If a new TLD is coming out and the reigstrar offers "pre-registration"? What does that mean?

Am I 100% guaranteed I will get the domain name if they say its "available"? or is it like "backordering" where they will "try their best" to grab the domain once its ready for public registration?

Pre-registration usually means, that the registrar will try to get the domain for you when it becomes available. There is absolutely no guarantee that you actually get it.

Gotcha, thanks, thats what I thought.

Even if your registrar manages to secure it, there's no guarantee you will if there are multiple people after it.

IIRC, Trademark holders also get first go in a kind of pre-pre-registration process.

right...not really trying to go after any "trademark" domains, just some interesting ones, heh.

what's the TLD?

I remember when I heard about .gw going out, I signed a form to be notified when they'd start opening registrations, and 1 year later it was still close and when they finally call me the domains I wanted were on hold and I'd have to wait "somebody" who had preference before I could have a chance

There's no fixed way of doing it, what you heard is probably just marcketing, they may be just testing which domains receive more interest before opening registration, so that they can hold most wanted ones to do an auction

If they're not ready to start registering, they'll just keep the hype, and when it's opened it'll be a FCFS or sell to who bids more