Nintendo Switch games are famously expensive, often clocking in at just under $80 and rarely decreasing in price outside of big sales. But did you know that there’s an easy way to get cheap Switch games, and it’s been right under our nose this whole time? I didn’t, despite spending a myriad looking for Switch vouchers for Christmas gifts, but a bit more digging revealed a dollar saving trick, and since it’s so well hidden I just had to share it: a Nintendo Switch Game Voucher is a one-off purchase that you can cash in for discounted games on the Nintendo eShop. Here’s how it works.
Vouchers come in pairs, and one pair costs $134.95 — which sounds expensive until you split it, at which point you’re paying about $67.50 for each game. Considering that “Pokémon Sword” and “Shield” are now more than three years old and still cost $79.95 each, that’s a decent discount.
Perhaps the best perk is that they’re valid for 12 months, essentially letting you secure multiple cheap Switch games every year.
There are a few catches, though. The vouchers can’t be used on just any game, but thankfully the list of titles you can spend them is quite long.
Every Game You Buy With a Nintendo Switch Game Voucher
- Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (pre-order)
- Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe (pre-order)
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Pokémon Violet
- Pokémon Scarlet
- Bayonetta 3
- Splatoon 3
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Live A Live
- Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
- Mario Strikers: Battle League Football
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land
- Triangle Strategy
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus
- Pokémon Shining Pearl
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Mario Party Superstars
- Metroid Dread
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
- Mario Golf: Super Rush
- DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power
- Miitopia
- Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir & Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind
- New Pokémon Snap
- Bravely Default II
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
- Pikmin 3 Deluxe
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
- Pokémon Sword
- Pokémon Shield
- Luigi’s Mansion 3
- Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
- DAEMON X MACHINA
- Astral Chain
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
- Dragon Quest Builders 2
- Super Mario Maker 2
- Yoshi’s Crafted World
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Fitness Boxing
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
- Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!
- The World Ends With You -Final Remix-
- Super Mario Party
- Go Vacation
- Octopath Traveler
- Mario Tennis Aces
- Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
- Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
- Kirby Star Allies
- Bayonetta 2
- Dragon Quest Builders
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Fire Emblem Warriors
- Pokkén Tournament DX
- Splatoon 2
- ARMS
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- 1-2-Switch
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
So yeah, there’s a lot of choice, especially when you take into consideration that especially popular games are added before they’re even released, letting you get a pre-order discount. Right now you can pre-order “Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon” and “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe”, both of which are due out in the next few weeks and retail for $79.95.
The other catch, and this is a bigger one, is that the Nintendo Switch Game Voucher is only available to Nintendo Switch Online members. In fact, you have to be a member to buy and spend the vouchers, meaning members can’t gift them to non-members and vice versa. For those now wondering, a Nintendo Switch Online membership is $5.95/month, $11.95/three months, or $29.95/year.
You can buy a Nintendo Switch Game Voucher from the Australian store here. And if you’re in the mood for something a little more tangible than a digital voucher, why not pair it with one of these Switch accessories?
