Nintendo First-Party Digital Editions Will Be Cheaper than Physical from May 2026

Just days after it was revealed that Nintendo would be cutting Switch 2 production by as much as a third, Nintendo USA has confirmed that it will be changing its pricing structure for Switch 2 exclusives, specifically relating to the digital editions. As of May 2026, digital versions of Switch 2 exclusive games will cost less than the physical versions, and the first game to receive the new pricing structure is Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which retails at $59.99 for the digital version and $69.99 for the physical version.

As one might expect, Nintendo blames the increased cost of physical games on the cost of distribution, with physical media obviously requiring physical logistics channels and additional physical packaging and storage media, which increases costs. Nintendo’s wording, which refers specifically to “new Nintendo published digital titles,” suggests that this pricing change will not apply retroactively, at least not initially, suggesting that games like Pokémon Pokopia will still cost $69.99, regardless of whether they’re physical or digital versions.

Nintendo’s full statement on pricing reads:

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.

Nintendo games offer the same experiences whether in packaged or digital format, and this change simply reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format and offers players more choice in how they can buy and play Nintendo games.

As always, retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary.