Nintendo make it official: digital Switch 2 games will now be cheaper

Nintendo announced today that starting with the release of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book in May, new digital Switch 2 games will cost less than their direct physical counterparts.

This change, which only applies to titles published by Nintendo themselves, will see the upcoming Yoshi game priced at $59, whereas the physical version will cost an extra ten dollars, coming in at $69.

These specific price points won’t apply to all future releases of course, as Nintendo has been experimenting with variable software pricing throughout the Switch 2 era so far — but this is official confirmation that there will now be some difference in pricing between digital and physical versions in the U.S. and Canada.

In a statement shared on Nintendo’s official U.S. website, the company said:

“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.“

As Alana Hagues, writing for Nintendo Life, points out, this change brings Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Canada pricing in line with existing suggested retail price structures across Europe and Japan:

“it’s worth noting that this has been the standard for first-party Switch 2 games in the UK, Europe, and Japan since the console’s release back in June 2025. For example, in the UK, Mario Kart World is £66.99 on the eShop, while the physical MSRP is £74.99.“

It’s a welcome change, as many have long called for digital versions to be cheaper. It’s one I broadly welcome too, but, with a caveat — my enthusiasm for this pricing alteration doesn’t really apply if a game is a Game Key Card release. I’ll be curious to see how those physical versions are priced.

What do you think? Reply on Bluesky and let me know!