Nintendo will stop selling original Switch, Lite, and OLED Switch in Europe next, changes coming to Nintendo 2

Nintendo has confirmed it is changing the handheld gaming console sales in Europe starting next year, saying that it will stop selling the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED.

The move comes as the gaming giant prepares a massive hardware overhaul to comply with strict new European Union (EU) regulations.According to an official statement, Nintendo has chosen to phase them out entirely while designing a brand-new version of the upcoming Switch 2 featuring a user-replaceable battery.

Read Nintendo’s announcement

Starting summer 2026, in preparation for upcoming changes in European battery regulations coming into effect in mid-February 2027, selected Nintendo products in Europe will begin to be replaced on a rolling basis by revisions that contain a user-replaceable battery. There is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries.The first revised products are expected to become available from summer 2026, with additional products becoming available in autumn, winter, and early 2027. Due to a variety of factors, revised products may not become available in all European countries simultaneously.The table below shows the estimated earliest availability in Nintendo Store, although please note that these timings may change depending on manufacturing, distribution, and other factors. Availability at retailers may also vary, so please check with your local retailers in the future for more information.

Why Nintendo is bringing this change

The shakeup is a \response to an updated EU law requiring all handheld electronic devices to have user-replaceable batteries by February 18, 2027.

Nintendo announced in an updated hardware FAQ that it will begin rolling out revised versions of its devices on a “rolling basis” starting this summer.The Switch 2 gets a makeover: The highly anticipated Switch 2 is the biggest product being adapted for the new European laws. A revised version of the console with an easily swappable battery is expected to start rolling out to shelves later this year.Controllers getting upgrade too: The console isn’'t the only piece of hardware getting a makeover. Nintendo revealed that a wide range of accessories will also be re-released in Europe with user-replaceable batteries, including:

Nintendo noted that due to logistics and manufacturing factors, these newly revised products might not launch in every European country at the exact same time.

Meanwhile, the original generation of Switch consoles will not receive the battery upgrade. Rather than redesigning the aging hardware, Nintendo will pull the original Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED from European store shelves completely in 2027.