It's 11:30pm CT, well past my bedtime on a work night, and I'm at my desk, joining countless others across the globe and beyond in the frantic quest to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2. The pre-order window opened at 9pm PT/12am ET across three major retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. However, the launch has been anything but smooth, leaving many, including a significant portion of the IGN staff, grappling with varying degrees of success and frustration. Social media is abuzz with reports of similar struggles and occasional victories.
At Walmart, eager buyers were quickly funneled into a digital queue, which moved forward for some, leading to a successful purchase, but left others languishing on a "stay in line" screen with no clear timeline or assurance of success. Even those who made it through to the purchase phase encountered baffling error messages.
Target initially appeared to offer a smoother experience without a queue, but soon reports emerged of error screens during the purchase process. Some customers believed they had successfully pre-ordered only to receive cancellation emails minutes later, while others found the Switch 2 mysteriously removed from their carts mid-process, forcing them to start anew.
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, with the website displaying "Coming Soon" for half an hour before finally allowing customers into a digital queue. Some have begun receiving purchase confirmations, while others face the same errors and restarts. Additionally, some customers reported fraud alerts from their banks, further complicating the process and potentially denying them a chance to secure a system.
In the brief time it took me to write this article, both Target and Walmart have sold out, and while more people are getting through at Best Buy, others, including myself, remain stuck in a seemingly endless queue. Some have received emails about canceled or delayed orders, with no new delivery dates or options to reorder.
Target cancelled my order 10 minutes after placing byu/syde1020 inSwitch
As the situation evolves, more successes are expected, and there's still hope for those who missed out tonight. GameStop will open pre-orders at 11:00am ET tomorrow, both in-store and online, and other retailers may follow suit. Additionally, some Nintendo account holders might receive an email in May, offering them a direct pre-order opportunity from Nintendo, though this is not guaranteed, especially given the high demand in Japan.
Bots are the worst byu/CANfilms inSwitch
While those not deeply invested in Nintendo might dismiss the chaos, for dedicated fans, this comes on the heels of an already confusing and frustrating rollout. The initial excitement of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal was quickly overshadowed by the high costs of the system and accessories, which remained unchanged despite a brief pause in pre-orders due to U.S. tariffs. Nintendo's unclear communication about pricing and formats for both physical and digital software has only added to the confusion. It's no surprise that fans are upset, unsure if they'll even be able to secure a system near launch, especially with looming fears of future price increases and supply issues.
Yet, for those eager to play Mario Kart World at launch, this is the current reality. Here's how to navigate the pre-order process if you're still trying to get your hands on a Nintendo Switch 2.
