Nintendo Switch, goodbye to sales in Europe from 2027: blame the battery

As of mid-2027, Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED will no longer be available for sale in stores or on the Nintendo Store in Europe. This cessation affects all 35 markets served by Nintendo of Europe, including Italy, and is explained by Nintendo in a support note: the new EU regulation on batteries, effective from February 18, 2027, requires that integrated batteries in certain devices be user-replaceable, and the original Switch does not meet this requirement.

Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED will continue to be produced and widely available in Europe throughout 2026; however, starting in February 2027, supplies to retailers and direct sales through the Nintendo Store will cease. The eShop, Nintendo Switch Online, and other online services will remain active, and the console still has first-party titles upcoming, including Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.

Nintendo's Response: A New Switch 2

To stay in the European market, Nintendo will launch an updated version of Switch 2 with a replaceable battery in the 35 markets of Nintendo of Europe, expected in fall 2026. The differences compared to the current model are minimal: the new battery has a capacity of 5172mAh, about 1% less than today’s 5220mAh, and the console weighs about 411 grams, ten grams more; with the Joy-Con 2 attached, the weight rises to about 548 grams, 14 grams more. Nintendo clarifies that there are no functional differences between the current products and the revised versions.

The controllers are also being updated, but with staggered timing. The Joy-Con 2 included with the new Switch 2 this fall will already have a replaceable battery, while the separately sold versions will come later, in winter 2026; each unit weighs about 2 grams more. The original Joy-Con with replaceable battery will debut first, in summer 2026 in some colors, maintaining the same capacity and weight. The Pro Controller for Switch 2 is set to arrive in winter, featuring a battery of 897mAh compared to the current 1070mAh (about 16% less) and a weight of about 228 grams, seven grams less than today. Rounding out the picture are the N64 controllers for Switch and GameCube controllers for Switch 2, with replaceable batteries expected in early 2027. For each updated product, Nintendo will also sell battery replacement kits on its European store.

Products Left Out

Not all hardware will receive an update. The original Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, the Sega Mega Drive Control Pad for Switch, the SNES Controller, and the NES Controller for Switch, as well as the Pokémon GO Plus+, will not have a version with a replaceable battery and will be removed from the European Nintendo Store by mid-February 2027, alongside the console.

A point not clarified by Nintendo's note remains: whether the cessation of Switch sales will also affect markets outside the sphere of Nintendo of Europe, such as the United States and Japan, or if it will remain a measure limited to Europe and the few other countries covered by the same regional organization (including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa).