There are major discounts on Splatoon Raiders and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, and the Switch 2 games aren't even out yet

Image of the Splatoon Raiders and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Switch 2 game boxes on a blue GamesRadar+ background. — (Image credit: Future/Nintendo)

I'm used to yapping on about the best cheap Nintendo Switch game deals well after their release dates have come and gone, but today's a little different.

Both Splatoon Raiders and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book have dropped to record low prices, but neither Nintendo Switch 2 game is even out yet. Quickly browsing the product pages on My Nintendo will unveil that both physical games have a $69.99 and $59.99 MSRP, but both are available for $59.88 (Amazon) and $49.94 (Amazon) once you add them to your online shopping cart. The best part? There's not a game key card in sight.

Games dropping in price just before their release date isn't revolutionary. I pre-order a ton of games, and with my years of hunting for the best gaming deals under my belt, I can typically find them at notable US and UK retailers for well below their MSRPs.Yet, it's still a bit of a rarity to see first-party Nintendo games drop this low, and way ahead of their intended release dates.

First-party Nintendo Switch games are known to carry that dreaded 'Nintendo Tax', which means discounts, if there are any at all, aren't expected until at least a month or two after launch. The most considerable ones can even take years to manifest, which is why I was flabbergasted to see a little over $10 off the physical version of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book when there's still a while to go until its May 21 launch date. At its current $59.88 price on Amazon, it's even cheaper than the digital equivalent, and that's taking on board the recent Nintendo digital price changes.

A screenshot from Splatoon Raiders' reveal trailer, showing three inklings sitting on what looks like a wooden fence and looking in amazement at the distance. — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Splatoon Raiders was already cheaper than your average new Nintendo game. Its full MSRP is just $59.99, and yet it's still got a $10 discount at Amazon. It's also the only Switch 2 game of the two to have its pre-order drop alongside a trio of new amiibo figures, so I'm much more interested in snagging this discount personally. That $10 can be put towards securing my little plastic Splatoon Raider amiibo set of Deep Cut, which launches the same day as the game but has no deals in sight.

If you want to check out the full breadth of discounts available for the two, I've rounded up the best Yoshi and the Mysterious Book pre-order deals and the best Splatoon Raider pre-order deals, which include any bonus gifts available. Yet, I recommend jumping on these Amazon price cuts if you care more about saving cash, as there's no telling if these prices are here to stay.

View all Nintendo Switch 2 game deals at Amazon

One of the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases would pair perfectly with these new games.

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Ever since I first held a NES controller in my hand I've been obsessed with gaming, and the hardware it runs on. I could hook up a NES and SNES to a telly, without instructions, before I could walk. Even now, nothing is more exciting then taking a console, or handheld, out the box for the first time and setting it up. This obsession transformed into a love of games and game music, which lead to my music degree and dream of becoming the Scottish Nobuo Uematsu. After sharing my love of games through music, I began to share my love through words on sites like TechRadar and iMore. This lead to becoming a Hardware staff writer for PCGamesN, and later the Senior Tech Writer for Dexerto, covering all things Steam Deck, PlayStation and Nintendo. With that experience, I was able to level up as Hardware Editor for GamesRadar+, where I'm still just as Nintendo, PlayStation and gaming tech obsessed as ever.