I've been a Zelda fan for over 30 years, here's why I would avoid the Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition this Prime Day

Photo by Rosalie Newcombe of Tears of the Kingdom running on the Nintendo Switch 2, with the box sitting to the side.
(Image credit: Future/Rosalie Newcombe)

If you were considering picking up the Switch 2 Edition games amongst the best Amazon Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals this week, I highly recommend that you don't.

As a hard-core Zelda fan, I never thought I'd be telling someone not to grab a Zelda game, but here me out - you can save a lot more by grabbing the older Switch version Tears of the Kingdom for $47.99 at Woot right now instead.

I get the allure of having a Nintendo Switch 2 box sitting on your shelf, especially as someone who has an entire shrine in their office for the incredible Ninty game series, don't get me wrong. But this Prime Day, grabbing the original Switch version is still a better deal - and I'm here to tell you why.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom|$69.99$47.99 at WootSave $22

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | $69.99 $47.99 at Woot
Save $22
- Amazon's Woot is also getting in on the deals this week, as Tears of the Kingdom is down to just $47.99 right now. If you had your eyes on the Switch 2 Edition instead, remember you can pick this up and get access to the upgrade pack as part of your Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership for no additional cost.

UK: £42.99 at Amazon

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Tears of the Kingdom doesn't come cheap, and the upgraded version of the incredible open-world sequel will cost you $79.99 at Best Buy and other US retailers. If you're desperate to see a Switch 2 spine on your shelf, I'm not gonna stop you from picking it up for your brand-new handheld, but if you want to save some cash, it's not your best option.

The original Switch copy of Tears of the Kingdom is down to $47.99 at Woot this week, saving you $22 of its $69.99 MSRP. On its own, this is a great deal as it's not only the lowest I've spotted for the game so far, but as most of Ninty fans are aware, it and the rest of the first-party games rarely see decent savings like it.

However, it's where the upgrade pack comes in that truly makes grabbing the older game still worthwhile. If you happen to be a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member, you can get the Tears of the Kingdom upgrade pack at no additional cost. That means you can still get the Switch 2 Edition, but instead of forking out $79.99, it'll cost you $47.99 with this current Amazon Woot deal.

Photo of Mario jumping between copies of Super Mario Jamboree and Tears of the Kingdom on the Nintendo Switch, taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe.

(Image credit: Future/Rosalie Newcombe)

Again, it means you'll have an older Switch game box sitting on your shelf, but if you don't really care about that, then there's no real loss.

If you aren't a paying NSO Expansion Pack member, even paying for the upgrade pack separately is still cheaper than the Switch 2 Edition of the game. Right now, you can grab the upgrade pack for $9.99 at Amazon, or buy it directly through the Switch 2 eShop, and together that'll just cost you $57.98 - so you're still saving $22 using this method.

This doesn't just apply to Tears of the Kingdom either. Right now, you can grab Super Mario Bros Jamboree for $44.99 at Woot, which saves you $15 off its MSRP. It's Switch 2 upgrade pack is available to pre-order for $19.99 at Amazon, and taht $64.98 total is still cheaper than the $79.99 MSRP of Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV.

More Nintendo Switch game deals...

On the hunt for some more Prime Day gaming deals? Check out our hubs for the best Prime Day PS5 deals, the best PC Prime Day deals, and the best Prime Day gaming laptop deals for a ton of record-low savings until July 11.

Rosalie Newcombe
Hardware Editor

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.

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