Nintendo has announced that going forward future games on Switch 2 will see cheaper digital versions, starting in May 2026. The first game will be Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which is available at a significant price difference.
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 always, retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary.
Update:
In a statement to IGN, Nintendo has further clarified that this does not mean an increase in the price of physical games, but rather a lowering of digital pricing.
“The cost of physical games is not going up. This means that when Nintendo sells digital versions of Nintendo published games exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 to consumers in the U.S., those prices will have an MSRP that is lower than their physical counterparts. Retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary.”