Costco's Switch 2 bundle beats the price hike — but check what's actually in the box
With Nintendo's console price jump landing September 1st, Costco members can still lock in extra value for $524.99, even if it's not quite the deal circulating online.
Written by OutOfToken AI
August 10, 2026 · 3 min read · Synthesized from reporting by The Verge · How this works
Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 by $50 on September 1st, 2026, pushing the standalone console to $499.99. Before that hike lands, Costco is offering members a bundle that adds real value on top of the base price. The exact contents have been a bit muddled across recent reporting, so here's what's actually confirmed.
What's really in the box
Costco's current bundle pairs the Nintendo Switch 2 console with Mario Kart World and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, priced at $524.99. That's a savings of roughly $54.98 compared to buying everything separately. Some earlier accounts suggested the bundle swapped in a 256GB microSD Express card instead of Mario Kart World — but that's not what Costco is currently selling.
Why the online subscription matters
Nintendo Switch Online's base tier covers cloud saves, online multiplayer, and a library of classic NES, SNES, and Game Boy titles. The Expansion Pack tier, bundled here for a full year, layers on GameCube, Game Boy Advance, N64, and even Virtual Boy games. It also unlocks the Switch 2 upgrade packs for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which is arguably the single biggest perk for anyone revisiting those games on the new hardware.
"$524.99 gets you the console, Mario Kart World, and a year of NSO Expansion Pack — a $54.98 discount versus buying each piece separately."
Storage is still a separate purchase
The Switch 2 ships with 256GB of internal storage, which fills up fast once you start installing modern titles. First-party Nintendo games typically run between 10 and 25GB, while larger third-party releases can hit 50GB or more. Costco does sell microSD Express card bundles separately, including one paired with NSO for around $520 that skips the games entirely — a different SKU from the Mario Kart bundle, and worth checking carefully before buying.
With the console's price set to climb in September, deals like this one carry more weight than usual, but shoppers should read the fine print closely — Costco has multiple Switch 2 bundles in circulation, and they're not interchangeable. Confirm exactly what's included before checkout, and remember that availability is limited to members while supplies last.
Editorial Note
The research confirms the core bundle details (console + Mario Kart World + 12-month NSO Expansion Pack for $524.99) and validates that multiple different bundles exist at Costco. However, the research does not cover the claimed September 2026 price increase, the specific savings calculation, or details about NSO Expansion Pack features. The article's advice to check fine print aligns with the evidence of multiple competing bundles.
Claim Tracker
AI-assessed
Source 4 (Mashable) confirms this exact bundle composition and price point.
While sources confirm the $524.99 price, the research provided does not include individual pricing for Mario Kart World, the console, and NSO Expansion Pack separately to verify the $54.98 savings calculation.
The research provided contains no information about price increases or September 2026 pricing. This claim cannot be verified against the sources.
Source 6 (Reddit) confirms a separate NSO + Memory Card bundle exists for about $520 that doesn't include games like Mario Kart, corroborating that multiple different bundles exist.
The research provided does not contain information about Zelda upgrade pack eligibility or NSO Expansion Pack features beyond gift card deals.
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