Here is what the price history shows, which great games came and went, and which ones held their price.

How often do Switch games go on sale?

"Top-rated" here means the games that clear Dockside's default bar: a Metacritic score of 88 or higher for the Switch version, or an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam. Each game is counted once; add-ons, bundles and separate Switch 2 Editions are left out.

• About two in three of them were on sale at some point between Aug. 29 and Oct. 21, 2026.
• About one in four (143 games) was on sale on Oct. 21 itself.
• The discounts are often deep. More than half of the games that went on sale were offered at half price or less at some point in those eight weeks.

So if a top-rated game you want is at full price today, waiting is usually a reasonable bet. It is not a guarantee: the next section shows the games that did not move.

Do Nintendo's own games go on sale?

Yes, in Nintendo's own sales. Nintendo's Customer Appreciation Sale ran from Sept. 12 to Sept. 26, 2026, with 30% off dozens of Switch games. Of the 17 Nintendo-published games that clear the bar, 13 were in it, every one at exactly 30% off:

Three things stand out:

• Nintendo's discounts are shallower. All 13 were 30% off. Other publishers' top games often went to half price or less.
• None of them was on sale on Oct. 21. Each went on sale once in those eight weeks, during Nintendo's own sale, and was back at full price by Oct. 21.
• Four were not discounted at all: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Bayonetta 2, Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokémon Pokopia. Nor were the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Does Zelda ever go on sale?

Yes. Breath of the Wild was $41.99 and Tears of the Kingdom $48.99 during the Customer Appreciation Sale. If you play on a Switch 2, note that the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of both games were not discounted. How Nintendo eShop sales work covers when Nintendo's big sales usually run.

Top-rated games that went on sale, then back to full price

These top-rated games were discounted between Aug. 29 and Oct. 21 and were back at their regular price on Oct. 21. Any of them could be worth a wishlist spot at the price shown.

Hades II: $20.99 in late September (regular $29.99)

• Scores 98 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 114,000 reviews, PC version)
• Length about 32 hours (main story)
• Released 2025 · action roguelike

The sequel was 30% off. The original Hades, by contrast, is in the next section: it was not discounted at all in those eight weeks.

Celeste: $4.99 in mid-September (regular $19.99)

• Scores 92 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 131,000 reviews, PC version)
• Length about 8 hours (main story)
• Released 2018 · precision platformer

75% off. A short, demanding platformer built from single-screen challenges, with an assist mode for players who want the story without the difficulty.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: $7.49 in late August (regular $29.99)

• Scores 93 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 136,000 reviews, PC version)
• Length about 12 hours (main story)
• Released 2020 · action platformer

75% off. A side-scrolling exploration game: one large map that opens up as you gain new movement abilities.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition: $24.99 at the end of September (regular $49.99)

• Scores 93 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 180,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2019 · turn-based role-playing game

Half price. A long, party-based role-playing game with turn-based combat.

Terraria: $14.99 in early September (regular $29.99)

• Scores "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 1.2 million reviews, PC version)
• Length about 52 hours (main story)
• Released 2019 on Switch · 2D sandbox, crafting

Half price. Dig, build and fight across a 2D world, alone or with friends. It is on the list for its Steam rating; its Switch Metacritic score is below 88.

INSIDE: $2.49 at the end of August (regular $24.99)

• Scores 91 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 70,000 reviews, PC version)
• Length about 4 hours (main story)
• Released 2018 · puzzle platformer

90% off. A short, wordless puzzle game that fits into one or two evenings.

Monster Hunter Rise: $4.99 in late September (regular $39.99)

• Scores 88 on Metacritic (Switch version)
• Length about 23 hours (main story)
• Released 2021 · action role-playing game

Down from $39.99 to $4.99. Hunt large monsters and craft gear from them, in short missions that work in handheld play, alone or with others.

Which top Switch games held their price?

Some of the best-known games on the Switch were not discounted at any point between Aug. 29 and Oct. 21, 2026. Several are already inexpensive:

• Stardew Valley, $14.99: "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam, with about 891,000 reviews.
• Hollow Knight, $15.00: 90 on Metacritic (Switch version).
• Hollow Knight: Silksong, $19.99: 94 on Metacritic (Switch version).
• Hades, $24.99: 93 on Metacritic (Switch version).
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, $59.99: 93 on Metacritic (Switch version).

