We are slowly reaching the point where the question is no longer if there will be a price increase, but when.
Niko Partners, a research firm that provides data analysis and insights on the gaming industry in five regions (China, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa), has published its 2026 forecast, which lists ten trends important to consumers. This is not good news for those who have been putting off buying a Nintendo Switch 2. According to Niko, now is the best time to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 before Nintendo implements a global price increase on the new hybrid platform. The research firm states that increased tariffs, rising memory prices, and deteriorating macroeconomic conditions will cause global price increases for consoles in 2026. Nintendo will follow in the footsteps of Sony and Microsoft, who both raised prices after launching their consoles.
Niko’s forecast does not include the exact price consumers can expect. However, he adds that Nintendo may discontinue the $450 SKU and sell only bundles priced at $500 or higher. This would mean a price increase of at least $50. It should be noted that Nintendo’s latest statement on a possible Switch 2 price increase came in a recent interview. In the interview, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, said that the company needs to keep a close eye on the situation (we wrote about this earlier). Prior to that, in November, Furukawa told shareholders that the company expects the Switch 2’s price to remain unchanged unless there are significant changes in external factors, such as tariff assumptions or other unexpected events.
A price increase for the Nintendo Switch 2 is only a matter of time due to the tariffs imposed by the US government in April and the memory shortage. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating about an imminent Switch 2 Lite release, which could be a good compromise for those who want a Switch 2 but don’t want to pay $450 for it… unless the Switch 2 costs $500 and the Switch 2 Lite costs $450. (We’ve already written about this.)
Source: WCCFTech, Niko Partners
