Switch 2 Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition: Price, What's Included, Buy

Nintendo's Switch 2 – The Legend of Zelda – 40th Anniversary Edition launched October 29, 2026 in the US for $519.99, alongside a matching $99.99 Pro Controller and a $39.99 carrying case. The bundle swaps in green-and-gold Joy-Con 2 controllers and a Triforce-marked dock, but Nintendo built it on the exact same hardware as the standard Switch 2 — and it does not come with a copy of any Zelda game. Within days, all three items showed as out of stock on Nintendo's own store.

What is the Switch 2 Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition?

The Nintendo Switch 2 – The Legend of Zelda – 40th Anniversary Edition (SKU 121642) is a cosmetically themed version of Nintendo's current console, built to mark 40 years since the original The Legend of Zelda launched in Japan in 1986. Nintendo confirmed the hardware during its September 8, 2026 Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, pairing it with a redesigned Pro Controller and a matching carrying case that all launched on the same day.

It is Nintendo's first special-edition Switch 2 hardware SKU since the console's June 2026 debut, and it arrives in the same week as a separate, unrelated product: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2, which ships November 5, 2026. The two are easy to confuse because they share the anniversary branding, but the console bundle reviewed here contains no game at all — Ocarina of Time is sold completely separately. Pandromeda has covered the Ocarina of Time remake's release date and pricing on its own, along with a full breakdown of what's changed from the original, if that's what you're actually after.

The anniversary itself dates back to February 1986, when the original The Legend of Zelda launched on the Famicom Disk System in Japan. Nintendo has marked the franchise's 40th year with a run of tie-in products across 2026, but this console, Pro Controller, and carrying case are the only Switch 2 hardware items tied to that specific anniversary branding — there is no separate "standard" 40th Anniversary console with different internals, just this one SKU with its own model and UPC numbers (121642 / 00045496885434 for the console).

Release date and pricing

Nintendo's own product pages list October 29, 2026 as the release date for the console, the Pro Controller, and the carrying case, confirming the date Nintendo announced at its September Direct. Pricing for the US, per Nintendo's store listings:

That $519.99 sticker is $20 above the standard Switch 2's current $499.99 MSRP — a price Nintendo of America raised from $449.99 on September 1, 2026, citing market conditions, a few weeks before the anniversary edition was unveiled. All three Zelda-themed items are full-price Nintendo hardware; none of them is a discount bundle.

Nintendo first confirmed this console, its price, and its October 29 release date during The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8, 2026, the same presentation that detailed the Ocarina of Time remake. Pre-orders opened immediately after that broadcast through Nintendo's own store and select retail partners, roughly seven weeks ahead of launch.

What's included in the console bundle

Per Nintendo's own packaging list, the $519.99 box contains:

• Nintendo Switch 2 system, 40th Anniversary design
• Joy-Con 2 (L), green and gold
• Joy-Con 2 (R), green and gold
• Joy-Con 2 Grip
• Joy-Con 2 Strap (×2)
• Nintendo Switch 2 Dock, black and gold with a Triforce symbol
• Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter
• USB-C Charging Cable
• Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable

That's the same accessory list that ships in the box with every standard Switch 2 — just restyled. There's no bonus storage, no bundled microSD Express card, and no extra Joy-Con pair beyond the one attached pair.

What's not included: no bundled games

Nintendo's product listing is explicit: "(Game not included.)" This is worth repeating because so much of the surrounding coverage of this launch also concerns the Ocarina of Time remake, which releases a week later on November 5, 2026, and it's easy to assume the two are packaged together. They aren't. Buying this console gets you the hardware and nothing more — no digital download code, no physical cartridge, no Nintendo Switch Online trial beyond whatever the system otherwise includes. The matching Pro Controller and carrying case are also sold as separate line items, not bundled into the console's box or price.

The matching Pro Controller and carrying case

Nintendo sells the Pro Controller – Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition on its own for $99.99, a $10 premium over the standard Switch 2 Pro Controller. It carries Zelda-inspired engraving and colorway rather than any functional changes. A second version with a display stand shaped like a Hyrule map runs $109.99 and, per Nintendo, is limited to purchase at the Nintendo Store website, Nintendo NEW YORK, and Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO.

The Carrying Case & Screen Protector – Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition is $39.99 and includes a screen protector, matching the design language of the console and dock. None of these accessories are required to use the console — they're optional add-ons sold at the same $519.99 / $99.99 / $39.99 price points regardless of whether you buy them together or separately.

