Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a selection of common Nintendo Switch price questions that people also ask:
Why is the Switch still so expensive?
Switch has been a runaway success for Nintendo since launching in March 2017, so the simple answer to "Why is Nintendo Switch still $300?" is that demand remains high! All the time the system is selling well, the company has no incentive to reduce Switch's RRP to stimulate interest.
Historically, Nintendo prefers to sell hardware at a decent profit, rather than breaking even (or making a loss, even) on system sales in the hope that the profit from software sales to a larger install base will compensate. Looking back, price cuts to Nintendo systems are very rare, with the company preferring to increase the value proposition over time through promotional hardware/software bundles.
TL;DR: Nintendo likes money, and a huge number of people are still prepared to pay full price for a Switch.
Why is every Switch game $60/£60?
It's the same story with software — demand for Nintendo games is high thanks to their quality, so Nintendo has little reason to discount them. Some games, most notably Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, retail for $70.
However, there are also smaller first-party Nintendo games such as WarioWare: Get It Together! that retail for $50 or lower, and there are plenty of cheap Nintendo Switch games on the eShop once you've got the system.
Will the Switch become cheaper?
It's not impossible that Nintendo could reduce the price of Switch, but looking at past systems, it seems unlikely. Nintendo typically prefers limited-time game/hardware bundles rather than reducing the MSRP of its hardware across the board.
Your best bet for finding a cheap(er) Switch is to look out for Switch bundle deals throughout the year.
Is there a monthly fee for Nintendo Switch?
If you want to play games online, you'll need a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. This subscription comes with other benefits besides enabling play over the internet — check out our Nintendo Switch Online guide for full details.
How many years will the Switch last?
Rumours suggest that a successor system will launch sometime in 2024, but Switch has built up a vast library of classic games since 2017 and there will be life left in it even after Nintendo's next console launches.
It's difficult to say exactly, but Nintendo will likely still be making new Switch games well into 2025, and other publishers will likely be releasing games for the system well beyond that, thanks to the huge number of Switches in the wild (over 129 million by August 2023).
Is Nintendo Switch being discontinued?
Not in the near future, no. Even if Nintendo launched a brand-new 'Switch 2' tomorrow, demand for the original Switch would still remain thanks to its library of great games and the huge number of people who are playing them.
Inevitably, Switch production will cease at some point in the future, but even once a successor launches, it will likely be several years before Nintendo discontinues manufacturing the current Switch. If the next system is backward-compatible with all Switch software, that might expedite the discontinuation of the current model — but until Nintendo confirms details about its next hardware, we can only speculate.
As a comparison point, production of the original Nintendo Entertainment System continued from launch in 1985 for a full 10 years. And the final Famicom — the original Japanese version of what would become the NES in the West — came off the production line in 2003, a full 30 years after its 1983 debut. Now, we're not suggesting that factories will still be pumping out new Switches in 2047(!), but history shows us that Nintendo won't be rushed into moving on from a good thing simply because it's 'old'.
TL;DR: Almost certainly not — not for several years, at least.
Is it worth buying a Switch in 2024?
If you like great video games, many of which (the Nintendo-developed ones specifically) can't be played elsewhere, absolutely! There's only one console where you'll find all the Mario, Zelda, Animal Crossing, Metroid, and Kirby games, and it's not a PS5 or Xbox.
Of course, we're a website called 'Nintendo Life' — we're huge Nintendo fans, so obviously we're going to recommend one of the company's greatest systems. When you look at the breadth and quality of Switch's evergreen software library, though, it's hard to argue that you shouldn't have a Switch in your life.
Hopefully, this guide has been helpful. If you're after more Nintendo Switch advice, check out our Switch software and hardware guides for more useful info.
