Nintendo Switch 2 Sales Fall Sharply in Japan Following Price Hike
Nintendo raised the price of its Switch 2 console in Japan on May 25, increasing it from ¥49,980 ($312) to ¥59,980 ($374). The immediate impact was dramatic: the console sold just 31,751 units in the week following the increase, representing an 87% decline from the prior week’s 247,880 units. This sharp drop reflects consumers rushing to purchase before the price hike took effect.
Prior to the increase, the Switch 2 had been dominating the Japanese market, outselling the PS5 by more than 10:1 as buyers raced to beat the deadline. Once the price increase went into effect, this gap narrowed significantly. During the week of May 25-31, the Switch 2 sold 31,000 units compared to the PS5’s 8,000 units—still a substantial lead, but far less pronounced than before the hike.
The price adjustment made the Switch 2 more expensive than the PS5 in Japan, a reversal that may influence future sales dynamics in the region. The original Nintendo Switch also saw a steep decline, dropping from 2,731 units to just 229 units in the same week.
While price increases are scheduled to begin in Western markets (United States, Europe, and Canada) on September 1, Japan’s immediate implementation provided a real-time case study of how price elasticity affects consumer purchasing behavior. The data illustrates that strong pre-hike demand masked the potential sales sensitivity to the price increase once it took effect.