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Amazon is charging significantly more than the recommended retail price for several newly announced Nintendo products in the UK, with some preorders currently listed for up to £70 or more above the prices being charged by other major retailers.
The price differences have caught the attention of Nintendo fans following the back-to-back Nintendo Direct presentations, which revealed a host of new games and products, including the wildly popular The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary range and the long-awaited Ocarina of Time remake, alongside new Switch 2 games such as Metroid Ravenous.
The most striking example is the 40th Anniversary Zelda Switch 2 console. Nintendo's UK price was £434.99, while most other major retailers have listed the console at £429.99. Amazon, however, has been taking preorders at £499.99, making it £70 more expensive than the cheapest listings elsewhere.
The same thing is happening with the other Zelda 40th Anniversary accessories. The special edition Switch 2 Pro Controller has an RRP of £79.99, but Amazon has it listed for £89.99. The matching carry case, meanwhile, is priced at £39.99 on Amazon compared to Nintendo's £29.99 RRP.
And it's not just the Zelda products. Amazon has also listed the Metroid Ravenous Special Edition at £119.99, despite the game's RRP being £99.99 and other major UK retailers listing it at that lower price.
The Special Edition has already proved particularly difficult to find, making the higher Amazon price even more notable for fans trying to secure a preorder. Yet, despite the increase in price, it still went on to sell out in record time.
So, what's going on?
The obvious answer is that Amazon is simply charging what it thinks people will pay.
That's speculation, to be clear, because Amazon hasn't explained why these Nintendo products are being listed above their RRP. But the pricing does raise the question of whether Amazon is pricing some of these highly sought-after products according to expected demand, rather than simply matching the recommended retail price used by Nintendo and other retailers.
We've seen something similar happen with the Pokémon TCG in the US, where extremely popular products can appear on Amazon at prices far above their MSRP when demand is high.
Amazon doesn't charge customers at the point they place a preorder for most physical products, with payment generally taken when the item is preparing to dispatch.
It's wishful thinking, but it means Amazon could still lower the price between now and release, potentially bringing these Nintendo products back in line with the RRP before customers are actually charged.
if you're feeling particularly charitable, you could speculate that with Nintendo's 40th Anniversary Zelda products and the Metroid Ravenous Special Edition proving difficult to find, perhaps the higher prices are an attempt to discourage scalpers and opportunistic bulk buying.
If that is the intention, though, it doesn't appear to have worked particularly well. The products are still selling out almost instantly, and anyone willing to pay the inflated price can simply place their preorder and hope that Amazon's price drops before release.
Amazon is charging £70 more than most other UK retailers for preorders of the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2.
Nintendo's own store was charging £434.99, while most other retailers settled at £429.99.
Amazon? £499.99!https://t.co/ov1oPA1uGj #ad pic.twitter.com/XBpRK5tgtT
— IGN UK Finds (@IGNUKDeals) September 10, 2026
The less charitable interpretation is simply that Amazon knows these are products Nintendo fans desperately want, and has decided that there's money to be made from that demand.
But, for now, we don't know which explanation is correct.
What we do know is that Amazon's prices are currently well above Nintendo's recommended prices, while other major UK retailers are offering the same products for considerably less.
IGN has contacted Amazon for clarification and comment on the pricing and will update this story if the retailer provides an explanation.
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