Nintendo has officially confirmed that Nintendo Switch 2 retail preorders in the U.S. began on April 24, 2025, with the system launch set for June 5, 2025.

Quick Scoop: When is Switch 2 preorder?

  • Official retail preorder date (U.S.): April 24, 2025.
  • Launch date: June 5, 2025.
  • Base price at launch: 449.99 USD for the standard console in the U.S.
  • Status now (Feb 2026): Initial preorder waves at major retailers sold out quickly; current availability depends on restocks and local stock rather than “preorders.”

In other words, the classic “preorder rush” moment has already happened; now it’s about watching restocks and late waves of invitations rather than waiting for a first-time preorder window.

What Nintendo said

Nintendo’s own announcement stated that:

  • Retail preorders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. would begin on April 24, 2025.
  • The previously announced launch price of 449.99 USD for the base Switch 2 remained unchanged at that time.
  • The console would become available to players starting June 5, 2025.

Mashable’s preorder guide later reiterated that:

  • Switch 2 preorders went live on April 24 and sold out quickly at major retailers.
  • The launch date remained June 5 , with some retailers offering midnight openings or release‑day delivery for those who had already preordered.

Forum and “leak” chatter vs reality

Before Nintendo’s final confirmation, there was a lot of forum and leak buzz with slightly different dates, especially early “April 2” or “April 9” preorder claims tied to specific retailers and internal memos.

  • Some Reddit threads cited Best Buy or other retailers pointing to early April preorder windows, often framed as “according to an internal listing” or “leaked email.”
  • Another heavily upvoted post in a gaming leaks subreddit later focused on the April 24 window, mentioning U.S. and Canadian timing as well as price stability for the console but higher accessory pricing.

Once Nintendo published its own preorder and pricing notice, those earlier dates were effectively superseded by the official April 24 retail preorder start in the U.S.

What this means for you now

If your real question is “Can I still preorder Switch 2 today?” rather than just “when was preorder,” then the picture in early 2026 looks like this:

  1. The original preorder window has passed.
    • The main retail preorder event was in April 2025.
  1. Stock now behaves like any other high‑demand console.
    • Retailers open and close online orders as they get new allocations; Mashable noted that initial waves sold out quickly and that later waves often came via invite systems or restock notices.
  1. Your best move now:
    • Sign up for stock alerts and email invites at big retailers (Nintendo’s own site, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Amazon, etc.).
 * Watch for “invite‑only” or queue‑based purchase systems that have replaced traditional preorders for ongoing demand.

TL;DR

  • The answer to “when is Switch 2 preorder?” in the strict sense: Retail preorders in the U.S. started on April 24, 2025.
  • As of 2026, you’re no longer early; you’re hunting restocks and late‑wave orders rather than a first preorder date.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.