Nintendo announces price increase for Switch 2 handheld — but you still have time to beat it

• Nintendo announced the Switch 2’s price will increase in the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan
• It will now cost $499.99, effective from September 1, 2026
• All Switch hardware prices will increase in Japan, including Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions

Nintendo has held strong amid the memory crisis, successfully avoiding price hikes for its Switch 2 hardware — but all good things come to an end.

Nintendo announced it will increase the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld; in the US, the price will rise from $449.99 to $499.99, effective September 1, 2026, as a ‘response to various market conditions’.

A $50 price increase will also be replicated in Canada, seeing it cost $679.99, while Europe will see a 30 euros increase, also effective on the same date. Unlike other regions, Japan’s price increase will apply to all Switch hardware, taking effect on May 25, 2026, with the Switch 2 costing 59,980 yen instead of the previous 49,980 yen.

Japan is easily the most impacted, as the Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions will also face price hikes, notably for its 12-month family plan, rising from 4,500 yen to 5,800 yen.

There is no confirmation on price increases in other European regions, notably the UK, but according to Nintendo Life, Nintendo states they will be shared at a later date.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the RAM crisis is causing havoc across PC and console hardware, due to shortages and increased demand from AI data centers. Sony and Microsoft have recently increased prices for PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, respectively.

It was only a matter of time for Nintendo to follow suit, especially considering the general economic struggles. Fortunately, though, Nintendo has given most consumers (except for those in Japan) plenty of time to beat the price hike, which won’t come into effect for another four months.

The warning signs have been around via several rumors and suggestions that Nintendo wouldn’t be able to avoid adjusting the MSRP, and there’s a decent chance that this won’t be the last price hike we see for the Switch 2.

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Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He’s spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren’t a complete mess.