Zelda Switch 2 edition: price, release date, what's included
The Zelda Switch 2 edition costs $519.99 in the US and ships October 29 with no game. Regional prices, what's in the box and the real cost with Ocarina of Time.
Source-based. Written from the documents, reporting and reviews linked in the text. Nothing here was tested hands-on by The Ruling Desk. How we work
The Zelda Switch 2 edition, Nintendo's 40th Anniversary Edition of the console, comes out on October 29, 2026 and costs $519.99 in the US, $20 more than a standard Switch 2. The extra money buys a Triforce-covered dock, green and gold Joy-Con 2 and a patterned back. Nintendo's specs are the same for every Switch 2, and there's no game in the box, so Ocarina of Time is a separate purchase.
Key takeaways
- Nintendo's US store lists the Zelda edition at $519.99, against $499.99 for a standard Switch 2 since September 1. UK and Japan prices come from Nintendo; the Mexican price is a retailer listing, not a Nintendo figure we could verify.
- It is a cosmetic edition: Nintendo publishes one spec sheet for all Switch 2 consoles, with the same 7.9-inch 1080p LCD, 256 GB of storage and 5,220 mAh battery.
- No game is included. The Ocarina of Time remake launches a week later, on November 5, at $59.99 digital or $69.99 physical on Nintendo's US store.
- Stock is the catch. Kotaku reported that US retailer pre-orders sold out immediately, and on September 23, 2026 Nintendo's US store and Costco México both showed the console as out of stock.
- A matching $99.99 Pro Controller and a $39.99 carrying case also launch on October 29.
Zelda Switch 2 edition price and release date
Nintendo announced the edition during its Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8 and set the release for October 29, 2026. Nintendo's US store listing prices it at $519.99.
The timing matters for the price comparison. Nintendo raised the standard Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 in the US on September 1, citing "changes in market conditions," and the standard console's store listing now shows $499.99. So the Zelda premium is $20 today, but $70 over what the console cost before September.
Here is what each version costs where we could find a source, as checked on September 23, 2026. The source column says whether a price comes from Nintendo, from a report of Nintendo's store, or from a retailer.
| Region | Zelda edition | Standard Switch 2 | Difference | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $519.99 | $499.99 | $20 | Nintendo: Zelda edition, standard |
| United Kingdom | £434.99 | £419.99 | £15 | Nintendo Store UK prices reported by Nintendo Insider: Zelda edition, standard |
| Japan | ¥62,980 | ¥59,980 | ¥3,000 | Nintendo: Zelda edition, standard |
| Mexico | MXN 14,499 | MXN 13,999 | MXN 500 | Zelda edition: Costco México listing; standard: Nintendo's suggested price reported by El Financiero |
A few notes on the rows. The UK prices are from Nintendo's own UK store, but we could not load that store directly (it sat behind a queue), so they rest on Nintendo Insider's reports. Both Japanese prices are for the Japanese-language system sold only in Japan. In Mexico, Nintendo's suggested price for the Zelda edition is not verified: we found no Nintendo México announcement of it, so the MXN 500 gap compares a retailer's listing with Nintendo's suggested price for the standard console.
What's different from a standard Switch 2
Everything that changes on the Zelda Switch 2 edition is on the surface. According to Nintendo's store listing and its announcement, you get:
- A black and gold dock with a gold Triforce on the front.
- Green and gold Joy-Con 2 with decorations inspired by the series and Triforce motifs.
- Triforce motifs on the back of the console itself, not just on the accessories.
The rest of the box matches the standard console: the Joy-Con 2 grip, two wrist straps, the AC adapter, a USB-C charging cable and an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable. Nintendo's listing says it plainly: game not included.
If you like how it looks, that's the whole case for it. The design follows the pattern of Nintendo's earlier Zelda editions, like the Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED, which also changed only the shell.
Same hardware inside: the Switch 2 specs
Under the paint, this is a regular Switch 2. Nintendo publishes one set of official tech specs for the console, and these are its key numbers:
| Spec | Nintendo Switch 2 (all editions) |
|---|---|
| Screen | 7.9-inch LCD, 1920x1080, HDR10, VRR up to 120 Hz |
| Processor | Custom chip made by Nvidia |
| Storage | 256 GB, expandable with microSD Express cards up to 2 TB |
| Battery | 5,220 mAh, about 2 to 6.5 hours, about 3 hours to charge |
| TV output | Up to 4K at 60 fps; 120 fps at 1080p or 1440p |
| Weight | About 1.18 lb (535 g) with Joy-Con 2 attached |
Nintendo doesn't publish more about the chip or the memory. Digital Foundry's breakdown, summarized by KitGuru, reports an Nvidia T239 with eight Arm Cortex-A78C CPU cores (six of them available to games), a GPU with 1,536 CUDA cores and 12 GB of RAM, of which 9 GB is left for games. Those figures come from that report, not from Nintendo.
