As I begin writing this piece, I'm sitting at my desk at 11:30pm CT (well past my bedtime on a work night) trying, along with seemingly the entire rest of the world and the populations of several other planets, to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2.
Pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 were supposed to go live at 9pm PT/12am ET at three different retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. However, the rollout has been chaotic. Both myself and a significant portion of the IGN staff have been attempting to secure our Switch 2s, experiencing a wide range of outcomes. Social media is buzzing with similar tales of frustration, disappointment, and the occasional success story.
At Walmart, eager buyers were quickly funneled into a digital queue. While some managed to move forward and successfully add a Switch 2 to their carts, others are stuck on a "stay in line" screen with no indication of wait times or success rates. Those who finally reach the purchase stage have encountered baffling error messages like this one:
Target did not implement a queue system initially, leading to early optimism among Switch enthusiasts. However, the optimism was short-lived as error screens began to appear during the purchase process. Some buyers who thought they had successfully ordered a Switch 2 received cancellation emails shortly after, while others found the console being removed from their carts mid-process, forcing them to start over.
The Nintendo Switch 2 sold out instantly at Target. This is unreal bro. I refreshed on the second it turned 12 am. Actually unreal pic.twitter.com/LAQ4lC03qw
— Kenj (@Kenjdx) April 24, 2025
Best Buy's pre-orders were delayed, displaying "Coming Soon" for half an hour before slowly allowing people into a digital queue. Some are now receiving purchase confirmations, but many are still facing errors and restarts. Additionally, some customers reported issues with fraud alerts and other financial hiccups that disrupted their purchase attempts across all three stores.
2 minutes.... from r/Switch
By the time I finished writing this, both Target and Walmart had sold out, and while some are getting through at Best Buy, others, including myself, have been stuck in a seemingly endless queue for over an hour. Some have received emails indicating their orders were canceled or delayed without a new delivery date or the chance to reorder.
Target cancelled my order 10 minutes after placing from r/Switch
In the coming hours, more successes are expected, and there's another chance to pre-order at GameStop starting at 11:00am ET today, both in-store and online. Additionally, some Nintendo account holders might receive an email in May inviting them to pre-order directly from Nintendo, though there's no guarantee, and demand in Japan has reportedly exceeded supply projections.
Bots are the worst from r/Switch
For those not deeply invested in the Nintendo ecosystem, it's easy to dismiss the chaos. Yet, for passionate Nintendo fans, this follows a confusing and frustrating rollout. The initial excitement of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal was overshadowed by the high prices of the system and its accessories, compounded by a pause in pre-orders due to U.S. tariffs, only to resume without adjusting the system's price. Furthermore, Nintendo's plans for physical and digital software pricing, formats, and content have been unclear, leaving many questions unanswered about costs and what exactly consumers are purchasing. This uncertainty, coupled with the difficulty in securing a pre-order, has left many fans worried about obtaining a system near launch, especially with the looming threat of future price increases or supply issues.
For those eager to play Mario Kart World at launch, navigating this pre-order landscape is the current reality. Here’s how to get your pre-order if you’re still trying:
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