Nintendo sets official new date for first Switch 2 preorders in U.S.

As we all know by now, the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order situation in the U.S. is still in flux (a bit of a mess really). They were supposed to start on April 9 ahead of the June 5 release date, but after Trump started with the new tariff shenanigans, Nintendo decided it needed to re-asses the situation before it began taking pre-orders on its new console. And while Nintendo is still yet to make an official announcement on how or when pre-orders will go live, it has officially made mention that invitations to get one will start on May 8 and is still sticking by it.

Nintendo delayed pre-orders in the U.S. just before it did the same for Canadian gamers earlier this week, but an FAQ sitting on the official Nintendo site is still specifically stating that “first batch of invitations will go out starting May 8, 2025.”

It then goes on to say that “additional batches of invitation emails sent periodically until purchasing on My Nintendo Store is opened to everyone” and that “initial invitation emails will be delivered on a first-come, first-serve basis to eligible registrants who meet the priority criteria” we detailed previously (more on that below as well).

All of the details specifically pertain to Switch 2 pre-orders directly from the My Nintendo Store, and still make no mention of pre-orders at retailers like Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and so on. The May 8 date doesn’t appear to be a new one, but it is worth getting on everyone’s radar as soon as possible.

As we detailed previously, the My Nintendo Store pre-order options come with a bit of a runaround, or at least some fairly stringent requirements for eligibility. They are likely to circumvent re-sellers and scalpers, and most hardcore Nintendo gamers will meet the requirements anyway to be fair:

Sign in with your Nintendo account (and be over 18 years old) and you have to have purchased Nintendo Switch Online for at least one year and clocked in over 50 hours of gameplay on Switch 1. You also had to have opted to share gameplay data with Nintendo from within the privacy section of your account.

While this seems to be a good sign and could be at least some kind of indication as to when pre-orders in general will begin.

Not everyone is going to meet the My Nintendo Store requirements and what about all of those Switch 2 units Best Buy and Walmart and the like had/have ready to go? We assume the units will be available for purchase at some point or other, but let’s just hope the My Nintendo Store option is going to be the only one ahead of the June 5 release date – these invitations will be going out less than 1 month before the machine releases as of right now and one would think, if it is the only option, there will be a whole lot less Switch 2 consoles to go around ahead of launch.

Developing…

When will I be notified about my invitation to purchase Nintendo Switch 2?

Nintendo Account holders in the US and Canada who are at least 18 years old are eligible to register.

The first batch of invitations will go out starting May 8, 2025, with additional batches of invitation emails sent periodically until purchasing on My Nintendo Store is opened to everyone.

Initial invitation emails will be delivered on a first-come, first-serve basis to eligible registrants who meet the priority criteria. Invitees will have 72 hours from the time when the email is sent to complete their purchase.

Priority requirements are as follows: As of 4/2/2025, (i) you must have been the one who purchased any Nintendo Switch Online membership, (ii) you must have had any paid Nintendo Switch Online membership for a minimum of 12 months, and (iii) you must have opted in to share gameplay data and have at least 50 hours total gameplay hours.