GameStop Patches Real-Life Infinite Money Glitch After YouTuber Exposes Switch 2 Trade Loophole

Life imitating art took an unexpected turn this week when GameStop found itself dealing with a real-world infinite money glitch. The kind players usually dream about in RPGs, except this one worked at actual retail shops.

YouTuber RJCmedia uploaded a video on 17 January showing a bizarre pricing error in GameStop's trade-in system. His discovery? Buy a pre-owned Nintendo Switch 2 for roughly $415, trade it back with a pre-owned game purchase, walk out with $472.50 in store credit.

Do the maths. That's a $57 profit per transaction.

How The Exploit Worked

The process was straightforward. RJCmedia purchased a used Switch 2 unit for approximately $415 . Trading the console back whilst buying a pre-owned game triggered a promotional bonus that GameStop's system wasn't equipped to handle properly.

'Infinite money glitch, people!' RJCmedia declared in his video.

By repeating this process at multiple branches over the course of two days, RJCmedia reportedly amassed $150 in profit alongside a stack of free video games . The promotional mechanics created a deficit for GameStop with every single transaction.

GameStop Responds Swiftly

The retailer wasn't amused for long. As the video began to circulate online, GameStop moved quickly to update its trade-in values and close the loophole .

GameStop issued a statement on 20 January explaining exactly how their systems were tricked. The company confirmed that purchasing a Nintendo Switch 2 for $414.99 and trading it back alongside a pre-owned game purchase triggered the problematic promotional bonus.

The statement balanced corporate firmness with humour. GameStop acknowledged the creativity whilst reminding customers that their stores weren't designed to function as infinite money printers.

Ouch.

Not GameStop's First Rodeo

This incident adds to GameStop's recent history of unconventional retail experiments. The company hosted its first-ever "Trade Anything Day" on 6 December 2025, yielding over 80,000 trade-ins .

That promotion accepted everything from Air Jordans to taxidermied bobcats. Staff reportedly processed toasters, macaroni art, and a significant number of canned food donations for local food banks. The event became internet legend for all the right (and wrong) reasons.

The Patch Is Live

GameStop confirmed the exploit is no longer active. The promotional values have been adjusted to prevent the same loophole from recurring. Customers attempting to replicate RJCmedia's method will find themselves processing standard trade-in transactions.

The incident raises questions about promotional complexity at major retailers. Modern trade-in systems juggle multiple overlapping promotions, each with specific triggers and conditions. One miscalculation and suddenly you've got customers turning your shops into profit centres.

For a brief window, RJCmedia managed to play the system. The video serves as both a humorous reminder of retail algorithm vulnerabilities and a testament to how quickly these exploits spread once exposed online.

GameStop's response was measured. No threats of legal action. No aggressive language. Just a quiet patch and a gentle reminder about how retail is supposed to work.

The infinite money glitch is dead. Long live the infinite money glitch.