Nintendo

Nintendo Switch 2 price revealed: Is there a cheaper version?

Luis Monzon

3rd April 2025

Nintendo has finally unveiled the Switch 2 console, as well as a release date and price.
The normal version of the console will retail for $450 in the US, but South African pricing will likely by higher.
There is a more expensive version bundled with Mario Kart World, and a cheaper Japanese-only version.

After years of waiting, the Nintendo Switch 2 was fully revealed to the public at a Nintendo Direct presentation on Wednesday.

Among the biggest announcements from the presentation, other than fresh details of the new console, was the reveal of an open-world Mario Kart, and an exclusive title from the creators of Elden Ring called The Duskbloods.

We also have a release date and a price for the Nintendo Switch 2, at least internationally. We’re currently trying to confirm a local price for South Africa, but this may take some time.

Nintendo Switch 2 price and release date

As we have indicated before, the Nintendo Switch 2 will launch internationally on 5th June 2025. This likely means that Japan and the United States will see it in stores on those dates, being Nintendo’s most important markets.

Different countries will see the console in stores on different dates, and pricing will be different. However, Nintendo revealed that the international price for the Nintendo Switch 2 is $450, which is about $100 more than the original Switch launch price, according to Bloomberg.

This translates to around R8 500, but it is important to note that this is the US pricing, and South African price will likely be higher. This is the same thing that happened with the PlayStation VR2, even when its international pricing dropped, its local pricing stayed above international levels.

There are also plans for a bundled deal for the Switch 2 that comes with the new Mario Kart, Mario Kart World, slated for $500 or about $9 400. A cheaper version of the console will only be released in Japan, Nintendo’s home market, for $300, which is around R5 600, and as far as we can see, this is just the base Switch 2, just more affordable.

This cheaper version is Japanese-language only, the report reads. The other big surprise is the price for some of the first-party launch titles from Nintendo, with Mario Kart World seeing a hefty $80 price point or a whopping R1 500, which is on par with major AAA releases, like the latest Call of Duty titles.

Seemingly, this is a way to move more consoles as you will save money if you buy the bundled version with the game included.

Switch 2 launch titles

A number of games are set to launch on the Switch 2 come 5th June 2025, most of which are semi-modern titles which the original Switch could not run due to hardware limitations. These include: