Best and Safest Online Stores for Import Games

One of the most frustrating parts of collecting games is when a Japanese title never gets localized, takes forever for an English release, or has a special collector’s version. This is where online stores come in where you import games, and there are some especially safe or useful places that are best to consider when shopping.

PlayAsia

One of the premier places to buy Japanese import games is PlayAsia. This is the one site that makes everything accessible and easy, while also being safe to use. It often has the most popular and recent games, too. If you want a one-stop shop, this is the place to do it. However, I will admit the one downside is the prices tend to be higher here than elsewhere.

Amazon Japan

One easily missed online store is Amazon Japan itself. Yes, you can sometimes buy games directly from Amazon Japan and ship it internationally. There is even an English language option to help. This is a bit finicky at times, as some will work (especially when it comes to online emailed codes), while others will simply not ship outside of Japan for no apparent reason. But you can get the best prices directly here and I have had success with international credit cards working here in the past. It’s how I, personally, imported Yokai Watch 4 for Switch.

Buyee

Proxy services are among the best ways to get import games from stores that you want. They can be sometimes pricey due to extra fees but they let you obscure items you normally can’t find elsewhere. Buyee offers auctions where you bid on items and also a request form for specific consoles or games you want to have them purchase on your behalf and ship to you.

ZenMarket

ZenMarket is another proxy service where they buy an item in Japan and have it shipped to their Japanese address. Then they turn around and take care of shipping it internationally to you. It works very similarly to Buyee, so it is worth comparing the two to see which one makes the most sense for your specific purchase.

PlayStation Store or Nintendo eShop

This final option is for those players who aren’t necessarily looking for a physical game. If you don’t mind a digital copy of a title, you can easily create a Japanese PlayStation account by setting Japan as your region. The same goes for a Nintendo eShop account as well. Then all you need to do is top up with gift cards from places like PlayAsia and you can buy the games instantly that way. I do this often, even just to get certain new releases early.