Less than a year after its release, the Nintendo Switch 2 has seen its first price cut (let us dream) in South Africa, knocking a grand off the original starting price of R12,500. Nintendo notified potential Switch 2 owners of the change via an email sent out earlier today, confirming that the drop was real, and more importantly, permanent.

All about the Switch 2

For the time being, the price cut only applies to the standard Nintendo Switch 2, as well as the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle, currently going for R12,500. Even non-Mario fans will want to check that one out. A grand for a brand-new Mario Kart is a score, especially considering the R2,000 asking price for the physical edition of the game.

Now is arguably the best time to pick up the Nintendo Switch 2 since the Japanese company debuted the console in June 2025 with a slightly underwhelming launch lineup that relied entirely too much on Mario Kart. Sure, we’ve had some great titles since (DK: Bananza, for instance), but 2026 will be a great year for Ninty’s handheld if the rumours of a major Direct taking place in February are true.

Core Gaming, which handles the distribution of Nintendo’s products in South Africa, hasn’t confirmed the official reasoning behind the price cut at the time of writing. Stuff reached out to a local representative to find out more about the price drop and whether the change will eventually apply to physical game titles and any other accessories, but has yet to hear back by the time of publication. We’ll keep you in the loop.