Switch 2 pre-orders were supposed to begin on April 9. No longer. In an unprecedented move, Nintendo announced on Friday that it’s halting pre-orders for its upcoming $450 hardware launch because of new tariffs in the U.S. set to go into effect beginning on April 5.
A statement from Nintendo, first obtained by GameSpot, reads: “Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”
The Switch 2 reveal this week showcased big new games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, but also big new price jumps that took fans by surprise. On the same day the Switch 2 was revealed, President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of over 20 and 40 percent on some countries, including China, Vietnam, and Japan.
They could push game and Switch 2 hardware pricing even higher for players in the U.S. starting later this month on April 10. Trump has already said he’s open to negotiating the new trade taxes, however, and Nintendo could be waiting to see if he reverses course before moving ahead with pre-orders as previously planned for the Switch 2's June 5 release.
Pre-orders were set to begin next week, with retailers like Best Buy and Walmart already promising midnight launches for the most anticipated console launch in years. Pre-orders were also set to take place directly through Nintendo beginning in May, though with a series of strict requirements that would exclude all but the most hardcore fans from having a shot at qualifying.
Even before the latest Trump tariffs were announced, fans had been calling on Nintendo to drop the price of the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, which is set to be the company’s first $80 release. Chants of “drop the price” have been flooding the Nintendo Treehouse Live streams on YouTube meant to showcase exclusive new footage of the company’s new Switch 2 games.
The tariffs, should they go into effect as planned, could raise prices by hundreds of dollars on the most expensive electronics unless Nintendo decides to eat the cost of the tax by letting it cut into Switch 2 profit margins. Many analysts had speculated that the company had already built uncertainty around higher tariffs amid an escalating trade war into its current $450 pricing for the Switch 2, but its latest statement suggests the console could end up costing even more in the U.S. by the time it launches in June.
The Entertainment Software Association, a U.S. trade group that represents Nintendo and other gaming companies, said the tariffs “are going to have a real and detrimental impact on the video game industry.” ESA senior vice president Aubrey Quinn told Game File this week “Every company, every industry, the video game industry included, needs to think about what’s best for consumers, best for business, and best for employees. Supply chains are complicated and, certainly, supply chains don’t change overnight. Everything that is considered or decided can’t be a quick turnaround and can’t be a knee-jerk reaction to any particular announcement.”
Update 4/4/2025 12:39 p.m. ET: Added more information about when new tariffs will go into effect.
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