How Much Did the Nintendo Switch Cost at Launch?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The Nintendo Switch launch price was $299.99 in the United States when it launched worldwide on March 3, 2017. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $414.59 in September 2026 money, roughly 1.4 times the original price.
Think you know where it came from? Test yourself before you read on: play this question in Price Time Machine.
Play this question: where was it designed, and what did it cost? →
Nintendo Switch at a glance
- US launch price
- $299.99
- In today’s money
- ≈ $414.59March 2017 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- March 3, 2017
- Where it was designed
- Kyoto, JapanDesigned by Nintendo in Kyoto, Japan.
- Category
- Gaming & tech
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
A console whose price went up
Consoles usually get cheaper as they age. The Switch did the opposite in America: on August 3, 2025, Nintendo raised the US price of the Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED by about $50, blaming new tariffs.
At launch it cost ¥29,980 in Japan, £279.99 in the UK and A$469.95 in Australia. One teardown firm estimated that each console cost about $257 to make.
The Nintendo Switch launch price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 2017. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original Nintendo Switch launch price of $299.99 works out at about $414.59 in September 2026 money, around 1.4 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the Nintendo Switch sells for second-hand.
Where was the Nintendo Switch designed?
Nintendo designed it in Kyoto, Japan. It was unveiled on October 20, 2016, after the Wii U had sold poorly. Its processor was based on Nvidia’s Tegra chips, which made it easier for other companies to make games for it.
Nintendo Switch facts you might not know
- It is a hybrid: the tablet can be docked and played on a TV, or used as a handheld.
- The two Joy-Con controllers can be used as one controller or by two players.
- Games come on cartridges, the first major Nintendo home console to use them since the Nintendo 64.
- With more than 155 million shipped by December 2025, it is the best-selling Nintendo console and second only to the PlayStation 2.
- The Switch Lite (2019) and an OLED model (2021) followed, and the Nintendo Switch 2 launched on June 5, 2025.
Frequently asked questions
How much was the Nintendo Switch at launch?
The Nintendo Switch cost $299.99 in the United States when it launched on March 3, 2017.
How much is $299.99 from 2017 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, the Switch’s launch price is about $414.59 in September 2026 money.
Did the Nintendo Switch go up in price?
Yes. Nintendo raised its US prices by about $50 on August 3, 2025, citing tariffs.
Want to compare the Nintendo Switch launch price with other launch prices? See what the Sega Genesis launch cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.
- Press release: Nintendo of America, “Nintendo Switch Ushers in a New Era of Console Gaming on the Go” (Business Wire, 3 March 2017)
- Wikipedia: Nintendo Switch
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
Play the Nintendo Switch question →