Nintendo Switch 2 Gets $50 Price Rise
- Nintendo Switch 2's base 256GB model rises from $449.99 to $499.99 on 1 September 2026.
- Two new game bundles, both priced above $500, are also due to ship in autumn 2026.
- The $50 increase is smaller than comparable rises seen on rival handhelds, including a $200-plus increase on the Steam Deck OLED.
Nintendo's Switch 2 will become $50 more expensive from 1 September, with the base 256GB model — sold without a bundled game — rising from $449.99 to $499.99. The company announced the increase with considerable advance notice, but the deadline is now days away.
What Is Changing and When
The price adjustment affects the standard standalone console. Nintendo has separately announced two new bundles, both priced well above $500, which are due to ship later this autumn and include a game at a modest discount. No detail on those bundle prices has been provided beyond the confirmation that both exceed the new $499.99 baseline.
The Broader Pressure on Hardware Prices
Nintendo attributed the move to wider cost pressures in the components market, driven in part by elevated prices for fast RAM and storage — the Switch 2 uses both. The console had, until now, been among the few handheld devices to hold its original launch price as rivals increased theirs. The Steam Deck OLED, for instance, has seen an increase of more than $200, making Nintendo's adjustment comparatively modest. A separate price rise of €30 has also been confirmed for European markets from September.
Upcoming Software
The timing is relevant for prospective buyers: upcoming Switch 2 exclusives include a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Duskbloods, among other titles not available on alternative platforms. Whether that software slate justifies a purchase before the price rises is a decision individual buyers will need to make; the factual position is simply that the lower price ceases to apply on Tuesday 1 September.
The Switch 2 is not alone in becoming more costly: the source material notes that almost all competing handheld devices have already increased in price, suggesting component-cost pressures continue to reshape the consumer hardware market more broadly.