Nintendo is fighting the attention war, not the console war


As successful as the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch has been (and it has been very successful), it came with plenty of impatience. Its compact day one game lineup, led by Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, left some potential buyers a bit underwhelmed. It was a notable step down from the PlayStation 5’s packed 2020 launch lineup, which brought us Astro’s Playroom, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure all at once. For the Switch 2, was one tentpole first-party game really enough to make a pricey system worth buying?

Not even two months later, the narrative is already shifting. Donkey Kong Bananza followed Mario Kart World’s opening jab with a strong right hook on July 17. The Game of the Year contender has reignited buzz around Nintendo, quickly wrenching the spotlight back from Death Stranding 2: On The Beach just as it felt like the Switch 2’s new console shine had faded. Did Nintendo narrowly avoid a strategic misfire? Should it have released both games on June 5? No, we’re just seeing a long-building strategy that was sharpened in the Switch era pay off. Nintendo is running its own monthly book club, and it’s working — for now.

Look at the Nintendo Switch’s release calendar from 2021 onward and you’ll start to notice a trend. Over the past few years, Nintendo has gotten closer and closer to releasing one first-party game each month. Sure, 2024 may have looked like a slow year for the publisher, but in reality, it dropped exactly 12 games, each carefully spaced a month apart (the only month not covered was April, as Endless Ocean: Luminous just missed the mark on May 2). Like clockwork, there was a new Nintendo game to play every few weeks, a feat made possible thanks to a few remakes and remasters filling in the gaps:

  • January 19: Another Code: Recollection
  • February 16: Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  • March 22: Princess Peach Showtime!
  • May 2: Endless Ocean: Luminous
  • May 23: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
  • June 27: Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
  • July 18: Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
  • August 29: Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
  • September 26: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
  • October 17: Super Mario Party Jamboree
  • November 7: Mario & Luigi: Brothership
  • December 5: Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer
Princess Zelda stands before a wide landscape diorama with Hyrule Castle in the distance in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Image: Nintendo

I made a point to play nearly all of those games last year, even December’s Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer. It felt like I was in a book club. One new watercooler conversation starter was delivered to my console each month on a tight schedule. As soon as I finished The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree was waiting for me. Then I was on to Mario & Luigi: Brothership. The quality of those games varied wildly, but I began to see each as an assignment. Skipping one meant missing out on the monthly discussion with diehard Switch owners. The social element was as important as the actual games.

That strategy is now in full swing in the Nintendo Switch 2’s early days, and it’s set to continue. June’s game of the month was Mario Kart World and July’s was Donkey Kong Bananza, both of which did their part in sparking conversation. The August stage is clear for Drag X Drive (but Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Star-Crossed World will likely steal the microphone). While September is a mystery, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has October locked down. And with release dates for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, and Kirby Air Riders yet to be revealed — all of which currently have broad 2025 or “winter” release windows — it’s very likely that the Switch 2 will have a first-party moment each month this year.

Will all of those games be hits? No, but they’ll keep us talking.

It’s the kind of reaction that media publishers dream of. Even since going all-in on original content, Netflix has fought to deliver a stream of “appointment viewing” moments — good and bad — from Birdbox to Squid Game. It has created its fair share of them in that time, but the glut of content often makes it hard to know what’s worth watching. Disney+ hit the same snag when making an overly aggressive push into Marvel and Star Wars TV series that became a chore to keep up with. (Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige admitted as much during a recent press junket, according to The Hollywood Reporter.) The balancing act comes in remaining relevant with a consistent flow of new releases without leaving audiences with an always-expanding queue that’s impossible to chop down.

A pink Donkey Kong sits with Pauline on his shoulder in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Nintendo’s “one at a time” approach is appealing because it’s manageable at a time when gaming is at its most overwhelming; it may not win the console war, or even partake that much in it, but it’s winning the attention war. Early adopters had enough time to not just play Mario Kart World, but digest it too. I spent June really digging into its free-roam mode and online Knockout Tour races, leading to more substantial conversations with friends about what worked and what didn’t. I had my fill of that by the time July 17 rolled around and I was ready to start that process with Donkey Kong Bananza. There was no pressure to rush through one to get to the other, but there would have been if I had a backlog to work through from my first day with a new console.

Though the Switch 2’s launch month had some itching for more right out the gate, the intent of that reserved rollout is already revealing itself thanks to a careful 1-2 punch. The momentum is unlikely to hold forever; there are bound to be holes if games like Drag X Drive end up landing as duds. But Nintendo’s first-party release cadence gives each new game room to breathe where so many others immediately launch into a cultural memory hole. Stop begging for the next game and join the book club. We meet on Wednesdays and we have a lot of thoughts about gorillas.

