Nintendo Switch 2 preorders were a total mess — at first

Nintendo’s delayed Switch 2 preorders finally kicked off in the US at 12AM ET, and immediately, there were some big problems. But after nearly an hour of frustration, many of us here at The Verge secured preorders. Target seemed to open first, but trying to order was rough. Many of us were able to get […]

Apr 24, 2025 - 06:23

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders were a total mess — at first

Nintendo’s delayed Switch 2 preorders finally kicked off in the US at 12AM ET, and immediately, there were some big problems. But after nearly an hour of frustration, many of us here at The Verge secured preorders.

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 over or Target losing our payment details. Some users online who did appear to get Target orders also reported that they were canceled, and now, Target says both the console and the bundle with Mario Kart World are out of stock.

Walmart’s website, for me for a while, had a vague queue. “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. As I write this at 1:14AM ET, Walmart is showing just a handful of the consoles and bundles in stock, but when I try to add the bundle to my cart, it says there’s a “technical issue.”

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’m in a line for the bundle — and as of 1:11AM ET, I’m still in the line.

Nintendo originally announced that preorders would go live in the US on April 9th ahead of a June 5th launch for the console, but the company delayed the preorders over tariff concerns without sharing a date for when they would kick off.

The preorder problems follow Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa issuing a supply warning in Japan on Wednesday.

Last week, Nintendo finally announced that preorders would start on April 24th and that the price would still start at $449.99 in the US. Accessories got price hikes. Preorders started earlier this month in some other territories, including the UK.

Developing…