Has pre-orders for *Elden Ring* on NS2 started—is $80 expensive?

Mist pressed down between the woodland ruins as the knight swept across the gravel path, a sliver of cold light catching on the edge of the armor. It’s the kind of scene that usually makes me stop first to find the right angle, reluctant to rush on immediately. What makes Elden Ring truly remarkable has never been difficulty alone, but the way it always turns desolation into something seductively inhabitable—like a late autumn field at dawn, so quiet it makes you instinctively hold your breath. That’s also why, the moment there was any news about the Switch 2 version, many players’ first reaction wasn’t about specs, but that the Lands Between had finally gained another entrance.

On April 9, Elden Ring for Switch 2—also known as the NS2 version—saw substantial progress. Amazon has already listed Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition and opened pre-orders, with the U.S. version priced at $79.99. The page also states an estimated shipping date of December 31, 2026, though that kind of date looks more like the placeholder commonly used by e-commerce platforms, and the actual release date may still change later. In other words, the pre-order is real, but the date shouldn’t be taken too seriously just yet.

As soon as the $80 price tag appeared, skepticism on social platforms quickly followed. A lot of people’s first reaction is understandable: for an older title that has already launched on multiple platforms, asking this price again on a new platform is bound to make people frown. But speaking of the game itself, this Tarnished Edition is not just the base game. It also bundles the major expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, making it a complete package. Based on the available information, this $79.99 price is actually the same as the existing “base game + DLC” bundle on PS5 and Xbox Series X, so it doesn’t appear to be a special markup aimed at Nintendo players.

This is also where the controversy really lies: when players say it’s too expensive, what they’re more sensitive to is the “time gap,” not just the number itself. After all, Elden Ring is no longer a brand-new map, but an old continent that many people have traversed, fallen in, and loved. When an older game arrives on a new platform, people naturally expect at least some kind of returning-customer discount. But if you’ve never bought the base game before and haven’t touched Shadow of the Erdtree either, then this bundle price is not outrageous by current industry standards. At least judging from the public information, it falls within a normal range.

But beyond the visuals, what interests me more is another layer of meaning. The NS2 version officially entering pre-orders means this game is still expanding its platform boundaries, and the fact that a blockbuster of this scale is willing to come to a new console is itself a market signal: publishers are still willing to bring their most substantial content to more devices. For players who love the handheld experience and have long wanted to step into the Lands Between, that matters more than a simple debate over price.

If you’ve already finished the base game on another platform, or even experienced Shadow of the Erdtree, then this is probably a better moment to wait and see, and decide later once the release date, performance, and optimization are confirmed. But if you’ve never jumped in and just want a world that makes you willing to stop for screenshots, willing to stand by the ruins and listen to the wind for a long time, then Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is still worth putting on your wishlist. It’s not a cheap ticket, but the wind in that world hasn’t grown old even today.