Nintendo Will Keep Selling Original Switch Consoles Outside of Europe
Nintendo has confirmed that it will continue to sell the original Nintendo Switch outside of Europe in and after 2027, when it will stop shipping the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED in the EU.
“We plan to continue selling Nintendo Switch outside of regions where Nintendo of Europe conducts business,” a Nintendo spokesperson told our IGN colleagues on Tuesday.
New EU battery laws require portable devices to have user-replaceable batteries, and the current Switch design doesn’t comply because its battery is glued in. While Nintendo is preparing to offer a battery-swappable version of the Switch 2 in Europe, it will no longer sell first-generation consoles in territories handled by Nintendo of Europe beginning mid-February 2027. That includes EU member states and countries like the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and South Africa.
Retailers in these regions can continue to sell remaining stock, but Nintendo will no longer fulfill wholesale or customer-facing orders. The brand says it expects first-gen consoles to be widely available through 2026, so buyers still have plenty of time to grab one before the deadline.
North America, Japan, and other Nintendo markets aren’t affected by the EU battery law, so Nintendo can continue selling the original Switch and the current Switch 2 design there.
