pre-orders are about to go live on the official Nintendo website. Despite , the actual Switch 2 pre-order date is April 8 on the My Nintendo Store page.

Unfortunately, however, Switch 2 pre-orders will initially be available by invitation only. Receiving an invite depends on a number of different factors, not least being a Nintendo Switch Online member for at least two years.

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Nintendo explains more: "Has been a Nintendo Switch Online member for at least two years continuously by 31/03/2025, with an active membership on the day that the pre-order is placed."

The next factor that will be taken into consideration when sending out invites is the amount of play time a Switch Online member has on the original console.

"Has spent a certain amount of time playing purchased/paid Nintendo Switch games, prioritising those with more playtime," Nintendo continues.

Finally, potential My Nintendo Store pre-order customers will need to have opted to share usage information with Nintendo and signed up to receive promotional emails and messages.

If you haven't already, then you might want to sign up to receive promotional emails before the April 8 deadline. Doing this one small thing could boost your chances of bagging an invite, particularly if you have two years of Switch Online under your belt.

As you can see from the small print in the image below, thresholds may change over time, and pre-orders could be opened up to additional customers as the weeks go on.

With this in mind, it might be worth starting that 100+ hour role-playing game you've been holding off, or maybe restarting an epic adventure like Breath of the Wild.

"Over time, the selection criteria thresholds may be lowered and more people could be invited to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 console," Nintendo adds.

"Throughout, we will remain focused on prioritising the most dedicated Nintendo Switch players (while stocks last)."

The Switch 2 invite system is also being used by , where customers can sign up to potentially receive the chance to buy.

Then there are retailers like Currys, where you can , but only by visiting the store in person.

Other retailers like , and are offering Switch 2 pre-orders the old fashioned way, although at the time of writing, each store is sold out.