Nintendo announces price increases across the board, set to come into effect from September in western regions

RyanTheArchivist · May 8, 2026

Scarlet said:
View attachment 572001

After much speculation, Nintendo has finally followed their competitors in announcing price increases for their hardware.

You can find a breakdown of what's changing below:

Nintendo Switch 2

United States: $449.99 ➜ $499.99 (11% increase)

Canada: $629.99 ➜ $679.99 (7% increase)

Europe: €469.99 ➜ €499.99 (6% increase)

Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese-Language System

Japan: ¥49,980 ➜ ¥59,980 (20% increase)

Nintendo Switch OLED

Japan: ¥37,980 ➜ ¥47,980 (26% increase)

Nintendo Switch

Japan: ¥32,978 ➜ ¥43,980 (33% increase)

Nintendo Switch Lite

Japan: ¥21,978 ➜ ¥29,980 (36% increase)

Of note here is the fact that it's only the Switch 2 going up in price outside of Japan for the moment, with Nintendo's home turf getting hit harder both in the products that are affected and the amount they're going up. The price of Nintendo Switch Online will also be going up for Japanese users to better align with other regions, as well as the playing cards Nintendo continue to make and sell in the region.

These price changes will come into effect at different times based on both the region and the products in question. The Nintendo Switch 2 price increase for western regions is set to happen from the 1st of September, with the changes for the Japanese consoles and playing cards coming into play later this month. Japanese Nintendo Switch Online price increases will begin in July.

It should also be mentioned that this is likely not the last we've heard on the topic, with the press release mentioning price increases to follow for South Korean Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions, as well as price revisions for other regions not specifically touched on. You can find the full press release linked below.

Source

Damn Japan getting hit hard with this one. But hey we all saw this coming. Gotta at least give them props for the nearly 4 month heads up.

Ettino · May 8, 2026

BeanMKW said:
Most people in this thread are just here to hate on nintendo.

Well yeah. Most of them have no idea how anything works outside of their bubbles. I mean, if they're struggling in this economy then this stuff should be the last of their concerns.

DJ-Yoshiman · May 8, 2026

Eddypikachu said:
Guess I'm just never getting a switch 2 then. Oh well. Not like there's any good games coming out for it

Yeah, I hear you, no games console has good games.

Exnor · May 8, 2026

Videogame consoles crash 2.0 is finally going to happen?

This is insane.

VioletRose · May 8, 2026

LightyKD said:
Holy shit! I was just telling my wife, this past Wednesday, that there was a chance of a price increase and it fucking happened.

LOL! As if no one knew this was going to happen. You didn't magically predict the future or have some kind of giant epiphany.

Exnor · May 8, 2026

Darth Meteos said:
anybody speculating about low sales for the console should remember the 3ds
it seemed that was going to do badly for a while, too, then pokemon x and y dropped and that was a thing of the past
likewise, wind and waves will spike the switch 2 like crazy, hopefully with a price drop after the ram situation improves

You have to remember that Nintendo had to cut the price of the 3DS in order to get sales.

MikaDubbz · May 8, 2026

Mixtape said:
Lots of people here are talking about how the price hike in the US will hurt sales, but I'd also like to chime in and say that the *lack* of a price hike for the Switch 1 probably won't help with moving Switch 2s.

Switch 1 received a price hike months ago, what are you talking about!?!? Theory was that this was done in hopes of delaying the inevitable price increase for the Switch 2, which we are now seeing today.

LightyKD · May 8, 2026

VioletRose said:
LOL! As if no one knew this was going to happen. You didn't magically predict the future or have some kind of giant epiphany.

I never said I predicted the future.

Sometimes it's just nice being right and having a purchase justified.

BlusterBong · May 8, 2026

MikaDubbz said:
Switch 1 received a price hike months ago, what are you talking about!?!? Theory was that this was done in hopes of delaying the inevitable price increase for the Switch 2, which we are now seeing today.

So I guess it did kinda work in a way? idk, conistering Valve isn't making new Steam Decks and won't say anything about the Steam Machine, and Sony had at least 4 whole price hikes before this, not to mention Microsoft's own series of price hikes... maybe it did.

Marc_LFD · May 8, 2026

Jayro said:
You guys are still part of Europe, like it or not.

The UK uses the Pound Sterling, not Euro.

VioletRose · May 8, 2026

LightyKD said:
I never said I predicted the future. Sometimes it's just nice being right and having a purchase justified.

Yeah. But it's like seeing the weather forecast say it might rain in a few days, telling people it might rain, then saying "OMG! I was just telling my wife it might rain and then it happened!!!"

DiscostewSM · May 8, 2026

MikaDubbz said:
Switch 1 received a price hike months ago, what are you talking about!?!? Theory was that this was done in hopes of delaying the inevitable price increase for the Switch 2, which we are now seeing today.

I would say it was that Nintendo had an ample supply of the components for the Switch 2, and now they are running low and having to buy what they can at current prices. The Switch 1 got a price increase earlier, not necessarily because they were trying to offset a price increase of Switch 2, but that they weren't hoarding as many components for it, and they ran low earlier.

This was all inevitable with AI hoarding so much of the RAM and storage, most of which are not even being used because the AI centers they are meant for are a long ways from being finished. AI is simply unsustainable, which is why they are trying to push the cost onto the people while at the same time depriving them of essentials, like water. OpenAI and such are running out of money, and the bubble could burst, and yet, all those components reserved for them aren't going to automatically find their way into our everyday devices.

