How, when, and where to find cheap Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 games

Look out for the next Nintendo eShop sale

Nintendo’s sales aren’t quite as regular or rhythmic as those on other platforms. There are no regular weekly sales, instead you’re more likely to see sales themed around certain genres or publishers, such as an RPG sale or a sale to celebrate ATLUS' games catalogue.

The eShop does have seasonal sales, but the dates vary quite significantly from year to year, making it hard to pin down date ranges you should hold out for. For example, the big 2025 summer sale on the eShop came about six weeks later in 2025 than it did in 2024. Some of these sales are quite short, so you need to be quick off the mark.

Save big with the Switch 2 upgrade trick 

If you’re the proud owner of a Nintendo Switch 2, you may have noticed a good chunk of the console’s catalogue is made up of upgraded versions of original Switch games, such as Hogwarts Legacy, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel Tears of the Kingdom.  

Even though they’re the same games that came out on the original Switch years ago (with improved graphics and performance), they can cost up to £70. But you don’t have to pay that if you use this nifty trick. 

If you own a Switch copy of a game that has a Switch 2 version, you can usually upgrade the game for £7 to £8. You'll then own both the Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions of the game. 

Split the cost of a Nintendo Online family membership 

Nintendo Switch has two subscription tiers you can sign up to - Switch Online and Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The games libraries are much smaller than you might find on Playstation or Xbox's subscription offerings, but they're considerably cheaper too, come with a few perks (such as free Switch 2 game upgrades), and are required if you want to play online multiplayer games. Here's what you get in each one:

You can cut the cost further with a 'family group' membership that allows up to eight people to share the subscription for £31.49/year with Nintendo Online or £59.99/year with the Expansion Pack. You're not required to live in the same household, so can be part of a 'family' with people from anywhere in the world.

Split the cost with two people, and that’s already cheaper than a regular subscription – split it with eight and you’ll only pay £7.50/year for a large retro games library, as well as upgrades to certain games. 

Buy second-hand

Physical games are still hanging in there, and so is the second-hand market. There are several places in the UK to buy second-hand games:

• eBay has a Money Back Guarantee, which means you can buy games with more security than Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. See our eBay buying guide for how to nab the best deals.

• CeX is the biggest chain for buying and trading in second-hand games (as well as hardware, Blu-rays, and other electronics). It offers decent prices, has reasonable returns policies, and you can sell games back to them, recouping some of the cost.

• Independent game shops are worth supporting, and you may have one near you without even knowing it. Search online for your nearest independent game store, and see if you can grab yourself a bargain.

• Facebook Marketplace lets you search for specific games. You can also join Facebook groups dedicated to trading second-hand games (such as UK Video Games Market and Video Games For Sale UK). Make sure you stay safe when buying and selling in person.

Rent games instead of buying them 

If you’re someone who completes a game then lets it gather dust afterwards, you could save money by renting or borrowing instead. The halcyon days of renting games from Blockbuster or your local independent games shop may be over, but thanks to Boomerang Rentals, the practice continues to exist.

You can rent games for all the major consoles, going back four generations in Nintendo’s case (Wii, Wii U, Switch, Switch 2). For Switch 2 games, the cheapest package is £11.99/mth, which lets you borrow one game at a time (and an unlimited amount per month). 

So instead of splashing out £70 for Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom, you could rent it and probably complete it in a month or two, costing you £12 to £24. 

It’s only £17 to rent two games at a time, so if you make the most of it you could boost your savings even further.

Borrow games (even digital ones) from friends

Loaning games among friends might feel like a outmoded schoolyard practice – like Premier League stickers and Pokémon cards. But there’s no reason not to do it in adulthood, if you have gaming friends or colleagues.

It's simple to borrow physical cartridges from friends, but Nintendo also has a system that lets you lend and borrow digital games within your Nintendo account family group via Virtual Game Cards. It’s designed to mimic how you would borrow physical games, but can be a little confusing.

Here’s what you need to know: 

• You can loan out one digitally owned game at a time, for up to 14 days. After that, the game returns to you, but you can renew the loan as many times as you like. 

• You can’t play the game yourself when you've loaned it out (similar to a physical copy). 

• You need to be on the same Wi-Fi network each time you loan or borrow a game to or from a Nintendo family member’s Switch (you don’t need to be on the same network to return games). 

• You can’t lend or borrow virtual game cards on consoles containing accounts that are members of different households/families. All accounts on all consoles need to be part of your family group. 

Use a (decent) price tracker  

We’ve tested several price trackers for Switch and Switch 2 games, and the results have been largely underwhelming. There isn’t a single price-tracking site that encompasses prices for both disc and digital versions of the games, and the usual suspects of UK price-tracking – Price Spy, Price Runner, Idealo – bring up results that are limited and often inaccurate.

The best games price tracker we've found that features both physical and digital games is Deku Deals, which is very good at staying up to date, and lets you set price alerts, as well as telling you when a game has matched or beaten its lowest ever price. However, it only includes prices from PlayStation Store, Amazon, GAME, and ShopTo.

Deku Deals lets you look at games in order of 'deepest discounts' (perfect if you've a few quid to spare), and 'hottest deals', which focuses on big-name games at steep discounts. You can track a game's price and get alerts for when it hits thresholds you set. It also has a chart showing the price history, so you have an idea of when to expect the next sale, and what you can expect to pay.

The chart above shows the price history and all-time lows for Hogwarts Legacy on both Switch and Switch 2, so you can work out if you're better off doing the Switch 2 upgrade trick or buying the Switch 2 version. By our calculations, you're much better off doing the upgrade trick when the original Switch version goes on sale.

Track prices and set alerts on HotUKDeals

HotUKDeals (HUKD) is not technically a price tracker – instead, users post deals that others upvote or downvote – the higher the ‘heat’, the better the deal. The site has a section dedicated to gaming, and you can set filters specifically for Switch and Switch 2 games. It has a far wider scope than even the best price tracker, covering both physical copies sold at most UK retailers (including Loaded.com/CD Keys) and digital games on the Nintendo eShop. 

Buying from unauthorised key resellers is risky

Digital game keys allow you to buy a game from any retailer, which can then be redeemed through the Nintendo Store. Beyond the official Nintendo digital key retailers like Amazon, Argos, and Currys, you might see unofficial key seller sites include Eneba, G2A, K4G, and Kinguin popping up.

These aren't authorised sellers, and while it's not illegal to buy from them, they do carry certain risks, largely stemming from the fact that these sites mostly sell keys posted by individual users. You could end up buying a key procured by a seller through illicit means (such as a stolen credit card). If the card gets flagged as stolen, that game key can be traced back to it, and Nintendo could permanently deactivate your game without warning.

Be aware that some of these sites (G2A, Kinguin, K4G) also sell accounts to play games on. This means, instead of a key for the game, you're given the login details to an account that contains the game. Sharing accounts and account details breaks the {Nintendo User Agreement}.

If you dabble in other platforms and want to know how to grab the best gaming bargains for those, then head over to our respective guides for finding cheap Playstation 5, PC, and Xbox games.