China hit by Nintendo Switch 2 delay after US pre-order hold-up

The Nintendo Switch 2 is releasing globally on June 5, 2025, and pre-orders are already live in multiple regions, including the UK, Australia, Japan, and more. However, pre-order availability in the US and Canada was postponed to a later date, which some users thought could lead to a delay in the device's official release. Nintendo clarified that only the pre-orders were delayed, not the release date.

However, Nintendo has reportedly postponed the Nintendo Switch 2 release date for China, as per Nikkei Asia, a popular news outlet in Asia. This would make China the first country to see a delay in the release of the upcoming handheld. This article will delve further into this topic.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.

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Nintendo Switch 2 release delayed in China

The Switch 2 dock features a dedicated fan for better cooling and higher performance (Image via Nintendo)

According to Nikkei Asia, the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been reportedly delayed in China from the original date of June 5, 2025. The delay is in response to the country's stricter regular policies for the gaming industry. As of this writing, there's no indication as to when the Switch 2 will officially be released or can be pre-ordered in China.

Aside from the handheld, the Chinese release of even the new Mario Kart World game is delayed indefinitely at the moment. This news comes just after the US and Canada's Switch 2 pre-orders were delayed. At least, Nintendo has maintained the initial June 5, 2025, release date in those countries. We will provide an update when we hear more about the situation in China.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has received a lot of praise, and people surely want to buy it. Unfortunately, the whole tariff situation and this new delay seem to be making this launch a bit chaotic and uncertain.

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Will tariffs increase the price of the Switch 2?

As of this writing, Nintendo did mention that it is delaying the pre-orders for Switch 2 in the USA to analyze the new market and how it responds to the tariffs. However, nothing is final or official at the moment. For now, the official Switch 2 pricing remains the same as initially revealed.