1. The Legend of Zelda
2. Mario
3. Pokemon
4. Metroid
5. Splatoon
6. Kirby
7. Animal Crossing
8. Smash Bros.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 closer than ever, it’s an especially interesting time for cheap Nintendo Switch game sales. Even with its successor on the horizon, Nintendo has been dropping not just brand-new games for the handheld, but also some worthwhile sales along with them.
Whether you've just grabbed one of the best Nintendo Switch bundles or the lowest Nintendo Switch Lite price, there's plenty of time to build up that Ninty game collection. Nintendo's policy on pricing means that even older games very rarely see price drops, if at all. However, now that launch titles have passed their eighth birthdays, we are seeing more and more price drops across the catalog, and even debut discounts drop just months after brand-new releases on everything from The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom to Mario and Luigi Brothership.
Of course, Switch game mainstays like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario Odyssey, and Tears of the Kingdom all see regular discounts of their own. And now we know the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, you should be able to play the lot on the upcoming handheld too. It may seem cliched, but there really is something for everyone, and now thanks to cheap Nintendo Switch game sales you don't even need to break the bank to pick up any games you missed along the handheld's on-going lifespan.
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
MSRP: $69.99 / £59.99
Acting as a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom launched globally in May 2023 and once again, the Zelda series took the world by storm. With 10 million sales in the first three days of release, everybody wants to know what's happening in the land of Hyrule. Nintendo also used the title to raise the price of its first-party games by $10. While it's still quite early for major discounts, we have seen some offers that reduce the price to $59.99/£49.99. It will be some time before it drops further than that.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD has been incredibly successful since release in summer 2021. Another in a string of Wii U and Wii ports to the Switch console, the HD remaster of the classic title combines traditional gamepad controls with motion gameplay while also offering up excellent new visuals.
While an incredibly popular release, there have still been rare Nintendo Switch game deals on this particular title. Day to day sales won't save you much cash, so if you do spot a price below MSRP below you're still getting an excellent price, but we have seen as much as $10 off that cost in the US in previous flash sales.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
If you missed The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening the first time around when it landed in the early 1990s, don't make the same mistake now - grab it and experience a slice of gaming history.
Since release in 2019, Link's Awakening has seen its fair share of discounts. We've seen it take larger discounts than other Nintendo Switch games in the US, down as low as $35 in the last year or so. However, the UK is still stuck at the standard sales price of £39.99 that we've come to expect.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
MSRP: $59.99 / £59.99
This franchise has always been known for its sense of adventure, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes that to the next level with an enormous open world, crafting mechanics, and a whole lot more than we have room to discuss here. What's more, a unique technological spin on the series helps this entry feel entirely unique.
This gem simply didn't see any deals in its first few years of life, but has since started trickling down in price. This is a particularly new development, though, with offers only really becoming available from the middle of 2021.
Since then, though, we've seen record low prices in the $40 region, and sometimes even dropping down to $35.99. The UK has also seen similar savings, with the higher £59.99 RRP giving way to a £49.99 sales price in recent months. It's time to check out Nintendo Switch chargers, though, because this one's a battery drainer.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
MSRP: $59.99 / £59.99
The Legend of Zelda series has been around for almost 40 years but it wasn't until The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom that we finally got to see the Princess take over the role as the playable protagonist.
Instead of depending solely on combat, the Princess is equipped with her new friend Tri and the Tri Rod, and can create copies or 'echoes' of objects and monsters to solve puzzles and save the resident of Hyrule in Link's absence.
Echoes of Wisdom got its debut discount shortly after launch, getting 8% knocked off its MSRP in October 2024. With one of the biggest sales events right around the corner, the game saw its price drop to just $49.99 during Black Friday. If a major sale is running, you'll likely see Echoes of Wisdom among the other discounted Switch games.
Mario
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope followed the original turn-based tactics crossover in 2022, dodging and diving onto the shelves at $59.99 / £49.99. If things continue the way they did for the first release, we'll see that price tag quickly shift downwards as Nintendo Switch game deals gather more steam. This is also one to watch out for in particularly cheap bundles as well.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Super Mario 3D World never really got a fair shot on Wii U, which is why Nintendo has brought it back, patched it up with some smooth improvements, and packaged it with a new Bowser's Fury expansion as well. The result is an excellent Nintendo Switch game in its own right, but one that offers particularly strong value considering its propensity for discounts.
Because this is a Wii U port, we saw $10 / £10 discounts hitting the title remarkably quickly. While those savings haven't been improved upon since those early launch deals, there are still excellent prices out there considering this is such a hallmark release.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Super Mario 3D All-Stars offers three of the plumber's most iconic adventures from the last 20 years; Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. That means you're getting three games for the price of one here.
