Nintendo to raise Switch 2 price to $500 on Sept. 1, offers ‘Choose Your Game’ trade-in

Nintendo is doing something console makers usually try hard to avoid — raising the price of a brand-new system just months after launch. The Switch 2 arrived in the U.S. on June 5 at $449.99. Now Nintendo says that starting September 1, the standalone system will cost $499.99 instead. But Nintendo also rolled out a new bundle at that same $499.99 price, which is the company’s way of saying: yes, the hardware is getting more expensive, but early buyers can still squeeze some value out of the moment. ### What exactly changed? Nintendo’s May 7 notice was blunt. Beginning September 1, 2026, Nintendo of America will revise the U.S. MSRP of the Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99. The company pinned the move on “changes in market conditions” it expects to last for a while. Nintendo also said pricing for the original Switch line is not changing in the U.S. right now. (nintendo.com) ### Why is the bundle the real story? Because the bundle quietly softens the blow. Starting in early June, participating retailers will sell the “Nintendo Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle” for $499.99. That gets you the system plus one digital game. So before September 1, buyers are basically paying $50 more than the launch console price, but getting a first-party game in return. After September 1, that same $499.99 becomes the price of the console alone. (nintendo.com) ### Which games are in it? Nintendo named three choices: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Pokémon Pokopia. The game comes as a download code redeemable for one of those titles. That matters because this is not a mystery-box bundle or a retailer-specific promo with filler — it is Nintendo using three of its most visible Switch 2 games to make the price increase easier to swallow. (nintendo.com) ### Is this really a discount? Basically, yes — but only in a narrow window. If you planned to buy a Switch 2 and one of those games anyway, the bundle is the better deal before September 1. Think of it like Nintendo freezing the effective entry price for a few months, then letting the ladder pull up behind early adopters. The catch is that the value depends on wanting one of those three games and being fine with a digital copy. (nintendo.com) ### Why would Nintendo raise the price this fast? Nintendo’s official explanation is market conditions, which is vague on purpose. But the timing stands out because Nintendo had previously held the U.S. launch price at $449.99 even as it adjusted preorder timing and watched trade-policy turbulence. Back in April, Nintendo explicitly said the launch price would remain $449.99. Now, one month after launch, that floor is moving. (nintendo.com) ### What about that Indiana Jones mention? It matters as backdrop, not as the main event. Nintendo’s own news feed has been highlighting fresh Switch 2 software, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as it builds out the system’s early library. That helps explain why Nintendo thinks it can ask for more money — a stronger launch lineup makes a price hike easier to defend, even if fans still hate the optics. (nintendo.com) ### Does this change the buying decision? For anyone in the U.S. already planning to buy, yes. The cleanest move is obvious now: buy before September 1, and if one of the bundle games appeals to you, buy that version. Waiting means the same $499.99 likely gets you less box for the money. ### Bottom line Nintendo is not just raising the Switch 2 price. (nintendo.com) It is staging the increase so early buyers feel like they still got a deal, while September buyers pay full freight. That is a pretty unusual play for a fresh console — and a sign Nintendo thinks demand is strong enough to take the hit. (nintendo.com)