Nintendo has announced that it is sunsetting Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers. The feature, originally launched in 2023, was available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. It involved allowing players to buy two game vouchers for $99.98; these vouchers could then be redeemed for specific games part of a special cataloueg.
The concept essentially revolved around allowing Nintendo Switch players to buy two games at a slightly discounted price, since games on the platform were traditionally priced at $59.99. At launch, the list of games available in the catalogue were first-party titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
As part of its cancellation announcement, Nintendo has stated that Switch Game Vouchers can only be purchased until January 30, 2026. Until then, however, all vouchers will work in the same way has they have done so far, including the full year’s worth of validity for a purchase.
At the time of publishing, games part of the Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers catalogue still largely include first-party titles. Some of the more recent games available in the catalogue are The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.
In its FAQ part of the service being discontinued, Nintendo has also noted that Game Vouchers that have already been purchased cannot have their validity deadlines changed. This means that, if you bought a Game Voucher in the last minutes before the service is discontinued, that Voucher will continue to be valid until January 30, 2027.
Nintendo has likely decided to discontinue the Game Voucher system because of the pricing of first-party games on the Switch 2 being quite a bit higher than the original Switch. Taking Nintendo’s plans to charge $80 for its games on the Switch 2 going forward, Game Vouchers for the system would have to likely be priced closer to $140 to allow for a similar discount.
This also means that the company will likely start slowing down on releasing titles for the original Switch, opting instead to focus on the growing userbase of its newer console.
Interestingly, just a month after the launch of the Switch 2, Nintendo had also announced that the pricing for the original Switch in Canada would be going up. The company explained that this was happening because of “market conditions”.
In the meantime, the company has also been enjoying a successful console launch, with the Switch 2 having sold 3.5 million units in its first four days alone. More complete sales data for the new console hasn’t yet been revealed. However, the figures we have seen courtesy of Circana analyst Mat Piscatella indicate that the Switch 2 has broken records for the US, dethroning the PS4 as the fastest-selling console ever.
The Switch 2 is currently priced at $449.99, with a special bundle that includes Mario Kart World being priced at $499.99. Since Mario Kart World on its own is priced at $79.99, the bundle allows fans to get the game along with the console at a discounted price.