Nintendo has decided that your wallet isn’t just for rent, bills, and emergency ramen. No, now it’s a sacrificial offering for their next console: the Switch 2. And while we’ve known what the specs are and what the thing looks like thanks to early leaks that forced Nintendo’s hand like a kid caught sneaking Christmas presents. But what we didn’t know — until now — was just how much of your soul you’d need to trade to get one.
So here’s the damage: $450 for the base Switch 2. Not great but not too bad, right? Oh, but wait. If you want the version that comes bundled with Mario Kart World, that’s gonna run you a spicy $500. That’s right — you get the privilege of saving a measly $30 on Mario Kart World, which Nintendo has decided is worth a full $80 on its own.
Fans are understandably pissed. And while you might think this price hike is thanks to the looming economic Armageddon and those ever-mysterious tariffs — surprise! Nintendo says nope. They straight-up claim the $80 price tag isn’t because of tariffs or market chaos. No, they chose that number because they think their game is just that good.
And how do we know this? Nintendo of America’s VP of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen, told IGN with the straightest face imaginable:
“I would say it’s less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it’s more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what’s the content, and what’s the value?”
“But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.”
You read that right. Nintendo’s executives are saying that their games are so much mother-f*cking fun that you would happily fork over $80 for a racing game while your country is potentially on the verge of economic collapse. Oh, you can’t afford these prices? You had better not even think about trying to cash in on some of your savings, because those are shit now too, thanks to all our 401(k)s and investments taking an Amelia Earhart nosedive into the abyss. Yet, somehow, throwing colored shells and bananas at each other on a racetrack that looks like a rainbow is somehow worth the extra $20 this time around because there are “other secrets” for layers to find. Okay, Bill. Whatever you say.
Let’s also not forget that Nintendo has a long and storied history of almost never discounting their physical games and rarely discounting their digital titles on the eShop. The original Switch has been around for nearly a decade now, and Breath of the Wild is still full price, as if it came out yesterday instead of during the Obama administration. Now, with the Switch 2, Nintendo’s not only holding that line — they’re jumping over it with a blue shell in hand and a receipt for $90 in many other countries.
And in case you were hoping it was just Mario Kart World playing the villain, think again. Reports are already confirming that $80+ price tags are the new normal for first-party Switch 2 exclusives. You like Zelda? You better really like Zelda. And Kirby, too.
Titles like Breath of the Wild are seeing a price bump to $70 for a barely noticeable frame rate bump while its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, is jumping up to a whopping $80. Same with Kirby, too. While Donkey Kong is sitting at $70, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is also getting the $80 treatment, according to some retailers like Wal-Mart. Keep in mind, these are US prices not including the tariff mark-up, so expect that price to be adjusted in the not-so-distant future.
Meanwhile, Doug Bowser — yes, that’s his actual last name, and yes, you’re allowed to groan — also confirmed to Wired that tariffs had nothing to do with this pricing either. This wasn’t a reaction to economic pressure. This was Nintendo staring you in the face, grinning like Wario, and saying, “Yeah, you’ll pay it. You always do.”
What makes it worse? Pre-orders for the US have been delayed, despite the release date still targeting June 5th. Why? Because Nintendo has to adjust the pricing to include tariff pricing before they allow Americans to take out a second mortgage to afford their console and use a Joy-Con like a cursor. Oh, but it still gets worse than that.
Now other publishers are watching this mess like vultures at a Golden Corral. If Nintendo can get away with charging $80 for Mario Kart, what’s stopping EA from slapping a $100 tag on FIFA 2026 just because they added three new animations and a licensed sock brand?
Isn’t Bowser such a fitting last name for the president of this company? Because only a video game villain would be this greedy—to think it’s okay to pull this kind of shit while the entire country watches their life savings and investments burn like Ventura County.
