Perhaps the ultimate dream of a ‘90s Metalhead nerd, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is the fusion of retro-style first-person shooters with the beloved sci-fi universe that birthed the term “grimdark.” It gets a lot of fun mileage purely from combining the aesthetics, sense of story, and level design of a game like Duke Nukem 3D or the original Doom with the rich library of character designs that 40K has built up in its 35 or so years of history. You’re a Space Marine Sternguard, a decorated elite who doesn’t say much, and you’re on loan to the scary and very mean imperial Inquisition. Your job is to kill everything between you and… whatever objective you’re currently after. Don’t think too hard – there’s not much of a plot here, just a whole lot of old-fashioned running and gunning.

Across three chapters and a few dozen levels you’ll cleanse, purge, and kill every single Chaos-worshiping heretic and daemon on the extremely brown-and-gray forge world of Graia. (Easter egg: That’s also the setting of 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, which technically makes this a spinoff-sequel to that story.) You’re guided along the way by a little Servo-Skull who, in a delightful play on the usual annoying floating companion archetype, just offers deadpan in-universe commentary on the world around you – mostly to note things like how a nearby stack of boxes is organized in an unapproved, likely heretical fashion. It’ll also point out room exits in confusing bits, albeit inconsistently.

The retro cred of Boltgun is undeniable, though I have to note that you can turn down the pixelation and tweak the color filter to make it simpler to see what’s going on. That’ll leave you with more of a low-poly shooter with smooth textures and 2D sprite enemies if you for some reason are a mutant that prefers crisp lines and unmuddled distance views. For my part, I quite liked the visual filters and found the pixel style improves Boltgun’s look and feel.

It takes something like eight to 10 hours to beat the campaign, which starts a bit slow but ramps up quickly into a strong middle section, and ends on a spree of unremarkable end levels that’re punctuated with some really unexpected and fun gems. Like a lot of retro-shooters, Boltgun is probably best enjoyed by those who’re interested in challenging its hardest difficulties. That means getting the hang of the run-and-gun combat and movement abilities in a bid to master level layouts and weapon types – something that the weapons in Boltgun lend themselves well to, as each has a special job to do.

Speaking of weapons, there are eight of those plus your chainsword, which you can mash the button to rev in melee and make your enemies explode into strawberry jam. I was a particular fan of the sticky grenade-firing Vengeance Launcher (making its triumphant return from Space Marine) and the Heavy Bolter which, in true retro-shooter fashion, never requires a reload – it just keeps firing until your ammo pool is dry. Also of note are the long-range plasma gun, the cone-shaped blast of the melta gun, and the precision beam of the volkite caliver, all of which fill a useful niche in your arsenal.

Whether it’s the titular Boltgun, a nice shotgun, or the heavy-melting graviton gun, every weapon has a Strength stat and every enemy has one for Toughness. Weapons of lower Strength than a target’s Toughness deal much less damage, while more powerful weapons punch right through baddies. That means you need to adjust on the fly, making sure to conserve high-strength ammunition for high-toughness enemies – and know when to bust out the big guns to clear a crowd of mid-level baddies before they swamp you. If this sounds familiar to you then you probably play tabletop Warhammer and will deeply appreciate this level of commitment to the bit.

Speaking of commitment: You have health in Boltgun, but you don’t have armor – you have Contempt. It’s a touch that’s deliciously suitable to the fanatical hyper-zealot warrior-monks that the Space Marines are and a nice callback to the infamous Space Marine mantra “My armour is contempt, my shield is disgust, my sword hatred. In the Emperor’s name, let none survive.”

And there sure are a lot of baddies to un-survive. Boltgun rarely seems afraid to throw big hordes at you, even in small spaces: several times per level you’ll hit a large space and the screen will tint red, indicating that you’ve entered “Purge Mode” and therefore are locked into a combat arena. This is where Boltgun shines, asking you to make the most of your superhuman jumps, sprints, charges, and immunity to fall damage to evade and obliterate overwhelming odds. Purge Mode enemies will keep spawning until you knock out a few key enemies – often the toughest ones like bigger Daemons, Chaos Terminators, and boss monsters.

