Nintendo Just Cut Prices on 12 Games, But Only Until Sunday

Nintendo rarely discounts its first-party games. That's not an opinion — it's practically company policy. Games like *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* and *The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom* have held steady at $59.99 for years, with only occasional, modest dips. So when Nintendo quietly knocks real money off a dozen titles at once, deal hunters should pay attention. The current eShop sale runs through Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PT, and it covers some of the biggest names in the Switch library. If you've been waiting for a reason to finally hit "buy," this may be it. **The Headline Deals** The standout is *The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom* at $41.99, down from $69.99. That's roughly 40% off a game that almost never drops below full price. It's the lowest price we've seen on Nintendo's 2023 blockbuster, and if you skipped it at launch, this is the moment. *Super Mario Bros. Wonder* is down to $39.99 from $59.99, and *Pikmin 4* sits at $41.99. Both are first-party titles that typically resist discounting. *Splatoon 3* drops to $41.99, and *Kirby and the Forgotten Land* hits $39.99. On the slightly older side, *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* is $39.99, *Animal Crossing: New Horizons* is $39.99, and *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* is $41.99. These are decade-old-ish staples, but they still sell at nearly full price most of the year, so a $20 savings is genuinely rare. **How to Stack Your Savings** Before you check out, a few money-saving moves: - **Buy digital gift cards at a discount.** Sites like Costco and Sam's Club often sell eShop credit below face value — sometimes $45 for $50. That's an instant 10% off on top of the sale. - **Check your Gold Points.** Nintendo gives you points on every digital purchase, worth 1% back. If you've been buying digitally for years, you may have a few dollars sitting in your account. - **Compare retailer prices.** Amazon and Walmart sometimes match or beat eShop sales on physical copies, and physical games can be resold later. Do a quick search before committing. - **Skip the bundle trap.** Nintendo sometimes bundles a game with DLC at a "discount" that's actually worse than buying the base game on sale and the DLC separately. Read the fine print. **What's Not on Sale** Temper your expectations. *Super Mario Party Jamboree* and the newest *Pokémon* titles aren't part of this round. Neither is *Metroid Prime 4* — it's not out yet. And Nintendo Switch Online memberships aren't discounted here, though those occasionally go on sale through third-party retailers. **The Clock Is Ticking** These sales are digital, so there's no stock to run out — but the prices revert Monday morning. If you've had a game on your wishlist for months, waiting another cycle could mean paying $60 again. Nintendo's discount windows are short and unpredictable. One more thing: if you own a Switch 2, most of these titles are backward compatible, so your purchase carries forward. That takes some of the sting out of buying late in the console's life. **Our Take** Nintendo's refusal to discount is frustrating, but it's also why these sales actually mean something. A $28 drop on *Tears of the Kingdom* is real money — roughly the cost of a decent lunch, or a month of a streaming service. If you've been circling a title for a year, this is a reasonable excuse to stop circling. Just don't let the countdown pressure you into buying something you'll never finish.