Nintendo Switch 2 Demand Crashes Target and Best Buy During Pre-Orders

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The preorder rollout for Nintendo Switch 2 began on April 24, 2025, and quickly spiraled into a logistics crisis. With pent-up demand building for months, retailer websites across the United States, including Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and GameStop, buckled under the pressure of tens of thousands of users trying to secure a console simultaneously.

For many customers, the experience was marked by frozen pages, checkout errors, and “Not Available” listings on product pages. GameStop, in particular, was singled out for providing conflicting messages about inventory status, sparking confusion and backlash across social platforms.

The highly anticipated console was expected to sell fast. What wasn’t expected was the total collapse of several retail systems within minutes of the preorder window opening. This glitch-laden rollout cast a shadow over what was meant to be a celebratory moment for Nintendo’s next-generation hardware.

US preorder date shift worsened bottleneck

Contributing to the chaos was a last-minute delay to the US preorder launch. Originally slated for April 9, the date was pushed back by two weeks due to recently imposed tariffs on Japanese electronics imports. That delay meant international preorders began earlier, allowing fans in Europe and Asia to secure units ahead of their American counterparts.

When US orders finally opened, the pent-up demand created a near-instantaneous traffic surge. Many consumers who had waited patiently were left empty-handed as digital queues froze or error messages appeared during checkout.

Even before the official launch, speculation around the Switch 2’s specs and potential pricing helped drive demand. The $499 price point, although higher than its predecessor, didn’t dissuade interest. Early reviews and developer leaks had painted a compelling picture of the device’s capabilities, particularly its support for 4K output and improved battery life.

Resellers pounce as consoles vanish from carts

The resulting scarcity fed into a familiar cycle: scalping. Within hours of the preorder launch, units appeared on resale sites in the US and UK, priced as high as £1,000 – more than double retail. Analysts say this rapid aftermarket inflation reflects not just strong demand but also inadequate safeguards at the point of sale.

Nintendo, in response, announced it would begin offering a limited number of preorder invitations via its own My Nintendo Store beginning May 8. The invite-based system is intended to give priority to genuine fans and limit automated bot purchases.

Japan’s demand dwarfs supply

The demand isn’t limited to Western markets. In Japan, over 2.2 million users registered interest in the Switch 2 before its April 5 preorder launch. Nintendo reportedly underestimated just how popular the new console would be, with major Japanese retailers also reporting sellouts within minutes.

This global interest has made supply chain planning for the Switch 2 particularly complex. Sources familiar with the logistics suggest that shipments are being prioritized based on historical sales data, meaning some regions may see limited availability even post-launch.

For now, the best option for fans may be to register for the My Nintendo Store invitation system and monitor trusted retail channels closely. Given the scope of interest and the missteps during launch, it is unlikely that the demand curve will flatten anytime soon.

Sources:

• New York Post
• MarketWatch