PSA: Nintendo Switch 2 Gets a $50 Price Increase on Tuesday
IGN
β’Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:30:00 +0000
π° What Happened
Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 in the US on September 1, a $50 increase, with matching price rises in Canada, the UK and most of Europe. Confirmed by Nintendo in May and attributed to rising memory component costs driven by the AI-fuelled memory shortage, along with exchange rates and oil prices, the increase follows a price rise in Japan that already took effect on May 25.
π The Backstory
The Switch 2 launched in 2025 to strong sales, but 2026 has seen a wave of console price increases across the industry as DRAM costs surged, with PlayStation and Xbox hardware also rising in price. Retailers have been posting in-store warnings about the hike, and Nintendo's 'Choose Your Game' bundle is expected to disappear as the new pricing takes hold.
π― Why It Matters
Tuesday's increase is effectively the last chance to buy the console at its launch price, making the Switch 2 a more expensive purchase heading into the holiday season. The hike is also a consumer-visible symptom of the AI boom's impact on the broader electronics industry.
Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 in the US on September 1, a $50 increase, with matching price rises in Canada, the UK and most of Europe. Confirmed by Nintendo in May and attributed to rising memory component costs driven by the AI-fuelled memory shortage, along with exchange rates and oil prices, the increase follows a price rise in Japan that already took effect on May 25.
The Switch 2 launched in 2025 to strong sales, but 2026 has seen a wave of console price increases across the industry as DRAM costs surged, with PlayStation and Xbox hardware also rising in price. Retailers have been posting in-store warnings about the hike, and Nintendo's 'Choose Your Game' bundle is expected to disappear as the new pricing takes hold.
Tuesday's increase is effectively the last chance to buy the console at its launch price, making the Switch 2 a more expensive purchase heading into the holiday season. The hike is also a consumer-visible symptom of the AI boom's impact on the broader electronics industry.