Inside Story

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in the US were to start April 9, but it appears those plans have changed due to the new tariffs imposed this week by President Donald Trump. It’s unclear if this means Nintendo will also have to increase the price of the Switch successor, which currently starts at $450. 

as CNET reports, Nintendo said Friday that it’s delaying Switch 2 preorders in the US, but its June release date is unaffected.  “Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,” the company said in a statement. “Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”

Nintendo didn’t indicate if preorder dates outside the US would change, but Eurogamer reports that preorders are live at various retailers in the UK. GameStop, one of the largest video game retailers, posted on X (formerly Twitter) echoing Nintendo’s statement and asserting it will keep working with the company to update customers when more information about pre-order dates becomes available, also advising them to sign up on GameStop’s site for updates.

A tariff of 24% has been applied by the US to goods from Japan. Were that rate to be applied directly to the Switch 2’s announced price, it would rise to $558, but it would be up to Nintendo how much of the tariff it will pass on to consumers.

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