They’re generally good enemies, to be honest. Nicely balanced between ranged and melee, they require you to switch tactics: No running around in the open against Chaos Terminators and their long-range autocannons, for example. Or the absolute jerks that are Chaos Champions, furious melee combatants who, when killed in any way that doesn’t turn them into giblets, will pray to their dark gods for a chance to return to life. There’s also a few with good, weird powers thrown in – like Pink Horrors, who become two Blue Horrors when killed. Delightful and true to 40K canon!

I also enjoyed the handful of bosses, and even when they repeated they were pretty nasty to fight: I always found it handy to find a secret cache with a vortex grenade and kept it on-hand for those occasions. Nothing ends a greater daemon’s day like a tiny black hole that’s also a portal straight back to space Hell.

There are just two problems with the horde of bad guys. The first is that enemies are stupid as rocks, generally content to let you gun them down from range if they can’t see you or get to you. It feels especially bad when it’s a melee enemy. They don’t even try to hide, which takes some of the satisfaction out of a kill. For many people, especially challenge-seekers, the braindead AI is where this game will risk losing them.

The other problem is that by halfway through the campaign you’ll have seen the last of the new enemy types and even bosses – there’s not more than 20 in total. Even obvious enemy variations would have been welcome: Every single Chaos Space Marine you fight is carrying the same boltgun and grenades, with not one plasma or meltagun to be seen. Even stranger to me is that while you fight plenty of Daemons it’s always either Plague or Change monsters – never a mix of the two, which seems like it would have been an easy way to provide a bit of variety.

In theory, this scarcity of enemy types should be counterable with strong level design. That remedy works for most of Boltgun, but by the end of the second chapter wandering corridors looking for colored keys starts to get a bit boring – a gameplay cliche I think we should have learned was a bad fit for this setting from 2003’s Warhammer 40K: Fire Warrior. It’s that connective tissue between those intense arena fights that starts to get a bit repetitive, and while there are secrets to try and find, none of them are particularly inventive – mostly just things hidden behind or inside a hexagonal grimdark shipping container. Not one illusionary wall to walk through or obtusely hidden door to discover (or if there are, I couldn’t find them).

To its credit, nearly every level has at least one standout part: you’ll battle through sprawling cathedral interiors, space defense cannons, forge complexes, and alien-dug caverns among others. I particularly liked one huge cathedral-like space with smaller churches suspended inside it, each of which had to be reached by jump pads. There’s also a great level set in a huge foundry where you fight up one side of a river of molten goop, then down the other.

There are some real standout levels here, too. The huge elevator on the orbital Crown station is a giant, repeated arena fight in a complex multi-level structure that I loved leaping and climbing around as I fought. As a rule I’ve always hated levels that are one giant elevator, but Boltgun can now proudly claim to be the exception that proves it.

Along with hearts and stamina, one of the most precious resources in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is your battery life. And we don’t mean the battery of your Nintendo Switch that keeps running out from playing so much.

Link’s Zonai batteries power all of his machines when outside Shrines, and you’ll quickly discover that the single battery’s worth of power he has at the start of the game is hardly enough to be getting on with. And while a Zonai Construct explains how to increase your battery early on, the numerous terms it throws at you so early (Crystallized Charges! Zonaite! What?) can seem overwhelming – not to mention how annoying it is to return to Great Sky Island to get upgrade materials when you do manage to figure it all out.

Fortunately, there are ways to make this much easier. We have a upgrading your battery in ToTK guide (aka upgrading your Energy Cell) in Tears of the Kingdom, but here’s a short version if you just want some quick guidance on how to get more batteries in Tears of the Kingdom:

Collect Zonaite from the Depths

Whenever you’re beneath the surface, you’ll occasionally spot deposits of ore that seem to sparkle turquoise (not to be confused with glowing Luminous Stones). This is Zonaite, and you should mine all you can. You need three Zonaite to get one Crystallized Charge, and 300 to upgrade a battery one-third of the way. That’s a lot of Zonaite! There are other ways to get Zonaite, such as by defeating certain enemies, but this is the most common one.

Convert the Zonaite into Crystalized Charges

Once you finish one of the Regional Phenomena quests, you’ll be given another quest from Josha that sends you to the Depths. Do this as soon as possible, as it eventually leads to a Forge where you can trade Zonaite for Crystallized Charges. Before this point, you’ll have to return to the Great Sky Island to trade with the construct you met there. You can collect Crystallized Charges in other ways, too, but this is the most common one.