Canyon Layer Banandium Gem locations in Donkey Kong Bananza


In Donkey Kong Bananza, the Canyon Layer is the third layer that you’ll crash land onto. It’s full of your crystalline friends, but now some of them are shaped like giraffes!

The Canyon Layer is home to warehouses full of Banandium Gems and smokestacks towering into the sky. The bananas in this layer are particularly difficult to find as you’ll need to weave your way up and down through the layers to collect them all.

Below, we list where to find all of the Banandium Gems in the Canyon Layer we’ve found so far in Donkey Kong Bananza. We’re still updating this guide and will add more golden bananas as we find them.

Sublayer 300 Banandium Gems

There are 60 Banandium Gems in Sublayer 300 of the Canyon Layer.

#1: Tumbled into the Canyon Layer!

DK and Pauline stand in front of a bunch of golden bananas in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Complete the main story quest in Hilltop Layer. When you jump down the hole into Canyon Layer, the gem will be waiting at the bottom.

#2: Behind Tallfall Cliffs

An arrow points out a specific wall to smash to get a Canyon Layer Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you land in the Canyon Layer, dig straight down until you land in a cave below you. Before you head into the larger cavern with Banandium Gem #3, turn around to find a breakable wall. Smash your way through to find the second banana.

#3: Hanging in the Cliffs

A Banandium Gem hangs from the ceiling of a roof road in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

From the starting area after you drop into the Canyon Layer, dig straight down. You’ll wind up in another section of the starting cave. There’s a gem hanging on the ceiling that you can climb up to and collect.

#4: Scenic Smokestack View

The inside of a smokestack in Donkey Kong Bananza, showing where to find Canyon Layer Banandium Gem #4.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you land in the Canyon Layer, look up to see a ladder leading to the top of the tower. Climb up the wall onto the ladder to find a Banandium Gem waiting for you at the top.

#5: Shifty Smash: Cliff Valley

A pink Donkey Kong standing in front of a glowing pyramid in the Canyon Layer of Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Interact with the glowing triangle and then smash the white blocks. Note that the map shows where you pick up the banana, but the actual triangle is slightly above that (from our provided map perspective).

#6: Growing from the Stone Wall

The end of a banana sticks out of a cliffside above a mine track in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Climb up Tallfall Cliff from the hole where the minecart it situated to find this banana sticking out of the cliffside.

#7: Buried in the Tallfall Cliffs

An arrow showcases where to dig down next to a smokestack in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Enter the hole in the minecart room in Tallfall Cliffs and dig down the left side of the “giraffe neck” (if you’re facing the barrel that shoots you back up).

A Banandium Gem sits in plain sight through a window in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After riding the first minecart in the Canyon Layer, you’ll find a stone home on your right. In its basement, you’ll find a Banandium Gem.

Arrows indicate which cavern entrance to go into on the left side under a smokestack in Donkey Kong Bananza.

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After you ride the first minecart, follow the path along the right edge until you run into a small rock blocking your way forward. Hop over the rock to find a small cave on your left. Head inside to find a Banandium Gem embedded into the wall.

#10: Pay Dirt Under the Plateau

Arrows show where to break open some concrete that leads to a Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you ride the first minecart, climb the wall beside the Getaway and head towards the crystal shaped like a giraffe. Continue past the crystal giraffe while hugging the left edge until you hit a wall. Look over the left edge to spot a concrete barrier on the floor. Either throw a chunk of the bomb rock nearby or transform into Kong Bananza and dive punch your way through to find a Banandium Gem.

#11: Battle: Exploding Pork Platoon

A plugged-up cavern entrance showing where to find a combat challenge in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Before you climb up the ladder to head into the Longneck Plateau Village, look to the right to see a breakable wall. Destroy it to find the entrance to the Exploding Pork Platoon battle challenge. Defeat the 10 squeeloids to receive the gem.

#12: Spinning in the Stone Pillar

A Banandium Gem sits in a broken-open stone pillar in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

To the side of the Style Shop in the Longneck Plateau Village, you’ll find a spinning stone pillar. Smash your way in to find a Banandium Gem.

#13: Moseyed into the Village

A Banandium Gem sits in the middle of the Canyon Layer town, surrounded by gold in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

As you enter the Longneck Plateau Village, you’ll find a Banandium Gem embedded in a pile of gold beside the tuning fork.

#14: High Shelf Down Below

An arrow shows which hole you need to jump down in the Canyon Layer village in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Speak with the NPC beside the gong in the Longneck Plateau Village to reveal this banana on the map. It’s located on a high shelf in the warehouse underneath the village. If you don’t land on the shelf, you can chunk jump to reach it.

