While the Nintendo 2 rumor, leak and news update train has begun to slow to some degree, there’s still some interesting tidbits of information out there worth discussing, not the least of which the potential price increase on Switch 2 games. We recently rounded up the massive number of leaks and feature stories on Switch 2 into one handy guide for you right here, but some recent price hikes on existing Switch games has some folks worried about what’s to come for Switch 2 exclusive.
Are Switch 2 games going up to $70?
PlayStation and Xbox have both upped the regular price on games from the $59.99 we saw for ages up to the standard $69.99 that has been place for more than a few years now. Nintendo, which tends to undercut the other two on just about everything outside of select hardware peripherals and the like, has mostly strayed away from this move, leaving even its major first-party releases at the $59.99 MSRP.
While we did see the latest mainline adventure through Hyrule, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, release at the $69.99 price point, about as gamers that were unhappy with that decision also looked the other way once they had a chance to get hands-on with the epic TotK – if one game deserved to launch at a higher price point, it might be that one.
All of that said, Nintendo has already confirmed its current Game Voucher system, which allows Switch Online members to purchase two (usually brand-new first-party games) at $100, or $20 off the combined MSRP, would not be compatible with Switch 2 games.
Nintendo confirms Game Voucher deals will not work on next-gen exclusives – does this indicate a price hike on Switch 2 games?
This official move has some folks worried, suggesting it all but confirms Switch 2 games will launch at a higher price point. Nothing has been confirmed on this front, of course, but it is a somewhat reasonable deduction.
Then you consider the backwards compatibility here. This is a great thing right? Well, yes, totally. But it also means there are going to be Switch games and Switch 2 exclusives. This, on top of the fact that Nintendo is really only ever dabbled in meeting the console industry standard $69.99 MSRP, is another thing that suggests we could see a price hike on Switch 2 games.
Personally, I don’t completely hate the idea that Nintendo moves to a $69.99 price model – I would imagine it will only jump up on its mainline, flagship titles anyway, but it’s hard to say. I certainly don’t want this to be the case, but it wouldn’t be all that shocking for me.
Nintendo Switch 2 guide – all of the price leaks, pre-orders, feature details, launch games, and more
And then after all of that, it looks like existing Switch games have just received a price jump in Latin America, jumping up the equivalent of $10 a pop, according to reports. This, in and of itself, doesn’t actually mean anything at all – prices can change in different regions without negatively impacting others (this is something we have seen more than once in the current console generation), but it does have some suggesting it could be a sign of what’s to come and could perhaps be Nintendo testing the waters.
I don’t really think it means all too much, but evidence is starting to stack up now that points at a potential price increase for Switch 2 exclusive games.
Nintendo has now officially confirmed the date and time for the upcoming Switch 2 Direct showcase
Hopefully it won’t be much longer before we find out for sure – Nintendo goes live on April 2 with a dedicated Switch 2 Direct and many are expecting to get a good look at the machine, its price, pre-order details, and hopefully some details on the launch games too.
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