October Prime Day deals on Nintendo Switch games are here, and there’s quite a few to choose from. Nintendo is notorious for rarely discounting its first-party games, but a handful slipped through the cracks this go around. Square Enix swooped in with a cartload of deals as well on everything from Octopath Traveler 2 to NieR Automata. There’s a bit of Fire Emblem, some No Man’s Sky, farm games, and even a hot retro throwback.
These are our picks for the best October Prime Day sales on Switch.
The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom: $55.24
Tears of the Kingdom is less than six months old, but Nintendo dropped the price on the Zelda game a wee bit, down to $55.24 from the usual $69.99. It’s a sprawling, creative work of art where you can bend the rules of physics to your will and do everything from flying through the air to roasting Koroks on an open flame, if you’re so inclined.
Super Mario Maker 2: $39.99
If you’re keen on building your own Super Mario worlds and levels, then Mario Maker 2 is for you. The Switch sequel gives you an extensive catalogue of tools and designs to play with, including a 3D library of assets inspired by Mario 3D World. It’s down to $39.99, and since Nintendo first-party games rarely drop below $40, so it’s a pretty big deal.
No Man's Sky: $29.99
No Man’s Sky, one of the most impressive turnarounds in the last decade or so is roughly half off, at $29.99. The space game on Switch benefits from years of updates, performance enhancements, and general improvements, and the result is the best version of No Man’s Sky yet. Whether you want to build a city, explore the depths of space, pick some alien flowers, or a bit of everything, No Man’s Sky gives you the key to your high-powered spaceship and lets you do it all.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line: $34.99
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a “greatest hits” of sorts, bringing the Final Fantasy music game’s most popular tracks together with an impressive number of brand-new songs from the likes of Octopath Traveler, Xenogears, and the SaGa series. Little is lost in translation from the 3DS to Switch, so if you’re a fan of Square Enix music, it’s definitely worth looking into. You can grab it for $34.99.
Digimon Survive: $23.99
What happens when a bunch of kids get lost in the woods? The answer in Digimon Survive depends on the choices you make and who ends up leaving summer vacation alive. The unique blend of visual novel and tactical Digimon elements has multiple endings that aren’t entirely happy, and your choices influence more than just who lives and dies. Even your Digimon behave differently in battle based on how your relationship develops.
You can pick Digimon Survive on Switch up for $23.99.
Octopath Traveler 2: $42.98
Octopath Traveler 2 is back on sale for $42.989 on Switch. The sequel is the essence of “bigger and better.” It does pretty much everything better than the original, as the Octopath Traveler 2 devs intended, with stronger stories, more detailed and interesting environments, and some welcome improvements to the turn-based combat system.
Harvestella: $29.99
In the middle of all the cozy life and farm games in 2022 dropped Harvestella, which hides a much more complex game under its farm-sim surface. There’s sci-fi here, contemplations on grief and loss, RPG battles, and more bundled in alongside the usual farming and relationship building. It’s an odd game of the kind we don’t usually see anymore, and Square Enix has it at 50 percent off during Prime Day, down to $29.99.
Metroid Dread: $47.00
The final stage of Samus Aran’s 2D saga is going for $47.00 during Prime Day. The famed bounty hunter ventures into the depths of planet ZDR and finds horrors aplenty inside – resurrected enemies from her past, the X parasite, and merciless robots that patrol key areas and attack on sight. Developer MercurySteam had full reign to make Metroid in their image after the 3DS remake of Metroid 2, and the result is something special.
Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope: $19.99
Ubisoft’s second take on the Super Mario universe has almost everything – better battles, smarter maps, more powers, more Rabbids, and a really big discount. You can grab the base game for $19.99, though bear in mind that it doesn’t include the Rayman expansion.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Shredder's Revenge: $22.99
Shredder’s Revenge is one of the best retro-inspired games to come out in years and perfectly captures the spirit of the ’80s arcade with its frantic action and radical design. It’s one of Amazon’s Big Prime Deals as well, which means you can pick it up for $22.99.
Fire Emblem Engage: $29.99
The Fire Emblem Engage discount is one of this Prime Day’s best deals. The series anniversary game launched in January 2023, and it’s down to $29.99 now. Engage is light on story, but it goes all-in on tactical battles and cleverly designed maps, with some smart new combat features as well.
Story of Seasons - Friends of Mineral Town: $19.99
Head back to Mineral Town on a discount in SoS: Friends of Mineral Town. The remake revitalizes the classic GBA game, with new characters, an improved script, and a return to a simpler style of farm game. It’s going for $19.99.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: $48.90
Okay, so it’s not much of a discount, but if you’ve held off jumping into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe until it went on sale, it looks like this $48.90 is the best you’re going to get until Black Friday. The Switch port of the hit Wii U game bundles together every track, kart, and racer from the original with a handful of new additions as well, and there’s even extra DLC with courses from the mobile game Mario Kart Tour.
Rune Factory 4 Special: $19.99
If you prefer your farm games with a touch more action, Rune Factory 4 Special is for you. Rune Factory combines farming with action-RPG battles and puts a heavier emphasis on storytelling than Story of Seasons, and Rune Factory 4 is the best of the lot. It’s got a bit of everything: crafting, exploration, cooking, romance, dragons, friendship with dragons, and a script that sparkles thanks to expert localization work.
Grab Rune Factory 4 Special for $19.99.
NieR Automata: $29.99
It wouldn’t be a sale without NieR Automata showing up. The hit RPG-slash-bullet hell-slash-action game from Platinum runs beautifully on Switch, and playing it in handheld mode just feels so right. That’s a good thing, since you’ll need to play it several times to unlock the final ending. It’s going for $29.99.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
