Nintendo Switch 2 has been revealed more than 2 weeks ago with a special 1-hour length Direct from Nintendo.
Despite the various info released during the show, neither the price of the console nor the price of games were unveiled.
Shortly after in the West various sites started accepting pre-orders and finally the prices were available; there have been various complains on the internet regarding not only the price for Switch 2 unit but especially for the games: Mario Kart World has been priced $90 in USA and around 90 euros in Europe.
In Japan except for the price of the console, which will be released in two versions, a Japan region lock system, way cheaper (around 315 euros / $330, and a “multi-language” version that is almost aligned with the West regarding the price.
But for games, all the prices are still a mystery because pre-orders in Japan will be opened all around the country from 24 April and the only known price was about Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Nintendo Switch 2 Enhanced that showed a little rise in price compared to the original Switch version, around 1,000 yen (7 euros / dollars).
Yesterday Nintendo showed another Direct, dedicated to Mario Kart World and at the end of video it was announced that the official site was open.
So finally we know how much will cost Mario Kart World in Japan, and as expected the price raised.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was published in 2017 in Japan, around a month after Switch debut. The game was an enhanced version of the Wii U release and was priced 5,900 yen tax excluded (6,578 yen included), which was the standard price for many Nintendo titles with a few exceptions like Zelda series.
Mario Kart World will be priced 9,980 yen, tax included which means an increase of about 50% compared to the previous generation.
The price is still cheaper compared to the West, around 65 euros / 70 euros but considering that probably the main IPs like Mario and Zelda usually are priced higher, it is easy to expect the price will pass the 10,000 yen limit, something that was not seen in shops since Super Famicom in the middle of the 90’s, when main games were priced between 8,900 and 11,400 yen.
Actually Nintendo will offer a Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle which includes a digital copy of the game but the console is region locked at 53,980 yen so the cost for the game is only 4,000 yen (25 euros / $28), but according to their site, and unlike for the West, this is a timed bundle that will be ended within a year (and now we can start speculating about a main IP coming out for summer 2026).
Source for images: https://www.nintendo.com/jp/index.html (Nintendo Japanese site)