That said, we don't see too many Nintendo Switch game sales hitting this particular title. In the year since its release, it's dropped down to $52 a handful of times in the US and only briefly dropping £5 from the price in the UK. Since the March 2021 'deadline' for this game's release we've seen even fewer discounts, with prices sometimes actually increasing in the UK as well. Needless to say, any savings off that MSRP in the price comparison below is worth jumping on.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Paper Mario: The Origami King is an older 2020 release, but it's still regularly found at its MSRP. Still, this is one of the first titles to be included in sale events so if you are hunting at a particularly deals-heavy moment you could well be in luck. We regularly see it for around $10 / £10 off day to day, but those discounts can climb during major holidays.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
If you have a Switch, you need Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It takes everything that works about the series and hones it down into the best version yet, resulting in a fantastic racing game that you can enjoy alone or with friends and family.
This is a canon release, which means it took a little longer to start seeing some price drops. However, with four years on the market we're finally enjoying regular Nintendo Switch game deals on Mario Kart 8. We've seen as much as $25 off this game in the past, down to $35, but that was a particularly brief sale - you'll usually find it for $49.99 / £39.99. Be sure to grab an extra Nintendo Switch controller, though, because this is best enjoyed with friends.
Super Mario Odyssey
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
As one of the first games released for the system, Super Mario Odyssey has spent some considerable time on the shelves. It's only in the last year and a half that we've been seeing Nintendo Switch game deals on this particular title, though, dropping down to $35 / £36.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
The latest installment of the Mario & Luigi RPG series, Mario & Luigi: Brothership brings back some of the original Alpha Dream development team, the turn-based combat and humor that made the previous games so special. In this new adventure, our favorite mustached brothers have set sail to a land called Concordia, set to bring its connected islands together again.
Brothership was released at the tail end of the Switch's lifespan, and despite Ninty's track record with discounts, it did see its first price drop shortly after its release in November 2024. Since then, it's likely you'll see some cash off the RPG during the biggest and most notable sales events of the year.
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the latest iterations in the Pokemon series, first launching in November 2022. Since then we've seen some generous discounts in the UK – especially considering the games have not even been out a month – reduced to below £40 at places like ShopTo.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Pokemon Legends Arceus does things a little differently, but it's no stranger to discounts. We've seen as much as $20 / £20 off this adventure title since it launched back in 2022 - that's excellent considering it's still a relatively recent title.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Nintendo has reimagined Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl for its current generation, bringing the Sinnoh region back to our handhelds in turbo-charging the Underground at the same time. Now that this game has been out in the wild for a little while, we're starting to see prices trickle down. US retailers have been hovering between the $40-$45 mark recently, and you may be able to find a £30 sales price in the UK if you're lucky. There's plenty to do and see here, but if you're looking to save some cash you'll find all the lowest prices from around the web just below - starting with Brilliant Diamond.
Nintendo Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu/Let's Go, Eevee
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Pokemon Let's GO Eevee originally launched with the Pokeball Plus, a Pokeball-shaped Switch accessory that could be used in replacement of a typical Joy-Con controller. These days it's harder to come by the version with the Pokeball controller, but if you want to keep cost lower, you can still grab the standalone physical version of both the Pikachu and Eevee versions of the game.
Metroid
Metroid Prime Remastered
MSRP: $39.99 / £34.99
A surprise shadow drop in February 2023 saw the much Metroid Prime return to a Nintendo console for the first time since the GameCube back in 2002. Now rebuilt from the ground up, this action adventure holds up admirably well and even has a reasonable asking price. Even more so, when most consider it more of a remake than a remaster. We've seen it drop below the $30 mark already too. So whether you've visited Tallon IV in the past, or wish to explore its depths for the very first time, the Nintendo Switch is now the essential place to play one of the best games, arguably, ever.
Metroid Dread
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Metroid Dread stormed onto the shelves in late 2021, alongside the new OLED console. Since picking up its fair share of awards and widespread acclaim, the $59.99 / £49.99 price tag on this classic platformer has since buckled. We did spot a few cents off the launch price in the months since launch, but things have dropped down as low as $40 / £30 since then.
Splatoon
Splatoon 3
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Splatoon 3 launched in September 2022, and we quickly saw that $59.99 / £49.99 MSRP trickling down in its first few months on the shelves. While discounts are still difficult to come by, you're more likely to see numbers around $50 / £35 during sale events these days.
