For Nintendo fans in Japan, April 24, 2025, marks a significant date as Nintendo is set to announce the winners of the Switch 2 pre-order lottery through the My Nintendo Store. However, due to overwhelming traffic, the My Nintendo Store website had to be taken offline for maintenance. Amidst this excitement, Nintendo has also issued a crucial warning about phishing emails that falsely claim to be official Switch 2 pre-order lottery results.

Nintendo began accepting applications for the Switch 2 pre-order lottery on April 2. Those fortunate enough to win the lottery would have the opportunity to purchase the Switch 2 from the My Nintendo Store, with delivery scheduled for the console's launch date on June 5.

In a recent message, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that approximately 2.2 million people in Japan participated in the first Switch 2 presale lottery. This staggering number of entrants far exceeded Nintendo's expectations, indicating that many hopeful fans might not secure a console on launch day.

As the results of the first Switch 2 presale lottery were announced today, the surge in traffic forced Nintendo to take the site offline for maintenance. Unfortunately, scammers capitalized on the frenzy, sending out fraudulent lottery result emails.

Japanese-speaking users on X have been vigilant, sharing screenshots of these scam emails and highlighting various deceptive tactics. Emails with subject lines like “You have won the Switch 2 lottery” initially appear legitimate and could easily excite eager fans. These phishing emails often include demands to click on a LINE messenger app link or make immediate payments through suspicious URLs. The scams range from obvious attempts littered with emojis to more sophisticated ones with subtle errors, such as misspellings in email addresses and non-Japanese URLs.

The official warning from the Japanese Nintendo Support account clarifies: “Although we plan to send out the lottery result emails today (April 24), we have not sent them yet. Please be aware that any such emails that you have received up until now were not sent by Nintendo.”

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In the U.S., Nintendo updated its website, informing those who had registered interest in purchasing a Switch 2 from the My Nintendo Store that they could not guarantee delivery by the June 5 release date. This means that invitation emails might arrive after the Switch 2's launch. However, Nintendo assures customers that the shipping date will be confirmed upon purchase. To increase the chances of securing a console at launch, Nintendo suggests pre-ordering from third-party retailers, though stocks have already sold out overnight.

The challenges fans faced on April 24, coupled with Nintendo's warnings, indicate that obtaining a Switch 2 around its launch will be a challenging task.

According to a FAQ posted on Nintendo’s website, the first batch of invitations for the My Nintendo Store in the U.S. will begin on May 8, 2025. Subsequent batches of invitation emails will be sent out "periodically" until purchasing is opened to everyone. The initial emails will be sent on a first-come, first-served basis to "eligible registrants who meet the priority criteria," giving recipients 72 hours from the time the email is sent to complete their purchase.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order invitation priority requirements:

• You must have purchased any Nintendo Switch Online membership.
• You must have maintained any paid Nintendo Switch Online membership for at least 12 months.
• You must have opted in to share gameplay data and accumulated at least 50 hours of total gameplay.