Eight weeks is a short window, so this does not mean these games never go on sale. It does suggest that a discount on one of them may be slower to come than for the games above.

How to catch the next one

1. Decide your price first. For each game you want, write down what you would pay. Is that eShop discount any good? covers how to choose that number.
2. Watch the big sales. In 2025, three of Nintendo's named sales fell between late October and early January: one for Halloween, one for Black Friday and one over the holidays.
3. Check what is on sale this week. This week's picks list the top-rated games on sale now, with prices and end dates.

Prices in this article are US eShop prices in US dollars, as of Oct. 21,

1. Metacritic scores are the Switch version's own; Steam ratings are for

the PC version. Lengths are main-story times, rounded.

By default, Dockside lists only the discounted Switch games that clear this bar, with each game's play time and price history. Put a game on your wishlist with the price you would pay, and Dockside sends a notification when the eShop price gets there. Get Dockside free on the App Store.

How we chose these games

Every price, discount and sale end date below is the one listed on the US eShop as of Oct. 21, 2026, in US dollars. That day the eShop had 5,866 discounted listings, and 159 games among them cleared Dockside's default bar: a Metacritic score of 88 or higher, or an "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam rating. Add-ons are left out, and a game sold both as a Switch 2 Edition and as the original is listed once. From there the picks are an editorial choice, aiming for a spread of price, length and genre. Metacritic numbers are the Switch version's own score; Steam ratings are for the PC version. Sale end dates are Pacific time.

This week's picks

SteamWorld Dig 2: $2.99 (was $19.99, 85% off)

• Sale ends Sunday, Oct. 25
• Length about 7 hours (main story)
• Scores 88 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 5,700 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2017 · action, adventure

Who it suits. Players who like a 2D map that opens up as they dig deeper, upgrade their tools and go back for what they could not reach before. Skip it if you want a long game: this is a weekend.

Why it's here. The cheapest game and the deepest discount of the eight, and its sale ends first. eShop page.

Dead Cells: $12.49 (was $24.99, 50% off)

• Sale ends Thursday, Oct. 29
• Length about 14 hours (main story)
• Scores 89 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 156,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2018 · action

Who it suits. Players who enjoy short, fast runs that start over when you die, with upgrades that carry from one run to the next. Skip it if repeating the same areas wears on you.

Why it's here. A side-scrolling action game built for play in short sessions, at half price. eShop page.

Inscryption: $4.99 (was $19.99, 75% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Length about 13 hours (main story)
• Scores "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 135,000 reviews, PC version) · 87 on Metacritic (Switch version)
• Released 2022 · adventure, tabletop

Who it suits. Players who like deck-building card battles and do not mind a dark, unsettling tone in Halloween week. Skip it if you want a straightforward card game: the story keeps changing the rules.

Why it's here. It clears the bar on its Steam rating, and at $4.99 it is the second-cheapest game here. eShop page.

DAVE THE DIVER: $10.99 (was $19.99, 45% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Length about 25 hours (main story)
• Scores 88 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 142,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2023 · action, adventure

Who it suits. Players who like two loops feeding each other: dive and fish by day, then run a sushi restaurant with the catch by night. Good in short sessions, since each day is a small goal.

Why it's here. About 25 hours of main story for $10.99: roughly 44 cents an hour. eShop page.

Pentiment: $9.99 (was $19.99, 50% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Length about 15 hours (main story)
• Scores 90 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 9,200 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2024 · adventure

Who it suits. Readers. A story-led mystery set in a 16th-century Alpine abbey town, played through conversations and choices rather than combat or puzzles. Skip it if you want action.

Why it's here. A 90 on Metacritic, at half price. eShop page.

The Case of the Golden Idol: Complete Edition: $14.99 (was $29.99, 50% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Scores 93 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 9,800 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2024 · adventure

Who it suits. Puzzle players who like detective work: each case is a frozen scene to examine, and you solve it by filling in who did what, and why. Skip it if you dislike reading clues closely.

Why it's here. Tied with Undertale for the highest Metacritic score of the eight, at half price. eShop page.

Balatro: $12.74 (was $14.99, 15% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Scores 90 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 160,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2024 · tabletop

Who it suits. Players who like building a deck that breaks the rules: you score poker hands, and collect cards that change how hands score. Each run stands on its own, so it is easy to pick up and put down.

