Nintendo Delays Switch 2 Pre-Orders In Response To Trump Tariffs, Price Increase Possible

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.

While the June 5 release date for the system is the same, it seems quite possible that a price increase for the console may be on the way, as several countries where Nintendo manufactures its consoles were hit with tariffs, including China and Vietnam. Some estimates indicate that the price of toys manufactured in China and Vietnam could jump by 50% in the US, as the additional 34% tariff placed on China brings the total tax on its goods up to 54%, while Vietnam was hit with a 46% tariff rate.

The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced at a $449.99 price point, with a $499.99 bundle that included Mario Kart World. Generally speaking, tariff rates are passed on to consumers, and while it’s difficult to imagine Nintendo charging $675 for the Switch 2 in the United States, it seems reasonable to expect that some form of increase is on the way, both for the system and potentially for the games as well, which were recently announced to cost as much as $80 for digital editions.

It also doesn’t help that consumer reactions to the existing price have largely been negative, with recent Nintendo livestreams being bombarded with comments reading “DROP THE PRICE.” The company doesn’t have much time to make a decision, as the system is currently slated to release two months from now, but whatever they decide, it seems this trade war will have sizable impacts on the gaming industry.