Switch 2 fans crashed GameStop, Target, and Walmart in bid to secure new Nintendo console

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders went up on Thursday at midnight, and rather predictably, every retailer website subsequently exploded. Now, GameStop is down as well.

While most retailers put preorders live at midnight, GameStop waited until 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, at which point their website promptly crashed.

Last night, the Switch 2 preorder feeding frenzy led to widespread problems with the web infrastructure for major retail chains, as first spotted by The New York Post. All one has to do is look at the Down Detector pages for Walmart, Best Buy, and Target to see that each of those retailers had significant problems around midnight, which led to some users having trouble securing their Switch 2s. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis owns both Mashable and Down Detector.)

Walmart users were sent into a digital queue that worked for some and never ended for others, while Target gave users error screens throughout the process, per IGN. Best Buy's preorders went live half an hour later than they should have, with some users reporting errors on that end, too.

So, how do you get your preorder in while supplies are still available?

If you didn't manage to snag one last night and GameStop doesn't work out for you, you still have options. I recommend monitoring restock alerts on social media, but you can also preorder directly through Nintendo starting on May 8...if you're a true enough gamer. So many hoops to jump through just for a chance to play Mario Kart World.