Nintendo delays Switch 2 pre-orders over tariff concerns

Nintendo has clarified that Switch 2 pre-orders will not begin on April 9 as planned.

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Switch 2 pre-orders have been delayed as Nintendo weighs the impact of international trade tariffs.

"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," Nintendo said in a new statement to Gamespot.

In press release assets from April 2, Nintendo had previously said: "Nintendo Switch 2 will be available for pre-order in North America from participating retailers beginning on April 9, 2025."

It's believed that potential trade tariffs and uncertain economic conditions had pushed Nintendo to price the Switch 2 at $450.

It's possible that the $450 MSRP may not be the finalized price for the Switch 2 and that the system could end up costing even more.

Analysts also suspect that the tariffs could drive video game hardware and game prices even higher across the entire industry. The US trade tariffs have become reciprocal across multiple nations, including China, who just levied a 34% tariff against the United States.

The games market is already risky enough, but the new inflation market and trade wars add a new layer of risk and complexity to the video games industry. Consumers are likely to pay extra to help companies mitigate some of this calculated risk and offset rising costs of doing business in the synergistic webwork that is global commerce.

Nintendo carefully controls hardware costs to ensure consoles are sold at a profit (the Switch sold at a profit on day one), so we should expect this trend to continue with the Switch 2 in the context of tariffs or other disruptions.