Summary
- Pokemon Gen 10 might release in 2026, leaving Pokemon Legends: Z-A as the big launch for this year.
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s price set at $59.99 for Switch and $69.99 for Switch 2, sparking controversy.
- With the surcharge for physical copies or if Mario Kart World’s prices are applied, Legends: Z-A may cost around $80.
Many fans expected Pokemon Gen 10 to come out in 2025 due to Game Freak’s typical 3-year development cycle for mainline games, but no news came regarding this title just yet, and leaks make it a 2026 release, meaning that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be the only big launch for the franchise this year. Recent Pokemon Legends: Z-A leaks about Mega Evolutions claim that the game will have several new forms for existing critters, but no new Pokemon or regional forms at all. Today, The Pokemon Company officially announced Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s release date is October 16, and price leaks immediately followed.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 coming out in just over one week, discussions regarding the prices of games for the new console have very much not subsided, as Mario Kart World is set to cost a whopping $79.99 without the launch bundle. The game will be available at this price in both its digital and physical versions, though it’s confirmed that physical games will mostly consist of cartridges with digital keys, with a surcharge of $10 in most cases. Now, notorious Pokemon leak aggregator Centro Leaks, took to Twitter to divulge the prices of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and if correct, this is bound to reignite the price discourse for the Switch 2.
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Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Switch 2 Price is Another Controversy Waiting to Happen
Many fans were not happy with Mario Kart World‘s price of $80, to the point that an avalanche of comments saying “Drop the prices” started appearing on Nintendo livestreams and under YouTube videos dedicated to this specific game or the Nintendo Switch 2 in general. Pokemon games have consistently been priced at $60 for many years now, and this will apparently still be the case for Pokemon Legends: Z-A on the Switch. However, its digital version on the Switch 2 is allegedly going to cost $69.99, with a possible surcharge of $10 for the physical version.
This is the Nintendo Switch 2 price controversy all over again, with the console costing more than many fans expected, and games suddenly spiking in price. The situation remains murky because there seems to be a discrepancy between the digital and physical versions of games in the United States compared to Europe, for example, where a physical copy of Mario Kart World is set to cost €90, which is much more than the $80 pricetag in the US. This remains to be seen for now, but if Mario Kart World‘s prices are used for all Switch 2 games, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will cost €80 or €90 in Europe, and around $80 in the US.
If a physical copy of Pokemon Legends: Z-A ends up costing $80, then it’s going to be $20 more expensive than Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which is a massive increase. Even if Centro Leaks’ suggested prices are confirmed, a digital copy of Pokemon Legends: Z-A is going to cost $10 more than past games, at least for Switch 2. The cost increase is allegedly due to the 4K image quality of Switch 2 games, as well as increased performance. This is also confirmed on Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s page on the Nintendo store, indicating that it’s indeed possible this will be the outcome.
Why Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Price May Not Matter, In The End
It’s highly unlikely for Pokemon Legends: Z-A to flop, though, as the game is surrounded by huge hype considering the return of Mega Evolutions, which are single-handedly the most popular battle gimmick in the series. As such, this is possibly just the first Pokemon game to have a pricetag of $70 (if not $80), but this trend may very well not stop there. It remains to be seen what the reception of the game in terms of sales will be, but since it’s not a Switch 2 exclusive, it will likely sell well across the board.
