With only days remaining until the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, major retailers have announced a wave of pre-order cancellations. However, that doesn’t mean you’re entirely out of luck—some buyers got credit applied to their accounts.
The cancellations have affected buyers in both the US and the UK. Walmart, Target, Game, and plenty more retailers have had to cancel their customers’ purchases. Walmart was one of the retailers that needed to cancel orders. When one Reddit user called the company to find out why their order had been canceled, they were told it was happening to many purchases. That same customer received a $25 credit as compensation. In other words, call the retailer and ask what they can do, ideally in a kind way—the customer service representatives already have to deal with a lot of upset people.
A pre-order used to be a guarantee that you’ll receive that console on the day of release. Retailers accept your money early to agree to the guarantee, and if you can argue such, you might get money. Remember that every retailer has their own rules for these agreements, and many may have wording that prevents it from being seen as a guarantee.
Demand for the Switch 2 was extremely high, which likely surpassed expectations despite the difficulties many faced in securing pre-orders before the release. Game, a major UK retailer, first posted a public apology on social media, admitting that some Switch 2 pre-orders had been canceled and promising to restore as many affected orders as possible. While Game initially said they would reach out to affected customers with updates, they later removed their apology tweet.
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According to Eurogamer, the now-deleted post said, “We sincerely apologise for the recent cancellation of some Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders. We understand how disappointing this is, especially for those who have been eagerly awaiting their order. We’re currently working hard to reinstate as many affected pre-orders as possible. If your order was impacted, please know that we’re doing everything we can and will be in touch with further updates and next steps. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to resolve this. We truly appreciate your support.”
Since the tweet is gone, it is likely that purchases will not be reinstated. There’s just not enough product for the amount of pre-orders that went through. You should keep an eye on your own purchases because more pre-orders will likely be canceled as time goes on.
The chip shortage has been long over, but it seems like limited consoles will just be normal at release. Nintendo will likely open orders again when there is stock available to buy, but keep in mind that making these takes time and shipping them could take even longer. While it is tempting to buy from scalpers, we know that more are coming, so patience is likely the smarter move.
Source: Eurogamer, Los1man on Reddit