Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders 'start' May 8, but we already knew that

Another reason to trust The Shortcut when it comes to Switch 2 pre-order date news

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders could begin at any time in the US (Image credit: Max Buondonno / The Shortcut)

• 📆 May 8 is when Switch 2 pre-orders start ONLY at the My Nintendo Store

• 🥱 We already reported on this news. US retailers may start much sooner

• 🔙 Originally, US stores were set to start pre-orders April 9 before the tariff delay

• 🤔 Some tech sites are reporting May 8 pre-order date as “news” – it’s not

• 🎟️ You’ll need a pre-order invite to buy a console from Nintendo’s store

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

There’s been a flurry of Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order news this morning from the top publications – and for once, The Shortcut, the most trusted Switch 2 pre-order site tracker in the US (well, self-described), wasn’t the first to report it. Why? Because the “new” reservation date that’s being touted was announced over a week ago, and it only pertains to one store: Nintendo’s.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will start on May 8, shouted many established tech and video game publications, including IGN. This sent people into a frenzy, thinking they had missed some sort of official Nintendo announcement. However, this is only for the My Nintendo Store, and it’s been widely known (and reported on by us) since April 2.

Update: IGN and GamesRadar have added a retraction to their articles, noting there’s nothing new to report. Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming deleted his tweet, which may have been the original source of this morning’s misinformation (although he wasn’t sourced by any of the publications that ran with the story).

This “news” doesn’t pertain to US retailers like Walmart, GameStop, Target and Best Buy, which were originally going to start Switch 2 pre-orders on April 9. This date was delayed by Nintendo late last week due to US tariffs going into effect.

• 🌟 Walmart Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle (not in stock yet)

• 🏷️ Best Buy Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle (not in stock yet)

• 🎯 Target Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle (not in stock yet)

• 🛑 GameStop Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle (not in stock yet)

• 🏬 Sam’s Club Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle (not in stock yet)

• 📦 Amazon (not live; we’ll see if Amazon even sells it at launch)

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

With a pause on most new tariffs, we could see Nintendo give these retailers the green light to start pre-orders in April. If you were reading IGN’s headline and not paying attention to notifications from The Shortcut and Matt Swider on X, you might be resting on your laurels and waiting for May 8. The pre-order could pass you by.

The My Nintendo Store has more stringent rules for ordering the console. You have to have a Nintendo Online account for at least one year, be 18 years or older, and have played at least 50 hours of games on a prior Nintendo Switch console before April 2. So, don’t bank on getting an invite from the official Nintendo online store on May 8, especially if US retailers start pre-orders in advance of that date. That’s one of our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order tips.

We saw the Switch 2 Mario Kart bundle box at the Nintendo Experience event in NYC (Image credit: Max Buondonno / The Shortcut)

This is the state of video game journalism

There’s nothing new about the May 8 Switch 2 pre-order date. Millions of people in the US are anxiously awaiting to reserve the new Nintendo console, and those sites are eager to cash in with extremely topical news stories that have no merit.

This news fooled many people online this morning, but that’s why you read and trust The Shortcut. We’re actively reporting on the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date, which has been a moving target in the United States, and uncovering new stores where pre-orders will go live at American stores on a daily basis.

• What’s it like? Our in-depth Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on will tell you

Matt Swider is the Editor-in-Chief of The Shortcut, the #1 consumer tech publication on Substack. Matt, a trusted technology expert with over 25 years of journalism experience and the former US Editor-in-Chief of TechRadar, can be found on social media through X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.