Nintendo Finally Announced a New Preorder Date for the Switch 2

If you’re eager for the new Nintendo Switch 2, the current preorder situation should make you a bit nervous. Nintendo’s upcoming console is scheduled to launch on June 5, but without a preorder, there’s no telling how difficult it’ll be to buy one. Fortunately, things are improving. On Friday, Nintendo finally announced the new date fans can expect to preorder a Switch 2, as well as some good and bad news regarding price increases. Here’s the latest.

Switch 2 preorders open next week

It’s official: If you live in the United States or Canada, you can preorder a Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday, April 24. The new date replaces the original April 9 preorder schedule Nintendo announced earlier this month. The company delayed preorders following the Trump administration’s unpredictable array of tariffs imposed on countries around the world. As the administration rolled back certain tariffs and paused imposing new ones (at least for the time being), it seems Nintendo feels confident enough to commit to preorders in the U.S.

Part of the reason for the delay (or, perhaps the entire reason for the delay) was likely to assess whether the company should hike the price of the Switch 2. Fortunately, the calculation hasn’t swung in that direction: The Switch successor will cost $449.99, the same price Nintendo revealed at the beginning of April. Likewise, Mario Kart World will still cost $79.99, and Donkey Kong Bananaza will cost $69.99. While those games are more expensive than one might expect from Nintendo titles, at least they aren’t going to cost even more.

Switch 2 price increases

The bad news, however, is that not all the previously announced prices will remain the same. Nintendo says Switch 2 accessories will jump up in cost. Those prices are as follows:

Sony announced MSRP bumps for PS5s across the world. At the moment, the U.S. was spared from those cost adjustments, but we’ll see if that holds.

artist rendition of Jake Peterson

Jake Peterson

Senior Technology Editor

Jake Peterson is Lifehacker’s Senior Technology Editor. He has a BFA in Film & TV from NYU, where he specialized in writing. Jake has been helping people with their technology professionally since 2016, beginning as a technical specialist at New York’s 5th Avenue Apple Store, then as a writer for the website Gadget Hacks. In that time, he wrote and edited thousands of news and how-to articles about iPhones and Androids, including reporting on live demos from product launches from Samsung and Google. In 2021, he moved to Lifehacker and covers everything from the best uses of AI in your daily life to which MacBook to buy. His team covers all things tech, including smartphones, computers, game consoles, and subscriptions. He lives in Connecticut.

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