Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are now live on both sides of the pond. In the U.S. and the U.K., Nintendo’s upcoming console has been made available to order, and it took just a matter of hours (minutes in some cases) for the dreaded “sold out” sign to appear across retailers.
However, fear not if you’re yet to secure a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order. I’m confident there will be future opportunities as we build up to launch on June 5, 2025.
But, if the first wave of pre-orders is any indication, scoring a Switch 2 — at least in the short term — is going to be a tricky challenge. Like the PS5 launch in 2020, pre-release demand is outstripping supply.
I’ve been tracking gaming console pre-orders and restocks for more than five years, and have been in the trenches of Tom’s Guide’s extensive Switch 2 pre-order coverage over the last few weeks. Below are the five lessons I’ve learned that could help you secure your Nintendo Switch 2 when the next wave of stock hits.
Oh, and to ensure you don’t miss that next wave when it does arrive, be sure to bookmark and follow along with our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order live blog for the latest updates and stock alerts.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders - retailers to check now
- GameStop: check stock
- Walmart: check stock
- Target: check stock
- Best Buy: check stock
- Newegg: check stock
- Sam's Club: no pre-order info
- Nintendo: pre-order w/ invite
- Amazon: no pre-order info
- Dell: no pre-order info
5 lessons learned from Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders
Mario Kart Bundle is your best bet
Prior to pre-orders starting on Thursday (April 24), I expected the Mario Kart Bundle to sell out first. The official package offers the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World game with a discount of $30 (compared to buying them standalone). I figured these would go first, and the standalone Switch 2 units would stick around a little longer. That wasn’t the case.
Across retailers, we consistently saw the Mario Kart Bundle stick around longer. I’m only talking a matter of minutes here, but in the pre-order game, a few extra minutes to check out can be the difference. We also saw reports of physical GameStop locations getting more units of the bundle, so it appears that Nintendo has provided retailers with more of them than the console-only units.
When future restocks happen, my advice is to opt for the Mario Kart Bundle straight away, as stock of this appears to be more fruitful so far.
“Sold out” really doesn’t mean “sold out”
I talked about this in my previous Switch 2 pre-order tips article (which was published just before U.S. pre-orders began), but the Switch 2 drops have again proved that “sold out” is a surprisingly relative term.
Multiple major retailers told customers that they were fresh out of Switch 2 stock, only for shoppers to be able to place a pre-order several minutes later. The reason? Retailers often release pre-order stock in waves to prevent server overload caused by too many people checking out at once.
So, if you see the dreaded “sold out” or “unavailable” notification just moments after a Switch 2 restock has begun, don’t immediately give up. Stick around, more stock might appear if you're lucky. Persistence really can pay off. Those who give up first are unlikely to be successful.
Don’t (always) trust start times
Three U.S. retailers (Target, Walmart and Best Buy) confirmed Switch 2 pre-orders would start at midnight ET on April 24, and while the former two stuck to that slot, it wasn’t until gone 12:30 a.m. that the first signs of Nintendo Switch 2 stock were spotted at Best Buy.
I also saw social media reports of some shoppers being able to place a Switch 2 order on the GameStop app as early as 11:30 a.m., which was a full 30 minutes before stock was supposed to be available. However, here at Tom's Guide, we weren't able to replicate this on Wednesday.
The lesson is that you shouldn’t put all your faith in the times provided by retailers. Use them as a guide, but not a hard deadline. If you can, you’ll want to be free for the 30 minutes leading up to a restock drop, and most definitely for at least an hour afterwards. Maybe even two, if you can.
Unfortunately, when it comes to restocks, retailers often don’t give a timeslot in advance. Many will opt instead to drop restocks out of the blue. But that’s where our Switch 2 live blog can help out!
Try retailer apps
Retailer websites crashing or being extremely glitchy are not uncommon during pre-order drops, and we saw plenty of that this week. Both the Target and GameStop sites were knocked offline because of so many people trying to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at once. It was chaotic.
You’ll want a backup, in case the main site on your browser is struggling, and that’s where retailer apps can really help save the day. During the GameStop drop in particular (which was a little later at 11 a.m. ET on April 24), many shoppers were able to secure their Switch 2 pre-order on the app, while thousands of others were looking at an error screen instead.
Switch 2 is going to be popular
Frankly, my biggest overall takeaway from the first round of Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. is that Nintendo has another winner on its hands. The second coming of the Wii U this is not.
Much of the online conversation following the Switch 2 Direct was about the console’s price. And Nintendo’s social accounts were flooded with requests to “drop the price,” but when pre-orders went live, it seems the $449 MSRP wasn’t enough to put very much gamers off at all.
Much like the PS5 and Xbox Series X launches before it, Nintendo Switch 2 looks on course to be a gaming item that is out of stock for the majority of its early lifecycle.
That might not be the news you want to hear, but I (and the rest of the Tom’s Guide restock experts) will be on hand to guide you through the pre-order and restock process from now until launch and even beyond.
Follow our ongoing coverage, and we’ll do our best to help you lock in a Nintendo Switch 2 as soon as possible.
More from Tom's Guide
- Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders latest updates
- We played Switch 2 — here's what we like and don't
- Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order listings are flooding eBay
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