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 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. Tariffs of over 20 and 40 percent on some countries, including China, Vietnam, and Japan could push game and Switch 2 hardware pricing even higher for players in the U.S.
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.
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