A circle highlights a partially-hidden Banadium Gem in the Canyon Layer town in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Beside the Longneck Crystal at the Longneck Plateau Village tuning fork, you’ll find a wooden platform on the ground. Break it and drop down, where you’ll land on a flat Fractone friend. In the small pond beside the pipe, you’ll spot a sunken Banandium Gem. Dive punch the gem a few times to grab it.

DK and Pauline stand in front of a concrete-blocked entrance for Thorny Blast Cave in Donkey Kong Bananza.
DK and Pauline stand in front of a Banandium Gem reward in Donkey Kong Bananza.

1/2Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Banandium Gems 16-18 can be found inside the Thorny Blast Cave Ancient Ruin. To get to the Thorny Blast Cave, you’ll need to blow up the concrete wall in the warehouse underneath the Longneck Plateau Village. Hit the mine embedded in the wall to destroy it and follow the path to find the Thorny Blast Cave.

In the Thorny Blast Cave, this Banandium Gem is found halfway through the course.

#17: Kaboom the Hidden Room

DK and Pauline blow up some vines using bombs in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you drop down through the metal grate in the Thorny Blast Cave, turn around to find a thorny wall full of mines. Blow up the mines to reveal the Banandium Gem behind it make your way over to collect the gem.

Pauline and DK stand in front of another Banandium Gem with a barrel behind it in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This Banandium Gem is found at the end of the Thorny Blast Cave just before the barrel.

#19: An Underground Guide

A sleepy teleporter eel with its head sticking out of a wall in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Head to the area beneath the Longneck Plateau Village to find a small blue fish sleeping on top of a pipe. As you approach the fish, it’ll get scared and start to eat its way through the terrain. Follow it until it reaches a dead end, and break the area directly behind it to find a Banandium Gem.

#20: Canyon Fragmentone Recovery

DK and Pauline stand near a fragmentone missing three pieces near a smokestack in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In the underground warehouse below the Longneck Plateau Village, you’ll find a Fractone shaped like a puzzle piece. Head into the tunnel behind them to find a little Fractone and slowly lead them back to the puzzle piece to unlock this gem.

#21: Canyon Fragmentone Restoration

Arrows point out which cavern to go into and how to find some fragmentone pieces in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In the Underground Warehouse below the Longneck Plateau Village, you’ll find a crystal shaped like a puzzle piece. In a little divot in the wall, you’ll spot two circular crystals. These crystals cannot touch the water or else they’ll return to their starting point, so you’ll need to punch a pathway through the wall to safely lead them back. Once complete, you’ll unlock the gem.

#22: Traversing the Cliff

A fragmentone sleeps half-buried in the cliffside, before it escapes into a cave in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Before you get on the minecart in the Longneck Plateau Village. Turn to the left and head to the edge of the cliff. If you look down, you’ll spot a Fractone. Follow them down the cliffside to find a cave opening. Enter it and destroy the wall inside to find the gem.

DK and Pauline stand in front of a huge radish-like vegetable in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Starting from the Longneck Plateau Village tuning fork, walk to the Ancient Ruin in the back. Then, turn right and drop down off the cliff. Enter the house below and pull the giant turnip out of the ground to find a gem in a cavern below.

#24-25: Wrecked by Kong Bananza and Quickly with Kong Bananza

The entrance to a Kong Bananza challenge in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Kong Bananza DK and Pauline stand between two Banandium Gems in Donkey Kong Bananza.

1/2Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In the Longneck Plateau Village, talk to the Constructone beside the blocked off ruins to clear away the rubble. Head inside and clear the challenge to receive Banandium Gem #24, Wrecked by Kong Bananza. If you finish the challenge with 20 or more seconds remaining on the clock, you’ll receive Banandium Gem #25, Quickly with Kong Bananza.

#26: Beneath the Central Pillar

Kong Bananza DK slams the floor, revealing the location of a hidden Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you’ve completed the challenge in the Ancient Ruin. Head to the center of the platform to find a dirt patch. Dig down at that location to find the gem.

#27: Sparkling in the Secret Storeroom

An arrow points to a cave entrance blocked off by wooden planks with a Banandium Gem behind it in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Go behind the Getaway in the Longneck Plateau Village and descend the cliffside. Make your way to the bottom to find a Banandium Gem hidden behind a wooden wall.

#28: Banandium Gem in the House

A cave with a Banandium Gem inside of it, under a house in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Follow the path through the village up to the minecart at the top of the hill. Just before you reach it, turn right and you’ll see a dirt wall you can punch through to get a hidden gem.

