Nintendo delays Switch 2 U.S. pre-orders due to tariffs, Canada delayed too

Update April 8, 2025 at 11:08 a.m. ET: Nintendo Canada confirmed to MobileSyrup that it will delay Switch 2 pre-orders to align with the delayed U.S. pre-orders. Canadian pre-orders will not start on April 9, and the official date is to be determined. However, Nintendo says the June 5 release date remains unchanged.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders have been delayed in the U.S. beyond the originally intended April 9 start date.

In a statement sent to U.S. media outlets, Nintendo said the delay has been made “in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” The company added that it will provide new pre-order timing “at a later date,” while stressing that the Switch 2’s June 5 launch date is “unchanged.”

Canadian retailers like Best Buy, GameStop and Walmart originally confirmed plans to begin offering Switch 2 pre-orders on April 9. Now, Nintendo of Canada has confirmed to CBC‘s Jonathan Ore that pre-orders are still set to open on April 9 in Canada. (MobileSyrup also reached out to Nintendo of Canada but hadn’t heard back at the time of publication — we’ve since received confirmation of the April 9 pre-order start date in Canada.) It’s worth noting that Eurogamer has also confirmed with Nintendo that European pre-orders haven’t been delayed.

Nintendo held its long-awaited Switch 2 Direct presentation on April 2 to reveal more about the console’s games, hardware features and release date. The US$450/C$629 pricing was confirmed shortly after the presentation.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal tariffs” on a slew of countries just hours after the Direct, including countries in which Nintendo hardware is produced. This includes an additional 34 per cent duty on China, where Nintendo has historically manufactured hardware but has spent the past several years trying to move away from, and a 46 per cent tariff on Vietnam, to which the company has been relocating production.

Therefore, it’s unclear whether Nintendo intends to raise the price of the Switch 2 in response to the U.S. tariffs. It’s important to note that Switch 2 games are set to be more expensive than their predecessors in the U.S. (over C$100 with conversions), but we’re still awaiting official Canadian pricing from Nintendo.

In the meantime, check out our full hands-on impressions of both the Switch 2 hardware and software.

Source: Jonathan Ore Via: GameSpot

Update: 04/04/2025 at 12:14 p.m. EST — Added a note that Eurogamer pre-orders haven’t been delayed.

Update 2: 04/04/2025 at 1:09 p.m. EST — Added confirmation from Nintendo of Canada to CBC that pre-orders haven’t been delayed here.

Update 3: 04/04/2025 at 2:04 p.m. EST — Added confirmation of Nintendo of Canada’s statement to MobileSyrup.