The whispers were true! Nintendo’s online gates creaked imploringly open for some chosen few. Switch 2 pre-order invitations are flying out into the wild in the hands of fans who had been previously throwing their hats in the arena. Have you cut it? Check your inbox as Nintendo is allowing their loyalists the honor of giving the first shot at portable gaming.
Lucky you! Now, the clock strikes 12: 72 hours to get that purchase link that was emailed to you. Didn’t get the golden ticket yet? Patience, young grasshopper! Nintendo has been sending invites since April 2, starting with longtime fans of Switch and Nintendo Switch Online members. Keep refreshing that inbox!
The prospect is to be enjoyed by the early guests! If you managed to get an early reservation and meet the gold criteria, then you will receive a golden ticket e-mail sooner rather than later. Late to the party? Patience! Nintendo did caution folks that invites, and maybe even fulfilled orders, might fail to reach all recipients before Nintendo Switch 2 is out on June 5th. So keep your fingers crossed and keep refreshing your inbox!
The chorus outside Nintendo echoes hollowly. The Switch 2 is an apparition to be grasped by longing gamers. The usual suspects-o-Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy, Target and the rest-are checked, and they present only empty shelves. Since its brief debut on April 24, the console has been wiped out from the American landscape with that annoying echo, “sold out.” When that maddening tune is going to change-till then, remains a frustrating mystery.
Are you still searching for that hard-to-find Switch 2? I should tell you to hold on a little longer. We consider every possibility of having a restock show up unexpectedly. To give a little encouragement for the journey ahead, we have put together the most updated list of Switch 2 pre-order windows and must-know info. Consider this your treasure map.
How to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 at the My Nintendo Store
Nintendo is acting mysteriously with the release of the Switch 2, employing an exclusive invite-only system starting from April 2. It’s a Willy Wonka golden ticket moment, except with next-gen gaming. Have you applied? Do it now! While there is little chance of a grandfathering these days, registration may be your best shot against shortages. Registration is free; it is easy, and eventually, the prize invitation will be delivered to your inbox. Patience, young Padawan, patience!
Nintendo’s golden ticket? First come, first served, but only if you meet the criteria.
Switch Online members, your clock is ticking! Dust off the digital wallet, your individual membership needs to be activebeforeApril 2nd, 2025, in order to be eligible. If you shared the joy of Switch Online through a family plan, that’s great! However, only the primary account holder can be a recipient, so if you were a fellow rider, this one’s not for you.
- You must have been a paid Switch Online subscriber for at least 12 months as of April 2, 2025.
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You must have logged at least 50 hours of total Switch gameplay time as of April 2, 2025. “Get some privileged info on your gaming escapades! Do keep in mind that for your account to be eligible, Nintendo gameplay data sharing must be turned on via the privacy settings by April 2, 2025.”
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You must be a Nintendo account holder who is at least 18 years old.
Meet the criteria, and you might as well be with Nintendo standing at the counter to snatch a pass! Fail, and you’ll be pressed among the ejaculate. After the golden tickets bump the VIPs, it’s a free-for-all, first come, first served. Once the Bill has your email, you see that all-important 72-hour window to claim your winnings!
The golden ticket to the next level of Nintendo awaits you outside, but choose wisely! Do you want the $450, sleek, standalone Switch 2, or do you want to really take your experience to the next level with a Mario Kart World bundle for $500? One console is granted per invitation, so make it count. And remember, accessorize! A treasure trove of accessories will be waiting once your window of shopping opens.
Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2
- Nintendo
Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 +Mario Kart Worldbundle
- Nintendo
There was a surge of excitement on Thursday night! Our inbox pinged with the coveted invitation, a mere hour after we had jumped into the virtual queue at registration time.
Feast below for the eyes! We have crisp screenshots of the official invite email together with the buying procedure. (Some earlier screenshots that we had taken from Reddit and ResetEra were eliminated after a playful user on ResetEra allegedly cooked up an invitation out of thin air.)
Enough of the common online frenzy: it was rather smooth as this went. One happy few-working icing on that cake would be that our confirmation mail states arrival of new consoles by 4 June. Let’s go and level this up!
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order invite screenshot
This is what Nintendo’s official Switch 2 pre-order invite email looks like.
