Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order time: when it'll be in stock in the US
Some stores in the US will offer midnight Switch 2 pre-orders online, and others, will have limited in-person reservations
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.
Nintendo gamers want to know what time the Switch 2 pre-order will take place in the United States, and we know the exact time for three of the five stores that plan to sell the console. According to our American retailer sources, you’re going to need to stay up until midnight next week for the first wave of consoles.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order times on April 24
Walmart: 12 am ET/9 pm PT: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Target: 12 am ET/9 pm PT: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
GameStop: 11 am ET/8 am PT Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Best Buy: Unknown time Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Sam’s Club: Unknown time Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Walmart, Target Switch 2 pre-orders at midnight
Walmart and Target will sell Switch 2 pre-orders on April 24 at 12 am ET/9 pm PT through their online stores, according to retail Walmart representatives who spoke to The Shortcut. You won’t be able to reserve the Nintendo console in stores on that day, but good news, Walmart usually has the most inventory of any store in the US.
If you pre-order at Walmart, the retailer is promising to deliver your Switch 2 console on its release date by 9am local time, barring any shipping delays. That means you’ll have the Nintendo Switch 2 on your doorstep by the morning of June 5, and you can be playing Mario Kart World by breakfast. Target hasn’t made a similar commitment.
The Switch 2 console will cost $449.99, while the video game system bundled with Mario Kart World will cost $499.99. That’s a steal considering the game alone is $80. Nintendo’s sought-after bundle, of course, will be the hardest version to pre-order.
Prices have increased when it comes to accessories. You’ll be paying more for items like the Switch 2 Pro Controller and extra Joy-Con 2 controllers on April 24 than Nintendo initially stated on April 2.
GameStop pre-order times online, in-store
GameStop is the other retail chain that has announced an exact time for its Switch 2 pre-orders, promising to offer the Switch 2 console and accessories at 11 am ET/8 am PT. So far, you don’t need to be a GameStop Pro member to claim a console.
GameStop is also the only US retailer to schedule in-store Switch 2 pre-orders, saying that it’ll have a limited amount of stock at all of its stores when they normally open. Expect long lines at store locations, according to a handful of GameStop employees who talked to The Shortcut on Friday night (these were mostly in metro areas).
The Best Buy pre-order time is unknown
Best Buy hasn’t said when it’ll start accepting Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders, and it usually stays silent on the matter, according to our research of past launch events. It has, however, committed to opening many of its stores at 12:01 am local time on June 5, the release date, so that people who have reserved their console on April 24 will be able to pick it up right away. You get a nine-hour head start on Walmart shoppers.
Best Buy may launch its pre-orders at midnight or 1am ET (Best Buy’s headquarters is in Minneapolis, MN, so it’s in Central Time and often refreshes inventory then), but it has also favored late morning and early afternoon console pre-orders.
Sam’s Club, the wholesale store owned by Walmart, is also planning to sell the Switch 2 to its members. It usually has less inventory than Walmart and launches inventory anywhere from one hour to one day after Walmart does, favoring 1am ET.
Will Amazon sell Nintendo Switch 2?
It’s unlikely that Amazon will have Nintendo Switch 2 in stock on April 24, as Nintendo hasn’t sold hardware through the popular online retail chain for months. This may be due to the sale of counterfeit products, although neither Nintendo nor Amazon would comment on the matter to The Shortcut.
That means there’s going to be one less major retailer in the US with Switch 2 pre-orders next week, which will put more pressure on eager consumers trying to secure the sought-after console from Walmart and Target at midnight.