrade from the Switch to Switch 2 version for $10. Pokemon fans who are considering making the leap to Nintendo’s new console have a prime opportunity with the Nintendo Switch 2 Pokemon Legends: Z-A Bundle, which launches the same day for $500 and is up for preorder at Target and Best Buy.
If you haven’t played Z-A’s predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Woot has an awesome deal that drops the price to $45 (was $60).
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Preorder Bonuses
So far, Walmart and Best Buy are the only major retailers to announce exclusive preorder bonuses, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Target, GameStop, and Amazon–now that Amazon carries Nintendo games again–wind up offering unique bonuses of their own.
If you preorder at the Pokemon Center in the US, Canada, or UK, you’ll get one random Pokemon Sitting Cuties plush of Chikorita, Tepig, or Totodile.
Preorder to get exclusive desk mat ($30 value).
According to Best Buy, the mat is valued at $30, which sounds about right for an oversized desk mat. It has a map of Lumiose City in the center and key art surrounding it. The left side of the mat features the three starter Pokemon and the logos for Switch 2 and Switch. The right side showcases Zygarde and Eternal Flower Floette below the game’s logo.
Best Buy hasn’t revealed the exact dimensions of the desk mat, but it looks like a traditional oversized edition with enough space for a keyboard and mouse. Or perhaps you could use it for Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. Nintendo hasn’t confirmed whether Z-A supports the new Switch 2-exclusive control method, but the existence of this desk mat makes us wonder if it’s only a matter of time.
Technically, ahem, the bonus is a “Gamer Mat,” but it’s clearly a desk mat/mouse pad with a cloth surface, stitched edges, and (likely) a rubberized base. You could also use the mat for the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
Preorder to get exclusive Pokemon pin.
Walmart’s store pages had hinted at exclusive bonuses since preorders first opened in early June, and now we know that the retailer’s mystery gift is a pin. If you preorder the physical edition for Switch 2 or Switch, you’ll get one of the following pins at random:
- Chikorita
- Tepig
- Totodile
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A logo
$70 | Releases October 16
The Nintendo Switch 2 version features the full game on the card. It’s available to preorder at the following retailers for $70:
The digital edition at Best Buy includes the exclusive desk mat preorder bonus, so even if you don’t buy physical games, it makes sense to preorder from a major retailer instead of the eShop. You can preorder the digital edition at Amazon, too.
Like other games with separate versions for the old and new Switch consoles, Pokemon Legends: Z-A will take advantage of the Switch 2’s superior tech to offer improved overall performance, including higher frame rates and resolution.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus had some slowdown, general choppiness, and pop-in on Switch, so it will be interesting to see how Z-A runs on original hardware compared to Switch 2. Hopefully the gap between the two isn’t as wide as it is in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. The latest mainline Pokemon games had rather extreme performance issues on Switch, but the free Switch 2 update has the open-world Pokemon adventure running at 1080p at 60fps.
$60 | Releases October 16
The $60 physical edition for Nintendo Switch OLED, Switch Lite, and the regular Switch is available at the following retailers:
The digital edition also costs $60 and is up for preorder on the Switch eShop, but if you preorder an eShop code at Best Buy, you’ll also get the desk mat bonus. Amazon is selling digital preorders for the Switch edition, too.
If you purchase the Switch edition and decide you want to upgrade down the road when you buy the Switch 2, you can purchase a $10 upgrade pack from the eShop or a major retailer.
$500 | Releases October 16
The Nintendo Switch 2 console bundle with Pokemon Legends: Z-A saves you $20 versus buying the console and game separately. It comes with a voucher to redeem on the Nintendo eShop for the digital edition of Z-A.
At this time, Best Buy isn’t offering the desk mat bonus to those who preorder the console bundle, but perhaps that will change. We’re still waiting on preorders to open at Amazon and Walmart.
Z-A is the second game in the Pokemon Legends series. If you haven’t played Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which launched back in 2022 and earned rave reviews, you can save $15 on a physical copy at Woot, an Amazon-owned discount shop Woot. If Woot sells out–and it likely will before long–you can grab Arceus for $52 at Amazon or Walmart.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Key Features
The sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes players back to Kalos, the setting of Gen 6’s Pokemon X and Y for 3DS. The bustling metropolitan setting of Lumiose City will offer a significant change of pace from rolling hills and wilderness in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Your first partner Pokemon will be either Chikorita, Totodile, or Tepig. The streamlined catching system from Arceus will return, so you won’t have to battle every wild Pokemon you encounter before lobbing a Poke Ball at them.
Z-A will also be a major departure in another way: the battle system. The traditional turn-based combat from Arceus and the mainline series will be replaced by a strategic real-time system. You and your partner Pokemon can move during combat encounters–though you’ll still be confined to a specific area. Positioning and timing will impact your success on the battlefield, both when attacking and defending incoming attacks by executing dodges.
Several features return from Arecus, including the ability to throw Poke Balls without needing to enter a battle–streamlining your quest to catch them all.
Along with the new and reworked elements, a familiar system will make its return after a long absence. Mega Evolutions, which last appeared in Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee in 2018, will temporarily turn your partner Pokemon into a super powerful version of itself. Mega Evolutions also alter the appearance of your Pokemon, but only certain species have Mega Evolutions, and you’ll need a Mega Ring and a Pokemon-specific Mega Stone to activate it.
We’ve seen several Mega Evolution Pokemon in trailers so far, including Lucario, Ampharos, and Kangaskhan. Mega Evolutions were originally introduced in Pokemon X and Y, so it’s cool that the return trip to Kalos will also have them..
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