Nintendo has confirmed that sales of its original Switch console system – including its Lite and OLED models – will be discontinued in Europe next year.
Nintendo outlined its plans in a blog post, confirming that from this summer, as it prepares for “upcoming changes in European battery regulations coming into effect in mid-February 2027, selected Nintendo products in Europe will begin to be replaced on a rolling basis by revisions that contain a user-replaceable battery.”
The company stressed that “there is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries.”
The changes are a result of a 2023 European Union law that requires portable gaming consoles to have replaceable batteries by 2027. First proposed in 2020, the regulation only applies to future versions of handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.
Nintendo revealed that the following products will not be replaced by versions that contain user-replaceable batteries in Europe:
- Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Controller for Nintendo Switch
- Pokémon GO Plus +
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch Lite
- Nintendo Switch – OLED Model
- Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
- SEGA Mega Drive Control Pad for Nintendo Switch
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Controller for Nintendo Switch
The first revised products are expected to become available from summer 2026 and will be rolled out between now and early 2027.
“Due to a variety of factors, revised products may not become available in all European countries simultaneously,” the company added.
Specifically addressing the Switch, IGN reports Nintendo said: “Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model will all continue to be manufactured in 2026, and should be widely available in Europe all year.
“From mid-February 2027, almost 10 years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, Nintendo will no longer sell to retailers hardware in the Nintendo Switch family of systems – specifically Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model.”
The company also confirmed to IGN that it “plan[s] to continue selling Nintendo Switch outside of regions where Nintendo of Europe conducts business.”
We recently learned that Nintendo Switch 2 helped US physical games spending see its first year-on-year increase since 2009.
