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 highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 went live at 9pm PT/12am ET at three major retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. However, the launch has been far from smooth. Both IGN staff and countless fans have faced significant hurdles in securing their consoles, with social media buzzing with reports of issues and rare successes.
At Walmart, eager buyers were immediately placed in a digital queue. While some managed to progress and secure their systems, many others remain stuck, unsure of when or if they'll reach the front. Those who do make it through are occasionally met with confusing error messages.
Target initially seemed more promising without a queue system, but soon reports emerged of error screens and sudden cancellations. Some customers who thought they had successfully pre-ordered received cancellation emails shortly after, and others found the Switch 2 mysteriously removed from their carts mid-process.
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, only going live half an hour late. Customers were slowly placed into a queue, with some now receiving confirmations while others face similar errors and restarts. Additionally, some buyers reported issues with fraud alerts and other financial hiccups, complicating the process further.
2 minutes....
byu/trashpandacoot1 inSwitch
.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }As I've been writing, Target and Walmart have sold out, and while more people are getting through at Best Buy, many, including myself, remain stuck in queues for over an hour. Others have received cancellation or delay notifications without rescheduling options.
Target cancelled my order 10 minutes after placing
byu/syde1020 inSwitch
.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }In the coming hours, more successes are expected, and there's another chance to pre-order at GameStop tomorrow at 11:00am ET, both in-store and online. Additionally, some Nintendo account holders might receive an invitation to pre-order directly from Nintendo in May, although demand in Japan has far exceeded supply forecasts.
Bots are the worst
byu/CANfilms inSwitch
.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }While it's easy to dismiss this chaos if you're not a die-hard Nintendo fan, the frustration is palpable for those who've been eagerly awaiting the Switch 2. The reveal and subsequent rollout have been fraught with confusion over pricing, accessories, and software formats. With pre-orders paused due to U.S. tariffs and then restarted without price adjustments, coupled with unclear information on digital and physical content, fans are left in the dark about the total cost and what exactly they're buying. This uncertainty, combined with potential future price increases and supply issues, has heightened the urgency and frustration around securing a console at launch.
But if you're determined to play Mario Kart World at launch, this is the reality we face. Here's how to navigate the pre-order process, for those still trying.
