Nintendo has officially unveiled the Switch 2 in a 60-minute Nintendo Direct. While preorders were originally set to open in early April in the US, tariff-related uncertainty caused Nintendo to delay the preorder date to April 24. During the delay, Nintendo kept the price of the Switch 2 console and games the same, but raised prices on most Switch 2 accessories.
However, Nintendo said the tariffs won't affect the Switch 2's launch date, which is still scheduled for June 5, 2025. The upcoming console will cost $449.99 alone, or $499.99 bundled with Mario Kart World (a game that will retail for $79.99 if bought separately).
If you’re hoping to secure a Switch 2 on day one, you’ll have a few options (assuming you're ready when they go live and there's enough stock to go around). Nintendo is offering a registration system through My Nintendo Store, where invites to purchase will be sent out on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority will go to Nintendo Switch Online members with at least 12 months of paid membership and 50+ gameplay hours as of April 2, 2025.
All major retailers are also expected to open up preorders on April 24, 2025, as well. With demand expected to be high, here are some key tips from the IGN commerce team to improve your chances of getting a Switch 2 at launch.
1. Follow IGN Deals
- ✅ Follow IGN Deals on X
- ✅ Follow IGN Deals on Bluesky
- ✅ Subscribe to our IGN Deals Email Newsletter
- ✅ Opt into push notifications
- ✅ Bookmark our live pre-order guide
Even though we know Switch 2 preorders are supposed to go live on April 24, that doesn't mean they'll go live everywhere simulatneously. While Target has announced preorders begin at 12am ET, other retailers could push preorders live at any time on the 24th.
Plus, when a major piece of gaming hardware goes up for preorder at a retailer, there’s no telling how long it will be available. We’ve seen sought-after hardware sell out in seconds. The best and most reliable way to know when a listing goes live is to follow IGN Deals on X or Bluesky and keep an eye on those accounts in real time. (Wario64 and CAG are also reliable sources of real-time information).
From now through the launch on June 5, 2025 and beyond, we’ll keep followers posted on any preorder news. And when preorders do go live, we'll post links the moment they become available.
2. Log Into Your Retailer Accounts
There’s no point in clicking a live preorder link early if you’re not logged in. The precious seconds it takes to enter your login name and password could make the difference between you getting a Nintendo Switch 2 at launch and not. The retailers below are all likely to have Switch 2 preorders, so create an account if you have to, and make sure you’re logged in and ready before Switch 2 preorders go live.
Note: It doesn't look like Amazon will get the Switch 2 in stock at all. For whatever reason, Nintendo and Amazon have been on the outs for the past couple of years, with Amazon not getting any first-party Nintendo hardware or software in for preorder. We'll update this if that changes for Switch 2.
3. Have Your Credit Card Saved in Your Account
The next step is to make sure your credit card info is entered in at the above retailers so you don’t have to type numbers with your excited fingers as everyone else on the planet buys a Switch 2 before you can.
Don't Despair if You Miss Out at a Retailer
With big ticket items like the Switch 2, the preorder links rarely go live at the same time across all the retailers. Often, Best Buy's link goes up first, followed a few minutes later by GameStop and Walmart. Amazon is usually the wild card of the bunch, sometimes going live hours (or even days) later. So if you miss the chance to preorder from one retailer, stay tuned to see if others will have Switch 2 preorders in stock a little later.
There's even a chance a given retailer will get additional preorders after its initial stock has run out. And even if you miss out preordering at all of the retailers, local brick-and-mortar stores may get stock on launch day. And failing that, even if stock is scarce at launch, Nintendo will catch up with demand at some point, so remain steadfast.
4. Avoid Switch 2 Scams and Resellers
Anytime a hard-to-buy piece of gaming hardware goes up for preorder, out come the opportunists. You can bet shady sites and resellers on eBay will be primed and ready to capitalize on this moment. Some sites will make their original Switch stock seem like Switch 2 stock. Others will take their actual Switch 2 preorders, crank the price sky high, and re-sell them at a massive profit. If you fail to secure a Switch 2 preorder at a legit retailer when they go live, please don’t pay large sums of money to these people looking to make an easy buck. It’s almost always better to wait until more stock becomes available at a site you trust.
Switch 2 Nintendo Direct Recap
In case you missed it, here's the full rundown of what was announced at the latest Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 1st:
Highlights from the stream included:
- The new Joy-Con offer new features like mouse control. The right Joy-Con also includes a new C button that will work with the new online feature called GameChat.
- GameChat will be free until March 2026 for all Nintendo Switch 2 users, but it will require a Nintendo Switch Online members after. There is a new feature called GameShare that will let users share a game with friends who don't own a compatible game so they can play together.
- The Switch 2 will have red game cartridges, 256 GB of internal storage that can be expanded with microSD Express cards, spatial 3D sound, and more.
- Mario Kart World Direct will take place on April 17 at 6am PT/9am ET
- Nintendo Switch 2 First-Party games include Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and more.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
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