Preordering the Nintendo Switch 2? Here's where you can score the best trade-in deal. (2025)

UPDATE: Apr. 24, 2025, 9:40 a.m. EDT This story has been updated with the latest details about Nintendo Switch 2 preorders at GameStop.

As of Thursday, April 24, Nintendo Switch 2 preorders are officially live at most major retailers. (Nintendo's own preorders will go live in waves next month.) While the Trump administration's tariffs wound up postponing this process, they haven't made the forthcoming console any more expensive: The Switch 2 costs $449.99 on its own, or $499.99 as part of a Mario Kart World bundle. Say it with me now: Ouch.

According to Mashable's Alex Perry, who played Switch 2 for a few hours at a press demo, the system is still a "must-buy" for its performance bump, larger 1080p display, and the ethernet port in its revamped dock. "[Behind] all the price discourse and hardware gimmicks is a device that feels like a huge step up from its predecessor in almost every way," Perry writes. Still, one can be forgiven for not want to drop $450+ on what is ultimately a luxury item in this economy.

Fortunately, there's a relatively easy way for consumers to take a respectable chunk out of the Switch 2's price, and that's by trading in an older Switch system. (No need to hang onto it if you still want to play Switch 1 games: Backwards compatibility is a go on the Switch 2.) GameStop had the best trade-in deal at the time of writing, offering up to $175 off a Switch 2 preorder when you relinquish a previous-gen console now through April 30.

More specifically, GameStop will give you $175 in store credit for an OLED Switch, $120 for a standard Switch (V1 or V2), and $100 for a Switch Lite. GameStop Pro members get 10% more credit. Bear in mind that those numbers hinge on the older system being in good condition and including all of its components — i.e., the dock, AC adapter, HDMI cable, and both Joy-Con.

These offers easily beat other Switch trade-in deals at competing retailers. For comparison's sake, Best Buy will give you $90 for an OLED Switch and only $20 for a Switch or Switch Lite. At Target, you can get $25 for a Switch Lite and $20 for a regular Switch.

GameStop's Switch 2 preorders begin online at 11 a.m. ET and in stores when they open on April 24. (Check your local store's hours before you trek over there: Most locations open sometime between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.) All GameStop stores will open for preorder pickup at midnight on June 5, the day the Switch 2 officially launches.