Yesterday, we reported on how Switch 2 pre-orders played out at midnight. GameStop wasn’t part of that report because they scheduled their pre-orders to start at the same time as their stores opened. So how did GameStop manage their Switch 2 pre-orders?
As noted by Stealth40K, GameStop’s website crashed almost as soon as when they started. GameStop were on top of the issue and worked to make their website available as much as possible.
However, that wasn’t really the story for many GameStop customers, as a lot of them opted to go in-store to do their pre-orders. As you may remember, the word spread around that Nintendo and GameStop were planning for most of those stores to have 100 units.
Unfortunately, in 2026, there are considerably less GameStop physical store locations, because of the retailer’s business challenges, that date to even before the pandemic. One may even argue those challenges that fundamentally changed their business, which are partly attributed to the rise of digital games, can be traced back to a decade, if not longer.
GameStop has a particularly special relationship with Nintendo, more than Xbox and Sony, because Nintendo doubled down on physical products when everyone else decided to go even further deep into digital. As we have seen, they have demonstrated a commitment to shipping complete games that you can play without further downloads on their Switch Game Cards. They also eagerly launched several Switch accessories and product lines, including Ring Fit Adventure workout equipment, Nintendo Labo construction kits, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit RC cars, and of course, amiibo.
Getting back to in-store pre-orders, multiple gamers revealed that they came to their GameStop locations to find long lines for those pre-orders. But this seemed to vary by location, as some customers shared they were met with short lines. We think that does stand to reason, simply because, of course, different cities have different population densities, and some locations are just hard to find or inaccessible for many potential consumers.
We’ll share some of those tweets showing off long lines below.
Some fans also noted that GameStop shared flyers that had prices for Switch 2 products conveniently laid out, and so they were quite ready to meet customer demand.
GameStop would share this message as the day wound down:
“Thank you to all of our associates for handling the increased Switch 2 traffic like pros.
Pre-orders are still available in-store—stop by and lock yours in with just a $50 deposit.”
We cannot finish this roundup without bringing up one store that gave other GameStop store owners and workers a disservice. One GameStop location, apparently in Astoria New York, was making customers buy extra items, such as cases, screen protectors or extended warranties, so that you could get a pre-order in.
For the record, GameStop support has publicly acknowledged this issue, and is promising to investigate. They’re also requesting any customers who pre-ordered at the store so they can remedy the situation for them.
Still, one can’t help but marvel at how the hype cycle for the Switch 2 has brought back the most social of gaming’s traditions; camping out and lining up to get your games and consoles.
