Switch 2 Invite Emails Might Not Arrive Until After Launch

Nintendo has updated its website about pre-ordering a Switch 2 console with a warning that because of “very high demand” it can’t promise it will be able to deliver consoles by the June 5 launch date. It even warned that its pre-order emails might not arrive for some until after the console’s launch.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in North America are live! The console became available to pre-order on April 24 at midnight following delays earlier this month due to President Trump’s tariffs. And as you might have guessed, pre-ordering a Switch 2 has mostly been a terrible nightmare of crashing websites, broken carts, and error messages. People are already trying to sell the consoles on eBay. Orders are being canceled. It’s a shitstorm. Some people are trying to avoid this chaos by jumping through Nintendo’s hoops to pre-order directly via the console maker. Well, some bad news about that option…

On April 24, as spotted by Engadget, Nintendo updated its official website with a warning. According to the console maker, while it is “thrilled” by how many people want a Switch 2, all this demand will likely mean some consoles ordered through Nintendo’s official store won’t ship until after launch. Even worse, Nintendo warns that some people might not even get a chance to place an order on a Switch 2 via an invite e-mail until after June 5, aka the day the console launches. Yikes.

Instead, Nintendo says that if you “wish to increase your opportunity of obtaining” a Switch 2, you should probably just pre-order via a place like GameStop or Target. Sadly, a lot of those places have already sold out.

Overall, the vibes I get from Nintendo is that it had no chance of keeping up with Switch 2 demand. On April 23, Nintendo apologized ahead of time for the fact it won’t have enough Switch 2 consoles for everyone who pre-ordered in Japan.

It’s looking like it might be hard to buy a Switch 2 until sometime in 2026 or later. Good luck out there you all.

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