Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order: Walmart updates its console reservations pages
One week after The Shortcut detected a massive Walmart Switch 2 restock, the largest retailer in the US brings its pre-order page back to life
👀 We detected Walmart’s surprise Switch 2 pre-order restock last week
⛔ Walmart took down its pre-order pages this week, but just restored them
🔮 Is it a sign of another surprise Switch 2 restock? Or will you have to wait?
🏬 Walmart loves to put canceled console orders back on sale at random times
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The Shortcut was able to lead thousands of people to last Saturday’s Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order restock at Walmart while every other tech publication slept on the news. It was the easiest way to get a Switch 2 console in the US – when no one else was up.
Refreshing Walmart’s Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle really worked for a lot of people who could buy the console over the course of several hours last weekend.
The sudden burst of Switch 2 pre-orders gave us critical insight into the first Switch 2 sales, too. With 10,000 orders through our links, we now know which console version sold the most, and which of the best Switch 2 accessories people snapped up.
Walmart took down its Switch 2 pre-order page early this week. But it just restored the $450 reservation page (that was down the longest). Is this another sign that a restock is imminent, or does the message that reads “Coming soon! Release date 06/05/2025” mean we’re not going to get another shot at the console until the release date?
Being a reliable Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order tracker, I have some thoughts.
How to get Switch 2 pre-order alerts
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Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders at Walmart
US retailers are known to take down product pages when there’s nothing left in stock. Walmart and Target constantly did it for each PS5 restock, and now Walmart is doing it for Nintendo Switch 2. It might be to save on bandwidth or to thwart bots.
But, from my experience tracking console pre-orders and restocks, I can tell you that pages coming back to life have typically meant another restock is coming.
Walmart: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Target: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
GameStop: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Best Buy: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Sam’s Club: Unknown time Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
But here’s the kicker. Walmart’s Nintendo Switch 2 pages (both for the standalone console and the Mario Kart World bundle) both say “Coming soon! Release date: 06/05/2025.” Of course, that’s the release date, but does that new messaging suggest we aren’t going to see more pre-orders? Or will Walmart surprise us by restocking canceled orders between now and June 5?
That’s why The Shortcut’s Substack Chat is always going to offer live updates, just in case there’s a daytime or overnight restock of Switch 2 pre-orders.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders on May 8
I don’t think Walmart is going to launch more pre-orders of the Switch 2 before May 8. That’s when Nintendo will send out My Nintendo Store invites to loyal subscribers of its Nintendo Switch Online service. No one upstages Nintendo.
To get a Switch 2 pre-order from at My Nintendo Store, you’ll need to qualify:
A Nintendo Switch Online membership for at least 12 months
A minimum of 50 hours of total gameplay logged on your Switch 2
Opted into sharing gameplay data with Nintendo in the privacy settings
Note: This non-transferable invite to buy the Switch 2 will be valid for 72 hours and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Nintendo.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 pre-order is a long shot
I am not confident that there are enough Switch 2 pre-orders in the US at Nintendo’s store to go around. That’s why I’m leaning on tracking Walmart (the largest retailer in the US), Best Buy, Target and GameStop.
Sam’s Club, Costco and Antonline are also expected to sell the Nintendo Switch 2, but the console won’t be available for pre-order. This may be due to the fact that each of those stores requires a paid membership (Sam’s Club and Costco) or forces customers to buy bundles (Costco and Antonline).
Given the GTA 6 release date delay to May 2026, having the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World tide you over just became a little more important for gamers.
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.