How to cancel pre-orders on the Nintendo Switch eShop

In the past, Nintendo was notorious for not allowing refunds for those who made a pre-order on a game. This is mainly due to payments being made directly after ordering the title. After a hefty amount of backlash, the gaming giant has reversed course and will be allowing users to cancel pre-orders on Nintendo Switch. Of course, with anything that deals with a refund, there are certain restrictions that you will need to know about before attempting this.

Am I eligible to cancel my pre-order?

As of September 1, 2020, Nintendo will allow users to rescind their pre-orders, but only up to a week before a game’s official launch. This ultimately means that transactions will not be completed until seven days before the game’s release, as payments taken cannot be refunded. In turn, this also deems games pre-ordered within that week ineligible for cancellation. Unfortunately, titles that were pre-ordered before the September 1 implementation cannot be canceled either.

How to cancel a pre-ordered title from your Nintendo Switch

With this new update, those eligible to do cancel will find it to be a breeze. If you are on your console, you will have to return to the eShop. Once there, click on your avatar image in the top-right corner. This will bring you to the Account Information menu where you’ll see the option to withdraw pre-orders on the bottom left corner of the screen. Once done, you are still free to pre-order that title again if you change your mind at any point before release.

How to cancel a pre-ordered title from a browser

If you might not have your console handy, you can also do it from any internet browser. You will have to login from Nintendo’s site, so make sure you know your sign-in information.

After, click on your avatar in the top-right corner, near the search bar. You’ll need to navigate to the settings tab, once the prompt opens. On the left side of the settings menu, press on the “Shop Menu” icon. From here, scroll down past your payment options, and you should see a clickable link titled “Your Pre-orders.” Once there, cancelling each can be done in seconds.

Keep in mind that you will lose any Gold Points obtained from pre-ordering the item, and will no longer be granted access to any bonuses that may have come with the pre-ordered edition.