Trade Crystalized Charges Outside Lookout Landing

With Crystalized Charges in hand, head north from Lookout Landing and look for the large piece of Sky Ialdn that’s fallen just outside the gate. Atop it is a Zonai Construct that will forge 100 Crystallized Charges into an energy cell upgrade. In total, you can collect 21 upgrades to obtain eight full batteries. That means you’ll need 2,100 Crystallized Charges…or 6,300 pieces of Zonaite. Get mining!

For a full rundown of how to upgrade your battery in Tears of the Kingdom, dig into our guide on the subject. And for help with everything Tears of the Kingdom, take a look at our Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough about making your way through Hyrule. In fact, you can start here:

• 16 Things to Do First in Tears of the Kingdom
• 14 Things Tears of the Kingdom Doesn’t Tell You
• How to Uncover the Full TOTK Map
• How to Expand Your Inventory in TOTK
• PSA: Your Old BOTW Save Unlocks Something Cool in TOTK

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

PC releases are under scrutiny as of late. When compared to their console counterparts, PC games more frequently experience anything from immense graphical glitches to game breaking bugs regardless of an individual’s specific build. And since many high-end rigs cost upwards of thousands of dollars, questions often arise as to why so many titles launch in unplayable states.

Games like The Last of Us Part 1 Remake, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Redfall, and even Final Fantasy 7 Remake recently suffered from ports that required extensive post-launch patches to fix. Speaking with IGN, three experts familiar with porting games to PC discuss the challenges of porting, the complexities behind changing control methods, and how studios can work to potentially eliminate rough launches.

Challenging PC Ports

To the average player, it may be confusing when a PC game with a simultaneous release on consoles fails to function. If the price is the same and the overall content of the game is identical, regardless of platform, why are there such stark differences with performance? Senior staff writer and video producer for Digital Foundry John Linneman says that one of the primary problems with bugs may be PC gaming’s biggest selling point – customizable systems.

“One of the biggest hurdles is the variety of hardware configurations available – consoles are fixed platforms, but PCs are wide open,” Linneman said. “Any user can have a PC built from a variety of parts running a different operating system with different drivers. For games that push the visual envelope, this can put a lot of stress on the hardware, resulting in sub-par performance for some users. There are only so many permutations a developer can test while building their game, so it’s very likely that upon release, day-one buyers will immediately uncover issues that require patching.”

Beyond a PC build, the overall design of games and their specific engines may initially be incompatible with PCs. The process of porting is not the result of a direct transfer of files or an action as simple as copying and pasting programs. Linneman notes that the engines for Jedi: Survivor and TLOU Part 1 Remake notoriously suffer from PC-related issues that require additional time and resources to fix. And when people continue to build vastly different rigs, developers need to account for each new scenario accompanied with pieces of hardware and software.

“[Star Wars] Jedi: Survivor, for example, is an Unreal Engine 4 title that exhibits some of the pitfalls we commonly see in games built with Unreal. Just-in-time PSO stuttering, poor CPU threading, and traversal stuttering are just three of the problems found in this game. The Last of Us Part 1 has similar issues, but the cause of these issues is different. I imagine it’s due to the very different underlying technology – it doesn’t use the Unreal Engine, and the original version was made specifically for one console. Unreal is purpose-built for multiplatform development, but until last year Naughty Dog had yet to release any of its modern games on the PC.”

Regardless of the issue, each PC port requires careful and explicit attention. Simultaneous launches are possible, but as Linneman explains, studios need to be aware of potential bugs and glitches by regularly testing games. Without dedicated resources, PC ports will continue to struggle with releases.

Redstart Interactive’s head of design and engineering Jon Lawitts notes that smaller studios may only support development for a single platform due to time and resources. While larger studios generally have more people on their teams, as well as a familiarity with multiple simultaneous platform launches, issues like budget and deadlines can affect any game.

“Small studios – and sometimes large ones as well – will launch their game on a single platform that they have tested well in order to start generating some revenue,” Lawitts says. “Then later down the road launch on additional platforms once they see some traction with their initial launch.”

Customizing Controls

While most PC launchers and systems include controller functionality, ports can occasionally suffer from poor control schemes and improper mouse support. Lawitts explores the causes of this issue, noting that it’s far more complex than assumed.

“The ergonomics of using mouse and keyboard feels significantly different from a controller, and often means a significant redesign of all the games’ controls,” Lawitts said. “On controllers players can move the joysticks a variable amount, changing the speed or movement. On the keyboard this isn’t possible. Similarly with a mouse or touch screen you can point to an exact position, whereas with a controller any position is relative.”

