Nintendo Promotes Major Sale, Citing Tariff Refunds as Funding Source

Nintendo of America has announced a major discount event: From September 12 to 26, 2026, dozens of digital Switch games and bundles will receive a 30 percent discount, alongside price reductions on selected physical games, DLCs, accessories, Amiibo, and merchandise. Nintendo itself calls the promotion one of the largest in the company's history. What's particularly drawing attention is the stated reason: According to Nintendo, the sale is being made possible “in part by tariff-related refunds.”

What exactly does the Nintendo Customer Appreciation Sale offer?

The discount event is available via the Nintendo eShop, the official Nintendo Store, and participating retailers in the USA. In addition to the 30 percent off digital Switch and Switch 2 titles, there are discounts on selected retail games, DLC content, accessories, Amiibo figures, and apparel from the Nintendo range. Nintendo lists details on the official announcement page.

Why is the Funding via Tariff Refunds Causing Criticism?

In the wake of US import tariffs under the Trump administration, Nintendo had increased prices for Switch consoles and accessories. When the Supreme Court later declared large portions of these tariffs unlawful, Nintendo of America itself sued the US Treasury Department and, according to its own statements, was awarded approximately $300 million in tariff refunds – alongside over 1,000 other companies that had taken similar action. This is precisely where the criticism arises: Since April 2026, a class-action lawsuit has been ongoing in the USA, filed by plaintiffs Gregory Hoffert and Prashant Sharan, who accuse Nintendo of having raised prices between February 2025 and February 2026 due to the tariffs – and now, after the tariffs were overturned, keeping the money itself instead of passing it on to customers. Nintendo argues in court that the refunds are due to the company because it originally paid the import tariffs itself, and requested the dismissal of the lawsuit.

From our perspective, the timing of the announcement is remarkable: Instead of quietly booking the refunds, Nintendo is aggressively linking them to a PR-friendly discount event – while in parallel, a court battle is ongoing over who truly owns this money. For gamers, this means, at best, lower prices in the next two weeks, regardless of the outcome of the class-action lawsuit.

Source: Nintendo Life, Nintendo

Are you grabbing a discount? Let us know in the comments which game you're getting in the sale!