Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date could be revealed today. Here's what time to check

Nintendo has scheduled a 15-minute Switch 2-related Direct presentation this morning

Update: See our in-depth Nintendo Switch 2 review, which is live after a week of thoroughly testing the new console. Check out our full Switch 2 news stories, too.

There’s an official Switch 2 Direct presentation today. Will Nintendo finally give us a US pre-order date? (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

• 🕵️ We’re tracking the elusive Nintendo Switch 2 US pre-order date today

• 🏎️ Nintendo’s Mario Kart World video preview is scheduled for 9am ET

• ⏲️ At the end of its 15-minute Nintendo Direct, we may hear about a new date

• 🇺🇸 The Switch 2 pre-order date in the US & Canada is rumored for next week

• 📧 The Shortcut subscribers will get the first pre-order links for US stores

Update: The Switch 2 presentation has just finished and we’re waiting on Nintendo to see if the company will announce a new pre-order date for the US. Stay tuned.

We’re up early to track the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date, which could easily be revealed today, April 17, at 9am ET/6am PT. That’s when Nintendo will showcase its Mario Kart World video game set to debut alongside its new console on June 5.

Today’s “roughly 15-minute” Nintendo Direct video will end at 9:15am ET, and it could conclude with the one question everyone has: When do Switch 2 pre-orders go on sale in the US?

Nintendo gamers want to know the moment Switch 2 reservations can be made online and in person in the United States because the console is likely to sell out in a matter of minutes. It could turn into another PS5 restock situation, at least for its launch date in June.

How to get Switch 2 pre-order alerts

• Get our instant alerts: Your best chance to find a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order is to follow Matt Swider on X – and turn on notifications. It’ll look like:

Still using X/Twitter? Besides email, X is one of the best methods to get our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order alerts on your phone

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order rumor for April 23

Officially, Nintendo hasn’t given us any hints of a new Switch 2 pre-order date ever since the company delayed the initial April 9 plans “indefinitely” due to US tariffs.

Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Sam’s Club and GameStop have been in a holding pattern for two weeks waiting for Nintendo to give them the green light, according to retail sources who spoke to The Shortcut. Other countries outside of the US and Canada have already held their Switch 2 pre-orders, and many, including the UK, quickly ran out of inventory.

April 23 is the latest rumored Switch 2 pre-order date in North America. This date leak pertains to Canadian stores, but the source, billbil-kun, has a solid track record (he revealed the PS5 Pro early last year), and retailers in the United States may get it then, too.

• You can keep up with all the announcements on our Mario Kart World live blog.

If this information is true, we could see American stores finally launch pre-orders because Canadian retailers had their reservations delayed to “align with the US.” That’s the only thing that makes sense at this point. The official My Nintendo Store will have its reservations May 8 via invitation, but that’s been the case since April 2.

Just a word of warning: we’ve also seen other dates suggested for US retailers, like April 21 and April 30, so it’s best to keep up with The Shortcut’s breaking news about the Nintendo Switch 2. We’re determined to nail down the Switch 2 pre-order date and time for our readers.

• Read: our Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on review