Pre-orders forNintendo Switch 2in the U.S. have been delayed and will no longer begin on April 9 asNintendo assesses the potential impact of tariffsimposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The company still expects to launch the Switch 2 at itsplanned date of June 5, but it did not specify when pre-orders will commence. The console is set for a $449.99 retail price, with a $499.99 bundle including a digital copy ofMario Kart World.
Read Nintendo’s full statement, perGameSpot, below:
“Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start July 10, 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 July 29, 2025 is unchanged.”
Nintendo announced launch andpricing details for the Nintendo Switch 2on Wednesday, just hours before the Trump Administration announced sweeping tariffs with a 10% baseline tax on imports going into effect April 5, and even higher “reciprocal” rates on countries including China, Japan, and Taiwan beginning April 9, perCBS News. As of now,it is unclear exactly how these tariffs will affect the Nintendo Switch 2 pricingand launch.
How Tariffs Might Affect The Nintendo Switch 2
Key Countries Are Being Targeted
Several territories and countries where Nintendo manufactures its hardware and physical game cards are targets of the reciprocal tariffs. Japan faces a 24% tariff, China is looking at a 34% tariff, and Vietnam is being hit with a steep 46% tax rate. Nintendo, like many technology companies, has much of its manufacturing in China. But in recent years, Nintendo has shifted to Vietnam for its manufacturing of hardware and electronic components. With the U.S. tariffs eyeing both countries,it appears that Nintendo can’t escape these sweeping tariffs.
“$70 For An 8-Year-Old Game”: Fan Backlash Over Nintendo Switch 2 Game Prices Is Rampant
Players aren’t happy with the pricing for several of Nintendo’s Switch 2 games, emphasizing an ongoing problem with the gaming industry as a whole.
Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch cartridges are made in Japan, but packaging materials for physical Switch games can be sourced from various countries, as Serenity Forge CEO Zhenghua Yang described in a February 2025Redditthread. “Since the new [U.S.] presidency, we’ve unfortunately already had to massively alter our manufacturing pipeline,” Yang claimed. “There are definitely very real and tangible political consequences for physical publishers.” That’s all to say thatthese additional tariffs by the U.S. government might make logistics even harder for Nintendo and third-party companies.
Nintendo Switch 2 Is Coming In A Time Of Market Volatility
Everything Was Already Getting Expensive
The wider economic news is affecting companies worldwide, andconsumers will definitely feel the financial impact. Gaming hardware and software have already been rising in price due to supply chain issues, inflation, and ballooning costs of game development. The Nintendo Switch 2 has received a lot of heat from gaming enthusiasts due to its relatively high price — the cost of headlining games like Mario Kart World, in particular,has attracted protests and ire online.
Industry analysts were already predicting that tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration wouldhave an adverse effect on the Nintendo Switch 2and game companies as a whole. Unfortunately, these additional tariffs have the potential to raise game and hardware prices even higher. It’s clear thateven Nintendo and other potentially impacted companies don’t know how this will affect their business in the immediate future, but whatever the case, consumers should get ready for a big hole in their wallets when theNintendo Switch 2finally comes around.
