Nintendo Raised Prices Due to US Tariffs, Now Refuses to Give Refunds

Video games

Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 4:30 am

Nintendo is being sued by its US customers over price increases caused by tariffs. But how did this happen?

When Donald Trump introduced tariffs, the global economy was affected, and the price of a Nintendo Switch in the US increased by $40 almost immediately.

Now, Nintendo might get a large sum of money from the US government because of these 'illegal' tariffs.

And what about the customers?

Nintendo says its customers got what they paid for.

The price of a Nintendo Switch increased by $40 due to tariffs.

Tariffs were changing all the time

In 2025, the Trump administration started a new economic plan with 'reciprocal' tariffs on many countries.

Vietnam, where many Nintendo Switch units are made, was given a 20% tariff on most imports.

Nintendo says these tariffs were always changing and caused the company to raise its prices in the US.

The Nintendo Switch OLED Model's price increased by $50 after tariffs were announced.

Many other items also became more expensive.

A court ruled that the tariffs were 'illegal', leading to a big payout

Then, Donald Trump's plan was stopped by a court.

In February, the US's highest court said the tariffs on foreign imports were against the law.

The court made this decision after many businesses and states sued.

While Mr. Trump wanted to impose new tariffs, Nintendo was already asking for its money back.

In March, Nintendo sued to get refunds with interest from the White House.

It did not say how much it had paid in tariffs.

Many businesses are getting back tens of billions of dollars they paid in tariffs to the US after Donald Trump's tariffs were deemed unlawful.

About $80 billion in tariffs has been refunded by the US since May, plus interest.

The same amount is expected to be refunded to businesses over the next year.

It is likely that Nintendo will get some of this money.

Customers sued Nintendo to get their money back

In April, customers filed a lawsuit against Nintendo to get back the extra money they paid.

US customers say they paid more for Nintendo products because of the tariffs.

Nintendo says customers got what they paid for

The lawsuit in April said customers would not have paid the higher prices if it were not for the tariffs.

It wanted to get back the 'tariff overcharges' for the customers.

Now, Nintendo is fighting back against the lawsuit.

Nintendo says the price increases were small and only affected some products.

It says customers are not entitled to a refund.

Instead, it says customers willingly paid the higher prices.

Nintendo says it took on most of the tariff costs.

Nintendo's filing said customers got exactly what they paid for: a console, game, or accessory at an agreed price.

The money customers paid was for the products they received, and they are not entitled to a refund just because of the tariffs.

Nintendo wants the court to dismiss the case, saying customers paid retailers, not Nintendo.

This is the latest in gaming disappointments

The plaintiffs have not responded yet, but this lawsuit is another example of gaming companies upsetting their users.

Earlier this month, Sony announced it would stop selling physical discs for the PlayStation.

From 2028, gamers can still buy a physical box, but it will only contain a code to download the game.

Many people are against this decision because they think it will hurt the second-hand market.

A memory chip shortage is increasing gaming console prices worldwide.

Microsoft has announced price increases for the Xbox Series X/S due to the shortage.

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