Nintendo Switch 2 Price Hike Possible Despite Console's Success

It’s hard to fathom that we’re rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of the Nintendo Switch 2.

The follow-up to 2017’s Nintendo Switch landed on 5 June 2025 - and it’s had quite the prosperous year.

As of 31 December 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold a whopping 17.37 million units.

That’s partly thanks to a strong line-up of exclusive new games, bolstered by a selection of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition new-gen upgrades.

It’s only on Nintendo Switch 2 that you’ll find the likes of Mario Kart World, Kirby Air Riders, and Donkey Kong Banaza.

Pokémon Pokopia recently joined that line-up, a game that proved to be both a GOTY contender and an impressive system seller.

The hype surrounding Pokémon Pokopia led to Nintendo Switch 2 consoles flying off the shelves, with physical copies of the game also selling out despite only offering a game code inside.

Nintendo

It’s with that in mind that in the first half of 2026, Nintendo Switch 2 has likely vastly improved upon its 17.37 million shifted units.

Despite all of this, though, Nintendo is seemingly under pressure to raise the price of the console.

The Nintendo Switch 2 May Be Selling At A Loss To Nintendo

Currently, the Nintendo Switch 2 retails for $449.99 / £395.99, making it far more costly than the original Switch which launched at $299.99 / £279.99.

Whispers of a potential price hike come from Bloomberg who said the move would help protect Nintendo’s profit margins.

“Many now believe that Nintendo simply must raise prices when it reports earnings this Friday, to guard against escalating costs and appease an anxious investor community,” the report said.

“Others worry about the impact on demand, though that may be short-lived, unlike the share price pressure.”

Nintendo is due to give its latest financial report later this week with the company’s stocks having retreated for five months.

Bloomberg notes that this is the longest sustained decline since 2016.

“Nintendo investors are concerned that the $450 Switch 2 is deeply unprofitable,” the report continues.

“US tech giants are buying up the world's supply of key components like memory, while trade disruptions from the Middle East war are affecting the cost of shipping and even basic materials like plastics. Japanese peers like Capcom, Koei Tecmo and indeed Sony are also under pressure.”

The Nintendo Switch 2 being a fair bit more expensive than the base Switch has already put off many gamers from making the jump to new-gen with this potential hike only likely to put off even more people.

It’s true though that when you look at the wider gaming hardware market, the Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the “cheaper” options out there, explaining why investors may be concerned.

As it stands, no price raises have been confirmed by Nintendo but it’ll be interesting to watch the moves made by the company in the coming weeks.

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