Nintendo has confirmed what many people suspected was coming. The Nintendo Switch 2 is getting more expensive, and if you’ve been sitting on the fence about picking one up, the clock is now ticking.
From 1 September 2026, the Switch 2 is going up to €499.99 in Europe, a €30 increase over the current price. For Irish buyers that’s a meaningful jump, and it lands at a particularly inconvenient time in the calendar.
Why is the Nintendo Switch 2 getting more expensive?
Nintendo’s official statement points to changes in market conditions expected to extend over the medium to long term. That’s fairly broad language, but the real picture is a mix of pressures that have been building for a while.
RAM and storage memory prices have risen significantly because of AI investments and supply chain pressures, and while they have started to ease more recently, costs remain considerably higher than they were. On top of that, rising production costs, transport expenses, and currency fluctuations have all played a role. It’s the same story driving up the cost of smartphones, laptops, and most other tech at the moment.
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What’s worth noting is that Nintendo had previously held firm on the Switch 2’s launch price even as competitors Sony and Microsoft both raised prices on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Nintendo held out longer than most.
Nintendo is at least giving buyers fair warning
It’s early May and Nintendo announced this increase, with the change not hitting Europe until 1 September. That’s nearly four months of notice, which is more transparency than we typically see from console manufacturers.
The timing is still awkward, though. September sits right in the run-up to Christmas, which puts families planning a Switch 2 as a Christmas 2026 gift in a tricky spot. Do you buy it over the summer at the current €469.99 and store it until December, or wait until closer to the holidays and absorb the extra €30? Nintendo hasn’t made that choice easy, but at least the window exists to plan around it.
Compare that to how price hikes have gone elsewhere in the industry, often announced with little runway and no apology. At least Nintendo acknowledged the impact and gave people time to respond.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 still worth buying at €499.99?
This depends entirely on what you want from a games console. The Switch 2 is a hybrid device, working both as a home console connected to your TV and as a handheld you can take anywhere. That flexibility remains genuinely useful and still sets it apart from everything else on the market.
At €499.99, the Switch 2 now sits in the same price range as the PS5 and Xbox Series X, which is a fair point to raise. But those are home consoles only. The Switch 2 gives you portability too, and PC handhelds that offer similar flexibility tend to cost considerably more.
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Nintendo’s exclusive library, things like Mario Kart World, Zelda, and the recently announced Star Fox, continues to be a genuine differentiator you simply cannot get anywhere else. If those games matter to you, the platform justifies the price. If they don’t, it probably doesn’t.
Nintendo has sold nearly 20 million Switch 2 units since launching in June 2025, with profits up 52% year on year, which suggests the hardware has earned its audience. The price increase doesn’t change what the console does, it just changes what you’ll pay for it.
Opinion here in Goosed Tower is divided too, but you can read what I myself think of it and what Alex thinks of it too.
The FOMO factor is real, but worth keeping in perspective
There’s a psychological pull that kicks in whenever a price increase is announced. Something you were mildly interested in suddenly feels urgent. That urgency is worth being aware of before it pushes you into a purchase you weren’t fully committed to.
That said, if you were already leaning towards a Switch 2 and were planning to buy one before Christmas anyway, buying before 1 September at the current European price is just common sense. You save €30 on the same hardware.
If you weren’t planning to buy one, a €30 increase shouldn’t be what tips you over the edge. Buy it because the console suits you, not because a deadline is looming.
What to do now
If you’re seriously considering a Nintendo Switch 2, buying before 1 September locks in the current €469.99 price. The window covers the whole summer, so there’s no need to rush out this week. Take the time to check whether the game library suits you, look at bundle options, and factor in the cost of accessories.
For families thinking about Christmas gifts in particular, it’s worth being practical about whether an earlier purchase makes sense. Storing a console for a few months isn’t ideal, but paying more for the same thing in November is arguably worse, especially when the saving is there to be had.
The broader trend here is that console prices are not going back down. Waiting used to be the sensible strategy; in this generation, patience has consistently meant paying more, not less.
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