Elden Ring Switch 2 preorder shock
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition for Switch 2 currently has no official release date, yet U.S. Amazon listings already show a preorder priced at $80 — and the product appears to be a game‑key card rather than a full physical cartridge. (gamesradar.com) That’s set off concern because buyers expecting a traditional boxed cartridge may get a code instead, and the $80 tag is notably higher than many console launches, so it matters for collectors and value‑minded players. (nintendolife.com)
Amazon is already taking United States preorders for Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, even though Bandai Namco still only gives the game a release window of 2026 and no exact date. The Amazon listing shows an $79.99 price and labels the format as a physical Nintendo Switch 2 release. (amazon.com) (bandainamcoent.com) The part spooking collectors is the small print on retailer listings that points to a game-key card, not a full cartridge with the game data stored on it. Nintendo says a game-key card is only a key for downloading the software, so the first use requires an internet connection and enough storage on the console or a microSD Express card. (ign.com) (nintendo.com) That means the box still matters, but it works more like a license chip than an old-style plug-and-play game card. Nintendo’s support pages say regular game cards can start immediately, while game-key cards trigger a download because the full game is not on the card itself. (nintendo.com 1) (nintendo.com 2) Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is not just the 2022 base game ported over by itself. Bandai Namco says the Nintendo Switch 2 package includes Elden Ring, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and extra content such as new armor and Torrent appearance customization. (bandainamcoent.eu) (bandainamcoent.com) That bundle helps explain the $80 number, because the same edition on other platforms also packages the main game with the expansion rather than matching the old $60 launch price of base Elden Ring from 2022. Retailer coverage on April 9, 2026, pointed out that the sticker shock looks worse on Nintendo Switch 2 because buyers are seeing premium pricing paired with a download-based physical format. (gameranx.com) (gamesradar.com) The release timing has been slippery for months. FromSoftware said in a press notice that Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition moved from a planned 2025 release to 2026 because the team needed more time for performance adjustments. (fromsoftware.jp) So buyers are being asked to lock in $79.99 for a game with no day-and-date launch announcement yet, on a format that still needs a download before play. That combination is why this preorder landed with a thud instead of a cheer. (amazon.com) (ign.com)
