After years of rumors, Nintendo has finally announced a release date for the Nintendo Switch 2. The long-awaited follow-up to the Switch will be available on June 5th for $449.99. Although the console won’t ship until later this year, the Switch 2 will be available for preorder in the US from select retailers starting on April 9th, as both a standalone console or bundled with Mario Kart World for $499.99.

As predicted, the Switch 2 features a larger 7.9-inch LCD display, with support for 108op resolution and HDR, 256GB of built-in storage, and up to 6.5 hours of battery life. The Joy-Cons are bigger, too, and now magnetically attach to the console instead of relying on a pair of sliding rails to snap into place. Each also offers mouse-like functionality with select games, and the right Joy-Con sports a “C” button, which can be used for in-game chat features, screensharing, and other actions.

As for games, the Switch 2 will launch with Mario Kart World, along with third-party games like Split Fiction and Cyberpunk 2077. The console will also be backward-compatible with original Switch titles and support enhanced versions of select Switch 1 titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Below, we’ve rounded up all the preorder information you need if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on it. We’ll be updating this post regularly as more information becomes available, so bookmark this page if you’re keen on learning more ahead of launch.

How to preorder via Nintendo

The only confirmed retailer as of now is the My Nintendo Store, which comes with a string of eligibility requirements — one of which requires you to register your interest in advance of April 9th. To do so, you’ll need to sign in with your Nintendo Account and choose which console configuration you prefer (and which accessories). Afterward, you’ll receive an invitation email when it’s your time to make a purchase, assuming you’ve satisfied several other conditions.

As of right now, the reservation process is limited to Nintendo Account holders in the US and Canada who are at least 18 years old. Invitations will be valid for 72 hours and be “prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis,” according to Nintendo; you’ll also need to have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership for a minimum of 12 months and have logged 50 hours of gameplay on the original Switch as of April 2nd, 2025, to be eligible. What’s more, you must have opted in to share gameplay data with Nintendo (you can see if you’ve done so in the privacy section when logged into your Nintendo account).

Once invitations have been sent to Nintendo Account holders who have met these criteria, Nintendo says it will send invitations to “remaining eligible registrants” on a first-come, first-served basis. Unsurprisingly, the invitations will be non-transferable and will be sent to the email address you used while registering your interest with Nintendo. Console and accessory purchases will be limited to one per eligible Nintendo Account, at least during the initial invitation period, with the first batch of invitations going out on May 8th, 2025.

Additional invitations will follow periodically, though Nintendo hasn’t specified details beyond that.

How to preorder elsewhere

As mentioned above, Nintendo is the only retailer thus far that has provided any insight into how preorders will work when they open on April 9th. That said, you can already sign up at Best Buy and GameStop to receive notifications about the upcoming console and games. Presumingly, this will also include preorder details, once available.

Like with previous launches, we anticipate that Amazon, Target, and Walmart will all have limited stock of the console as well, though, despite Nintendo “taking risks” to ensure it can meet demands, reports indicate US retailers might not have enough Switch 2 consoles to meet preorder demands. With any luck, Nintendo’s stringent reservation requirements will thwart any would-be scalpers.