Why it's here. The smallest discount of the eight, on a game whose regular price is already $14.99. eShop page.

Undertale: $9.89 (was $14.99, 34% off)

• Sale ends Sunday, Nov. 1
• Scores 93 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 305,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2018 on Switch · role-playing

Who it suits. Players who want a role-playing game where fights can be won without fighting: you can talk your way through every encounter, and the story changes depending on what you choose.

Why it's here. The most-reviewed game of the eight on Steam, and the last of these sales to end. eShop page.

If you miss a sale

Most good games come back around: Do Switch games go on sale? shows how often top-rated games were discounted between late August and October, and How Nintendo eShop sales work covers when the big sales run. For anything above, write down the price you would pay, so the next sale is a quick yes or no.

By default, Dockside lists every discounted Switch game that clears this bar, not just eight, with each game's play time and price history. Put a game on your wishlist with the price you would pay, and Dockside sends a notification when the eShop price gets there. Get Dockside free on the App Store.

There is almost always something on sale on the Nintendo eShop. What changes through the year is who is running the sale and how much of the store it covers. Once you know the pattern, "should I buy this now?" becomes a much easier question.

Quick answers

Does the Nintendo eShop have sales?

Yes, nearly all the time. Nintendo runs a few big named sales a year, and publishers discount their own games in between, often while a Nintendo sale is on. On Oct. 22, 2026, Nintendo's Sales & deals page had Nintendo's Screaming Deals sale and a separate Capcom section running at the same time.

How often does the Nintendo eShop have sales?

The six named Nintendo sales in the table below, from October 2025 to September 2026, came about one every two months, but they bunch up: three fell between late October and early January, and the longest gap between them ran from mid-March to late June. Publisher sales fill the gaps, so on any given day some games are discounted.

When will the next big eShop sale be?

Nintendo does not publish a calendar. Going by last year, the next big one is Black Friday: in 2025 Nintendo announced its Cyber Deals sale on Nov. 10, and it ran from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3. A holiday sale followed from Dec. 22 into early January. The table below has the dates of six recent sales.

How long does an eShop sale last?

About two weeks. Cyber Deals ran 14 days (Nov. 20 to Dec. 3, 2025) and the Customer Appreciation Sale 15 (Sept. 12 to 26, 2026); the other four in the table ended 10 to 13 days after Nintendo announced them. Publisher sales vary, so check the end date on the game's own eShop page.

When does the eShop update sales?

Nintendo's announcements give the end, not the start: every one in the table below that names a time ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on its last day. Start dates are announced with little notice (ten days ahead for Cyber Deals, two days for the Customer Appreciation Sale), and publisher sales can start or end on any day. So a price you saw yesterday can be gone today, and a sale's last evening is the deadline.

Two kinds of sale

Nintendo's own sales. A few times a year, Nintendo of America announces a named promotion with an end date, covering a selection of digital games and, often, add-ons. These are the sales that get news coverage, and the ones worth planning around.

Publisher sales. Publishers also discount their own catalogs on their own schedules, often while a Nintendo sale is running. The eShop gives some of them a section of their own: on Oct. 22, 2026, Nintendo's Sales & deals page had a Capcom section next to Nintendo's own Screaming Deals sale.

The two overlap constantly, which is why the store is never without discounts, and why the size of a discount on its own tells you little about whether now is the moment to buy.

When Nintendo's big sales run

Nintendo does not publish a sale calendar in advance. Here are six of the named US sales it announced in the past year, with the dates from its own announcements:

Screaming Deals is back for Halloween 2026: on Oct. 22, Nintendo's Sales & deals page had a Screaming Deals section.

A few things stand out:

• Autumn and winter are the busy season. Three of the six fall between late October and early January: Halloween, Black Friday into early December, and a holiday sale that runs from just before Christmas into the new year. If that pattern holds, those are the windows to watch this year too.
• A headline discount is a ceiling, not a promise. Screaming Deals and Hits for the Holidays advertised savings of up to 50% on select games; the Customer Appreciation Sale offered 30% off dozens of games. Not every game is included, and in an "up to" sale many are discounted by less.
• Sales end late on the last day. Every announcement above that gives an end time gives 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
• Notice is short. Cyber Deals was announced ten days ahead (Nov. 10 for a Nov. 20 start), and the Customer Appreciation Sale two days ahead. You cannot plan around the announcement, only around the season.

