Nintendo Switch 2’s Game Pricing Is as Confusing as It Is Controversial

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home April 5, 2025 20 Views 6 Min Read
Nintendo Switch 2's Game Pricing Is as Confusing as It Is Controversial



Nintendo’s upcoming console, the Nintendo Switch 2, will have an assortment of over 20 games available at launch, including some major first-party exclusives and popular third-party titles. This is not only double the number of titles that the original Switch released with, it’s also one of the most stacked launch lineups in Nintendo hardware history. Normally, one would think that the reaction to the Switch 2‘s catalog of games would be incredibly positive, especially considering Nintendo’s esteemed reputation in the console space. However, the reception from fans has been anything but.

Despite running on what is effectively last-gen hardware, Nintendo has confirmed that some of the launch titles for the Switch 2 are going to be a lot more expensive than initially anticipated. The upcoming open-world kart racer, Mario Kart World, is going to cost an eye-watering $80 in the United States, making it more costly than any other modern AAA game on the market. Meanwhile, third-party titles, such as the 2020 sci-fi first-person RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, will be adopting a $70 price tag, similar to most big-budget releases on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The prices for many of these early Switch 2 titles have caused a lot of fan backlash, not only because of the bad precedent they may set for future game releases, but also because they’re just downright confusing.

Nintendo 64 Games on Switch 2 Getting New Features

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Nintendo 64 Games on Switch 2 Getting New Features

Classic Nintendo 64 games on the Nintendo Switch 2 will provide players with some special customization and graphics options.

The Pricing for Nintendo Switch 2 Games is All Over the Place

The Physical Versions of Switch 2 Games Are More Expensive than Digital in Some Regions

Mario Kart World is perhaps the perfect example of how odd the pricing strategy is for many Nintendo Switch 2 games. Although Mario Kart World‘s physical and digital copies will cost the same amount of money in the U.S., they will have different prices in select regions. In Spain, for instance, the digital version of the game will set players back €80, which is equivalent to about $90. However, a physical copy of Mario Kart World will cost €90, or approximately $100 in USD. Nintendo has almost never charged separate prices for digital and physical versions of games, so this decision seems like it’ll cause a lot of headaches for consumers in the long run.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will cost $450 at launch, but it will also be sold in a $500 bundle that includes a copy of Mario Kart World. Those who purchase this bundle will get access to the game for only $50, which is $30 less than its suggested retail price.

Some Nintendo Switch 2 Games Are $70, While Others are $80

Judging by Mario Kart World‘s pricing, some may assume that all Nintendo first-party exclusives will cost $80 from now on, but that isn’t the case. The upcoming 3D action platformer, Donkey Kong Bananza, will be released one month after the Switch 2 comes out, and it’s going to cost $70, despite it also being a AAA Nintendo-published title. Weirdly enough, some older Nintendo Switch games that are getting enhanced re-releases for the Switch 2 (known as Switch 2 Editions) cost even more than the all-new Donkey Kong Bananza.

Nintendo announced that the upgraded Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Super Mario Party Jamboree (2024), and Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022) will all be priced at $80, just like Mario Kart World. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), however, is ‘only’ $70. This is still quite expensive for what is effectively a remaster of a Wii U game, but it’s a bit unexpected that it’s cheaper compared to the others.

Most Switch 2 Edition games include exclusive modes and story content that was not present in their original Switch versions, but not all of them do. The Zelda Switch 2 Editions, for example, mostly feature performance upgrades instead of all-new content.

Although Switch 2 Editions Cost Money, Many OG Switch Games are Getting Free Switch 2 Patches

As if the situation wasn’t confusing enough already, there are several Nintendo-published games that will receive Switch 2 patches with improved performance and resolution, but not Switch 2 Editions. Since these patches will be free to all Switch 2 owners, they make the $70-80 price tags for the Switch 2 Edition games look rather excessive. Granted, some Switch 2 Editions, like the Zelda: BOTW and TOTK ones, are going to be included at no extra cost to active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers, but the fact that they cost so much money is still weird, especially considering they contain almost no new features compared to the games that are getting free patches.

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