Nintendo's $520 Zelda Switch 2 Is Already a $900 eBay Listing - And It Doesn't Even Come With the Game

Nintendo's $520 Zelda Switch 2 Is Already $900 on eBay, And It Doesn't Include the Game

The Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 lasted roughly as long as a Deku Scrub in a boss fight. Within minutes of preorders opening on September 9, 2026, Nintendo's first-ever special-edition Switch 2 disappeared from Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and GameStop. Almost as quickly, it reappeared on eBay at $700 to $985, with some listings touching $1,000, nearly double the $519.99 MSRP.

Then comes the detail that makes the whole saga sting: the console does not include the Ocarina of Time remake it was designed to celebrate. That game doesn't arrive until November 5, a full week after the themed hardware lands on October 29.

So the central question hangs in the air. Is this a genuine collector's item, or is Nintendo's scarcity playbook running on autopilot while fans absorb the markup?

What Nintendo Actually Announced, and What It Left Out

During its September 8, 2026 Zelda Direct, Nintendo unveiled the Switch 2 - The Legend of Zelda - 40th Anniversary Edition, as detailed on Nintendo's official store page. The console launches October 29, 2026.

The pricing sits at $519.99 in the US, a $20 premium over the standard Switch 2's recently raised $499 MSRP. Japanese buyers pay 62,980 yen including tax, while UK customers face £429.99 to £434.99.

But the headline caveat appears plainly on Nintendo's own product listing: "This product does not come with a game." No Ocarina of Time remake. No pack-in title of any kind.

This matters for several reasons. It is the first special-edition Switch 2 in the console's roughly 15-month life. It is also the first time Nintendo has shipped non-black Joy-Con 2 controllers, a genuine aesthetic departure for the company. The theming extends to accessories as well: a matching Pro Controller at $99.99 and a carrying case at $39.99, both of which also sold out.

Nintendo's official announcement trailer, below, showcases the console's design and accessories.

Sold Out in Minutes, Relisted in Hours

The preorder window opened September 9 at Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and GameStop. It closed almost immediately. Multiple retailers sold through their allocations within minutes, leaving hopeful buyers staring at "out of stock" notifications before they could complete checkout.

The resale market responded with predictable speed. Listings on eBay clustered in the $700 to $985 range, with some asking prices reaching $1,000. GamingBible reported listings as high as $1,200, though that figure remains an unverified upper bound. The variation reflects the nature of a fast-moving market: asking prices versus sold prices, snapshots taken hours apart, and sellers testing the ceiling of what desperate buyers will pay.

The accessories followed the same trajectory. The $99.99 Pro Controller is now reselling for $170 to $200, nearly double its retail price.

To put the numbers in perspective: buyers are paying roughly twice MSRP for a console that ships without a game.

The Weird Timing Problem, Console First, Game Later

The Ocarina of Time remake launches November 5, 2026 (per IGN and GamesRadar; Kotaku lists November 6), exclusively on Switch 2. That places it roughly a week after the themed console arrives.

The result is an unusual situation for early adopters. They will own a Zelda-branded console with no Zelda game to play on it. The remake itself is described as a full "total redo" of the N64 classic, not a simple remaster, which makes its absence from the bundle even more conspicuous.

The launch window positioning adds another layer of oddity. November 2026 is also the slot for GTA 6, creating an unusually crowded release period. Nintendo appears willing to let its flagship Zelda title compete in that space while the themed hardware sits on shelves a week earlier, game-less.

For the value proposition, the math is stark. $520 buys theming, not software. The defining experience for this console is sold separately.

This Is Nintendo's Playbook, Not an Accident

One crucial detail remains unresolved: Nintendo has not specified whether this console is a "limited" or "special" edition. That distinction matters enormously. A limited edition implies a fixed production run with no restocks. A special edition leaves the door open for additional units.

None of this is unprecedented. Nintendo has a documented history of anniversary and retro hardware selling out immediately, only to be resold at inflated prices.

The NES Classic Edition serves as the clearest precedent. Launched in November 2016 at $59.99, it sold out nearly immediately, was discontinued in April 2017, and commanded heavy markups on the secondary market before a limited 2018 relaunch.

The broader context is the post-2020 chip shortage, which normalized console scalping at an industrial scale. The PlayStation 5, launched in November 2020 at $499, was resold far above MSRP for years as supply struggled to meet demand.

Nintendo has historically tied Zelda to hardware moments, most notably with Breath of the Wild shipping alongside the original Switch in March 2017. The franchise debuted on February 21, 1986, making 2026 its 40th anniversary year, a milestone Nintendo clearly intends to mark.

What Buyers Can Actually Do

For those still hoping to secure a console at retail price, several strategies remain viable.

Watch for restocks. Given Nintendo's silence on the "limited" versus "special" question, additional inventory is genuinely possible. The Nintendo Store exclusivity applies to the display-stand bundle, so that specific configuration may be harder to find elsewhere, but the standard anniversary console could reappear at major retailers.

Set a hard ceiling. Paying twice MSRP for a console that ships without a game, especially when that game is still a week away, is difficult to justify on any rational grounds. The theming is appealing, but it is not $400 worth of appealing.

Consider the alternative. A standard $499 Switch 2 plus the Ocarina of Time remake purchased separately will likely cost less than a single marked-up anniversary unit. The themed Joy-Con are striking, but they do not change what the hardware does.

Take the longer view. If Nintendo restocks, as it did with the NES Classic, today's $900 eBay price has room to fall. Patience has historically rewarded those who wait out these cycles.

The $900 Question Hanging Over Zelda's Anniversary

The Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 is a genuinely striking piece of hardware. The first non-black Joy-Con 2 controllers. The first special-edition Switch 2. A design that celebrates four decades of one of gaming's most beloved franchises. That is precisely why it is being flipped for nearly double its retail price.

But paying $900 now is not buying certainty. It is buying impatience, on a console whose defining game is not even out yet.