Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order confirmed: what time it'll be in stock online
Walmart has confirmed that it'll have an online Switch 2 pre-order restock, and we've tracked down the time and where to buy it
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.
🌟 Walmart’s Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order online time has been confirmed
🔗 Check Walmart Switch 2 and the Switch 2 bundle to prep for the restock
⏰ It’ll be in stock tonight at 12am ET / 11pm CT / 10pm MT / 9pm PT
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🔔 Turn on notifications for Matt Swider on X to get additional alerts
The Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order time for online orders has been confirmed for tonight, according to Walmart reps who sent a statement to The Shortcut.
Both the Walmart Switch 2 and Switch 2 bundle pre-ordes will be in stock at 12am ET / 11pm CT / 10pm MT / 9pm PT one last time before the console launches. What’s significant about the Walmart Switch 2 pre-order is that it’s online at a time when gamers all over the United States are in line in advance of Best Buy and GameStop in-store pre-orders. This is your chance to skip the line.
The Shortcut helped over 10,000 people with Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the US at a time when the new video game console is impossible to find in stock. Our sources at GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target tipped us off about the initial April 24 pre-order times, and we’re ready for sales from smaller stores like Costco and Sam’s Club.
Walmart: 12am ET / 9pm PT Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Target: June 6 Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
GameStop: 12am ET / 9pm PT Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Best Buy: Next week Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Sam’s Club: Unknown time Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle
Notice that none of the stores that had the initial Switch 2 pre-order in April have a membership or extravagant bundle? By design, stores that force these surcharges weren’t able to launch pre-orders in advance of the June 5 release date.
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:
Walmart Switch 2 online: how to get a console
Because the Best Buy Switch 2 orders are in-store only this week, this is going to put a lot of pressure on Walmart’s servers. So, if you want a Switch 2 in June, you should be prepared to click on our alerts and check out as quickly as possible.
GameStop will also host Switch 2 pre-orders online at midnight ET, but its servers often buckle. Target won’t have new online orders until June 6, one day after the Switch 2 release date, and the console is backordered for many people (including me).
Walmart Switch 2 in-store order time
Walmart is stressing that it’ll have “limited quantities” of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles in “Walmart stores and Supercenters” across the United States. “Inventory will vary by location,” according to an official Walmart statement.
Walmarts in MT / PT time zones: June 4 at 10pm MT / 9pm PT (which is midnight ET). This will also include Hawaii and Alaska at their respective time zones.
Walmarts in ET / CT time zones: June 5 at 6am local time
This means you’ll have to wait several hours if you’re on the East Coast or Central Time zone in the United States because, by the time midnight ET comes about, many Walmart stores in the US will be closed.
Have questions? Ask our journalists in The Shortcut’s Substack Chat.
How many Switch 2 consoles will Walmart have?
The Shortcut published exclusive insight into Switch 2 sales data back in April, noting that Walmart was responsible for more console sales than any other retailer in the US. This analysis was done using our sample data, but combined with our extensive PS5 restock reporting, we know that Walmart usually has the most inventory.
That’s going to be good news if you’re waiting in line for the Nintendo Switch 2 on the Walmart website come midnight tonight, or are waiting for the retailer to put the Switch 2 accessories back on sale, finally.
The Shortcut will continue to track Switch 2 pre-orders in the US at Walmart and other retailers, where we’ve become the go-to source for sending restock notifications.
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.