GameStop’s Switch 2 preorders started poorly, too

GameStop’s online Nintendo Switch 2 preorders went live at 11AM ET, and like the preorders from other retailers overnight, things immediately got off to a rocky start. Shortly after 11:30AM ET, some people reported that they were able to complete orders, including one Verge staffer. But GameStop announced at 1:49PM ET that online preorders had sold out.

“Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders have sold out online,” GameStop said on X. “We will continue to squash bot and duplicate orders to reopen inventory. Preorders are still available in-store for the Nintendo Switch 2, the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart Bundle, games, and accessories.”

Right when clock rolled over to 11AM, many of us at The Verge experienced issues with the website. At first, GameStop’s website showed me a mostly-blank page — the only text on it was “Oops… Something went wrong” and a refresh button. Soon after, myself and other Verge staffers often saw Cloudflare notices on GameStop’s website instead, including error notices that said the “web server is down” or that the site is experiencing a “bad gateway.”

Occasionally, the online listing for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle loaded for me, but the preorder button will be grayed out. One colleague also got the console-only option listing to load, but with a “not available” button in place of a preorder one. GameStop’s mobile app also showed error messages for me, including one that vaguely says “activity paused” when I tried to open the app.

At 11:34AM ET, deals-hunter Wario64 posted that GameStop’s Switch 2 preorders were actually live. A few Verge staffers were then able to get a console in their cart, and one was actually able to make a purchase, but they didn’t get a confirmation email from GameStop until shortly after 1PM ET.

Another staffer thought they had the console in their cart, but when their cart actually loaded, GameStop said it was out of stock.

In a 11:37AM ET post, GameStop said it was experiencing “site issues” and that it was “actively working to fix it.” At 1:15PM ET, GameStop said, “we expect Switch 2 online pre-orders to be caught up within the hour. If you didn’t get a confirmation email, it should be arriving shortly. Thanks for hanging in there — we’re almost back on track.”

Update, April 24th: GameStop says online preorders are sold out.