Nintendo's Switch 2 pre-orders delayed by Trump tariffs — June 5 launch date still on schedule

Nintendo just delayed Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S., after the White House announced tariffs covering most of the nations on Earth. According to a statement Nintendo sent to Tom’s Hardware, “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.”

The company announced the Switch 2 yesterday, with a launch price of $449. Nintendo manufactures the console in China and Vietnam, so even though the U.S. has previously threatened significant import duties on the former, it could still send the hardware produced in the latter to North America, which will circumvent the increased levies Trump applied to China earlier in the year.

However, Nintendo was likely caught off guard by the nearly global tariffs that the White House released just hours after the official launch of the Switch 2. Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariff announcements increased U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to 54% — but Vietnam was also unexpectedly hit with a 46% duty.

This means that Nintendo’s announced price will likely change as the tariff rate for Vietnamese goods has drastically increased. This is unfortunate for the company and potential buyers, as the new handheld gaming console is already 50% more expensive than the original Switch. We still have hope, though, that the company will be able to retain the originally announced price when it goes on sale on June 5.

Some Vietnamese journalists speculated that the 46% tariff that Trump applied to Vietnam was just a way for him to get the country to the negotiating table. Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc is traveling to the U.S. in the coming days, and if Hanoi can give the U.S. some concessions, it could potentially push the tariff rates lower.

But if the 46% import taxes on Vietnamese goods remain in place by June 5, then Nintendo will likely have no choice but to pass these taxes to the consumer and increase the console's retail price here. This will certainly be a disappointment to Nintendo's many fans. But with the sweeping nature of the tariffs, Nintendo is going to be far from the only company facing this problem.