We’re getting toward the end of the year, a time for big game releases, catching up on older ones, and treating yourself to indulgent purchases as the holiday frenzy approaches. Here’s one of my favorite ways to save on new Nintendo Switch games, a deal so good I’m surprised the infamously stingy Mario maker is still running it.
If you guessed I was talking about Switch Game Vouchers, you guessed right. These Nintendo coupons are $100 for two and can each be used to redeem a single qualifying $60 game. But that’s not all. Stores like Amazon, Newegg, and other virtual currency resellers frequently have limited-time discounts on Nintendo Switch eShop gift cards. Sometimes, they run as much as 10 percent off, or $50 for just $45, as Newegg is currently doing (via Wario64).
The way the math works out, you’re essentially getting two new $60 games for just $90, a savings of around $30. That’s not a “door buster” deal in the modern world of Black Friday discounts, but for Switch games that are new or rarely go on sale at all, it’s a very good deal. You also get 5 percent back on eShop purchases, so you still come out of the entire exchange with $5 left over in virtual funds. The only hitch is that you need to buy two games, and they need to be digital.
What games are eligible for this trick? Nintendo updates the qualifying Game Voucher list on a rolling basis, but it currently includes this fall’s big Nintendo releases like Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Mario & Luigi: Brothership. The vouchers are also good for games that won’t be out until 2025, like Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. Recent releases like Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and Princess Peach: Showtime also work. Digging into the back catalog like 2023’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the normally $70 Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are also fair game, although some of those games are likely to get discounted anyway as part of the normal holiday price cuts.
Plus, my actual favorite thing about the Switch Game Vouchers is that once you commit, it feels like you’re basically getting a game for free. Months after buying them, there’s still a coupon for a free game sitting on your account that you can later redeem for something you might not have normally bought completely guilt-free. Just remember you need Switch Online to buy the vouchers in the first place, and they have to be used within 12 months.