How it differs from the standard Switch 2 — cosmetically, not functionally

This is the single most important thing to understand before buying: Nintendo did not change any internal specification for this edition. Checked against Nintendo's own Switch 2 tech specs page, the system lists the same 7.9-inch, 1920×1080 LCD display with HDR10 and VRR support, the same 256GB of UFS internal storage expandable via microSD Express cards, the same three play modes (TV, Tabletop, Handheld), the same NVIDIA custom processor, the same roughly 2–6.5 hour battery life, and the same up-to-4K/60fps output through the dock as the standard Switch 2. There's no faster chip, no extra RAM, no bigger battery, and no exclusive software feature tied to owning this SKU — every spec that matters for frame rate, resolution, storage, or battery life is identical to the console Nintendo has sold since June 2026.

What Nintendo did change is purely visual:

• Joy-Con 2 color: green and gold, replacing the standard model's neutral colorway
• Dock: black and gold with an engraved Triforce symbol, versus the plain dock on the standard console
• System body: 40th Anniversary-specific design elements on the back of the unit
• Pro Controller and case: matching Zelda-series patterns and colorway, sold separately

In other words, this is Nintendo's version of a special-edition paint job, similar in spirit to past limited-run Switch hardware. If performance, not looks, is the reason you're shopping, the $499.99 standard Switch 2 does the identical job for $20 less — and if it's a controller you're after on its own merits, it's worth comparing against other premium third-party options, like Pandromeda's look at the Xbox Nano Controller's price and value.

Where to buy it

Nintendo sold the console, Pro Controller, and carrying case directly through its own US online store, plus its two flagship physical locations, Nintendo NEW YORK and Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO. Nintendo's retail partners also carried the console at the same $519.99 MSRP; Nintendo's own listings do not show any price variation by retailer. Given how quickly stock moved (see below), checking Nintendo's own product pages directly for restock windows is more reliable right now than assuming any single retailer has units.

Because this is a cosmetic hardware SKU rather than a software license, there's no region lock or account requirement beyond what applies to any Switch 2 purchase — it sets up and runs through the same Nintendo Account and Nintendo Switch Online process as a standard console. Buyers outside the US should expect their own region's Nintendo storefront to carry it under local pricing, since Nintendo's Japanese and other regional listings use their own currency and tax rules rather than the $519.99 US figure quoted throughout this piece.

Availability and stock status

As of October 31, 2026 — two days after launch — Nintendo's own US store pages list the console, the standard Pro Controller, and the carrying case as out of stock. That matches widespread reporting that pre-orders and launch-day stock sold out quickly in multiple regions, with resale listings on secondary marketplaces appearing well above the $519.99 MSRP in the days immediately following launch. Nintendo has not announced a restock date for any of the three items, and the display-stand Pro Controller bundle sold only at Nintendo's two US flagship stores and its online shop is in the same position.

None of Nintendo's own listings currently show a "notify me when available" option that includes a committed restock window, which is typical of how Nintendo has handled limited hardware runs in the past — stock tends to arrive in smaller, unannounced waves rather than a single large restock. Shoppers who want one at retail price should keep checking Nintendo's store listings directly rather than relying on third-party marketplace prices, which have run well above MSRP since launch weekend and carry none of Nintendo's own warranty guarantees.

Should you buy it?

This is a collector's edition, not an upgrade. Because Nintendo confirms there is no internal hardware change, anyone who already owns a standard Switch 2 gains nothing functionally by buying this one — you'd be paying $519.99 for a green-and-gold color scheme and a Triforce-stamped dock. It makes the most sense for:

• Longtime Zelda fans who want anniversary-specific hardware on their shelf or in their bag
• First-time Switch 2 buyers who were going to spend $499.99 anyway and don't mind the $20 premium for the themed look
• Collectors chasing the matching Pro Controller and case as a complete set

It makes less sense for buyers chasing any technical edge, since none exists, or for anyone assuming it comes with a Zelda game — it doesn't. If your goal is specifically to play the new Ocarina of Time remake, that title is sold on its own and works on any Switch 2, themed or not, so there's no need to pay the $20 premium for this edition purely to play it. The same logic applies to the Pro Controller and carrying case: they work on any Switch 2, and a standard-colorway Pro Controller or case from Nintendo will perform identically for less money if the green-and-gold look isn't the point.

What's next

With all three Zelda 40th Anniversary SKUs currently showing as sold out on Nintendo's own store, the near-term question is restocking, which Nintendo has not scheduled publicly. The next fixed date on the calendar tied to this anniversary push is November 5, 2026, when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on Switch 2 as its own, separately sold release. Shoppers specifically hunting for the themed hardware should check Nintendo's official product pages for restocks rather than paying inflated resale prices, since Nintendo has given no indication this is a permanently limited run as opposed to a temporarily out-of-stock one.

Written byJonah Reyes

Jonah Reyes leads Pandromeda's gaming coverage: console and handheld hardware, release dates, pricing changes, patch notes and the business moves behind the biggest franchises. He sources every date and price from the platform holders and publishers themselves, and says plainly when something is still only a rumour.

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