Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders Descend Into Chaos

As I write this, it's 11:30 PM Central Time (well past my usual bedtime on a weekday), and like seemingly everyone else across the globe—including inhabitants of several other planets—I'm attempting to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2.

Pre-orders opened at 9 PM PT / 12 AM ET through three major retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. At least, that was the plan—but the actual rollout has been chaotic. Many of my IGN colleagues and I have been trying to secure our Switch 2 consoles with wildly different results, while social media is flooded with complaints about technical glitches, leaving most people frustrated, disappointed, and only occasionally victorious.

At Walmart, prospective buyers were immediately placed in a digital queue. While some progressed smoothly and were able to add the console to their cart, others have been stuck on a "stay in line" screen with no indication of how long the wait might be or if they'll succeed. Even after getting through, some shoppers encountered baffling error messages, or situations like this one:

Target didn't implement a queue system like Walmart, so initially, Switch fans seemed to have better luck there. However, reports quickly surfaced of error screens interrupting the checkout process. Some customers reached a confirmation screen and believed their purchase was successful, only to receive a cancellation email minutes later, forcing them to start over. Others found the Switch 2 mysteriously removed from their shopping cart mid-transaction.

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

Then there's Best Buy, where pre-orders didn't begin on schedule. The site displayed a "Coming Soon" message for about thirty minutes before gradually placing customers into a digital queue. Purchase confirmations are now slowly coming through for some, while others face the same errors and restarts experienced elsewhere. Across all three retailers, some buyers have reported fraud alerts from their banks or other payment issues that disrupted their transactions and ultimately cost them a chance to secure the system.

2 minutes....
byu/trashpandacoot1 inSwitch

By the time I finished writing this article, Target and Walmart appeared to be officially sold out. While more people are successfully completing orders through Best Buy, others (myself included) remain stuck in an endless queue for over an hour. Some have received emails notifying them of canceled or delayed orders, with no estimated delivery date or option to reorder.

Target cancelled my order 10 minutes after placing
byu/syde1020 inSwitch

We'll likely see more successful orders in the coming hours, and there's always the option to pre-order from GameStop today at 11:00 AM ET, both online and in-store. Other retailers will also offer future opportunities. Additionally, select Nintendo account holders may receive an email invitation in May to pre-order directly from Nintendo—though there's no guarantee of receiving one. Nintendo has already indicated that demand in Japan far exceeds their projected supply.

Bots are the worst
byu/CANfilms inSwitch

If you're not a devoted Nintendo fan or can afford to wait, it's easy to dismiss the chaos. But for longtime supporters, this frustration comes after a reveal and rollout that has been confusing and exasperating at nearly every step. Although the initial Nintendo Switch 2 announcement was exciting, the pricing for the console, accessories, and games left many stunned—especially after Nintendo paused pre-orders due to U.S. tariff changes, only to resume them with the same console price (accessory prices were adjusted). Compounding the confusion, Nintendo's plans for physical and digital software pricing, formats, and content have been unclear, and the company hasn't been transparent about what everything will cost or what exactly consumers are buying. It's no wonder so many people are upset about the possibility of not getting a system anywhere near launch, especially with concerns about future price increases or supply shortages.

But if you want to play Mario Kart World on day one, this is the current reality. For those still trying, here’s how to secure that pre-order.