Nintendo announced it will stop selling the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model hardware to retailers in Europe and on the Nintendo Store by mid-February 2027. The company stated the decision is in response to European regulations requiring easily replaceable batteries in most consumer electronics, which take effect on February 18, 2027.

Nintendo said it will start introducing updated versions of various devices with user-replaceable batteries on a rolling basis beginning in summer 2025. This includes updated Joy-Con controllers, Joy-Con 2, the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and N64 and GameCube Switch controllers. A new version of the Switch 2 with a replaceable battery is expected to start rolling out in fall 2025.

Nintendo stated there is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries. The company also indicated that these revised products might not become available simultaneously across all European countries.

The original Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. Hardware shipments for the console peaked at nearly 29 million worldwide during the 2021 fiscal year, while software sales peaked at over 235 million in the 2022 fiscal year. The system did not reach its peak hardware sales until its fourth fiscal year.

In contrast, the Nintendo 3DS and Wii saw their strongest hardware sales in their second full fiscal year on the market. The Nintendo Switch shipped 3.8 million units in its ninth full fiscal year and nearly 4 million units in the 2026 fiscal year. Nintendo sold nearly 137 million pieces of Switch software in the last fiscal year. The company released games such as Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream for the original Switch.