Nintendo explains Switch 2 pricing

Nintendo said new Nintendo-published Switch 2 exclusives will start getting different digital and physical list prices in May 2026. (nintendo.com) The company posted the change on March 25 and said it begins with preorders for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Nintendo listed that game at $59.99 digitally and $69.99 physically. (nintendo.com 1) (nintendo.com 2) Nintendo said the game itself is the same in both formats and framed the price split as a reflection of manufacturing, packaging, shipping and retail costs. (nintendo.com) That statement answers months of confusion around how expensive Switch 2 software could get after Nintendo’s 2025 launch pricing drew backlash. Mario Kart World launched at $79.99, while Donkey Kong Bananza was priced at $69.99. (nintendo.com) Rumors that Switch 2 games would routinely cost $90 spread after players added sales tax or compared bundle totals, but Nintendo did not announce a $90 base MSRP for its games. (polygon.com) (digitaltrends.com) Nintendo’s March 25 note did not set one standard price for every Switch 2 release. It said pricing will vary by title, and only specified that future Nintendo-published exclusives can have different digital and physical MSRPs. (nintendo.com) The company also stressed that the change starts with new Nintendo-published Switch 2 exclusives, not the broader Switch catalog. Its September 2025 pricing update had said Switch and Switch 2 game prices were otherwise unchanged at that time. (nintendo.com) For buyers, the clearest takeaway is narrower than the rumor cycle suggested: Nintendo is introducing a format-based price split, and its first example is a $10 difference, not a $90 default. (nintendo.com)