UK retailer cancels Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders a week before launch

Donkey Kong clutching his head and screaming — We’d definitely be pulling this face if our pre-order was cancelled (Nintendo/YouTube)

A UK retailer has informed customers it’s cancelled their Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders, causing pandemonium amongst some fans.

No matter where you are in the world, the Nintendo Switch 2 is likely going to be incredibly hard to come by once it launches next week. Pre-orders here in the UK routinely sell out, while the My Nintendo Store in Japan completely ran out of stock last month.

Aside from Smyths, which promises to have some stock available in its stores as part of a midnight launch, you shouldn’t expect to be able to purchase a Switch 2 over the counter for a while.

However, even those who’ve successfully scored pre-orders aren’t safe from a Switch 2-less launch day, as one UK retailer has admitted it’s cancelled some of them for unknown reasons.

In a post to its X account, GAME apologised to customers for the cancellations. So, if you pre-ordered through GAME, you should check your emails in case you’ve been affected.

GAME hasn’t stated how many customers have been impacted, nor what the cause is, so it’s unclear if it’s a stock shortage issue or a technical error of some kind.

Whatever’s going on, GAME says it is ‘working to reinstate as many affected pre-orders as possible. If your pre-order was impacted, please know that we’re doing everything we can and will be in touch with further updates and next steps.’

It’s hardly a good look for GAME, which has been in sharp decline over the past few years. After having already halted sales of pre-owned games and its own rewards scheme, it confirmed it wouldn’t be able to offer Switch 2 pre-orders in store and last month it shut down its headquarters in Basingstoke.

With any luck, the situation will be resolved in time for the console’s launch. Although, even if the cancellations are undone, there’s now no guarantee customers will get it on launch day.

Where to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 in the UK

At time of writing, new pre-orders in the UK are almost non-existent, with even Nintendo’s own storefront out of stock.

There is one Mario Kart World bundle still available at Currys, which also comes with a 256GB microSD card for data storage, the Switch 2 camera accessory, and a Switch 2 copy of Street Fighter 6. As such, it’s a lot pricier than usual, at £579 instead of the usual £429.99.

Currys is also running a midnight launch in Oxford Street so anyone who’s pre-ordered a Switch 2 with that store can go pick it up from the counter as soon as the clock ticks 12.

You can find some Switch 2’s being scalped on eBay as well, but you’ll be expected to cough up for above the normal retail price.