Buy now, or wait?

There is no rule that settles it, but a few questions help:

• Is it on sale now at a price you are happy with, and will you play it soon? Then buying is reasonable. Nothing guarantees that a bigger sale will include the game, or discount it further.
• Is it at full price with a big seasonal sale a few weeks away? Waiting costs you little.
• Are you unsure you will like it? Settle that first. Nintendo's digital refund policy treats payments as final and non-refundable, except where Nintendo authorizes it or the law requires otherwise, so a cheap game you do not enjoy is still money spent. Many games have a demo: Nintendo keeps a list of games with free demos.

Get ready before the next sale starts

1. Keep a wish list. Nintendo's own Nintendo Store app can notify you when a game on your wish list goes on sale: turn on the sales notification for wish list items in the app's settings (Nintendo's instructions).
2. Decide your price in advance. Write down what you would pay for each game on your list. When the sale arrives, the only question is whether the price is under your number. Is that eShop discount any good? covers how to pick that number.
3. Check reviews and length before the clock is ticking. A sale's last evening is a bad time to research. Metacritic or Steam? explains what the two most common scores tell you.
4. On a Switch 2, check which version you are buying. Some games are sold both as the original and as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and owners of the original can buy an upgrade pack instead (Nintendo's explanation).
5. Don't count on Gold Points. Older advice about stacking My Nintendo Gold Points on digital sales is out of date: Nintendo stopped awarding them for digital purchases on March 24, 2025 (and for registering physical games on March 25, 2026), and points expire at the end of the month, 12 months after they were earned.

If you would rather not keep up with all of this yourself, that is what Dockside is for: by default it lists only the discounted Switch games with top critic or player ratings, and sends a notification when a game on your wishlist reaches the price you set. Get Dockside free on the App Store.

Start with the price, not the percentage

Ninety percent off a $24.99 game leaves about $2.50. Twenty percent off a $59.99 game leaves about $48. The first looks like the better deal and may well be, but only if you want that game. Before a sale starts, decide what each game on your list is worth to you, and compare the sale price with that number rather than with the strikethrough price next to it.

Check how low it has been before

The most useful question about a sale price is how it compares with the game's own history: has it been this cheap before, and how often? A price history answers both. Two things to keep in mind when you read one:

• A price history only goes back so far. "Lowest price" means the lowest in that record, not necessarily the lowest ever. Before you trust a "lowest ever" label, find out how long the record goes back.
• No history is not the same as no discount coming. A game that has never been discounted deeply may just not have had its turn yet, or it may be one that rarely goes on sale. The record tells you what has happened, not what will.

Work out a rough cost per hour

Divide the sale price by how long the game takes to finish. Play times are usually given three ways: the main story, the story plus extras, and completing everything. The main-story figure is the fairest starting point. A $10 game with a twelve-hour story works out at under a dollar an hour.

Treat the result as a sanity check, not a verdict. A long game you never finish costs more per hour than you think, and a short game you finish in an evening can be the better buy. Length also tells you something price cannot: whether the game fits the time you actually have.

Make sure it is the right version for your console

Some games are sold both as the original Switch release and as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and the two can be priced and discounted separately. Nintendo describes a Switch 2 Edition as the original game bundled with an upgrade pack, and the features that pack adds can only be played on a Switch 2 (Nintendo's explanation). That leads to three simple rules:

• On a Switch 1, the extras in a Switch 2 Edition do nothing for you, so compare prices for the original.
• On a Switch 2, if you already own the original (physical or digital), you can buy just the upgrade pack from the eShop rather than the whole edition. Check your Nintendo Switch Online plan first: Nintendo says the upgrade packs for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom come at no extra cost with an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership (you still need to own the game).
• On a Switch 2, if you own neither, compare the edition's sale price with the original's. The upgrade may or may not be worth the difference to you.

Look closely at editions, bundles and add-ons

A deluxe edition or a bundle has its own regular price, so its discount is measured against that, not against the base game. If you only want the base game, compare the base game's sale price. If you want the extras, check whether you already own some of them: a bundle is only as good as the parts you do not have yet.

Nintendo's sales can include add-ons as well as games (its Screaming Deals sale in October 2025 covered selected games and DLC), so if you already own a game, check whether its expansion is discounted too.