These variances between inputs impact all aspects of a game. From combat to traversal, mechanics are drastically altered on different controller types. Even actions as crucial as accessing menus can feel bogged down or even fail to work without proper support. For example, the PC port of Gotham Knights prohibited mouse movements and key customizations in certain scenarios, like examining the investigation board or driving the Batcycle during its launch.

While patches were eventually added to rectify these issues in Gotham Knights, initial gameplay experiences negatively impacted numerous players, and especially disabled individuals. And it’s far from the only game with this issue. Lawitts explains that seamless mouse and keyboard experiences are crucial to a successful port.

“Any differences in the input design also means changes to tutorials, menus, and other UI elements to accommodate the PC player” Lawitts said. “Sequences and move combinations that felt seamless and accessible to the player on controllers can feel dramatically different on keyboard and mouse and we need to find a way on the keyboard to bring that satisfying feeling back to the player.”

For disabled players who are unable to use different methods, PC ports with ineffective mouse and keyboard implementations add unnecessary barriers on top of bugs and glitches. While this is primarily an accessibility issue that affects physically disabled individuals, unusable mouse and keyboard controls are problematic for everyone. From able-bodied people to those with temporary disabilities like broken arms or fingers, poor controls can ruin an experience.

It’s one thing when PC ports experience immense bugs and glitches. But when combined with game-breaking occurrences and unusable control schemes, players are left unable to play the newest releases. And it’s ultimately up to developers to ensure that their launches are as smooth and accessible as possible.

Developer Support

No studio or developer wants to release an unfinished or broken game. Countless hours and resources are reflected in the final product and when PC ports arrive in incomplete states, both developers and consumers feel the impact. This doesn’t mean that polished PC ports aren’t possible, but rather require specific attention to deliver entertaining experiences. Modder, creator of DSfix, and co-founder of PH3 games Peter Thoman encourages studios to actively invest in proper PC port support. As hardware and software continues to advance, studios need to account for as many PC build scenarios as possible.

“Test on a variety of hardware and software configurations, and with a variety of settings, as early as possible,” Thoman said. “If you are a large publisher and can therefore easily afford to do this in-house, then do it. But if you are not, then you can still do things like closed external beta tests. You really shouldn’t need to rely on bug reports from your customers to get your first test results on relatively common OS, GPU or CPU architectures.”

Within the testing, Thoman emphasizes the importance of software design. Issues like the “framerate your game is running at, the resolution, its aspect ratio, the specific inputs and so on” are relatively easy when explored from the beginning. Thoman notes that the longer studios wait to address these issues, the more costly they become. But more importantly, he wants developers to stop limiting players to specific hardware and software scenarios. With the customizability of PCs, studios cannot focus on a small number of build potentials.

“Provide as many options as you can, in all of gameplay, input, output, and graphics and performance scaling,” Thoman said. “You never know exactly what devices people will want or have to use with your game, or what scenarios they are going to play in. People appreciate having flexibility, even if not every single combination of all options is rigorously tested throughout the entire game – if you fix an obscure issue with one particular combination of options after launch, no one is going to be all too upset.”

Beyond accounting for the unique and individualistic natures of PCs, Thoman also advises developers to shy away from utilizing APIs and libraries that are uncommon. By choosing these tools, it places more emphasis on players’ systems, resulting in more frequent bugs and glitches. In other words, mainstream is the way to go.

“Minimize your reliance on more obscure Windows APIs and non-standard libraries,” Thoman said. “One particular example of this is using the Windows Media Foundation to access audio/video codecs for playback. Not only will that likely be annoying for Steam Deck and Linux users, relying on external components on the users’ system also means you open yourself up to bugs in those. With great patent-free open-source options available these days it’s much better to ship your own codecs.”

When examining the topic of optimizing ports, Thoman acknowledges that certain APIs are actually detrimental to quality. Since PCs are generally becoming more powerful, APIs not designed for better graphics can cause many of the issues as seen in games like The Last of Us Part 1 Remake.

“However, when it comes to optimizing that port, and providing a high-quality experience tailored to the PC use case, I don’t think things have gotten much easier,” Thoman said. “In fact, one might argue that lower-level APIs in graphics put more of a burden on game developers to ensure good performance, and complex middleware layers might make it more difficult to diagnose and fix fundamental engine performance issues. Just look at the large number of AAA Unreal Engine games which ship with similar stutter issues.”

