Nintendo Switch 2 preorders were a total mess — at first – The Verge
2025-04-24T05:15:00Z
Nintendo’s delayed Switch 2 preorders finally kicked off in the US at 12AM ET, but there were some big problems to start.
is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
Nintendo’s delayed Switch 2 preorders finally kicked off in the US at 12AM ET on Thursday at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, and almost immediately, there were some big problems. After nearly an hour of frustration, many of us here at The Verge secured preorders, but it seems like preorders are out of stock at the retailers.
Target seemed to open first, but trying to order was rough. Many of us were able to get to the checkout screen, but ran into issues from there that stopped a purchase, like being asked to update our addresses or Target losing our payment details. Some users online who did appear to get Target orders also reported that they were canceled. Although stock appeared to float in and out after preorders were live, Target now says both the console and the bundle with Mario Kart World are out of stock.
Walmart’s website, for me, had a vague queue for a long time. “This deal is almost gone,” according to the page. But eventually, many of us at The Verge (including me!) were able to snag our Switch 2 preorders from the retailer. Like with Target, Walmart eventually showed a handful of the consoles and bundles in stock here and there before they both sold out.
Best Buy, which promised to launch preorders at 12AM ET, showed a gray “coming soon” button on the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle pack for about 30 minutes. As of 12:31AM ET, I was in a line for the bundle, but Best Buy kicked me out of it shortly before 2AM ET and said that the bundle was out of stock. Although I wasn’t able to buy one from Best Buy, I saw many reports online of success there.
Nintendo originally announced that preorders would go live in the US on April 9th ahead of a June 5th launch for the console, but then the company delayed them over tariff concerns. Last week, Nintendo finally announced that preorders would start on April 24th and that the price would remain at $449.99 in the US. Accessories got price hikes. Preorders started earlier this month in some other territories, including the UK.
The preorder problems follow Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa issuing a supply warning in Japan on Wednesday. Nintendo also announced this week that invitations to its direct sales in the US might not be available to everyone ahead of launch.
GameStop’s online preorders have been rough, too.
Update, April 24th: Added a link to our story about GameStop’s preorders.
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