The price hike for video games has finally hit Nintendo. Nintendo confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, will cost $69.99, instead of the standard $59.99 price for first-party Nintendo games. After Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct, the new price of Tears of the Kingdom was reflected on Nintendo’s website.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo’s first major release to be impacted by the $10 price hike. The increase does not appear to affect all upcoming Nintendo games, however. Pikmin 4, due in July, is priced at $59.99, as is Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which finally arrives in April.
When asked if $69.99 will become the standard price point for first-party Nintendo games, a spokesperson for Nintendo told Polygon via email, “No. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
Nintendo’s increased price on first-party games matches other publishers’ current-gen prices. Microsoft raised the prices of its first-party games from $59.99 to $69.99 in 2023. Other publishers, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Take-Two Interactive, have sold new games like God of War Ragnarök, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and the NBA 2K series, respectively, at the $69.99 price point.
