Nintendo raises Switch 2 price to $500
- Nintendo said on May 8 it will raise the U.S. price of the Switch 2 to $499.99, with the change taking effect September 1. - The console launched at $449.99 in June 2025, and Nintendo now says Switch 2 sold 19.86 million units in its first fiscal year. - That turns a tariff-era fear into policy — Nintendo is lifting price after demand proved strong, not before launch.
Nintendo just made the Switch 2 more expensive in the U.S. The base console is going from $449.99 to $499.99, and Nintendo says the new price starts on September 1, 2026. The company framed it as a response to “changes in market conditions” and its broader business outlook — which is corporate language, but the move itself is very concrete. A console that already felt pricey by Nintendo standards is now a $500 machine. (nintendo.co.jp) ### What changed today? Nintendo published a formal price-revision notice on May 8, 2026. In that notice, it said the U.S. MSRP for the Switch 2 will rise from $449.99 to $499.99, Canada will move from C$629.99 to C$679.99, and Europe will go from €469.99 to €499.99 on Nintendo’s own store. The U.S., Canada, and Europe changes all take effect on September 1. (nintendo.co.jp) ### Is this just a U.S. move? No — but the U.S. piece is the headline because it pushes the standard Switch 2 to the psychologically important $500 mark. Nintendo is also raising prices in Japan on May 25, and those changes are much bigger in percentage terms for older Switch hardware. The Japan-only Swit(nintendo.co.jp)ugh My Nintendo Store stays unchanged. (nintendo.co.jp) ### Why now, months after launch? Because Nintendo now knows the machine can sell. In the same earnings materials released today, the company said Switch 2 sold 19.86 million units in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026. Nintendo also said sales in its dedicated video game platform business jumped 106.7%(nintendo.co.jp)higher unit price than the original Switch. Basically, the company is raising price from a position of strength. (nintendo.co.jp) ### What was the old price story? Back in April 2025, Nintendo went out of its way to say the U.S. launch price would remain $449.99 even as tariff anxiety was blowing through consumer electronics. That announcement locked in the launch number and made it feel like Nintendo was trying to avoid a pre-release backlash (nintendo.co.jp)er a year of proven demand instead of before launch. (nintendo.com) ### What are buyers actually getting for $500? The hardware pitch has not changed. Switch 2 still centers on a 7.9-inch 1080p screen, a dock with up to 4K output, magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers with mouse support, 256GB of internal storage, and ba(nintendo.com) refresh or a new SKU. (nintendo.com) ### Does software matter here too? Yes — because Nintendo is not selling an abstract box. It is selling access to Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the rest of the Switch 2 lineup, plus upgrade paths for some older Switch games. Once a platform has real momentum, exclusive software makes(nintendo.com)easier for Nintendo to test how much elasticity the audience will tolerate. That last part is an inference from the sales strength and the timing. (nintendo.com) ### Are subscriptions getting pricier too? In Japan, yes. Nintendo also said it will raise Nintendo Switch Online prices there on July 1, 2026, and that South Korea will also see subscription price revisions. So this is not just a one-off console adjustment — it looks more like a broader reset across parts of Nintendo’s pricing stack. (nintendo.co.jp) ### Bottom line? The surprise is not that Nintendo feared higher costs. The surprise is that it waited until after nearly 20 million Switch 2 sales to act. That tells you the company thinks demand is strong enough to survive a $500 sticker. (nintendo.co.jp)
