Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders Chaotic, Sold Out Fast

As I begin writing this piece, I'm sitting at my desk at 11:30pm CT (well past my bedtime on a work night) trying, along with seemingly the entire rest of the world and the populations of several other planets, to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2.

Pre-orders went live at 9pm PT/12am ET at three different retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. Or at least, they were supposed to, but the actual rollout so far has been a chaotic mess. Myself and a big chunk of the IGN staff have all been trying to order our Switch 2s with varying levels of success, and folks on social media are reporting a whole host of problems, resulting in frustration, dejection, and rarely, triumph.

Over at Walmart, would-be buyers of the Nintendo Switch 2 were immediately placed into a digital queue to purchase their systems. While some managed to progress through the queue and secure a Switch in their cart, others remain stuck on a "stay in line" screen with no indication of wait time or success. Those who finally reach the purchase stage are encountering baffling error messages, like this:

Target didn't implement a queue like Walmart, initially leading to more success for Switch fans. However, reports quickly surfaced of error screens throughout the purchase process. Some buyers thought they successfully purchased a Switch 2 and even reached a confirmation screen, only to receive a cancellation email shortly afterward, forcing them to start over. Others found the Switch 2 being removed from their shopping cart mid-process, requiring them to restart.

The Nintendo Switch 2 sold out instantly at Target. This is unreal bro. I refreshed on the second it turned 12 am. Actually unreal pic.twitter.com/LAQ4lC03qw

— Kenj (@Kenjdx) April 24, 2025

Best Buy's pre-orders were delayed, displaying "Coming Soon" for half an hour before slowly starting to place customers in a digital queue. Some are now receiving purchase confirmations, while others face similar errors and restarts. At all three stores, some customers are dealing with fraud alerts from their banks or other financial issues, further complicating the process and denying them a chance to secure a system.

2 minutes....
byu/trashpandacoot1 inSwitch

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }In the time it took me to write this piece, Target and Walmart have officially sold out, while more people are managing to get through at Best Buy. However, others (like myself) have been stuck in a seemingly endless queue for over an hour. Some have received emails indicating their purchases have been canceled or delayed, with no new delivery date or option to reorder.

Target cancelled my order 10 minutes after placing
byu/syde1020 inSwitch

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }In the coming hours, we may see more successes, and there's still an opportunity to pre-order at GameStop tomorrow (well, today) at 11:00am ET, both in-store and online, or at other retailers in the future. Additionally, some lucky individuals with Nintendo accounts may receive an email from Nintendo in May, inviting them to pre-order directly from the hardware maker - though there's no guarantee of receiving that email, and Nintendo has indicated that demand in Japan at least has exceeded projected supply.

Bots are the worst
byu/CANfilms inSwitch

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }While it's easy to dismiss the chaos if you're not a huge Nintendo fan or willing to wait, it's especially frustrating for those who have endured a confusing and exasperating reveal and rollout. The initial excitement of the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal was overshadowed by the high prices of the system, accessories, and games, compounded by a pause in pre-orders due to U.S. tariffs, only to resume without adjusting the system's price, just the accessories. Moreover, Nintendo's plans for physical and digital software pricing, formats, and content have been unclear, leaving many questions unanswered about costs and what exactly is being purchased. It's no surprise that so many are upset about not knowing if they'll secure a system near launch, especially with looming concerns about future price hikes or supply issues.

But if you're eager to play Mario Kart World at launch, this is the current reality. Here's how to navigate the pre-order process for those still trying.