Where to buy video games in Hong Kong

When travelers visit Hong Kong, most start thinking about what they want to buy before they even arrive in the city. Shopping is everywhere in Hong Kong, and very often the price of what you are looking for is cheaper here than in your home country.

One of the most common questions I see on the internet about shopping in Hong Kong is “Where can I buy video games in Hong Kong?” That is a very good question, and I will explain why.

If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, you know that there aren’t stores like Wal Mart or Gamestop that have huge displays of video games for sale. And if you visit a big mall, like Cityplaza, Pacific Place, or Times Square, you probably won’t find a store that sells video games there either. You might get lucky and find games somewhere like Toys R Us, but they’ll be on sale at full price.

After searching for a while, visitors may wonder how a city famous for cheap electronics has so few places to buy video games. Even street markets don’t sell video games.

If you are looking to buy video games, consoles, peripherals or electronic devices in Hong Kong, you must visit the Wan Chai district on Hong Kong Island. Here you will find a shopping center called Oriental 188 Shopping Center.

The Oriental 188 Shopping Center is a shopping center dedicated to video games, movies, anime, toys, electronic devices and all kinds of items.

The mall itself is quite small compared to other malls in Hong Kong. The aisles are narrow and the stores are crowded into the limited interior space. The stores consist mostly of independent store owners who sell any of the items listed above. The prices inside these stores are cheaper than what you would find at chain electronics stores like Broadway and Fortress. And the game prices are cheaper here than in Hong Kong stores that sell video games.

There are a few things to know when buying video games in Hong Kong. And since most of the shop owners at 188 Oriental Mall don’t speak English, you’ll need to know these things before you go.

1. Some game consoles have region locks. Which means you can’t play Asian games on a North American or European video game console. These consoles include: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS and XBOX 360.

2. Non-region locked game consoles include: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS. You can play any game for these consoles no matter where it was created or where your console is from.

3. Getting to the 188 Oriental Mall can be a bit difficult as the MTR does not stop near this mall. The best way to get here is by bus. Look for a bus that stops at 298 Hennessey Road (at the Kwong Sang Hong Building) or at Wan Chai Road and Heard Street.

4. A computer mall, called 298 Computer Zone, is located in the same building as 188 Oriental Mall. If you’re looking for computer products, check out 298 Computer Zone. You won’t have to walk far at all.

5. This mall is full of young people on weekends. Go to 188 on a weekday to avoid large crowds of people.

This is just part of my information on 188 Oriental Mall. Click here for more information on this mall and other malls in Hong Kong.