Destiny 2 is finally headed to stores this week, three years after Bungie’s first shared-world shooter charged onto PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But there won’t be many retailers fighting to get in on the early action when Destiny 2 goes on sale Wednesday morning.
Sure, there are likely going to be some server issues on day one, particularly as some of the world’s most populous regions get access to the Destiny 2 servers. We’re expecting outages on par with the first days of vanilla Destiny, given how rapidly the game’s community expanded, and long lines at your local game retailer are probably a safe bet. But that just means a little extra time with other Guardians from your neck of the woods. The only question is where you’re going to claim your own copy of Destiny 2 on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
Best Buy
We’re starting to wonder if whoever is in charge of Best Buy these days has something against money. It wasn’t a shock when the company stopped opening late for smaller releases, like Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle or Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, but it’s shocking to see that the company won’t be open late for the Destiny 2 release. The retailer is still accepting pre-orders, but you’ll have to wait for normal store hours on Wednesday to get your copy.
GameStop
GameStop has been pretty reliable for major game releases in recent years but it looks like they’ve thrown in the towel for Destiny 2. The Events section of the retailer’s website doesn’t list anything for Tuesday night and the only recent addition is a link for the 2017 GameStop Expo. Like Best Buy, GameStop is still accepting Destiny 2 pre-orders and offering Cayde-6 figures to everyone who buys the game there. But, again, you’ll have to wait for normal business hours on Wednesday to retrieve your copy of Destiny 2.
Walmart
The good news, if you live in a relatively populous area, is Walmart should have you covered. Many locations are open 24 hours -- double-check with your local store before leaving the house -- so getting a copy of Destiny 2 at midnight shouldn’t be an issue. You might have to get a manager to crack the box open, and it’s possible some locations won’t get their copies until later in the day, but it sounds like Walmart is going to be most fans’ best bet for getting a physical copy of Destiny 2 in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
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The good news, if you’re bummed about the lack of midnight releases, is that the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live have you covered. But you should get the download started ASAP.
Destiny 2 is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game heads to consoles on Sept. 6 before making the jump to PC in October.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Destiny 2 news in 2017 and however long Bungie supports Destiny 2 in the years ahead.
