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I've been buying Nintendo Switch games for 8 years and have never paid full price: 7 secret tips I use to save on video games
If you’re paying full price for your Nintendo Switch games — what are you doing? I’m an avid Nintendo Switch gamer, but at heart, I’m very stingy. So I’ve never paid full retail price for a Switch game in my over eight years of collecting.
But how, you might ask? Don’t worry, I’m here to share the secret tips I use to save money on Nintendo Switch game purchases.
Quick Links
- shop Nintendo Switch game deals at Amazon
- Sonic X Shadow Generations (Switch 2): was $49 now $24
- Samsung P9 microSD Express Card (256GB): was $79 now $59
- Nintendo Switch 2 + Super Mario Galaxy bundle: was $519 now $499
Retailer discounts
One of the easiest ways to save on games is to check local and online retailers for discounts. On any day of the week, you’re likely to find Nintendo Switch games discounted at Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers across the web. In particular, I often find great price drops on Sega and Lego games this way.
Discounts are at their best during special events like Black Friday. You can also keep an eye out for retailer-specific sales, like Amazon Gaming Week which is typically held in April.
The most important thing to remember is to check prices at other sources before you buy — take a look at other game retailers (and the Nintendo Store’s digital prices) before you hit "purchase." Nothing stings more than realizing you could’ve gotten a better deal somewhere else if you hadn’t been hasty.
Digital game sales
Digital game sales are awesome — they make it easy to fill out your library with awesome games at extremely cheap prices. If you get lucky, you’ll be able to find some of the Switch’s best games on sale for dirt cheap over at the Nintendo digital storefront. I frequently see great sales on games from publishers like Capcom (think Street Fighter, Monster Hunter and Mega Man) and deals on popular sports games like EA FC and 2K.
The snag here is that the Nintendo Digital Store has just as many terrible games on sale as it does great ones. Stick to the “Best sellers” tab if you’re not sure what to pick, or check out reviews before you buy.
Early bird discounts
Patience is key when it comes to video game deals. In most cases, video games get cheaper over time. But if there’s a new release out there that you just can’t wait for, there are still ways to save.
Ahead of big game releases, retailers tend to compete to get your money, so you’ll want to shop around to see who’s making the best case for your dollar!
I was able to get 10% off my copy of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on release day — simply by choosing the retailer that had the best price. At time of writing, the game has been out for two weeks and the deal is currently unavailable. (But prices might drop again once a few more weeks have passed.)
These discounts can be hard to find. For example, Amazon sometimes hides discounts until you've added products to your cart — look out for a marker saying "Click to see price" or "To see our price, add this item to your cart." Right now Amazon is offering a hidden pre-order discount on Yoshi and the Mysterious Book — add it to your cart to get $10 off. These deals don't always last, so don't wait if you see them available.
Shopping pre-owned
Nintendo Switch games are generally a lot cheaper second hand — so if your goal is to save, don’t neglect second-hand game retailers. As long as you shop from a trustworthy source, pre-owned games will function the exact same way as brand-new ones. They just cost less, and as a bonus — someone else has already removed the plastic wrap from the game box for you.
GameStop is a good first port-of-call for pre-owned games. For example, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is often praised as one of Nintendo’s best 2D platformers ever — Amazon charges $52 for a new copy, but you can grab it pre-owned for $39 at GameStop.
Woot
One of my favorite lesser-known game retailers is Woot. It offers discounts you simply won’t find anywhere else.
First-party Nintendo games starring Mario, Zelda and friends don’t go on sale often. Amazon and Best Buy tend to drop prices on Nintendo Switch games over time, so you can sometimes find them for $10 or so less than MSRP. Other than that, you’ll have to wait for big sales events like Black Friday to see discounts.
The exception to this rule is Woot. If I wanted to buy a first-party game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Bros. Wonder, I’d check Woot first. It’s a subsidiary company of Amazon, but Woot undercuts Amazon’s prices more often than not. For example, right now you can pick up The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild for $43 at Woot.
Make wishlists
This tip doesn’t actually involve spending money, and it’s a good way to keep an eye on the prices of the games you want to buy. When I see a game I want, I add it to my wishlist. Then I just check my wishlist every now and then to see whether the games I want are discounted.
Making wishlists helps me cut down on making impulse purchases, and means I avoid spending hours scrolling through Nintendo’s digital sales pages.
Return to your backlog
The best way to save money is by not spending any at all. Before you buy a new game, is there one you already own but haven’t finished yet, or an old favorite you haven’t returned to in a while?
Even though I get a dopamine hit adding new video games to my collection, I always try to focus on my backlog first and foremost. I’m guilty of buying lots of games I know I don’t really have time to properly finish. I even went on a buying ban in 2024, which extended through most of 2025. (I broke it when I went shopping on vacation and found some Japan-exclusive retro games I simply couldn’t pass up on.)
In addition, there are several ways to play games for free. You can download free games and demos from digital storefronts, swap games with friends, or check out video games from your local library if they’re available.
