Nintendo Switch 2 Holds Price Line as Black Friday 2025 Game Discounts Surge

When Nintendo of America dropped its holiday promo details on November 15, 2025, gamers didn’t get the hardware price cut they hoped for — but they got something almost better: the deepest game discounts in years. The Redmond-based company confirmed the Nintendo Switch 2 would keep its launch price of $449.99, with the Mario Kart World bundle at $499.99, no changes. But here’s the twist: while the console stayed put, the games? They went on a fire sale.

Game Discounts Are the Real Star

Black Friday 2025 didn’t bring a cheaper Switch 2 — but it did bring game discounts that made the console feel like a steal. Starting at 6:00 AM Eastern Time on November 23, 2025, physical copies of Princess Peach: Showtime!, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe dropped to $40.00. By November 28, staples like Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo Switch Sports, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and Splatoon 3 were $30.00 — half their original price. These weren’t flash sales. These were deliberate, sustained discounts through the end of the holiday window.

On the digital side, the Nintendo eShop’s Cyber Deals kicked off at 12:01 AM Eastern Time on November 20, 2025, and run until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 3, 2025. Tears of the Kingdom — which normally costs $80 — dropped to $55.99. Animal Crossing: New Horizons fell to $25.00, with a free Switch 2 compatibility patch bundled in. Even Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza were slashed to $29.99 from $70. And yes, you read that right: Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition was available for $25.00 on December 1, 2025 — even though the official Switch 2 update with 4K visuals and 60 fps drops on December 2. A loophole? Maybe. A gift? Absolutely.

No Console Price Cuts — But Why That’s Okay

Some fans were disappointed. After all, the Nintendo Switch 2 launched on March 31, 2025, and now, just eight months later, Black Friday rolled around without a single hardware discount. But experts say that’s not a bad thing.

“Michael Rougeau, senior commerce editor at GamesRadar+, put it bluntly: ‘The console isn’t on sale. But the games? They’re at record-low prices.’”

That’s the real story. Nintendo’s strategy is clear: lock in the hardware price to preserve margins, then flood the market with value on software. And it’s working. Third-party accessories from HORI Co., Ltd. and PDP — cases, Pro Controllers, headsets — were described by Rougeau as having “sturdy savings,” even if exact numbers weren’t published. The message? Buy the console at MSRP. Save big on everything else.

Regional Timing Is a Maze — But Here’s the Map

If you’re outside the U.S., you’re dealing with a patchwork of cutoffs. The Nintendo eShop’s Cyber Deals end December 3 in North America. But in Australia and New Zealand? The sale ends November 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM AEDT/NZDT. That’s a full 72 hours earlier. Meanwhile, European digital sales follow the U.S. timeline, but physical store discounts vary by retailer.

Target Corporation, Walmart Inc., Best Buy Co., Inc., and Amazon.com Inc. all carried the same physical game discounts, but only in their U.S., Canadian, Australian, and European stores. Nintendo’s Australian regional site confirmed the earlier end date, likely to align with local holiday shopping cycles. If you’re in Europe, don’t wait until December 1 — the deals might vanish before Cyber Monday even arrives.

What About Accessories? And the Joy-Con Problem

Here’s the catch: if you’re upgrading from a classic Switch, you can’t just plug in your old Joy-Cons. The Nintendo Switch 2 requires new controllers with enhanced motion sensors. They retail at $79.99 — and no, they’re not discounted. Best Buy’s November 21 listing confirmed it. That’s a $160 hidden cost if you’re buying a new console and need two sets.

But the good news? Legacy accessories — docks, charging grips, screen protectors — still work. And if you’re buying a bundle, you get the new Joy-Cons included. That’s why the Mario Kart World bundle is still the smartest entry point. You get the console, the game, and the controllers — all for $50 less than buying them separately.

What’s Next? The Zelda Shadow and the Future

One glaring absence? No The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom discount details. Nintendo’s November 15 press release teased it as a “featured title,” but offered no numbers. That’s odd — especially since Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both saw massive post-launch drops. Could Nintendo be saving it for a later holiday push? Or is the game’s demand so high they don’t need to discount?

And what about next year? With no Legend of Zelda bundle announced, speculation is running wild. Will there be a Zelda-themed Switch 2 with special colorways? Will the next big title — rumored to be Metroid Prime 4 — arrive with a similar discount strategy? For now, the answer is: we wait.