Though last week’s Nintendo Switch 2 reveal delivered a ton of news, announcements, and extended looks at highly anticipated games like Mario Kart World, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Donkey Kong Bananza, an economic shadow has loomed over the celebratory feeling Nintendo was likely hoping for. Even before the announcement that the Trump administration’s recently imposed tariffs were delaying preorders for the Nintendo Switch 2 in the United States while the company assesses “the potential impact of the tariffs and evolving market conditions,” many fans were dealing with the sticker shock of both the console and some of its games.
At $450 for the base model and $500 for a bundle that includes Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 is already far more in line with Sony and Microsoft’s flagship consoles than the original Nintendo Switch, which launched in 2017 for $300. However, it’s the price of Nintendo Switch 2’s games that has attracted the most ire. Viewers were already surprised that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a piece of software that could be accurately described as part tech-demo/part instruction manual, was not a free pack-in game and instead costs money, but that was not the most significant controversy Nintendo faced related to its game pricing.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Following the Nintendo Direct on April 2, Nintendo revealed that Mario Kart World, as well as the full Switch 2 versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, retails for $80. The caveat is that if you own Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom on the original Switch, you will be able to pay $10 for an upgrade to the Switch 2 version, or if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber, you can play the upgraded versions at no additional cost. That may relieve those who already own those popular Switch games, but that doesn’t alleviate worries that Nintendo Switch 2 games will be the most expensive in the modern gaming landscape, or even worse, will encourage other publishers to raise their prices as well.
During the recent Nintendo Switch 2 preview event in New York, IGN sat down with Nintendo vice president of product and player experience Bill Trinen. During the conversation IGN asked about the price increase for its new platform’s games.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
“I would say it’s less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it’s more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what’s the content, and what’s the value?” Trinen told IGN. “This game is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.”
Trinen also encourages fans wondering about the Mario Kart World price tag to tune in to the Mario Kart World Nintendo Direct scheduled for April 17. He feels that will further explain why the title carries a value that warrants an $80 price tag.
Nintendo already drew negative attention for its $70 price tag of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2023, but other publishers, such as 2K and EA, had already priced their games at $70. In this instance, Nintendo is setting the bar by being the first publisher in the modern era to price its base games at $80.
Then, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser justified the price tag in a similar way as Trinen. “We look at what the game has to offer,” he told The Associated Press in 2023. “I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself.
In recent interviews with other outlets, Bowser has doubled down on that sentiment regarding Mario Kart World while also confirming to both The Verge and Wired that the $450 and $500 price tags for the Nintendo Switch 2 did not factor in the newly implemented tariffs.
Though the pre-order date was delayed within the United States, the rest of the world can expect to pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 on April 9. Regardless of the pre-order date, Nintendo Switch 2 launches worldwide on June 5.
What is your take on the Nintendo Switch 2 price tag? What about the prices of its games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
