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Nintendo has now officially stated that, from mid-February 2027, it will discontinue production of the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED models for European retailers. This move brings an end to all of the hardware that has shaped Nintendo over the last decade.
The sale of these consoles at the official Nintendo Store will cease at the same time. The announcement arrived quietly, tucked into an FAQ section of a broader Nintendo update about upcoming battery changes across its European product lineup.
This discontinuation is not for declining sales. The Switch lineup has sold over 155 million units by December 2025, making it Nintendo's most successful hardware lineup. It has also surpassed the Nintendo DS lineup in sales. The primary reason for this decision is European Regulation 2023/1542, which requires consumer electronics to include user-replaceable batteries as of February 18, 2027.
The original Switch, Switch Lite, and OLED Model all use sealed, non-replaceable batteries, and Nintendo has opted to exit the European market for these devices rather than redesign nearly decade-old hardware to meet the new rule.
Instead of retrofitting its older consoles, Nintendo is redesigning the newer Switch 2 to comply. A European-market version of the console, carrying a ‘BEE’ model number prefix, is expected this autumn with a user-replaceable battery rated at 5,172 mAh, slightly smaller than the standard 5,220 mAh unit and marginally heavier at around 411g for the console alone.
Updated Joy-Con 2 controllers with replaceable batteries are planned for winter, with only a small weight increase and no change to battery capacity. Not every accessory is getting this treatment; however, the original Switch Pro Controller and a handful of retro-style controllers will be discontinued outright, with no replaceable-battery versions planned.
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Nintendo says all three original consoles will continue being manufactured through 2026 and should remain widely available across Europe for the rest of the year, giving shoppers a real window to buy one before the cutoff. Existing owners aren't left behind either; Nintendo confirmed that games, accessories, the Nintendo eShop, and Nintendo Switch Online will keep working "for the foreseeable future" regardless of the hardware discontinuation.
Notably, Nintendo has not announced any similar discontinuation plans for the US or Japan, describing those markets as "currently unknown" for now, meaning the countdown clock, at least for the moment, is a European story alone.