PC ports are a strange topic. From graphical to game breaking glitches to controls that create unintentional barriers, it’s frustrating when AAA games are severely hindered on PC. But as technology progresses, developers and studios can devote resources to creating ports that are just as smooth as their console counterparts. Deadlines and budgets can affect development across all platforms and studio sizes, ultimately impacting the quality of ports. And with each troublesome release, Thoman hopes studios are open with their struggles. Not only does transparency benefit everyone, but he also believes the PC community can help developers if needed. And with the complexity of ports, more help is always welcome.

“Keep everything as open as possible and communicate with your audience,” Thoman said. “There are a lot of savvy people in the PC audience. If you try to hide things from them or try to spin some elaborate tale rather than admitting an error, that probably won’t work out. On the other hand, if you openly communicate – and ideally, are also open in your software to the maximum extent feasible, regarding e.g., file formats or encryption – then the community can actually be a huge asset.”

On April 14th, developer I Got Games launched their first-ever Viking-themed simulation game, Viking Rise. With this title, studio IGG seeks to fill a unique gap they believe is missing in the mobile simulation gaming market. They’ve secured Korean star Ma Dong-seok as their official spokesman in Korea. They’ve also teamed up with two-time Emmy Award-winning composer Trevor Morris, who fans may recognize for his work on the hit TV series Vikings.

Viking Rise is an online multiplayer, real-time strategy game with free construction elements inspired by Viking culture and Norse mythology. The game utilizes 3D modeling and new graphic rendering techniques to combine lifelike characters with more stylized backdrops, creating a contrasting aesthetic that adds to the game’s visual style. Fans of shows like Vikings, movies like The Northman, and real-time strategy simulation games like the Civilization series will feel right at home as they fulfill their Nordic fantasy.

A Life Worthy of a Viking

Players will take on the role of a Jarl, a Viking leader in command of a tribe trying to find their place in the new world of Midgard. With the help of advisers, players can explore, hunt, loot, and fight to achieve success. The new world of Midgard offers the opportunity for fame, power, and riches, along with danger and threats from both the physical and mystic worlds. Players must conquer land and sea, with Naval Combat significantly impacting how your Viking can approach and overtake competitors. Players will helm a “Drakkar Ship” that facilitates travel across the circular, winding water routes.

In Viking Rise, players can summon heroes from Norse mythology and Viking history to join their fight. As Jarl, you must decide what kind of tribe you will lead. Will you develop your people into a commercial trade center bustling with bartering and resources? Or will you build a mighty military fortress unlike anything the world has ever seen and rule by force? Players must stay vigilant for day cycles and changing seasons as they manage their growing tribe in traditional city-management-style gameplay. Different seasons and weather changes will bring their unique challenges to overcome. This will help keep the game interesting as players navigate these changes.

A Joint Effort

Viking Rise is a Nordic-themed online multiplayer game, meaning that it has to play into the strategy of anyone hoping to thrive in Midgard. Forming the right alliances may prove crucial when assistance is needed to protect one’s tribe from invasion by other players. Viking Rise offers plenty to get lost in, with opportunity and danger around every corner. Multiplayer boss dungeons and a game mode that developer I Got Games has coined Divine Realms add another layer to the experience. In this mode, players must strategize with allies to control the battlefield, defend against hostile rival alliances, and win the day.

Trevor Morris brings his expertise and knowledge of traditional Nordic instruments to help create the official theme song for Viking Rise. Fans of Nordic music & grand Norwegian scores can find the track on major music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music.

Viking Rise is available now for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Jarls looking for other Viking lords to connect with can do so on the game’s official Discord or Facebook page. For those who choose to answer the call, may your reign be glorious; Valhalla is Calling!

Calling all Warhammer fans! Actor and Warhammer aficionado Rahul Kohli will host 2023’s Warhammer Skulls event on May 25. This will be Games Workshop’s seventh Warhammer Skulls celebration, and as always, fans can look forward to world premieres, reveals, and tons more.

Warhammer Skulls 2023 Announcement Showcase Start Time

This year’s Warhammer Skulls announcement showcase kicks off on May 25 at 5 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. PST. That’s 12 p.m. EST for east coast folks, and May 26 at 2 a.m. AEST for Australians. (Brew that coffee extra strong.)

