As you know, My Nintendo Store is offering pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in all major territories. The method and way in which these pre-orders are being offered out, as well as when they start, vary by territory, which can be confusing for customers.

In this article we will explain how pre-orders are being taken in each country, and things to take note of. Please note all dates and times listed in this article, unless stated otherwise, are local time in the country or region.

United States of America / Canada

Pre-order format: Invitation (eligible customers can apply for the invitation, and when they are invited, they will receive an invitation email to purchase on a first-come, first-served basis, prioritizing those who meet the priority access criteria)

Start date: April 2, 2025 (Wednesday)

End date: –

Notification date and pre-order date (user to be notified by email): From May 8, 2025

Requirements to apply:

1. User’s Nintendo Account country/region must be set to the United States or Canada

Requirements to apply (priority access):

1. User must have at least 50 hours of playtime on Nintendo Switch and have opted in to share gameplay data with Nintendo
2. User must have been a paid Nintendo Switch Online member for at least 1 year
3. User must an active Nintendo Switch Online membership as of April 2, 2025
4. If the user is part of a Family Group with an active Nintendo Switch Online Family Plan, they must be the user that purchased the Family Plan for points 2 and 3 (they will still be eligible if they have at least 1 year of paid individual membership for point 2)
5. User’s Nintendo Account country/region must be set to the United States or Canada

Points to take note:

1. You can choose only one type of Nintendo Switch 2 SKU in the lottery – Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Set
2. The type of SKU cannot be changed after submission
3. You must make your purchase within 72 hours of receiving the invitation email

Additional points:

1. The initial batch of invitation emails will be sent on May 8, 2025, and more will be sent after that date until purchases are opened to everyone on My Nintendo Store

Link to page

Japan

Pre-order format: Lottery (eligible customers can apply for free, and if they are selected, they can pre-order the console)

Lottery start date: April 4, 2025 (Friday)

Lottery end date: April 16, 2025 11:00 AM (Wednesday)

Lottery announcement date and pre-order date (user to be notified by email and, if enabled, My Nintendo smartphone app): From the afternoon of April 24, 2025

Requirements to enter the lottery:

1. User must have at least 50 hours of playtime on Nintendo Switch (excluding demos and free software) as of February 28, 2025
2. User must have been a Nintendo Switch Online member for at least 1 year at the time of submission
3. User must an active Nintendo Switch Online membership at the time of entering the lottery and pre-ordering the console (if selected) at the time of submission
4. If the user is part of a Family Group with an active Nintendo Switch Online Family Plan, they must be the user that purchased the Family Plan for points 2 and 3 (they will still be eligible if they have at least 1 year of individual membership for point 2)
5. User’s Nintendo Account country/region must be set to Japan

Points to take note:

1. You can choose only one type of Nintendo Switch 2 SKU in the lottery – Nintendo Switch 2 Japan-Only System, Nintendo Switch 2 Japan-Only System Mario Kart World Set, or Nintendo Switch 2 Multi-Language System
2. The type of SKU cannot be changed after submitting your lottery entry
3. If you’ve been selected in a Nintendo Switch 2 lottery on My Nintendo Store, you will not be allowed to take part in future lotteries on My Nintendo Store
4. Payment must be made by the deadline stated in the email sent to selected users

Additional points:

1. Users who are selected for the Nintendo Switch 2 Multi-Language System will have the option to purchase it in a bundle with a digital code of Mario Kart World for 73,980 yen. This means the digital code will cost 4,000 yen. This promotional offer will be available until the end of 2025
2. More lotteries will take place after the first lottery

Information on future lotteries:

1. The next lottery will start on April 28, 2025 (Monday).

Link to lottery page

United Kingdom / Ireland / Other EU countries with a My Nintendo Store

Pre-order format: Automatic Invitation (eligible customers will automatically receive an invitation email to purchase on a first-come, first-served basis)

Notification date and pre-order date (user to be notified by email): From April 8, 2025

Eligibility Requirements:

1. User must have spent a certain amount of playtime on Nintendo Switch (excluding demos and free software), have opted in to share usage data with Nintendo, and have opted in to share usage data with Nintendo to customize offers and recommendations
2. User must have been a paid Nintendo Switch Online member for at least 2 years on a continuous basis as of March 31, 2025
3. User must an active Nintendo Switch Online membership on the day of placing their order
4. If the user is part of a Family Group with an active Nintendo Switch Online Family Plan, they must be the user that purchased the Family Plan for points 2 and 3 (they will still be eligible if they have at least 1 year of paid individual membership for point 2)
5. User’s Nintendo Account country/region must be set to United Kingdom / Ireland / other EU countries with a My Nintendo Store

