Nintendo Ends New Sales of Original Switch in Europe From Feb 2027

Nintendo is pulling the original Nintendo Switch family from store shelves in Europe. Starting in mid-February 2027, the company will stop selling new units of the older hardware in that region.

Quick facts

• Europe will be the first region to stop new sales of original Nintendo Switch hardware.
• From mid-February 2027, Nintendo will no longer sell Switch-family devices to retailers in Europe.
• Sales of Switch hardware on the Nintendo Store in Europe will also end in mid-February 2027.
• The change is tied to European rules requiring consumer-replaceable batteries.
• Nintendo says revised Switch 2 models will launch later this summer, with user-replaceable batteries.
• The updated Switch 2 models will be sold only in countries where Nintendo of Europe operates.

The decision follows new regulations that would require Nintendo to ship its handhelds with batteries that consumers can replace. Instead of updating the hardware to meet those requirements, Nintendo has chosen to remove the original Switch models from the market in Europe.

Europe loses the original Switch sales—Switch 2 gets a compliance-focused revision

Nintendo’s website lays out the timeline and scope clearly: “From mid-February 2027, almost ten 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 same statement adds that “Sales of Nintendo Switch hardware on Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027.”

What’s notable is that the original Switch is still very much alive in Nintendo’s release schedule. Games continue to launch for the platform, and many titles are rolling out in multi-generation releases. More recently, the long-awaited return of Tomodachi Life became available across the entire Switch family, suggesting Nintendo hasn’t fully abandoned last-gen hardware from a software perspective.

Still, Nintendo appears to be unwilling to put the necessary effort and cost into updating the older devices—particularly the battery changes needed to stay compliant with European requirements.

Nintendo also used the announcement to clarify what happens next for the Switch 2. Revised Switch 2 versions are planned for release later this summer, and Nintendo says these updated models will include batteries that users can replace themselves. The update won’t only apply to the handheld unit; Nintendo notes it will also affect Switch 2 controllers.

Those revised Switch 2 models won’t be sold everywhere, either. Nintendo states the new hardware will be limited to countries where Nintendo of Europe operates, excluding other regions from getting the revised lineup.

Even though Europe is losing the original Switch earlier than expected, the end result may have been inevitable. Nintendo points out the Switch is approaching a ten-year lifespan, and with the ongoing component crunch, it makes sense—financially and operationally—for Nintendo to avoid flooding the market with extra older hardware. The company also frames the Switch 2 as a product that’s already expensive enough on its own.