#29: Unstuck the Mine Cart

A half-buried Banandium Gem sticks out of the sand in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you free the minecart in the Longneck Plateau Village from the purple void, you’ll find a banana beside it.

The entrance to one of the challenge areas in Donkey Kong Bananza, along the cliffside near a getaway.

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After you ride the minecart from the Longneck Plateau Village, you’ll find the Big-Wheel Balloon Hunt Ancient Ruin on your left. Enter and pop all five balloons to get this gem.

An arrow points into a small opening in the ground, towards a Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

At the bottom of the dirt wheel, dig down to find a hole leading to a lower level containing a gem.

An arrow points towards an opening in the side of a smokestack towards yet another banana in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Break a hole into the dirt wheel and ride it until the rightmost point. Exit your hole to the other side of the wheel and climb along the black wall towards the opening. Head inside to find the last banana in this challenge course.

#33: Shifty Smash: Cliff’s Edge

Multiple curved arrows show where to go to find a Shifty Smash challenge in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After entering Big-Stretch Peak via minecart, walk straight ahead to the area with the transparent crystal. There’s a wall you can break into next to it, which well take you to a challenge node. Activate it and you’ll have 20 seconds to break three floating walls, which you can do by diving straight through them. Your reward is a gem.

#34: Sleeping by the Smokestack

DK hits the ground to reveal a hidden Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you ride the minecart into Big-Stretch Peak, you’ll be told by a giraffe Fractone to climb the ladder to the refinery entrance, but right before you get onto the ladder, dig downwards to find a banana.

#35: Canyon Smashin’ Stats

DK talks to a fragmentone with several rocks piled on its head in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Before you climb the tall ladder to the Banandium Refinery entrance, turn to the right of the ladder to find a Fractone with a few rocks stacked on top of their head. They’ll give you a Banandium Gem if you’ve smashed 30,000 cubic meters of stone.

A Banandium Gem juts out of the wall on the side of Poppy Kong’s stone head in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

On the side of the cliff of the Banandium Refinery, you’ll find the face of Poppy Kong carved into the wall. On Poppy Kong’s right ear, you’ll find a Banandium Gem.

A Banandium Gem sticks out of Grumpy Kong’s stone head in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

On the side of the cliff of the Banandium Refinery, you’ll find the face of Grumpy Kong carved into the wall. Inside Grumpy Kong’s right nostril, you’ll find a Banandium Gem.

#38: Hidden Beneath Scoundrels

A cave opening blocked off with concrete under Void Kong’s stone head in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This gem is in a cave blocked by concrete under the stone carving of Void Kong. Use Kong Bananza to break it open, take out the baddies inside, and break another concrete wall to get to this banana.

#39: Circling the Concrete Pillar

A broken-open concrete pillar reveals a Banandium Gem inside in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Climb to the top of the Grumpy Kong statue to find a spinning concrete pillar. Smash your way through with Kong Bananza to find a banana.

#40: Battle: Sturdy Pork Platoon

DK and Pauline approach a combat challenge entrance near a tall smokestack in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

At the top of the cliff featuring the carved faces of Void Kong, Poppy Kong, and Grumpy Kong, you’ll find a battle challenge. Head inside and defeat the five concrete squeeloids to receive a gem.

#41: Finally Within Reach

DK and Pauline climb up the top of pipes that look like a giraffe to find a Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This gem is found on the “horn” of the giraffe pipe structure by the Neckreach Smokestack Exit teeleport point.

#42: Battle: Explosive Laps

DK and Pauline approach a combat challenge entrance with stompoids inside in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you defeat the Mad Mixer and exit the Neckreach Smokestack, you’ll end up on another island with Cranky Kong. On the path to the village, look to the right to find a battle challenge. Defeat the five stompoids in this minecart battle challenge to get the Banandium Gem.

#43-45: The Canyon Growtone, The Hungry Canyon Growtone, and The Sated Canyon Growtone

Three Banandium Gems grow from a rocky tree in Donkey Kong Bananza.

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Feed the growtone tree a total of 2,000 gold to receive all three Banandium Gems.

#46: The Lift’s Secret Stop

Pauline and DK stand outside a still taped-off entrance to an ancient ruins in Donkey Kong Bananza.
An arrow points to a stone wall behind a stompoid with a Banandium Gem behind it in Donkey Kong Bananza.

1/2Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In the Stompy Ascent challenge course (next to the Mechaneck Isle Getaway), one of the walls behind the stompoids will be made of stone. Break it open for a banana.

