Switch 2 Price Goes Up September 1: What to Do Before and After
Nintendo has officially announced that the US price of the Switch 2 system rises from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026. That gives buyers a dated window, and it changes the new-versus-used math on the day it lands.
The short answer
Buy new before September 1 if you were going to buy anyway: Nintendo's official announcement raises the US MSRP of the Switch 2 system from $449.99 to $499.99 on that date, so purchasing before the deadline locks in the lower price. After September 1, a clean used or refurbished unit becomes the value play, since the used market is mature (the console launched in June 2025 and had shipped 23.68 million units by June 30, 2026) and used prices are set against the new price.
What Nintendo Announced
This is not a rumor. Nintendo of America published a price revision notice stating that the manufacturer's suggested retail price of the Nintendo Switch 2 system in the United States moves from $449.99 to $499.99 beginning September 1, 2026.
The announcement covers the system itself. Whether individual retailers, bundles, games, or accessories move with it is up to those listings, so check the price on the shelf rather than assuming either way.
Before September 1: New Wins
If a Switch 2 purchase was already in your plans, the decision is unusually easy: buying new before the deadline saves $50 against the same console a week later, and a brand-new unit carries the full warranty with zero condition risk.
Through August 31, Nintendo's Choose Your Game bundle has also been selling the console with a download code for one first-party title at $499.99. If one of the bundled games is on your list anyway, that is effectively the new price with a game thrown in, and it disappears when the price revision takes effect.
After September 1: The Used Math Flips
Once new stock lists at $499.99, every clean used and refurbished unit is competing against a higher anchor. The used supply is deep: the console has been on sale since June 2025 and has sold in the tens of millions, so listings are plentiful and condition-graded refurbished units are easy to find.
Our guidance on choosing between them is in the new versus refurbished consoles guide: confirm the unit is not account-locked, can be factory reset, and comes from a seller with a real return window. A used console that fails any of those tests is not a deal at any discount.
What This Does Not Change
A price rise on new hardware does not make old listings retroactively cheap. Expect asking prices on used units to drift up toward the new anchor over the following weeks, which is exactly why the window before September 1 matters: it is the last stretch where the new price and the used market are both set against $449.99.
It also does not change what the console is. If you were not planning to buy, a deadline is not a reason to start. The $50 delta is real but it is not a reason to buy hardware you did not want.
Prices & references in this guide
Frequently asked questions
- How much will the Switch 2 cost after September 1, 2026?
- Per Nintendo's official price revision notice, the US manufacturer's suggested retail price of the Switch 2 system rises from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026. Retailer prices can vary around MSRP, so check current listings.
- Should I buy a Switch 2 before the price increase?
- If you were already planning to buy, yes: buying new before September 1 saves $50 against the identical console afterward. If you were not planning to buy, the deadline alone is not a reason to.
- Is a used Switch 2 a good buy after the price rise?
- It becomes the value play. The used market is mature, the console launched in June 2025 and had shipped 23.68 million units by mid-2026, and used prices sit below whatever new stock anchors at. Verify the unit is not account-locked, factory resets cleanly, and has a real return window.
- Are Switch 2 games and accessories going up too?
- Nintendo's announcement covered the system itself. Games, accessories, and retailer bundles are priced separately, so treat any change there as listing-by-listing rather than assuming a blanket increase.