With or with out tariffs, one factor turned clear following the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal final week: customers shall be paying extra for video games on the console when it launches on June 5, 2025.
Extra, even, than they’re used to paying for first-party video games on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X/S within the US and Europe in some circumstances.
Flagship launch title Mario Kart World, for instance, has a pre-tariff price of $80 within the US for each its bodily and digital variations, whereas it is £75 for a bodily copy within the UK (or £67 digitally) and €90 in Europe (or €80 digitally). For Japanese customers, it is ¥8,980 (round $61) for the digital model and ¥9,980 (round $68) for a bodily copy.
July’s Donkey Kong Bananza is priced a tier under that at $70/£67/€80 for a bodily copy (although once more, it is unclear if the US value may change due to tariffs). The US value is similar digitally, whereas the UK eShop value is £57 and the European value is €70. In Japan, bodily and digital copies will price ¥8,980 (round $61) and ¥7,980 (round $54) respectively.
For context, 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was within the costlier tier of video games on the unique Nintendo Switch, with a value of $70 and £60 within the UK.
Current Switch remaster Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Version is $60/£50 on Nintendo’s eShop, or accessible for round £8 cheaper bodily from UK retailers primarily based on a cursory search.
Xbox’s subsequent main launch – Doom: The Darkish Ages – will retail for $70/£70/€80 digitally and bodily (the exception being the UK bodily value of £65). Sony’s Dying Stranding 2: On The Seashore, out in June, prices the identical for the bottom digital and bodily editions.
In essence, then, Nintendo has caught up with their pricing, and even overtaken them in a couple of like-for-like comparisons.
Final week, following the Switch 2 reveal and the disclosing of Trump’s tariffs (however earlier than US {hardware} pre-orders had been placed on maintain), we requested analysts what was behind the growing prices in these markets.
“In opposition to the backdrop of worldwide inflation, it is a good alternative for Nintendo now to set the stage for the longer term and lift prices throughout the board,” says Kantan Video games founder Dr Serkan Toto.
“I believe the extra fascinating query is what might occur with the remainder of the video game market, notably within the US.”
Mat Piscatella, Circana
“They have a look at the business and see Sony charging $700 for a PS5 Professional or rumors about value hikes for blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto 6. Nintendo was additionally inspired by the truth that they bought away with the $70 they charged for Tears Of The Kingdom in 2023.”
“And even less complicated, I believe they raised software program prices throughout all these areas as a result of they assume they will.”
Toto is predicting that followers will come to modify to the prices. “Nintendo already priced within the protest and uproar by a part of the fan base, betting it will all blow off and avid gamers will come to settle for a brand new regular finally. And I believe they are going to be right about this.”
Ampere Evaluation’ Piers Harding-Rolls believes the pricing may very well be primarily based on a mixture of inflation and Nintendo’s personal comparatively tame method to microtransactions and different DLC.
“I believe $80 for Mario Kart World displays the current inflation we’ve seen throughout all areas of shopper items, is a benchmark for the brand new platform and can be as a result of Nintendo is just not aggressively pursuing in-game monetisation to offset rising prices.”
“Then you’ve got the tariff state of affairs which can influence bodily video games greater than digital,” Harding-Rolls mentioned, earlier than US pre-orders for the Switch 2 had been suspended. “A value differential between the 2 mediums on this context is comprehensible.”
Going again a couple of a long time, Nintendo has kind when it comes to pricing increased than its opponents. “Nintendo has a little bit of a historical past of pricing video games increased than different platforms when coming to the market mid-cycle in contrast to different console platforms – on this case PS5 and Xbox Collection.
“I bear in mind again within the day N64 titles being greater than PlayStation titles, for instance. A few of that’s associated to price of products, however Nintendo additionally likes to comply with its personal method and value primarily based by itself appreciation of worth.”
The thought of Nintendo’s personal notion of worth being an element is supported by an IGN interview with Nintendo of America’s VP of Participant & Product Expertise Invoice Trinen performed final week.
“I’d say it is much less in regards to the technique of pricing Mario Kart World,” Trinen mentioned. “It is extra simply at any time when we have a look at a given game, we simply have a look at what’s the expertise, and what is the content material, and what is the worth?”
Harding-Rolls would not foresee excessive game prices having an influence on the Switch 2 within the brief time period. “I don’t count on the pricing to cease early adopters shopping for into Mario Kart World and lots of shall be shopping for the bundle anyway. Primarily based on this I believe some high tier Nintendo titles will launch at this value level and a few third events can even comply with swimsuit.”
“I believe [Nintendo] raised software program prices throughout all these areas as a result of they assume they will.”
Dr Serkan Toto, Kantan Video games
Regardless of the pricing sensitivities raised by some customers in response to Nintendo’s social media exercise previously week, then, anticipation for the Switch 2 is probably going to energy it via its first 12 months.
“I do not see this as being a large problem for 12 months one for Switch 2 particularly,” says Circana senior analyst Mat Piscatella. “However we are in fascinating instances, with some unprecedented (at the very least in anybody’s present lifetime) elements.
“I believe the extra fascinating query is what might occur with the remainder of the video game market, notably within the US.”
Piscatella speculates that elevated prices of video games extra typically could lead on to bigger market shifts.
“My learn is that the most definitely state of affairs is that we’ll see video game product pricing begin to rise within the US, though these adjustments is probably not constant or common. I am additionally anticipating that buyers will shift much more to free to play/stay service video games as they struggle to grapple with elevated prices in on a regular basis spending classes like meals.”
A rising hole may emerge between these prepared to pay for premium video games, and people enjoying free-to-play titles.
“I anticipate the console market particularly to proceed to shift to older and/or extra prosperous customers, as different components of the market will lean much more into available and accessible cell and PC gaming.
“I am additionally anticipating the decline of bodily software program gross sales to speed up much more, as bodily variations of video games might find yourself carrying increased pricing than digital variations.”
Because the final week has proven, although, we’re in a extremely unpredictable second.
“Or maybe just some (and even none) of these expectations will find yourself enjoying out,” Piscatella provides. “Who is aware of.”
Whether or not tariffs will have an effect on game prices within the US (notably bodily titles) is certainly one of many open questions proper now. Regardless of the end result, increased prices for premium Nintendo video games appear to be right here to keep.
What it could lead on to for the remainder of the market – like the ultimate years of blockbusters on the PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S, in addition to their successors – might matter extra, right here.
As Matthew Ball’s The State of Video Gaming in 2025 put it, there’s some optimism from unnamed sources that GTA 6 may price up to $100. “Some gamemakers hope GTA 6 shall be priced at $80-100, breaking the $70 barrier and serving to $50 titles to transfer up to $60, $60 to do $70, $70 to do $80, and so forth.”
Mario Kart broke the $70 barrier first, which can have been much less straightforward to predict again in January.
After all, not each Switch 2 game shall be within the increased value vary. With an enormous digital market of third-party titles, there’ll all the time be one thing cheaper to play on the brand new console.
However the enchantment of recent Nintendo {hardware} is normally seeing what the corporate itself has created to promote it – what magic its builders make from the elevated graphical and audio capabilities, or new options just like the mouse controls and GameChat.
That proposition continues to be simply as thrilling on Switch 2. Being part of it simply has a better barrier to entry than it did on the unique Switch.