Mixtape · May 8, 2026

MikaDubbz said:
Switch 1 received a price hike months ago

Welp, apparently I completely missed that bulletin. My bad.

I still think my point regarding the price delta stands, but it's a little off-topic now with that context. Thanks for clarifying.

pustal · May 8, 2026

Skelletonike said:
Honestly, given the current state of things, this was expected. Long are the days of waiting for a system to get a price drop.

I'm in the same country you are (assuming the flag is correct) and I know quite a few people with Switch 2 systems (granted, most of them are friends that share the same hobbies, but a co-worker also bought one for himself). Unlike the original Switch, the Switch 2 customer base seems to be older people, the main factor for that is most likely the price of course.
While I take mine to work on a daily basis (and the Steam Deck), most people probably do not carry a 500€ gaming device around with them.

I'm in my mid-30s and a software engineer. In theory should be in the right circles.

lightwo said:
Maybe it isn't very popular in Portugal? I know Switch 1 is pretty unpopular in my country, and I can't even imagine who would buy a Switch 2 in this economy when everyone still obsesses with PS4/PS5. At the same time, I am extremely unfamiliar with how things are in my country, so this may be a shallow conclusion based on what I heard and observed over the years.

Maybe the price made it unpopular. The Switch 1 was massivelly popular. I know quite a few people in their adulthood that never had a gaming system that bought the OG Switch-

MikaDubbz · May 8, 2026

BlusterBong said:
So I guess it did kinda work in a way? idk, conistering Valve isn't making new Steam Decks and won't say anything about the Steam Machine, and Sony had at least 4 whole price hikes before this, not to mention Microsoft's own series of price hikes... maybe it did.

Oh I'm not saying it didn't achieve that goal if that was the goal. But what it delayed was always still going to come given the dumbass landscape of the world today. Makes some sense too. The backlash would have been so much worse if within less than a single year of release that the Switch 2 was already seeing the price increase.

AND, at least they're giving us ample time to react if we haven't got a Switch 2 yet, over 3 months to make the purchase if you haven't yet. Compared to the news of the PS5 price increase that came only weeks before the price increase would take effect.

The Real Jdbye · May 8, 2026

Mixtape said:
Lots of people here are talking about how the price hike in the US will hurt sales, but I'd also like to chime in and say that the *lack* of a price hike for the Switch 1 probably won't help with moving Switch 2s.

I've got coworkers in their early 40s with kids ranging from ages 5 to 9. They want to get their kids a more modern console than their old hand-me-downs, and they're eyeing the Switch 2. With the state of pricing and the depth of the Switch 1's library though, they have a hard time justifying a +$110 cost increase, let alone +$160 or possibly even more if they buy used or refurbished. Obviously their kids won't get access to new titles, but neither them nor the kids really care. There's plenty to play on the Switch 1. These aren't your "gamer household" types, but rather the target demo of your Just Dances, Mario Parties, and Wii Sports of the world.

It's unfortunate, because I want modern gaming to be an accessible hobby for families (within reason, of course). The state of the world just isn't conducive to that right now though.

Consoles usually go down in price as a new console is coming out, yet it doesn't stop the new console from selling. So that logic doesn't really hold.
It would be ridiculous to price hike a previous gen console. They may as well just stop making them at that point.

RedBlueGreen said:
They don't have to do this. Standard practice before this generation was to underprice and take a loss on hardware. From what I've heard they're already struggling to sell, this is just going to make it worse.

That has been debunked. They're selling well.

Arras said:
Every time I see people talking about RAM prices finally going down, I go over to look at the price charts on PCPartPicker and absolutely nothing has changed.

Price changes don't happen at the same time everywhere, it depends on when distributors run out of stock (and likely other factors)
Some places saw the price drops happen before America and people started reporting on it, now they're starting to drop in America too. Still not by enough, though, but it's trending downwards.
It likely just means that you'll start seeing the price drop in your country within a few weeks.

kuro0628neko · May 8, 2026

InsaneNutter said:
The Japanese language Switch 2 is the equivalent of £281 after the price increase, £104 cheaper than the Switch 2 currently is here in the UK with no price increase!

If the Switch 2 is ever hacked and can be region changed that would be a worthwhile import, even paying import tax on top.

Do what I did and learn Japanese. I imported mine to America for under $400 with the Mario Kart bundle and I exclusively use the Japanese eshop, which is like having a permanent discount on all games.

RedBlueGreen · May 8, 2026

The Real Jdbye said:
Consoles usually go down in price as a new console is coming out, yet it doesn't stop the new console from selling. So that logic doesn't really hold.
It would be ridiculous to price hike a previous gen console. They may as well just stop making them at that point.

That has been debunked. They're selling well.

Price changes don't happen at the same time everywhere, it depends on when distributors run out of stock (and likely other factors)
Some places saw the price drops happen before America and people started reporting on it, now they're starting to drop in America too. Still not by enough, though, but it's trending downwards.
It likely just means that you'll start seeing the price drop in your country within a few weeks.

Lower than expected. https://www.ign.com/articles/ninten...n-slightly-weaker-than-expected-outside-japan

isoboy · May 8, 2026

Let's be honest though...we all have a backlog for life.

PhyChris · May 8, 2026

The switch 2 feels like a wii U move by Nintendo.

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Some sort of musician.

I'm an old fart.

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I'm an old fart.

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Future CEO of OUYA Inc.

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Yeah! This is happenin'!

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My username gives me a pass

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