Gaming fans are feeling the heat after Nintendo announced its Switch 2 U.S. pre-order date was delayed as a direct result of the newly announced tariffs posed by the Trump Administration.
Wednesday morning, Nintendo fully unveiled its hybrid console sequel alongside plans to open pre-orders come April 9 — news that Donald Trump would soon implement sweeping tariffs across the globe arrived just hours later. It was a moment of whiplash that the industry is still struggling to come to grips with, and now, two days later, the average gaming fan is already feeling the impact.
“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 said in a statement shared with IGN. “Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”
I really hate being right. I kept telling folks that things can literally change tomorrow. People kept yelling at me that the tariffs won’t affect us…aight man 😒
— JG (@UTxJGTheDon) April 4, 2025
46% tariff on Vietnamese imports announced now.
Nintendo Switch 2 are produced there…
It’s so fucking over. pic.twitter.com/5N1iAMI2Jm
— Pory (@pory_leeks) April 2, 2025
they’re gonna make it even more expensive pic.twitter.com/5Y8FL9FZF6
— Just Some Bread (@garliclessbread) April 4, 2025
“Wait a minute… are you saying we have to pay the tariffs??” one Reddit user commented. “Who could have possibly foreseen this?!”
While pre-order timing for other territories, including the UK, remains unchanged, Nintendo didn’t mince words when it came to how tariffs will affect those in the United States. However, changes to a release schedule, even when it comes to something as simple as pre-order timing, signal that Nintendo has more on its mind than it has revealed thus far.
There were fears that Nintendo’s proposed $450 Switch 2 price and $80 games might be too big of an ask pre-tariffs — a movement aiming to get Nintendo to lower its price plans already began shortly after that initial reveal — but the struggle for affordable games is just getting started. While some analysts had suggested Switch 2 prices were calculated with potential tariffs in mind, Nintendo’s announcement today suggests those numbers have room to increase.
So then
Those WERE the pre tariff prices
Yeah the Switch and Mario Kart bout to be 650 after taxes
— Colin (@IntroSpecktive) April 4, 2025
Americans checking the updated Switch 2 prices after complaining about the old ones https://t.co/fsC60LU5YE pic.twitter.com/t4RwqXia8J
— imonlyhereforpikmin (@onlyhereforpkmn) April 4, 2025
Nintendo hasn’t announced when or if its Switch 2 prices will change, but there is plenty of reason to worry they will shift in a more expensive direction. What began as a wave of frustration aimed at the current Switch 2 price has now evolved into an ocean of people who, of course, are still angry, but now they are just hoping they’ll be able to afford the new console.
“This unironically frustrates me so much,” another Reddit user added. “The switch 2 was already going to be quite expensive (compared to the OG) but I was still okay with paying the extra money for it. The games were another blow. Was too expensive already but whatever. But this? Huge tariffs Plus Sales tax Plus tariffs on the games???
“I don’t want to pay 130$ for a damn copy of a game or 600$ for the new Switch. I genuinely (think) this will impact the amount of people able to buy into all of this. I shouldn’t as an average person be priced out of this, yet I probably will be. Augh…”
I feel bad for all my US followers. If you thought the Switch 2 price was expensive before. It looks like its going to get even worse due to new tariffs.
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) April 4, 2025
We’ve spoken to other industry analysts who acknowledge that these unprecedented tariffs have gamers and game-makers walking into uncharted territory and that there’s no telling what exactly will happen with the Switch 2. While some believe we could soon see a price increase, others aren’t so sure, but all agree that the industry will no doubt feel the impact of the Trump Administration’s wide-reaching tariff plans.
The Switch 2 is Nintendo’s latest groundbreaking console, but a suddenly increased price could be just the start of what’s to come. We spoke with Entertainment Software Association (ESA) spokesperson Aubrey Quinn to learn more about how Trump’s unprecedented tariffs will impact video game fans moving forward. As many have already feared, the ESA says there’s no reason to believe the damage will stop at Nintendo.
It does not stop at Nintendo Switch 2 btw.
-PC parts like CPU’s and GPU’s are gonna go up
-Laptops going up
-Anything Tech related is going up.
Next PlayStation and Xbox gonna require a blood sacrifice.
— Mightykeef (@MightyKeef) April 4, 2025
The prices of your consoles, tech, and pretty much every daily necessity are about to go up.
There’s a good chance Nintendo is about to announce a price hike for the Switch 2. Do not be surprised if Sony and Microsoft follow suit.
PC market is already screwed. https://t.co/M40UFMyRH5
— KAMI (@Okami13_) April 4, 2025
The Nintendo Switch 2 is priced at $449.99 at the time of this piece’s publication. For more, you can read up on how we think it’s original price announcement impacted how players felt about the Switch 2 Direct. You can also click here to see the full launch lineup so far.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
