Walmart reportedly canceled some Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2 pre-orders and told affected buyers they would get a $519.99 eGift Card. Some customers also received a 48-hour Exclusive Reservation to reorder the same console. For buyers who had already paid $519.99, the difference between a refund-style credit and a short reorder window matters immediately.
Walmart and the $519.99 credit
The canceled orders were reportedly priced at $519.99. That is the same amount Walmart said it would return through a Walmart eGift Card, which points to a replacement credit rather than a partial adjustment. The card was expected to arrive by email within 10 business days, so affected buyers had a narrow wait before they could use the money again.
The cancellation emails reportedly said the orders were canceled in error. That wording matters because it leaves the reason unexamined while still telling customers the retailer treated the cancellation as a mistake, not a normal inventory cutoff. As of November 3, 2026, the episode still rested on customer emails and press reports rather than a public Walmart breakdown of the rules.
Exclusive Reservation and reorder
Some customers reportedly received an Exclusive Reservation. That offer opened a 48-hour window to reorder the same console, which is a very different remedy from the eGift Card alone. It gives those buyers a short path back into the purchase flow without saying why they got that option instead of only the credit.
No outlet had established the exact rules for who qualified for each offer. Walmart had not published an official breakdown of who qualifies for what. That leaves the practical question for affected buyers very simple: if the email includes the Exclusive Reservation, the window is 48 hours; if it does not, the reported remedy is the $519.99 eGift Card by email within 10 business days.
As of November 3, 2026
By November 3, 2026, the story had become less about the console itself and more about how Walmart handled the cancellations after the fact. The limited-edition pre-order had already drawn buyers into a fixed-price transaction, and the follow-up emails suggest Walmart tried to unwind that transaction with a cash-equivalent credit and, for some, a second chance to buy. What remains unresolved is why one group got only the card while another got the 48-hour reorder path.
