By Although the Nintendo Switch 2 hasn’t even passed its third month on the market, a few Switch 2 titles are already showing lower price tags. In an era when Nintendo hardware keeps climbing in cost, this trend feels like a breath of fresh air—yet a couple of caveats remain.
First off, the markdowns aren’t targeting Nintendo’s own flagship offerings. Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are still locked at their launch MSRP, which isn’t surprising given their freshness. Secondly, the reductions are primarily aimed at Game-Key Card editions and boxed digital voucher releases—formats that aren’t universally loved.
If you’re indifferent to whether the entire game sits on the cartridge and simply want to pocket savings, hang tight while I scroll every current discount I could unearth.
Are Switch 2 Game-Key Cards worth picking up?
Game-Key Cards debuted alongside the Switch 2 era, and reception has been mixed. Physically, they look identical to standard game cartridges—same size, same shape—but they don’t store the entire experience. Instead, they function as a physical “key,” unlocking and authorizing the full digital download.
In practice, you’re essentially buying a download code housed inside a tiny plastic shell. That means you still need sufficient system storage and an internet connection to pull down the final payload, erasing some of the portability perks that traditional cartridges provide.
For collectors like me, that trade-off feels awkward. My copy of No Sleep for Kaname Date is a Game-Key Card, and it nags at me because I know there’s a bona-fide cartridge for the original Switch. Sure, I could resell the key or lend it in theory, yet I’d rather pop in a single cart that holds every byte on the spot.
If that mirrors your stance, most of the bargains I list down below won’t pique your interest—and that’s fine. In select cases you can still snag the first-gen Switch version (Civilization VII, for instance) for $77.79 on Amazon, then complete the Switch 2 enhancement through the eShop and retain the best of both realms. Anyhow, limited though these Game-Key Card price drops may be, they’re a welcome respite while console sticker shock dominates the news cycle.
- Browse every discounted Switch 2 game via Amazon
- Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A Bundle: $499 at Walmart
- Donkey Kong Bananza: $69 on Amazon
- Mario Kart World: