After a January sneak peek, Nintendo has now fully pulled back the curtain on the Switch 2. The hybrid handheld console successor has a release date of 5 June, but is now up for pre-order – and demand is sure to be sky high.
However, pre-orders aren’t going live in the US – Nintendo has delayed the start of Switch 2 pre-orders there in response to President Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods. There’s currently no word on when they will begin. Other territories, including the UK, are unaffected.
Nintendo has put a plan in place that will hopefully limit scalpers and resellers’ ability to hoover up stock. That means if you’re eager to get your hands on one on launch day, there are a few hoops you’ll have to jump through. These vary based on where you are in the world.
US Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders
As mentioned above, Nintendo has delayed the start of Switch 2 pre-orders in the US. While retailers like Best Buy and Amazon were going to be taking pre-orders from everyone today, it was sure to be a bun fight.
The Switch 2 console will cost $450, while a bundle including Mario Kart Worlds will cost $500.
Nintendo does have batch of consoles to distribute to its most loyal customers. If you’re a Switch Online subscriber with a minimum of twelve months’ continued membership as of April 2, and have 50 total gameplay hours on your profile, you’ll get priority access to a pre-order slot.
You’ll need to register on the My Nintendo Store sign-up page, and the first batch of invites won’t go out until May 8, which originally seemed a long time after Joe Public would get to fight over a slot at the usual retailers – but the delay in the start of pre-orders on account of the Trump administration’s new tariffs on foreign goods will close the gap. Those who get an invite will have three days to make a pre-order, otherwise it’ll expire.
The closest thing to a launch day discount is if you trade in your old Switch console via Gamestop. The part-exchange retailer will boost trade-in values of the first-gen Switch, Switch OLED and Switch Lite through to April 30, which could mean as much as $175 off the cost of a Switch 2.
Switch OLEDs in good working condition and with all the original accessories will earn $175 of credit, up from the usual $143; the regular Switch will get $125 in credit rather than $110, and the Switch Lite gets $100 instead of $71.50. GameStop Pro members get an extra 10% of trade-in credit on top.
UK Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders
Pre-orders are now open in the UK. You’ll need to pay £395 for the Switch 2 console by itself, or £430 for the bundle with Mario Kart World.
To pre-order from My Nintendo Store, you’ll need to have been an active member of Nintendo Switch Online for at least two years continuously by the 31st of March, spent a “certain amount” of time playing purchased games, and opted in to Nintendo promo emails. Got a family membership? Only the one who bought it will be able to get an invite.
Other retailers, such as Currys or EE are already taking down details of anyone interested in buying a Switch 2, but there’s no word on when they’ll actually start accepting pre-orders – or how they’ll be combating scalpers. Amazon has also opened a wait list, and will use its invitation to purchase system to weed out would-be scalpers. However, it has since sent out emails to say this phase of the scheme is over and to keep an eye out for stock. Some sites have reported that a second wave of invites has appeared.
Want to pre-order accessories like the Switch 2 Camera, Switch 2 Pro Controller or Switch 2 Gamecube controller? Those will be available through the My Nintendo Store from April 24 and you can easily order these elsewhere, too – such as from.