How to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 at other retailers
The relentless pursuit of the elusive Switch 2 continues! At the witching hour of midnight on April 24, a frenzy erupted as Nintendo released the pre-orders in the US and Canada. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy were all decimated within just a couple of brutal hours. GameStop entered the fray later that morning, only to suffer the same fate at utter speed. Rumors that some last-minute buyers are getting their prepaid orders through on Walmart’s site even as late as April 26 offer some slight hope; but for the majority, Switch 2 has become a phantom console taunting gamers from beyond the Sold Out screen.
Still craving that Switch 2? You’re not the only one. There hasn’t been an actual rush for preorders; here’s your retail outline: Membership superstores such as Costco and Sam’s Club have hinted at listings but keep those fingers helixed on the trigger because pre-orders are unlikely at the moment. Meanwhile, Newegg does have a landing page, but it’s more of a “coming soon” type of thing, not really green-lighting buyers. And the ever-so-famous Amazon? Historically, even rooting in for the OG Switch was an uphill battle of patience. We do hope to see it soon on there, but no one knows when that will be. Keep refreshing, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Tired of missing those hardtoget restocks? Now that you have gone too far, it’s time to strategize. Get your digital key: Go for a free account with major retailers. Prefill your shipping and billing info because it all boils down to speed.
Next mobilize: install their apps on your devices and brace yourself for notifications. Yes, it will be noisy; think of those notifications as a restock radar cutting through all noise in the world of digital clutter.
Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2
Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 +Mario Kart Worldbundle
Tick-tock! As of 1:15 PM ET on Friday, May 9th, the hunt was on for the elusive Switch 2 on Amazon. Neither pack of consoles has been sighted as yet, but everything is being closely watched. Consider this a digital stakeout; we will provide direct links as soon as they show. Meanwhile, check out what Nintendo actually has in store for you today.
How to pre-order Switch 2 accessories and games
The Hype is Real, But Your Wallet Might Weep: Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders are LIVE!
With the shimmering irresistible Chilli of pre-orders comes a myriad of accessories and games available. Whereas the price for the console is still in the steadfast hold of time (for now), the accessory prices have been A Little Modified, reason being given as “market conditions” – a vague gold step towards tariff instigation.
The switch 2 camera? An extra $5, now $55. A little steeper, at $85 compared to $80, for the sought-after Pro Controller. A pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers pays $5 more, closing in on the thousand-mark $95. The official Charging Grip prices keep rising as well, now at $40.
So, who is ready to embrace the emerging technologies of gaming? You got to take into account these price changes before clicking the pre-order button. Your inner child might be shouting, “take my money,” but your bank balance might need a break.
Nintendo’s next-gen console isn’t in or yet, but gear outfitting it has already sprung into the race! While everyone was getting in the pre-orders just in time for release, latecomers may find some Switch 2 official goodies actually stockpiled with a few retailers. Hurry though, Koopa Troopas are already scant! Speaking of soon-to-be-released titles, anticipation has already put forth of the flagship titles,Mario Kart Worldand the funky freshDonkey Kong Bananza, still in the forefront of pre-order.
Mario Kart Worldfor $80
Donkey Kong Bananzafor $70
Additional Switch 2 games
Samsung microSD Express Card (256GB) for Nintendo Switch 2 for $60
Joy-Con 2 bundle for $95
Switch 2 Pro Controller for $85
Switch 2 Camera for $55
Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera for $60
Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip for $40
Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) for $25
Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case for $85
Switch 2 Carrying Case and Screen Protector for $40
The Switch 2 Watch continues! As of 1:15 PM ET, May 9th, Amazon’s shelves remain stubbornly barren of any official Nintendo Switch 2 games or accessories. The marketplace has been flooded with those from the third-party hopefuls, yet one hears only deafening silence from Amazon itself (or is it just anticipation?). We’ve been running on adrenaline, refreshing the pages like seasoned treasure hunters. If those official listings show up, that’s your Bat-Signal. In the meantime, through Amazon’s general Nintendo-scape and bide time until the Switch 2 mother lode.
More Switch 2 details
The Nintendo Switch 2.
(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Well, forget everything you ever thought you knew about the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 is about to make a huge splash, and the waves are already reverberating through the gaming universe. Do you remember the teaser? It promised something bigger, something bolder. And it was right.