Remember that digital purchases are final

Nintendo's refund policy for digital products treats payments as final and non-refundable, apart from cases Nintendo authorizes or the law requires. Its support page on refunds for downloaded games says it plainly: "We are unable to provide refunds or exchanges for mistaken purchases" (Nintendo Support). A cheap game you do not enjoy is still money spent, so if you are unsure, look for a demo: Nintendo keeps a list of games with free demos.

A quick checklist

1. Is the sale price under the number you decided the game is worth?
2. Has it been cheaper before, and how long is the price record?
3. Do critics and players rate it highly? Metacritic or Steam? explains how to read both.
4. How long is it, and do you have that time?
5. Is it the right version for your console, and do you already own part of it?
6. If you are unsure you will like it, is there a demo?

If the answers line up, buy it and enjoy it. If they do not, the next sale is rarely far away: How Nintendo eShop sales work covers when the big ones run.

Dockside, our app, answers three of those questions before you ask them: by default it lists only discounted games with top critic or player ratings, and shows each one's play length and price history. Get Dockside free on the App Store.

What a Metascore measures

A Metascore is Metacritic's summary of what professional critics thought. It is a weighted average of scores from critics and publications, on a scale of 0 to 100 (Metacritic support). A game needs at least four critic reviews before Metacritic shows one; until then the page says "tbd" (Metacritic support). Metacritic colors scores green, yellow or red, and it notes that for games it usually takes a score in the upper 70s or higher to mark a game as clearly good (Metacritic support). Its "Must-Play" badge goes to games with a Metascore of 90 or more that at least 15 publications have reviewed (Metacritic support).

Why the Switch version's score matters

Metacritic keeps reviews separately for each platform a game was released on, so the same game can have one Metascore on one platform, a different one on Switch, and none at all where too few critics covered it. Into the Breach, for example, had separate Metascores for its PC and Switch releases as of October 2026 (90 and 89), while its iOS version still showed "tbd" with two critic reviews. For a Switch buyer, the Switch version's own score is the one to look for. A port can differ from the original in ways reviewers care about: how smoothly it runs, how it looks in handheld mode, whether anything was cut or added.

If the Switch version has no Metascore, which happens when fewer than four critics reviewed it, treat another platform's score as a hint about the game itself rather than a verdict on the Switch release.

What a Steam rating measures

Steam's rating comes from players. Each review on Steam is either positive or negative, and the store sums them up in a label that runs from "Overwhelmingly Positive" at the top down to "Overwhelmingly Negative", shown with the number of reviews behind it. A few details from Valve's documentation for developers are worth knowing:

• There can be two ratings. The top of a store page can show one for the past 30 days as well as one for the game's whole life. A gap between them tells you players' opinion has moved, for example after an update.
• Only Steam purchases count. Reviews from people who activated the game with a key are left out of the score.
• Review bombs can be excluded. Steam can leave a burst of off-topic reviews, ones about something other than the game itself, out of its score.

Two limits matter for Switch buyers. A Steam rating describes the PC version, so it says little about how a Switch port runs. And games that are not on Steam, which includes Nintendo's own, have no Steam rating at all.

When critics and players disagree

Critic reviews tend to arrive around release, while Steam reviews keep accumulating for years, so the two can drift apart. A game that critics scored modestly can win players over through updates, and a well-reviewed game can lose players' goodwill later. Neither number is "right"; a big gap is simply a reason to read a few reviews before you buy.

The number of reviews matters as much as the label. A rating built on tens of thousands of player reviews is far steadier than one built on a few dozen, and a Metascore from four critics is thinner than one from forty.

How to use both in a minute

1. Look for the Switch Metascore first. If there is one, it is the best single signal for the Switch release.
2. Check the Steam rating and its review count for a sense of how players who spent real time with the game feel about it, remembering that it is the PC version.
3. If the two disagree, read two or three reviews, looking specifically for comments on the Switch version.
4. Then weigh price and length. A great score does not make a sixty-hour game right for someone with two free evenings. Is that eShop discount any good? covers the rest of the checklist.

This is also the idea behind Dockside, our app for US eShop deals. By default it lists a discounted game only if it has a Metascore of 88 or higher (the Switch version's own, where there is one) or an "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam rating, so either critics or players have to rate it among the best. Get Dockside free on the App Store.