Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders, which were set to go live on Wednesday, June 9, will now be delayed to a unspecified date.
A statement sent to media by Nintendo directly says the recent tariffs put in place by the Trump administration in the United States, are the reason why. The statement reads, “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. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.“
We don’t currently have any word on when pre-orders will actually go up, but this is definitely a big move from Nintendo to try and address economic concern. Price had already been one of the biggest talking points of the new systems, between the $450 price tag on Switch 2 itself, to Mario Kart World increasing the prices of games to $79.99.
The Trump administration’s tariffs has already caused mass unease in the video game and tech sectors, as well as stocks to crater across the market.
The tariffs have a general 10% rate across the board, while specific countries have higher rates. The big impact to Nintendo, of course, is a 26% tariff rate for Japan and a 46% rate for Vietnam. Over the last few years, Nintendo has shifted the majority of its manufacturing to Vietnam.
Earlier today, GamesIndustry.biz talked to a number of analysts on what the tariffs could mean for Nintendo Switch 2 specifically, and although the company will definitely feel the effects, it seems unlikely prices will change.
Analyst firm Niko Partners told GamesIndustry,
“The reciprocal tariffs on Vietnam and Japan have come in higher than expected, and Nintendo will feel the impact of this if the tariffs go into full effect. That being said, we think it’s unlikely that Nintendo will raise the price of the console at this point, but it’s also unlikely to see a price drop in the next 5 years.”
Meanwhile, Kantan Games’ Dr Serkan Toto says, “I believe it is now too late for Nintendo to drive up the price further, if that ever was an option in the first place.”
Toto adds, “As a hardware manufacturer, Nintendo most likely ran simulations to get to a price that would make them tariff-proof as much as possible.”
Of course, with this delay in pre-orders we’ll now have to wait and see if all this really holds true. The tariff situation is also incredibly fluid, as different countries respond. It’s entirely possible the situation could change at the drop of a hat, so Nintendo is likely biding its time and trying to figure out the best path forward.
Nintendo Switch 2 is still set to launch on June 5, 2025.
