It’s finally here, over 8 year since the original Nintendo Switch release, the Nintendo Switch 2 launch has finally arrived, and so too has the sticker shock.
With a hefty price tag, bold hardware upgrades, and launch titles creeping into next-gen pricing territory. All this means that Nintendo’s newest console is making headlines for more than just its specs. Here’s what you need to know about how much the Switch 2 will cost you—and whether it’s worth cracking open your wallet.
A Price Jump That’s Hard to Ignore
Nintendo officially launched the Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, pricing the base console at an eye-watering £395.99 ($449.99 USD). That’s almost £180 more than the original Switch’s debut back in 2017. As well as the console only set, Nintendo have released a special Mario Kart World Bundle, which includes the console and Mario Kart World download for £429.99 or $499.99 USD.
Nintendo justifies the increase with a slate of improvements: a larger 7.9-inch 1080p LCD with a smoother 120Hz refresh rate, 256GB of internal storage, and a 4K-capable dock. There’s also native voice chat, something fans have been begging for since the Wii U era – no more need for a mobile app.
Global tariffs, inflation, and rising hardware costs were all cited as reasons behind the premium pricing.
Game Prices Push Toward Premium
Launch titles are following the industry trend of creeping above the £70 threshold. First-party hits like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are launching as high as £74.99 for physical copies, with digital copies coming in a little lower at £66.99.
It’s not just Nintendo that have upped the price of their software, other launch titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate, Street Fighter VI, Hogwarts Legacy, and Civilization VII are following suit, with most new games falling in the £60-£70 or $69–$79 USD range. Now compare that to the original Switch’s launch where the most popular title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild cost only £49.99 for a physical copy.
Full Pricing Snapshot
So you’ve decided you’re getting a Switch 2. Well here’s what players are paying out of the gate for this next generation handheld:
| Product | Price (GBP) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 Console (Base) | £395.99 | $449.99 |
| Switch 2 + Mario Kart Bundle | £429.99 | $499.99 |
| Mario Kart World (Physical) | £74.99 | $79.99 |
| Mario Kart World (Digital) | £66.99 | $79.99 |
| Donkey Kong Bananza (Physical/Digital) | £66.99/£58.99 | $69.99 |
| Zelda BOTW/TOTK Upgrade (Digital) | £9.99 | $9.99 |
| “Welcome Tour” Tutorial Game (Digital) | £7.99 | $9.99 |
| Switch 2 Pro Controller | £74.99 | $84.99 |
That’s quite the shopping list to get up and running. For example I picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 at launch with Mario Kart World and a Switch 2 Pro Controller – enough to get me and my son up and running with some two player gaming. The total? An eye-watering £504.98 and that’s including the saving buying the bundle with the console and game included!
What Are Fans Saying?
Feedback has been mixed. While many gamers expected a price increase, the jump to £75/$80 USD per title caught some off guard. Critics argue that the price spike may discourage casual gamers and younger fans, groups that have traditionally been some of Nintendo’s strongest supporters during the Wii and Switch generations.
A UK gamer interviewed by the BBC put it bluntly:
“It makes it inaccessible, it’s a lot to drop on one game.”
Others see the pricing as inevitable, given the scale and polish of modern Nintendo titles. Full voice acting, expansive open worlds, and cross-generational upgrades come with development costs – but it’s difficult to argue that Mario Kart World really needs the same sort of development costs as huge AAA games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Grand Theft Auto.
Backward Compatibility Eases the Blow
Thankfully there is one welcome relief: Switch 2 supports backward compatibility with most Switch 1 games. Even better, many get enhancements to take advantage of the more powerful hardware, although whilst many titles offer free upgrades, many of the most popular titles require a one-off purchase. Nintendo is also pushing digital-first initiatives with special pricing on downloads versus physical copies, possibly hinting at a longer-term shift away from cartridges. Whilst the lower cost of digital titles compared to physical titles is welcome, the Switch’s relatively small 250GB internal storage and the requirement to use expensive Micro SD Express cards could actually make this prohibitively more expensive than many gamers realise.
As an example, if you wanted to purchase the official Nintendo memory cards for both the original Switch and the Switch 2 you would be looking at £19.99 for a 256GB card for the Switch, and a whopping 2.5x increase at £49.99 for the same (albeit faster) 256GB storage for the Switch 2. What’s more, with the improved graphical fidelity of the Switch 2 games will require larger amounts of storage compared to their Switch counterparts.
For example, the Switch version of Breath of the Wild is a little over 14.6GB in size, that same game on Switch 2? 24.1GB, a 65% increase in file size. What’s more, even if you buy a physical cartridge from a store, it’s not guaranteed that the game will even be on that cartridge. For example Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster can be purchased on a digital game key-card, and whilst I have issues with these explored in another article, the fact is you still need to download a 12.3GB file in order to play.
Is It Worth It?
If you’re a dedicated Nintendo fan, the Switch 2 offers some serious upgrades. The graphics are sharper, the performance is smoother, and the game lineup is already packed with high-profile releases – not to mention the ability to play almost the entire Switch 1 library. But between the £400+ console and £65+ game prices, the Switch 2 is easily the most expensive Nintendo console since the Nintendo 64 (adjusted for inflation).
The real question is whether gamers will adapt to this new pricing model. So far, early reports of sold-out pre-orders and long launch lines suggest that many are saying “yes”, at least for now. But could these early adopters be setting themselves up for hardship later on down the road when £80, £90 or even £100 titles are the norm?
Whilst the overall tone of this article may appear to be a bit of a downer, for Nintendo the new generation looks bright. Their new console is a welcome spec boost to their aging Switch, bringing along a host of impressive features such as VRR, HDR and likely many more three letter abbreviations.
Whilst the cost of the Switch 2 was high, and so far a month later I still only own a single Switch 2 title (Mario Kart World), the time I’ve spent playing with my seven year old son has been priceless – but if you’d like to save some money check out our Switch to Switch 2 Upgrade Guide.
VBA
Im a Nintendo fan, but the Switch 2 price hike is a bit much. £75 for a game? Thats going to push out younger and casual gamers. The upgrades are cool, but the cost is tough to swallow.