Availability of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles may be scarce until months into Spring 2026, according to one major Japanese news publication, which bases its assessment off of two different financial analysts. Players around the globe have already been scrambling to get their hands on the Nintendo Switch 2 since its release one month ago, and production and demand estimates show that buying one may not get any easier until sometime next year.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was released on June 5, 2025, and its popularity on the gaming market could set new console sales records for Nintendo, if not the industry as a whole. Currently, the PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling console of all time, with more than 160 million units sold, and the handheld Nintendo DS sits in second place, exceeding 154 million units.
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Nintendo Addresses Switch 2 Supply for 2025
A senior Nintendo official goes on record to clarify the repeatedly questioned situation concerning the company’s Switch 2 console supply for 2025.
According to Nikkei Asia, the scarcity of Switch 2 consoles in Japan is leading some retailers to offer a first-come, first-served format, while Nintendo’s online store has been running multiple rounds of randomly selected lotteries to determine which of the millions of potential players who have entered will have the option to buy one. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa publicly apologized for Switch 2 shortages in late June, which the Japanese publication states have been affected in large part by an unavailability of necessary semiconductors. Nintendo is trying to address its production issues, but estimates now show that Switch 2 consoles may not be readily available until spring 2026.
Nintendo Switch 2 Shortages Could Last Until Spring 2026
This estimate is backed up by projected sales figures from two different industry analysts — Hideki Yasuda of Toyo Securities and Zhai Yijia of UBS Securities. Both of these analysts predict that more than 6 million Switch 2 units were sold worldwide in the month of June 2025, although the validity of those estimates won’t be made clear until Nintendo releases the actual opening-month sales numbers, which the company is expected to do on August 1. Both analysts estimate that at least 18 million Switch 2 consoles will have been sold by the end of the current fiscal year, with Yasuda boosting that figure to 20 million. A slightly more conservative report on Switch 2 opening-month sales from MST Financial analyst David Gibson, which was announced earlier this week, predicts Nintendo sold 5.4 million units in June.
The shortage issues are compounded by statements from Furukawa that indicate Nintendo could still raise the price of the Switch 2 in some markets. Nintendo had already temporarily delayed pre-order sales to the United States and Canadian markets following uncertainty cast by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, and Furukawa said in May that the company would have to continue to monitor worldwide market factors to determine the console’s potential price adjustments, especially if tariffs change drastically.
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Original Release Date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- Operating System
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Proprietary
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR Support
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Yes