Switch 2 fans are still having a hard time pre-ordering Nintendo’s newest console

Pre-orders for the Switch 2 went live in the UK earlier this month but fans are still struggling to secure the new Nintendo console.

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Nintendo announced the Switch 2 at the start of the year and earlier this month, showcased the bigger, more powerful console during an hour-long Direct. Shortly afterwards it was announced that the Switch 2 would cost £395.99 while games could cost up to £75 thanks to Nintendo’s “variable” pricing model.

Despite backlash over the cost, pre-orders for the Switch 2 sold out from a number of UK retailers and weeks later, fans are still struggling to secure a console. 

Nintendo is still restricting who can pre-order a Switch 2 console from them, with their invite-only system designed “to reward the most dedicated Switch players”. Invites have been sent out to players who have clocked up “a certain amount of time” on the original Switch and have held a Nintendo Switch Online membership for at least two years.

 “Over time, the selection criteria thresholds may be lowered and more people could be invited to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 console,” reads the official website but many fans are still waiting for their invite after the initial wave went out earlier this month. A number of gamers also had issues with the invite system due to a “technical error”. 

I won't lie, the whole Nintendo "You have been chosen" "invite only" pre-order opportunity for Switch 2 is a flipping mess and there appears to be no assurance or answers…

*sigh*

I trusted you Nintendooooo…

*drops to knees dramatically in the rain* pic.twitter.com/OlM9yV0QqV

— Aaron Cooper (@azwah) April 8, 2025

Big retailers such as Argos, Game, Smyths and Amazon have also sold out of their allocations of the Switch 2, while Currys is only accepting in-store pre-orders. 

However a number of Switch 2 consoles are available to buy on reseller sites such as Ebay, with some fans paying scalpers more than £500 for the console. Fans are reporting the listings and getting them taken down though. 

Nintendo added anti-scalper measures for Switch 2 pre-order invites:

Customers must have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership for atleast 12 months, and played 50+ gameplay hours on Switch 1 pic.twitter.com/HHoH60Shl8

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) April 2, 2025

Earlier this year, Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa said players won’t need to worry about stock shortages for the Switch 2 due to new anti-scalping measures. But earlier today (April 23), he warned a “significant number” of Japanese players won’t be able to pre-order the console via Nintendo after demand “far exceeded our prior expectations”, with 2.2million people signing up for one.

Pre-orders for the Switch 2 go live in Canada and North America tomorrow (April 24) after they were initially delayed due to Donald Trump’s new import tariffs. 

In other news, Sydney Sweeney is reportedly teaming up with Michael Bay for a big screen adaptation of classic video game OutRun.

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