Where to Watch Warhammer Skulls’ 2023 Announcement Showcase

If you’re game for watching the Warhammer Skulls festivities, be assured IGN will make tuning in a breeze. You can catch the stream on any of these links:

IGN.com (Our homepage)

IGN’s Facebook Channel

IGN’s Twitter

IGN’s Twitch Channel

IGN’s YouTube Channel

What to Expect From Warhammer Skulls 2023

Warhammer Skulls is a week-long celebration of Warhammer video games, not to mention a peek at what’s coming next for Warhammer video games. Last year, we got a world premiere for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, a purposefully retro FPS that’s brimming with DOOM-inspired guts, gore, and gunfire. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun comes out on May 23 on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch, but we’re sure to get another close-up look at the game. You can also expect more news and developments about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Total War: Warhammer III, and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Plus exciting news coming Frontier Developments.

After the show, fans can indulge in week-long offers on Warhammer video games, including up to 80% off Warhammer titles, as well as new content and free updates across multiple game and mobile platforms.

Suit up. We’ll see you on May 25, Space Marine.

THQ Nordic and Yuke’s Media Creations have announced that AEW: Fight Forever, the officially licensed All Elite Wrestling game, will be available on June 29 for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Announced in a new trailer (above), the long awaited wrestling game finally got its release date after being revealed two and a half years ago.

AEW wrestler and executive vice president Kenny Omega took centre stage in the trailer to announce the June 29 date and that pre-loading is now available. “Thank you so much for your patience and being awesome fans,” he added.

AEW: Fight Forever promises to bring easy to pick up but difficult to master arcade wrestling gameplay alongside a full campaign mode, multiplayer, create-a-wrestler, and “various other unusual modes”.

Confusion around its release date occurred earlier this year when Omega said the game was finished but in limbo due to an ESRB rating, though THQ Nordic senior community manager Per Hollenbro later said that this wasn’t the case. Thankfully for fans, however, this has now been resolved and the game is launching in just over a month.

In our preview of the game, IGN said: “[Our] impression of AEW Fight Forever is that it is exactly what it looks like: A throwback to what many view as the Golden Age of wrestling games.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Amazon is running a Gaming Week sale right now ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, with savings on all things game related, from PC gaming, console games, even movies based on video games are getting in on the discounts. As such, there are some great opportunities to save on Nintendo Switch games and accessories right now.

The Nintendo Switch is a runaway success, now sitting at number three in the list of all-time best-selling consoles. Some of the most popular games of the last five years have exclusive homes on the Switch, and unlike Nintendo consoles of yore, first-party Nintendo Switch game deals are fairly commonplace.

Best Nintendo Switch Deals

Common Nintendo Switch Game Deals

TL;DR: Indie and first-party games

By far the most common Nintendo Switch deals we see are on smaller games. Games like Harvestella, for example, are perpetually on sale, but there are lots of times to save on some of the best indies on Nintendo Switch. In fact, I’d say the best chances to find deals are on indie games, and since they’re often pretty inexpensive anyway, you can load up storage with great Switch games for very little money.

The most popular Nintendo Switch deals have to be on first-party games, however. Several times a year, Nintendo will have deals on games like Breath of the Wild, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and more first-party Switch games, offering them up for $39.99 (or less).

The Best Time to Buy Switch Games

The most common time to see these big savings on Nintendo Switch games happen during Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving, on Nov 24th 2023) and Nintendo’s annual eShop sale in the early summer. If there’s a first-party Nintendo game you want, and you’re willing to wait, you can almost certainly snatch it up for $39.99 at some point over the course of the year.

When does the Nintendo Switch Console go on Sale?

The Nintendo Switch itself rarely sees price drops. In fact, I can’t think of a legitimate time when we saw one. However, Nintendo skirts this by offering up bundle deals, usually with a game download included.

The Mario Choose One bundle lets you pick from Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros. U, or Mario Odyssey, and it comes with a pair of “Mario Red” Joy-con. As far as a deal goes, it’s currently the best around on Switch, but you’re just getting a free game.

Black Friday is when Nintendo brings out its old faithful Nintendo Switch Bundle, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Nintendo Switch bundle. In recent years, Nintendo’s added a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo Switch Online offers online play for games like Splatoon 3, as well as access to a selection of NES, Super NES and now original Game Boy games.