Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders Are Hot Tickets After Tariff Delay

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are now live in the U.S. But will you be lucky enough to get one?

Presales for Nintendo’s (NTDOY) newest gaming console, set to arrive June 5, started this week. The device is expected to be popular: The company warned gamers on X there could be significantly more demand than supply. (It was originally supposed to be available for pre-order Apr. 9, but the Japan-based company pushed back the date amid tariff concerns.)

Nintendo has allowed fans to register interest by signing into their My Nintendo accounts. The company says this method is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and only for registrants who have a Nintendo Switch Online membership with at least 12 months of paid membership and 50 total gameplay hours on the current Switch. Those who are chosen will receive an invitation to preorder via email, Nintendo said.

Several big retailers, including Walmart (WMT), Best Buy (BBY), and Target (TGT), launched pre-sales Thursday. Many shoppers were reportedly met with outages, “sold out” messages, and other issues. GameStop (GME) experienced some website “issues.”

“The excitement around this online preorder was incredible,” a Walmart spokesperson said; the company sold out of its pre-order allocation. The other aforementioned retailers did not respond to Investopedia’s requests for comment in time for publication.

Membership-only store Costco (COST) sold out of its pre-order stock. Walmart-owned Sam’s Club didn’t have any available for presale, the company told Investopedia.

Amazon doesn’t have listings up for the Nintendo Switch 2 or a bundle with the “Mario Kart World” game. Amazon did not respond to Investopedia’s question about whether it might offer presales in time for publication.