It seems you can pre-order the Switch 2 a week early in at least the UK and Germany, while Nintendo begins sending out invite links to hopeful buyers

So, last week, a Best Buy leak was like, "Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will start on April 2," and then another leak was like, "actually pre-orders will start on April 9" – and, of course, one should never gossip, but it turns out they were both right. In a press release posted after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct stream today, Nintendo confirmed that North American pre-orders will start on April 9, while fans in other parts of the world report that they have already begun.

"Pre-orders for some German retailers are open!" say multiple sources on Reddit. Likewise, UK retailers have also seemingly begun stocking both pre-order consoles and Mario Kart World bundles, with some on Reddit claiming to have successfully pre-ordered a Switch 2 at places like the toy store Smyths.

While many of these stores' live pre-order links now seem to be either down or completely sold out, GamesRadar+ was able to independently verify that Amazon UK still allows potential buyers to "request invite" to pre-order the Switch 2. In contrast, Nintendo's North American site says fans will not receive an invite link until "starting May 8, 2025" – which has got to be a typo, right? GamesRadar+ has reached out to Nintendo for comment.

In any case, GamesRadar+ contributor Scott McCrae has already successfully received his invitation from Nintendo UK – which comes with the condition that he's only been "selected for the opportunity to pre-order" and isn't guaranteed a console.

It's confusing, but the Switch 2 has so far been mired in so much mixed messaging that it's almost all starting to make sense to me. While the Switch 2 has a suggested retail price of $450, for example, the next-gen console is about $60 more in the UK and $25 less in Australia. Where are we? What's happening? Don't ask me. Can you pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2? Am I having fun? Uh, maybe.

The Switch 2 Direct broke just in time for me to nearly miss a revival of a 26-year-old Konami cult classic I obsessed over in Nintendo Power.