Nintendo just put its Black Friday cards on the table, and the headline is simple: starting Nov. 22, the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle drops to $499.99 and stays there through Dec. 5. That’s $50 off the bundle’s current price, and it comes with a full digital copy of Mario Kart World plus a three-month Nintendo Switch Online Individual membership.
On top of that, a handful of first-party games get $20 knocked off at major retailers for one week, and a separate eShop sale opens a few days earlier. Nintendo laid it all out in an official announcement on Nov. 12, and it’s a solid holiday lineup. It also deserves an honest asterisk, which I’ll get to.
Here’s the full schedule, because the dates don’t all line up and that matters if you’re planning purchases:
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle, $499.99: Nov. 22 through Dec. 5, while supplies last, at participating retailers, the Nintendo Store website, and the Nintendo New York and Nintendo San Francisco stores.
- $20 off select physical games: Nov. 22 through Nov. 29 at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Walmart, plus both Nintendo US stores.
- Digital sale: Nov. 19 through Dec. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT on the Nintendo eShop, the Nintendo Store website and the Nintendo Store app.
The physical discounts cover Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, and Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, along with the original Switch versions of Super Mario Party Jamboree and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Nintendo’s own promo art for the sale says select games start at $39.99 each. For the digital sale, Nintendo’s announcement only says “select digital games,” so check the eShop on Nov. 19 to see exactly what’s included before you assume your wishlist made the cut.
The “sale” is really a return to 2025 pricing
This is the part worth being clear-eyed about. Back in May, Nintendo announced that the U.S. price of the Switch 2 would go from $449.99 to $499.99 on Sept. 1, 2026, pointing to “changes in market conditions” that it expects to last over the medium to long term. Nintendo’s corporate notice listed matching increases in Canada and Europe too. Coverage at the time, including from the BBC and CNBC, tied the move to the memory and storage price crunch that AI data center demand has created, along with tariff pressure.
So the Mario Kart World bundle has been sitting at $549.99, as GamesRadar+ and GameSpot both point out. Knock off $50 and you land at $499.99, which is exactly what the same bundle cost when the Switch 2 launched last year. In other words, Black Friday doesn’t make the Switch 2 cheaper than it has ever been. It temporarily undoes this year’s price hike for one specific bundle.
That said, the math is still genuinely good if you were going to buy a Switch 2 anyway. The console alone is $499.99 now, and the Nintendo Store lists Mario Kart World at $79.99. During the promo window, the bundle costs the same as the bare console, so the game and three months of online play are effectively thrown in. Add the console, the game and the roughly $8 three-month membership separately and you’re close to $588, so the bundle saves you about $88 compared with buying the pieces one by one.
A few caveats. The included membership is an Individual plan, not a Family plan, so it won’t cover a household of Switch players. The deal runs “while supplies last,” which in Nintendo-speak can mean certain stores sell out well before Dec. 5. And the other hardware option, the $529.99 Switch 2 + Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Bundle, appears in Nintendo’s holiday lineup but isn’t getting a Black Friday cut. If you don’t care about Mario Kart, there’s no special console deal for you this year.
What’s worth grabbing
If you already own a Switch 2, the physical game discounts are the real story, and the timing is tighter: Nov. 22 through Nov. 29 only. Donkey Kong Bananza is the obvious pick for anyone who skipped it at full price, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond getting a cut is nice for Metroid fans who want to catch up before the upcoming Metroid Ravenous, which Nintendo says is available for pre-order now. Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the one I’d point original Switch owners toward, since it plays on both the original Switch and Switch 2.
Retail timing also matters here. Nintendo’s official window is Nov. 22 onward, and retailer promotions like gift cards with purchase can show up outside Nintendo’s announcement, so it’s worth comparing the bundle price against what Target, Walmart and Best Buy are adding on top before you check out.
Nintendo is also timing all of this alongside a busy release slate. Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy launched today, adding improved visuals, voice commands for Oatchi through the Switch 2’s microphone and a set of 72 Dandori Academy challenge stages that roll out over time, according to Nintendo’s launch post. Owners of the original game can buy an upgrade pack instead of the full release. Nintendo’s Black Friday post also name-checks the recently released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 as part of its holiday pitch.
Cody’s take
I grew up in the PS2 era, when a holiday console bundle with a big pack-in game felt like the best possible deal, so I get the appeal here. A Switch 2 with Mario Kart World for the price of the console alone is a strong holiday gift, especially for families who were going to buy the game on day one anyway.
But I don’t want to oversell it. This is Nintendo bringing one bundle back to its 2025 launch price for two weeks, not cutting the console’s price. If you’ve been waiting for a real Switch 2 price drop, this isn’t it, and with memory costs still pushing hardware prices up across the industry, I wouldn’t count on one soon. If you want a Switch 2 this year and you’re fine with Mario Kart, Nov. 22 through Dec. 5 is the window to buy. If you already have the console, circle Nov. 19 for the eShop sale and Nov. 22 through Nov. 29 for those $20 physical discounts, and don’t wait until the last day.
Featured image: Image: Nintendo.