One practical point from Nintendo's spec sheet: the Switch 2 only takes microSD Express cards for expansion. The regular microSD cards from an original Switch won't work for storing Switch 2 games. Our Switch 2 SD card guide covers which cards work and how much space big games take.
No game in the box: the real cost with Ocarina of Time
The Zelda edition celebrates Ocarina of Time, but the remake is sold separately and launches a week after the console, on November 5. Nintendo lists it at $59.99 for the digital version, and its US store lists the physical edition at $69.99.
| What you buy (US list prices) | Zelda edition | Standard Switch 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Console only | $519.99 | $499.99 |
| Console + digital Ocarina of Time | $579.98 | $559.98 |
| Console + physical Ocarina of Time | $589.98 | $569.98 |
The remake adds fully voiced cutscenes, new button commands for jumping and running, camera control on the right stick and orchestral music, according to Nintendo. It also uses the console's microphone: hum one of Link's ocarina songs and, Nintendo says, he'll play it in the game. Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo, which unlock retro-style masks, follow in 2027.
The Zelda Pro Controller and case
Two themed accessories launch on the same day. Neither is bundled with the console.
- Pro Controller, 40th Anniversary Edition: $99.99, $10 more than the standard Switch 2 Pro Controller at $89.99. Nintendo describes it as a Switch 2 Pro Controller with Zelda patterns, and the standard model's listing includes a C button for GameChat. A version with a display stand ($109.99) is sold only at Nintendo New York, Nintendo San Francisco and Nintendo's online store in the US.
- Carrying case with screen protector: $39.99, with a Triforce design.
Availability as of September 23, 2026
Stock changes by the hour, so everything in this section is dated. The prices and specs above don't depend on it.
- US retailers sold out at pre-order. Best Buy, Walmart and Target listed the console at $520, and the listings all immediately sold out, Kotaku reported on September 10. Kotaku also said Nintendo had not yet opened pre-orders on its own sites at that point.
- Nintendo's US store now has a listing at $519.99, which was marked out of stock when we checked on September 23. The themed case showed as in stock; both Pro Controller versions showed as out of stock.
- UK: Nintendo Insider reported that Nintendo's UK store listings went live on September 9 behind a queue of more than an hour. Current UK stock is not verified, because the store's queue blocked our check.
- Mexico: the Costco México listing at MXN 14,499 showed "Agotado" (sold out), with deliveries starting October 29. We found no Nintendo México store page for the edition.
- Japan: current availability is not verified.
We found no Nintendo announcement of more stock as of September 23. Meanwhile, resale prices are high: Kotaku saw eBay listings asking between $700 and $985 by September 10, up to $465 over the US list price. If you missed the first wave:
- Keep checking official stores and big retailers, especially around the October 29 launch.
- Be careful with resale listings. Gaming Bible spotted an eBay listing charging $400 for a photo of the console, not the console.
What it means for you
If you don't own a Switch 2 yet and you love the look, the Zelda Switch 2 price is fair: $20 for a nicer shell is a small premium on a $500 console, as long as you pay list price. At reseller prices of $700 or more, you'd be paying $200 extra for paint.
If you already own a Switch 2, there's no hardware reason to buy this one: Nintendo's specs don't change between editions. And if all you want is to play Ocarina of Time, the standard console plus the game costs $20 less in the US.
Outside the US, check the local price before you do the math. The UK premium is £15 and Japan's is ¥3,000, both from Nintendo's own prices. In Mexico we could only confirm a retailer listing, so treat MXN 14,499 as a store price, not an official one.
For more Nintendo coverage, see our Video Games section and everything tagged Nintendo Switch 2.
Bottom line
The Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 is, by Nintendo's own spec sheet, a regular Switch 2 in a collector's shell for $20 more in the US, with no game included. Buy it at $519.99 if you want the design; skip the resale market. Budget $580 to $590 if you want Ocarina of Time on day one. Stock is the real obstacle: it was sold out at Nintendo's US store and at Costco México when we checked on September 23, and Nintendo hasn't announced a restock.
FAQ
Does the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 come with Ocarina of Time?
No. Nintendo says the console does not include a game. The Ocarina of Time remake is sold separately, at $59.99 digital or $69.99 physical on Nintendo's US store, and launches on November 5, 2026.
Is the Zelda Switch 2 more powerful than the regular Switch 2?
No. Nintendo publishes one spec sheet for every Switch 2: the same Nvidia chip, 7.9-inch LCD, 256 GB of storage and battery. Only the dock, the Joy-Con 2 and the back of the console look different.
What is the Switch 2 Zelda edition release date?
October 29, 2026, alongside the matching Pro Controller and carrying case, according to Nintendo. US retailer pre-orders sold out immediately, Kotaku reported on September 10.
Can I use my old microSD card in the Switch 2?
Not for Switch 2 games. Nintendo's specs say the Switch 2 accepts microSD Express cards, up to 2 TB. A regular microSD card from an original Switch won't work as game storage.