Evolved Joy-Cons. Say hi to Joy-Con 2s with that satisfyingclick. But that’s just the start. Nintendo has included the C button, mouse-like control, and gyroscope, transforming the controllers into versatile powerhouses.
And the console? Keep your eyes ready. A vibrant 7.9-inch LCD screen blooms into 1080p resolution and will present you with HDR10 ambiance and a butter-smooth variable refresh rate that hits 120Hz.
There is more to this. The built-in mic opens up for a revolutionary GameChat feature. So finally, trash-talk or coordinate with your friends during the game, if you know how to press that mysterious C button. Nintendo is giving it free until March 31, 2026, after which a Switch Online membership unlocks the full potential of this innovative communication tool. This isn’t just an upgrade but a complete reinvention.
Thanks to enhanced docking capabilities, how about turning your living room into a 4K gaming paradise? Nintendo talks about speaking audio in a richer, more immersive way with upgraded internal speakers. The redesigned dock really does have a built-in fan to keep your console cool and performing well even in the longest gaming sessions. Although the exact jump in power remains hidden in the shadows of the release, early glimpses do show off big-tithe leaps of power; power that will easily handle demanding titles such as Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077. Get set for finally bearing witness to these AAA titles on a Nintendo console.
For Amazon, we would probably go for the marketing tag: “Beyond the screen, the Switch 2 packs a punch. The storage is massive now with 256GB of internal memory-an eight-fold increase from what we had earlier-and while expandable storage returns, the shift comes in the adoption of speedy next-gen microSD Express cards (sorry on the expense).”
But wait, there’s more. Remember those strange and seemingly worthless 20.0.0 updates for the OG Switch? It was very much a hint for the future, and Switch 2 is the realization of that future. Get ready to see Nintendo Virtual Game Cards-“lend” to a digital title across systems for friends. A local GameShare option will allow you to share the fun and save money by letting you and your friends play select titles from one copy of the game.
Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2’s Joy-Con 2 controllers.
(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Nintendo’s April Direct presentation was not just a teasing Fanfare; it brought in a Switch 2 spectacle, justifying an April 9 pre-order date and a $450 price tag. But hold it! With the sudden tariff threat by Trump, Nintendo went scurrying, putting a halt on US and Canadian pre-orders faster than a blue shell in Mario Kart.
President Trump’s tariff strategy suffered a little twist. Stops were put on the hefty tariffs against 75 countries for a 90-day respite, and at the same time, China was crushed with further trademark intimidation. Trade truce, though? There now exists a tariff of 145 percent on Chinese goods. It is a global chess game where the pawns get some temporary shade while the dragon faces the intensified blaze.
$450 for the Switch 2? Consider it locked, for now. Official statements from Nintendo verge on the line of price hikes in the near future, implying that $450 might be just an initial price point for gamers in the US and Canada.
Remember Nintendo moving some Switch production over to Vietnam back in 2019? Well, tougher times forced a potential 46% tariff that threatened to disrupt the entire supply chain! Now the threat has been averted- at least for the moment. So, this 90 days rally in 10 percent tariff is a better score for the companies. But it all may change anytime. So, will this relief last or is it just a small burst before the major battle?
Rumors about the Switch 2 have become obsessed with hype so much so that Big N may even entertain a loss to propagate the machine among gamers. To support this eruptive demand, with pre-order entries going into a lottery in Japan reaching a staggering 2.2 million entries, Nintendo is apparently preparing to significantly ramp up production in Vietnam. The aim is to keep on track with their daunting target of 15 million units sold by March 2026, even if it implies selling the console at a loss in the initial period on account of tariffs and other issues. It cannot be emphasized enough that it is already a foregone conclusion that Switch 2 is going to be a ravenous hit, so the question remains as tohowis Nintendo going to manage the demand.
June 5th; mark your calendars! The $450 Nintendo Switch 2 is coming, and we have had our hands on it! Enough with all the speculation; we have gripped some of the future of gaming!
First Impressions:Is it everything you hoped for? We tell all in our exclusive handson.
Mario Kart World Preview:Buckle up! We floored it inMario Kart World, launching dayanddate with the Switch 2. This isthemusthave launch title. Read our full preview.
Deep Dive:Want all the specs, launch titles, and preorder intel? We’ve compiled everything you need to know about the Switch 2. Get ready to level up your gaming experience.
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