Nintendo Switch OLED pre-order: what time to get it today at Best Buy, Target and Amazon

The Nintendo Switch OLED pre-order process starts today in the US, and we have the official time when to can buy it well ahead of the October 8 release date: 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT online, according to Nintendo of America.

► Get a Twitter alert: Our Nintendo Switch OLED pre-order expert Matt Swider will send you an alert when the new Nintendo Switch OLED model is in stock – if you follow his Twitter account and turn on notifications. Retailers like Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Amazon and GameStop already have pages live where you'll be able to buy Nintendo Switch OLED in the US.

Click on this example of a Matt Swider Nintendo Switch OLED tweet. When he has a tweet with a siren, that means it's in stock and a link will be included. Make sure you follow and turn on notifications.

Nintendo Switch OLED tweet by restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider — (Image credit: Twitter / Matt Swider)

Here are the Nintendo Switch pre-order landing pages so far.

Switch OLED pre-order (White) placeholder: Best Buy | GameStop
Switch OLED pre-order (Neon) placeholder: Best Buy | GameStop
Not pre-order page, but expected US retailers: Amazon | Walmart | Target
This is exactly why you should follow us for Twitter alerts

The Nintendo Switch OLED pre-order is crucial - here's why

There's a very good reason to pre-order the Nintendo Switch OLED today (or whenever it actually becomes available to buy), and that's because it's going to sell out in a matter of minutes – maybe seconds. We've seen the ongoing chip shortage affect other consoles in 2021, which is why we constantly have to run PS5 restock news stories – it's still in demand several months later.

And if you think the Switch OLED model is a minor Nintendo Switch upgrade (you're not alone) and it won't be sold out (that's wrong), then you have to realize that before all of these shortages came to a head and when the original Nintendo Switch seemed long in the tooth, the four-year-old Nintendo console was still selling out every Christmas. That's four Christmases in a row.

In other words, if you want to buy a Nintendo Switch OLED, do it now. There's going to be unprecedented demand for it in 2021 and yet a finite supply of consoles. Plus, the Nintendo Switch OLED price is $349, hardly a barrier to entry for a gift in 2021.

The people who aren't going to be able to buy this console on October 8 through December 31 are the people who hesitate on the pre-order, according to our expert opinion. Cue the Nintendo Switch OLED restock chaos that will soon ensue.

When will the Nintendo Switch OLED pre-order start?

Nintendo Switch OLED retailers in the US are gearing up to start pre-orders today at 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT, according to the official Nintendo of America Twitter account.

It's already available to pre-purchase in other countries, so Nintendo of America is playing catch-up here. But that's probably a good thing as hopefully retailers have been given time to figure out a safe fair that real gamers can buy the console.

There's a good chance we'll have to keep updating a Nintendo Switch OLED tracker for all stores in the US, as demand will surely outstrip supply into 2022.