Nintendo Switch to be discontinued – the end of a glorious era
Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED are being withdrawn from sale
Quick Summary
Nintendo is finally calling time on its most successful games console ever. The Nintendo Switch will be withdrawn from sale by February 2027.
That includes the original Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED, with retailers being unable to order more stock after that date.
It's had a glorious run, but Nintendo is to discontinue its Switch family of consoles.
Released over a decade ago, the original Nintendo Switch faced its fair share of criticism – mainly due to a poor launch lineup of games. However, that proved to be short lived with the console and its follow-ups – the Switch Lite and Switch OLED – proving incredibly popular ever since.
Indeed, Nintendo has shipped around 160 million of them since. That's almost 50% more than the hugely popular and successful Wii.
But all things must come to an end, and Nintendo is calling time on the Switch. As revealed on an official support page (via VGC), it will cease providing units to retailers by February next year. Nintendo will also stop selling Switch consoles on its own web store.
This has partly been prompted by new EU regulations that come in effect that month. They state that any electronics with chargeable batteries must make those batteries easy to repair and replace. Manufacturers must adhere to these new rules or face a ban in the European Union.
Nintendo will release a new version of the Switch 2 for the region, with a user-replaceable battery, but it doesn't make sense to release upgraded models of the consoles it succeeded.
As for existing Switch owners, your console will continue to be supported with updates, games and Switch Online for the foreseeable future. The announcement specifically relates to new consoles sold.
It's not exactly clear if this will affect all regions or just EU member states for now, but it seems likely that it's a global decision. The Switch has had a 10-year run, after all.
Hopefully, with retailers looking to shift their remaining stock from now until February 2027, it'll mean that big sales periods, like Black Friday, will see Switch units at very affordable prices. So it might mean you can pick one up for a bargain – if you don't own one of the 160 million consoles already out there, of course.
