Nintendo Switch 2 Preorders Overwhelm Major Retailer Sites

The much-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 preorders kicked off at midnight on Thursday—and, as anticipated, mayhem erupted. Almost instantly, major retailer websites faltered under the massive influx of demand. GameStop, which waited until 11 a.m. ET to commence its preorder process, also faced a site failure shortly after launch.

The excitement ignited late Wednesday night, as retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target activated their preorder pages. According to a report by The New York Post, the influx of visitors caused significant outages and technical glitches on these sites. A brief look at Down Detector reveals that all three retailers encountered major disruptions around midnight, leaving numerous customers frustrated and without their orders. (Disclosure: Mashable and Down Detector are both part of Ziff Davis.)

Walmart customers were put in a virtual waiting line—some managed to get through, while others remained stuck indefinitely. Target’s website constantly showed error messages, and Best Buy’s preorder launch was postponed by approximately 30 minutes, with users also experiencing glitches and unsuccessful checkouts, as mentioned by IGN.

So, what should you do if you lost out?

If you weren’t able to grab a preorder during the initial rush and GameStop’s website isn’t functioning properly, don’t worry—there are still options to obtain a Switch 2. One alternative is to follow social media for restock notifications, which can help you seize availability as soon as it comes. Additionally, Nintendo will start providing direct preorders through its website beginning May 8—but this will be limited to Nintendo Switch Online members.

It requires quite a bit of effort just for a chance to play Mario Kart World, but for devoted fans, the hassle might just be worthwhile.