Nintendo delayed Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. due to Trump’s tariffs and market uncertainty.
The June 5 release date stays, but prices could rise as import costs increase.
China hit back with a 34% tariff on U.S. goods, deepening global economic tensions.
Nintendo has pulled the brakes on opening U.S. pre-orders for the upcoming Switch 2 console, citing “evolving market conditions” and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs. The pre-orders were originally set to go live on April 9, but that plan’s now on ice—with no clear new date in sight.
Despite the shake-up, Nintendo says the Switch 2 will still launch as planned on June 5, 2025. In a short statement to IGN, the company clarified:
“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.”
JUST IN: Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the US have been delayed due to President Trump's tariff impact 👀 pic.twitter.com/ENyNgpIeR6
At $449.99, the base model of the Switch 2 is already pushing the upper limits of what many fans expected. The Mario Kart World bundle? That’s going for $499.99, while the standalone game clocks in at $79.99—a price point that’s stirred more than a few angry Reddit threads.
With tariffs potentially jacking up the cost of imported electronics, some now worry those prices could creep even higher. And let’s be real—gaming hardware has never been immune to price shifts, especially when global politics come into play.
Former Nintendo PR pros Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang didn’t mince words either, calling the rollout a “crisis moment” for Nintendo in a recent YouTube video.
“I don’t want to blow things out of proportion,” Ellis said, “but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo.”
Tariff Chaos, Global Fallout
All this comes as China fires back against Trump’s sweeping tariff plan with a 34% tax of its own on U.S. goods, deepening fears of a global trade war. Trump’s camp slapped a 54% tariff on Chinese imports earlier this week, and economists warn it could tip both countries closer to a recession.
In the midst of it all, Trump doubled down on his stance Friday, posting on Truth Social:
“China played it wrong, they panicked… my policies will never change.”
While it’s unclear exactly how much these tariffs will affect consoles like the Switch 2, one thing’s obvious—tech and gaming goods are right in the blast zone. And if these added costs make it all the way down the pipeline? Yeah, gamers might be footing the bill.
