One of America’s lesser-known—but still irritating—long-standing stories reached a conclusion last week: Nintendo officially revealed a new preorder date for its eagerly awaited Switch 2 console.

After a postponement in U.S. preorders due to former President Trump’s tariff regulations, Nintendo has now stated that preorders will commence on April 24. The standalone console will be priced at $449.99, while a bundle that features Mario Kart World will be available for $499.99. With the date confirmed, the next task is determining how to secure your preorder effectively.

You can take the conventional approach by heading to major retailers at midnight on April 24. However, if you’d like a backup option—or prefer to deal directly with the source—you can also attempt to preorder straight from Nintendo. Here’s an outline of the procedure.

How to Preorder the Switch 2 Directly from Nintendo

Nintendo has introduced a specialized webpage for Switch 2 preorders, filled with all the essential information. Nevertheless, as is typical with Nintendo, the process includes a few peculiar stipulations—and some waiting periods.

First off, you won’t be able to submit your preorder until May 8, even if you adhere to all the guidelines accurately. To initiate the process, you’ll need to log into the preorder site using your Nintendo Switch Online account. However, not just any account will suffice: you must have maintained a paid membership for at least 12 consecutive months and logged a minimum of 50 hours of gameplay. This setup is clearly tailored to dissuade resellers, but it also means only committed Switch players will be eligible.

Once logged in, you’ll select your desired model—either the base console or the Mario Kart bundle—and click the “Register Interest” button. That’s all that can be done for now.

Beginning May 8, Nintendo will start sending preorder invitation emails to qualified users on a first-come, first-served basis. Each email is non-transferable, valid for one console purchase, and will expire after 72 hours.

The positive news? May 8 won’t be your only opportunity. Nintendo intends to dispatch further batches of invitations over time. So, if you don’t get an email right away, there’s still a possibility you might receive one in the subsequent weeks.

In summary, if you miss the April 24 retail launch, this direct-from-Nintendo option could provide you with a second chance to obtain a Switch 2—just a couple of weeks later.