Kirby
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
Kirby and the Forgotten Land rolled onto the shelves in late March, and while we're yet to see any significant discounts in the US, UK players have enjoyed discounts of up to £10 on that original £49.99 RRP. That means any savings spotted in the price comparison chart below are going to be well worth your while, but any that drop further than £39.99 in the UK are going to be extremely rare.
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
MSRP: $59.99 / £49.99
New Horizons breaks ground by giving you an island to make over. After arriving on the shores of an uninhabited wilderness, you have the opportunity to pitch your tent and start an all-new settlement like a much friendlier survival documentary. Don't worry, though - all your favourite characters such as Tom Nook, KK Slider, and Isabelle are still along for the ride.
While slow to take off, we now regularly see cheap Nintendo Switch game deals on this particular title, with a $25 discount down to $35 in the US and a £39 price in the UK.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
MSRP: $59.99 / £59.99
It's easy to forget how revolutionary Smash Bros. was back in the day; it flips the idea of a fighting game on its head to great effect thanks to a diverse roster of fighters and a system where you have to build up damage rather than chipping away at a health bar. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a good reminder, and it's another classic that'll almost certainly stand the test of time.
Ultimate somehow makes this 20-year series feel fresh. It's exceptionally polished and more than capable of balancing 70+ characters, resulting in Smash at its best.
Even though this is another older release, we're still yet to see any major Nintendo Switch game sales hitting its price tag. That's likely due to the ongoing support for the title, but with an end date set on new fighters, we may see more discounts in the next few months. The cheapest we've seen this game is $49.99 / £47.99.
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem Engage
MSRP: $59.99 / £59.99
Fire Emblem Engage launched in 2023, yet only saw its biggest drops in price the following year. Typically, you can expect to see the last installment in the Fire Emblem series sit around its full price, as, like with other major Nintendo releases, discounts can be a rarity. However, we've still spotted a $10 / £10 discount here and there for the tactical RPG.
Fire Emblem Three Houses
MSRP: $62.99 / £49.99
Fire Emblem Three Houses marked the first major game in the series to launch on the Nintendo Switch handheld, and even six years later, it's still arguably one of the best experiences to have on the Ninty handheld. Despite its age, the game is still typically seen at full price, similar to Engage. However, occasionally you can find small $10 / £10 price drops if you look hard enough.
Where to find more cheap Nintendo Switch game sales
If you haven't spotted the game you're after in our round up, it's worth checking the retailers below. These are stores that offer regular cheap Nintendo Switch game deals, with some excellent prices up for grabs.
US:
- Amazon: regular discounts available but often hidden behind cart
- Best Buy: $10 or more off a massive range of titles
- Gamestop: regular discounts on pre-owned titles and merch
- Walmart: sometimes has record low prices on older titles
UK
- Amazon: great prices and speedy Prime delivery
- Argos: bundle deals and same day delivery sometimes available
- Currys: some of the lowest prices around and with regular promo codes
- Game: excellent pre-owned deals and free gifts
- Very: regularly price matches other retailers
Cheap Nintendo Switch game sales FAQ
How much are Nintendo Switch games?
Nintendo Switch games typically launch at $59.99 / £49.99, and stay there for a while. Deals often drop these games to $51 in the US, but in the UK we regularly see games hitting £36.99 a few months after launch.
Are Nintendo Switch games compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2?
During the first official look at the Nintendo Switch successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, it was confirmed that the upcoming handheld will be compatible with both digital and physical existing Switch games - although with some 'limitations.'
We can speculate that some physical game carts, and some mechanics in them, may not be playable. However, we won't know more until Nintendo reveals further details at a later date. In the meantime, picking up current switch games physically is still recommended, as not only do you get to experience some great games, but it's likely anything you missed will still be playable down the line.
Can you get free Nintendo Switch games?
Nintendo Switch has plenty of free games like your classic free-to-play Fortnite, Rocket League, and Apex Legends. However, you can also play free Nintendo Switch games using a Nintendo Switch Online membership, which provides access to a whole roster of NES and SNES titles. You'll have to pay a little extra for the new selection of N64 titles. Or, you can always try new Nintendo Switch games for free with the eShop's wide range of demo downloads.
Why are Nintendo Switch games expensive?
Nintendo Switch games typically aren't any more expensive than PS5 or Xbox Series X releases. However, they often feel pricier because Nintendo Switch game deals on new releases are rare. These games often have to spend months on the market before they see a saving, contrary to the $20 or $30 you can often save on a new PlayStation or Microsoft release.
Want more deals on Nintendo essentials? Don't forget to check out our guide on the best Nintendo Switch accessories - it's frequently updated with the latest offers on essentials like the Nintendo Switch SD cards, and the best case for Nintendo Switch.
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