Nintendo of America has announced Switch 2 exclusives will soon no longer cost the same price between their digital and physical versions.
In a March 25 news post, Nintendo explains, "Beginning in May 2026, and starting with preorders for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, new Nintendo published digital titles exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 will have an MSRP that is different from physical versions." It blames this change on "the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format," though many Nintendo games have had different prices for their physical and digital copies for a while now in places like Japan and the UK.
In any case, Nintendo assures US fans this new change in price actually benefits them, since it "offers players more choice in how they can buy and play Nintendo games." Plus, "Nintendo games offer the same experiences whether in packaged or digital format," so that's, you know… something.
The developer doesn't make a rule for what the exact price discrepancy between its physical and digital Switch 2 titles will be going forward, but Yoshi and the Mysterious Book – out May 21 – will cost $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical. Nintendo adds sheepishly in its news post, "As always, retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary."
But, based on prices in Japan and the UK, you can safely expect physical game editions to always cost more than their digital counterparts. This is what "more choice in how [we] can buy and play," as Nintendo says, looks like.
