Nintendo Removes 50-Hour Playtime Requirement for Switch 2 Purchases
The removal of the playtime gate makes the console easier to buy for new or less active Nintendo accounts, even as the domestic model gets a 10,000 yen price hike.
Reporting from 1 sources: Game Spark.
Nintendo changed the purchase conditions for the Switch 2 at the My Nintendo Store on May 25, removing the requirement that accounts have 50 or more hours of Switch playtime. The domestic version's price also rose from 49,980 yen to 59,980 yen, while the multilingual version's price stayed the same.
Nintendo dropped one of the more restrictive purchase conditions for the Switch 2 at its official store. As of May 25, accounts no longer need to have logged 50 or more hours of play on a Switch as of December 21, 2025. The requirement had been in place since pre-orders opened and was widely seen as a scalper countermeasure.
The change coincides with a price increase for the domestic-only model, which went from 49,980 yen to 59,980 yen. The multilingual version sold through the same store remains at its original price. The one-per-account limit on each model still applies, including past lottery and invitation purchases.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.