Nintendo raised the price of the Switch 2 in Japan on May 25, and the market responded almost immediately. According to the latest weekly hardware sales data compiled by Famitsu, the console dropped 87% in unit sales compared to the previous week, marking one of its worst performances since its original launch in June 2025.
The numbers are hard to ignore. The Japan-only region-locked Switch 2, the version sold everywhere in the country except Nintendo’s own online store, went from ¥49,980 to ¥59,980 on the day the increase took effect, a jump of roughly 10,000 yen. Consumers had clearly seen it coming and acted accordingly.
From 247,000 units to 31,000, in one week
In the three weeks leading up to the price hike, weekly Switch 2 sales in Japan had been climbing steadily, reaching 214,438 units, then 217,922, and finally 247,880 units in the last week before the increase. The pattern was unmistakable, shoppers were rushing to buy the console before the higher price kicked in.
Then came the week of May 25 to 31. Famitsu reported just 31,751 units sold across Japan, an 87% drop from the week before. The Switch 2 technically held on to the top spot on Japan’s hardware chart, but the contrast with the previous weeks was stark.
It’s worth noting that before Nintendo even announced the price adjustment, weekly sales had been sitting at a more modest 52,058, 44,280 and 45,825 units, so while 31,751 looks alarming next to the surge figures, it’s not dramatically far from what regular demand looked like before the news broke.
The original Nintendo Switch didn’t escape the turbulence either. The console moved just 229 units during that same week, compared to 2,731 the week prior, a number so small it barely registers on the chart.
Why Nintendo raised the price
Nintendo didn’t make this decision lightly, and the company was transparent about the reasoning behind it. Memory chip prices doubled in Q1 2026 alone compared to the previous quarter, with forecasts projecting a further 63% increase in the following quarter.
The shortage is being driven largely by cloud computing giants like Microsoft, Google and Amazon, which are buying DRAM at an enormous scale to fuel their AI infrastructure buildout, effectively outbidding gaming hardware manufacturers for production capacity at the same foundries.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa addressed the situation directly with shareholders. “We sincerely apologize to our customers for the considerable inconvenience and trouble this will cause,” he said. “While we wanted to prioritize a wide adoption, it was challenging to bear the rising costs over a long period.”
Furukawa also acknowledged that the price increase wouldn’t fully cover all of the cost pressures Nintendo is absorbing, meaning the company is still taking a hit even after the adjustment.
Nintendo isn’t the only one navigating this reality. Sony had already raised PlayStation 5 prices by up to $150 in March 2026, citing the same macroeconomic pressures, rising component costs, unfavorable exchange rates and persistent inflation. The entire console hardware market is being squeezed, and both companies are passing a portion of those costs on to consumers rather than watching their margins erode indefinitely.
What this means going forward
Japan was first to feel the impact, but it won’t be the last market affected. Players in the United States, Canada and Europe are looking at a price increase effective September 1, 2026, when the Switch 2 will rise to $499.99 in the US. If Japan’s pre-hike surge is any indicator, expect a similar wave of buying activity in Western markets as that date approaches.
Despite the dramatic weekly drop, Nintendo’s Switch 2 lifetime sales in Japan currently stand at approximately 5.86 million units, a solid figure for a console that just passed its first anniversary.
The 87% single-week decline is jarring, but it needs to be read in context: the weeks immediately before the hike were artificially inflated by consumers stockpiling ahead of the increase. Some analysts have already described the current slowdown as the market catching its breath rather than a sign of weakening long-term demand.
Furukawa has been clear about how Nintendo plans to keep momentum going despite the higher price point. “We will prepare a robust software line-up to enhance the Switch 2 ownership value,” he stated. “We will work diligently to overcome this barrier.”
The upcoming release calendar backs that up, Star Fox launching June 25th, Splatoon Raiders arrives July 23rd, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book already hit shelves in May. Whether that lineup is enough to pull hesitant buyers back in at the new price will be one of the defining stories of the Switch 2’s second year.
What do you think, is the price hike enough to make you think twice about picking up a Switch 2, or are you in regardless? Tell us in the comments!