Points to take note:

1. –

Additional points:

1. The initial batch of invitation emails will be sent on April 8, and more will be sent after that date until purchases are opened to everyone on My Nintendo Store

Link to page (UK)

Link to page (Ireland)

Australia / New Zealand

Pre-order format: Lottery (eligible customers can apply for free, and if they are selected, they can pre-order the console)

Lottery start date: April 9, 2025 12:00pm (Wednesday)

Lottery end date: April 17, 2025 11:59am (Thursday)

Lottery announcement date and pre-order date (user to be notified by email): Check the schedule under “Additional points”

Requirements to enter the lottery:

1. User must have at least 50 hours playtime on Nintendo Switch (excluding demos and free software) and must have opted to share their usage information with Nintendo
2. User must have been a Nintendo Switch Online member for at least 1 year as of February 28, 2025 11:59pm UTC
3. User must an active Nintendo Switch Online membership at the time of entering the lottery and pre-ordering the console (if selected) at the time of submission
4. If the user is part of a Family Group with an active Nintendo Switch Online Family Plan, they must be the user that purchased the Family Plan for points 2 and 3 (they will still be eligible if they have at least 1 year of individual membership for point 2)
5. User’s Nintendo Account country/region must be set to Australia or New Zealand

Points to take note:

1. You can choose only one type of Nintendo Switch 2 SKU in the lottery – Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Set
2. The type of SKU cannot be changed after submitting your lottery entry
3. If you’ve been selected in a Nintendo Switch 2 lottery on My Nintendo Store, you will not be allowed to take part in future lotteries on My Nintendo Store
4. Payment must be made by the deadline stated in the email sent to selected users

Additional points:

1. Three pre-purchase opportunities will be offered at the following schedule, with orders estimated to be delivered on launch day (June 5, 2025):

1st Round of Pre-purchase

18:00 24th April 2025 – 11:59 30th April 2025 AEST

Register your interest by 11:59 17th April 2025 AEST to go into the draw

2nd Round of Pre-purchase

12:00 5th May 2025 – 11:59 9th May 2025 AEST

Register your interest by 11:59 1st May 2025 AEST to go into the draw

3rd Round of Pre-purchase

12:00 15th May 2025 – 11:59 19th May 2025 AEST

Register your interest by 11:59 12th May 2025 AEST to go into the draw

Link to lottery page

Hong Kong / South Korea

Pre-order format: Lottery (eligible customers can apply for free, and if they are selected, they can pre-order the console)

Lottery start date: April 10, 2025 (Thursday)

Lottery end date (South Korea): April 18, 2025 3:00 PM (Friday)

Lottery end date (Hong Kong): April 21, 2025 11:59 PM (Monday)

Lottery announcement date and pre-order date (user to be notified by email): April 24, 2025 11:00 AM (Thursday)

Requirements to enter the lottery:

1. User must have a history of some playtime on Nintendo Switch (excluding demos and free software), and for Korean users, they must have opted to share their usage data with Nintendo
2. User must have been a Nintendo Switch Online member for at least 1 year at the time of submission
3. User must an active Nintendo Switch Online membership at the time of entering the lottery and pre-ordering the console (if selected) at the time of submission
4. If the user is part of a Family Group with an active Nintendo Switch Online Family Plan, they must be the user that purchased the Family Plan for points 2 and 3 (they will still be eligible if they have at least 1 year of individual membership for point 2)
5. User’s Nintendo Account country/region must be set to Hong Kong or South Korea

Points to take note:

1. You can choose only one type of Nintendo Switch 2 SKU in the lottery – Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Set. If you choose both, you will only be allocated one of the sets at the discretion of My Nintendo Store
2. The type of SKU cannot be changed after submitting your lottery entry
3. If you’ve been selected in a Nintendo Switch 2 lottery on My Nintendo Store, you will not be allowed to take part in future lotteries on My Nintendo Store
4. Payment must be made by the deadline stated in the email sent to selected users

Additional points:

1. The payment deadline is May 1, 2025 11:59PM (Thursday) for Hong Kong.

Link to lottery page (Hong Kong)

Link to lottery page (Korea)