DocksideIs that eShop discount any good? How to judge a Switch sale price
A big percentage is not the same as a good deal. How to judge a Nintendo eShop sale price: price history, cost per hour, editions, upgrade packs and bundles.
The red percentage on an eShop listing is the loudest number on the page and the least useful one. It is a discount from the regular price the store lists, and it says nothing about whether the game is good, whether you will play it, or whether it has been cheaper before. Here is what to check instead.
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
- Is the sale price under the number you decided the game is worth?
- Has it been cheaper before, and how long is the price record?
- Do critics and players rate it highly? Metacritic or Steam? explains how to read both.
- How long is it, and do you have that time?
- Is it the right version for your console, and do you already own part of it?
- 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.