As I sit down to write this piece at 11:30pm CT, well past my usual bedtime on a work night, I'm one among millions, including those from several other planets, attempting to pre-order the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2. The pre-order frenzy began at 9pm PT/12am ET across three major retailers: Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. However, the rollout has been nothing short of chaotic.
At IGN, both myself and a significant portion of our staff have been navigating through this ordeal, experiencing a mix of success, frustration, and dejection. Social media is abuzz with similar stories from fans around the globe.
At Walmart, eager buyers were quickly funneled into a digital queue, which, while moving for some, left others stranded on a "stay in line" screen with no clear end in sight. Those who managed to reach the checkout faced unexpected error messages, further complicating their attempts to secure a console.
Target initially seemed more promising without a queue, but soon reports surfaced of error screens and order cancellations. Some customers believed they had successfully purchased a Switch 2 only to receive cancellation emails shortly after, while others found the console mysteriously removed from their carts mid-purchase.
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, showing a "Coming Soon" message for half an hour before finally starting to process orders. Even then, the journey was fraught with errors, restarts, and some customers dealing with fraud alerts and financial hiccups that thwarted their efforts entirely.
2 minutes....
byu/trashpandacoot1 inSwitch
.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }By the time I finished this piece, both Target and Walmart had sold out, while Best Buy continued to see a trickle of successful pre-orders amidst ongoing issues. Some received cancellation or delay emails without any new delivery information, leaving them in limbo.
Target cancelled my order 10 minutes after placing
byu/syde1020 inSwitch
.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }As the night progresses, more successes are expected, and there remains hope for those who missed out today. GameStop will open pre-orders at 11:00am ET tomorrow, both in-store and online, and other retailers will likely follow suit. Additionally, some Nintendo account holders might receive an invitation to pre-order directly from Nintendo in May, though this is not guaranteed, especially given the overwhelming demand in Japan.
Bots are the worst
byu/CANfilms inSwitch
.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }For those not deeply invested in Nintendo's ecosystem, it's easy to dismiss this chaos. However, for dedicated fans, the situation is exacerbated by a series of confusing and frustrating developments surrounding the Switch 2's reveal and rollout. The initial excitement was tempered by the high costs of the system and accessories, further complicated by a pause in pre-orders due to U.S. tariffs, only to resume without adjusting the system's price. Nintendo's unclear communication about software pricing, formats, and content has left many in the dark about what they're actually buying and how much it will cost, adding to the frustration of not knowing if they can secure a console at launch amidst fears of future price increases and supply shortages.
Yet, for those eager to play Mario Kart World at launch, this is the current reality. Here's a guide for those still trying to secure their pre-order.
