The Nintendo Switch 2 Has a High Price Point, and Nintendo Thinks People Will Pay

Nintendo has announced its next gaming console, the Switch 2, and fans are already getting excited. In addition to the console, Nintendo also announced a bunch of new games that will be available at the same time, and many fans immediately balked at the pricing.

The Switch 2 on its own will retail for $449.99, or you can buy it in a bundle with Mario Kart World for $499.99. The games themselves are also quite pricey, with Mario Kart World costing $79.99 on its own, and many of the other games retailing for $70 or more. Given these high prices, the natural question is: Why is everything so expensive?

There are a number of reasons behind the increased price point for the game. Part of the higher cost is due to inflation and increased manufacturing costs, but according to NYU Stern professor Joost van Dreunen, the cost is also meant to factor in the uncertainty about the future of the economy because of President Trump's trade policies.

"Nintendo appears to be building in a buffer against these potential trade barriers while ensuring they maintain their traditional positive margin on hardware," Dreunen explained in an interview with IGN.

What's also true, though, is that Nintendo is responding to broader inflation inside the world of gaming. Sony charged $700 for the PlayStation Pro in 2024, and AAA games have also seen their prices skyrocket in recent years.

These price increases are partially the direct result of inflation, but they are also, notably, what Nintendo and other game manufacturers think the market can bear. Basically, they have decided to make the price $450 because they believe that consumers will pay that price for the console, especially recognizing the slate of games that comes with it. They know their customers, and they believe their customers will spring for it.

First, it's important to clarify that not every Switch 2 game is $80. Mario Kart World is, but Donkey Kong Bananza is $69.99, and we don't know about any of the other games that are currently being developed for the console.

While the Switch 2 price tag was surprising to some, others were even more shocked to see an $80 game, especially because it feels like there haven't been $70 games for that long.

Just as was the case with the console itself, though, it seems this higher price is meant to insulate Nintendo moving forward amid economic uncertainty. Mario Kart World is, almost undoubtedly, the game fans are most eagerly anticipating, at least as part of this initial release.

So, Nintendo is probably hedging based on the state of the global economy, even as it also knows that very few people are going to want to own a Switch 2 without Mario Kart. Thankfully, the bundle will save you $30 on the game, assuming that they remain in stock into the indefinite future.