Switch 2 cartridges to cost more than digital downloads, Nintendo says
If you want the protection of owning physical copies of your Switch 2 video games, Nintendo is charging you more
Nintendo has announced that it will begin charging more for physical Switch 2 games than their digital counterparts. In a surprise announcement on Wednesday, the gaming giant announced that beginning with the forthcoming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, gamers will pay $10 more if they’d like a physical cartridge and a case.
The physical game will be $70/£59, while the digital version with zero resale value will be $60/£50 when purchased from the Nintendo eShop. The upside is Nintendo was charging $70/£59 on both formats before this change, so you are now getting a slight discount if you’re ok with the pitfalls of digital ownership.
If a game is priced at $80 – as Mario Kart World was – it’s probably that Nintendo would reduce the price of the digital version by $10/£9 too, but that’s still to be confirmed. Currently, on the Nintendo Store, the digital version of MKW is a little bit cheaper.
As of right now, the change only effects Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, so you don’t need to be concerned if you haven’t upgraded yet.
In a statement, Nintendo said: “Beginning in May 2026, and starting with preorders for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, new Nintendo published digital titles exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 will have an MSRP that is different from physical versions.
“Nintendo games offer the same experiences whether in packaged or digital format, and this change simply reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format and offers players more choice in how they can buy and play Nintendo games.”
Chris Smith
