Nintendo fans don’t see deep discounts on first-party releases very often—especially not this soon after launch. But Costco shoppers are stumbling into exactly that: select Nintendo Switch 2 games are ringing up for $29.97 in-store, down from their $69.99 launch price. If you’ve been waiting for a price break on Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, or Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, this is the kind of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it deal that can meaningfully change what “building a Switch 2 library” costs.
This isn’t a slick, well-advertised promo with banners and email blasts. It’s the opposite: a surprise clearance-style price that players began spotting via the Costco app and in-store checkouts, with deal-hunter Wario64 amplifying the reports as more people confirmed the markdowns.
What’s Actually on Sale (and for How Much)
Here’s the core of the deal: multiple Switch 2 titles that launched at $69.99 are reportedly selling for $29.97 at Costco locations.
The games being widely cited in the discount wave include:
- Kirby Air Riders — $29.97
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A — $29.97
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — $29.97
That $29.97 price point is a classic “Costco clearance” tell. It’s not a normal, tidy “$29.99 weekend sale” vibe—it’s the kind of number you see when a retailer is trying to move remaining inventory fast, store by store.
Just as importantly, this appears to be an in-store phenomenon. People initially saw the discount reflected in the Costco app, but early attempts to buy at checkout sometimes still rang up at full price, with some shoppers reporting they needed overrides because registers hadn’t updated yet. As of Saturday, April 18, multiple reports indicate the games were scanning at $29.97 with no override at some locations.
That “some locations” part is the key. This isn’t being presented as a uniform national ad campaign; it’s a deal that seems to live and die by local inventory and local system updates.
Why This Deal Is Such a Big Moment for Switch 2 Owners
Nintendo pricing is famously stubborn. Even years into a console’s life, first-party games often hover near full price, with discounts that feel more like polite nudges than real bargains. So seeing marquee Switch 2 releases effectively drop to “bargain bin” pricing—on games that were $70 at launch—is the kind of retail anomaly that gets people in cars.
It also hits at the perfect time for anyone still feeling the sticker shock of modern game pricing. $70 has become the new normal for big releases, and while the Switch 2 itself has, so far, avoided a price hike, its games are still expensive at standard retail. A $29.97 clearance price doesn’t just save you a few bucks—it can turn “I’ll buy one game” into “I can grab three and still feel responsible.”
And yes, it’s hard not to read into it. Players are already joking that the prices reflect weak sales. But that narrative doesn’t neatly fit Pokémon, and it’s not like Costco needs a dramatic reason to do something weird with pricing. The more plausible explanation is also the least glamorous: Costco is being Costco—moving product, driving foot traffic, and clearing shelf space.
How to Check Stock Without Wasting a Trip
If you’re thinking about making a run, the most practical advice floating around is to check the Costco app first.
Shoppers have been encouraged to:
- Open the Costco app
- Go to the “Warehouse” tab
- Search your local warehouse inventory (search terms like “Nintendo” or “Switch 2” may work better than a full game title)
There’s a catch, though: inventory listings may not tell the full story. In at least one case, a warehouse inventory check only showed Kirby Air Riders as available, but all three discounted titles were actually on shelves in-store. So the app can help you avoid a totally pointless drive, but it’s not a perfect “yes/no” oracle for what’s waiting in the game case.
Also worth noting: availability appears to be extremely local. One shopper might see plenty of Kirby copies but low inventory for Pokémon. Another warehouse might have a completely different mix—or none at all.
The Wario64 Effect, and Why These Deals Can Vanish Fast
This sale didn’t spread because Costco trumpeted it. It spread the way modern game deals spread: players posting receipts and checkout screens, then a deal-tracking megaphone (Wario64) pushing it into everyone’s feed at once.
That matters because once a deal hits that level of visibility, the clock starts ticking. Costco is a membership warehouse with limited shelf space and location-specific stock. If your local store has a modest number of copies, it doesn’t take many motivated Switch 2 owners to wipe out the remaining inventory in a day.
And unlike a digital storefront sale, there’s no guarantee of restocks. Clearance pricing often signals the opposite: “when it’s gone, it’s gone.”
What This Says About Switch 2’s Retail Reality (Without Overreaching)
It’s tempting to treat any steep discount as a referendum on a console’s momentum or a game’s performance. Some people are already doing that, especially around Kirby Air Riders and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, with jokes that they “didn’t set the world on fire.”
There’s also chatter that Switch 2 had a rough holiday season in the U.S. compared to past console launches and some analyst expectations.
But here’s the thing: a Costco clearance doesn’t automatically translate into a clean, universal story about demand. Costco’s business model is idiosyncratic. It’s entirely plausible this is simply a retailer-level decision to clear inventory, rotate product, or juice weekend traffic. In other words, it can be meaningful to consumers without being a definitive verdict on the platform.
The only consumer takeaway that really matters is the practical one: if you want these games, and you want them cheap, this is a rare window.
What Remains Unknown
A deal this good comes with a lot of unanswered questions, and right now the biggest ones are still up in the air:
- How long will the $29.97 pricing last? No official end date has been confirmed.
- Is this a nationwide Costco markdown or a store-by-store clearance? Reports suggest it varies by location and inventory.
- Will more Switch 2 games be included? So far, the most commonly cited titles are Kirby Air Riders, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
- Will Costco restock at the clearance price once local inventory sells through? That has not been confirmed.
If you’re sitting on a Switch 2 backlog and you’ve been waiting for Nintendo’s $70 wall to crack, this is the kind of weird retail glitch-turned-opportunity you take seriously. Check your local warehouse inventory, move fast if it’s real in your area, and don’t assume it’ll still be there next weekend.
