With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom just a couple of days away, franchise fans are waiting for their game copies. While some gamers choose to buy the digital version, which is already available for pre-loading onto their Nintendo Switch console, others have pre-ordered a physical copy. Players can expect to start seeing their copies begin shipping out at any time if they haven’t already.
Besides GameStop’s midnight release, no one expected to see Tears of the Kingdom in a store until after its launch, but it seems the game has been on the shelves at a Walmart. This should only be the case if Nintendo cleared it to sell Tears of the Kingdom copies early, but this situation is different.
Related: The Legend of Zelda Fans Speculate Story Spoilers in Final Tears of the Kingdom Trailer
Fan Sees Tears of the Kingdom on Shelf in Walmart
A Reddit post from user “Filmcove” shows a Walmart in North Carolina already has copies of Tears of the Kingdom up in their Nintendo Switch game selection case. The user said they tried to purchase a copy of the sequel but were turned down when the Walmart system flagged the game. However, if any cashier had overlooked this, customers could have been walking out with the game ahead of its launch date.
Related: The Legend of Zelda: How to Play Every Game In Release Order
Retailers like Walmart breaking the Tears of the Kingdom street date is awful, as Nintendo wants this game to be sold on the day of release on May 12. With Tears of the Kingdom already on retail shelves, early players might post stories and other game spoilers on various social media platforms. If you don’t want to be spoiled, take preventive measures like muting the keywords like “Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda, The Legend of Zelda” on platforms like Tiktok, YouTube, and others.
Anyone expecting their copy of Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t have to wait much longer as it will be available on May 12. Within a couple of hours, everyone will be able to enjoy Breath of the Wild sequel.