DK and Pauline approach a Banandium Gem sitting in the open in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This banana is on the path for the Stompy Ascent challenge course. You can’t miss it.

DK and Pauline approach another Banandium Gem, this time with a barrel behind it in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This is the final banana reward for the Stompy Ascent challenge course.

#49: Cranky’s Canyon Rant

DK and Pauline stand in front of Cranky Kong and Rambi in the Canyon Layer in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Talk to Cranky Kong next to the Mechaneck Isle Getaway to hear his rant and get a Banandium Gem.

#50: Canyon Hide-and Seek

DK and Pauline look inside of a cave with a Fragmentone inside in the Canyon Layer in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Several circled fragmentone, with an arrow pointing behind a boom rock, where another fragmentone sits in Donkey Kong Bananza.

1/2Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Enter this cave to the side of the Mechaneck Isle Getaway to find an NPC asking for you to find its four friends. One is behind the explosive rock, another is in the concrete, one is in the whole, one is in a stone wall, and another is towards the edge near a metal platform. We took a screen to give you an idea of where to smash.

An arrow points to a cavern entrance under a getaway base in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Enter this cave to the side of the Mechaneck Isle Getaway and punch the dirt pile on the ground to drop down onto a platform. Punch the blue punching bag a ton to bring the Banandium Gem over to you.

#52: Bust Through the Giraffe’s Spot

DK and Pauline stand outside of a hole in a smokestack to be broken into in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Fall down the Click-Clack Smokestack and punch through this inconspicuous dirt hole to get a banana.

#53: Behind the Moving Walls

A curved arrow shows where to go to find a hidden Banandium Gem behind some moving platforms in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Smash through the moving walls to find a Banandium Gem hiding in a small room behind them.

#54: Above the Moving Walls

An arrow points upwards against some moving platforms, showing where to find a Banandium Gem in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Climb up the side of the last moving wall and punch past the dirt to get to this banana.

#55: Slip into the Secret Room

An arrow points towards an opening below some plus-shaped rotating platforms in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Climb up the nearby plus-shaped rotating walls and allow DK to slip into this opening from the bottom of one.

#56: Hanging from the Crane

A pink Donkey Kong looking at a hidden banana just outside of his getaway in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The banana is behind the Smokestack Getaway that you make as you climb up the Click-Clack Smokestack.

#57: The Crane’s Precious Cargo

A pink Donkey Kong standing in front of a shiny metal cube in the Canyon Layer of Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Break open the concrete block the crane is lifting near the Click-Clack Smokestack Roof using Kong Bananza to get this banana.

#58: Battle: Knotted-Thorn Knockout

A pink Donkey Kong standing in front of a blue crystalline friend in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Around the corner from the Click-Clack Smokestack Roof, there’s an NPC you have to pay 600 gold to open this battle challenge. Take out the two stompoids to get your banana.

#59: Foreman’s Secret Stash

DK and Pauline look at a conspicuous cave entrance in Donkey Kong Bananza

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

To reach this gem, you’ll first need to grab Banandium Gem #78, Under Twin-Horn Smokestacks. Continue down the metal grate hallway and climb into the barrel. You’ll get sent to a small island back on Sublayer 300 where you’ll see a dirt wall you can break through. Smash it to find a gem.

#60: Canyon Chip Exchange

A black Donkey Kong standing in front of a hexagonal yellow crystalline friend in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In the Longneck Plateau Village, speak the the hexagonal Fractone in front of the Chip Exchange to trade chips and gold for gems.

Sublayer 301 Banandium Gems

There are 18 Banandium Gems in Sublayer 301 of the Canyon Layer.

A bunch of three glowing Banandium Gems sit in front of DK and Pauline.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Beat Grumpy Kong at the end of Sublayer 300 and jump into the hole to get this gem in Sublayer 301.

#62: Battle Laser-Wall Brawl

A pink Donkey Kong climbing a wall beside a window in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Drop into this window and enter the battle challenge. Beat the three crockoids for a banana.

#63: The Refinery’s Hidden Hallway

A black Donkey Kong standing in front of a crumbly wall in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After taking the first minecart ride, walk towards the steps to the next minecart up the hill. Before you get there, smash through the wall to the left of the sloped steps and then blow up the concrete wall within to find a gem.

#64: Peak’s Peek at the Refinery

A pink Donkey Kong standing in front of a cave entrance in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

To get this Banandium Gem, you’ll need to enter a pipe located on Sublayer 300. The pipe is found in a cave on the side of the mountain with the Void Company’s faces on it (specifically, this is the side with Poppy Kong). Use your Kong Bananza skill to break the concrete blocking the pipe and you’ll land right on the banana in Sublayer 301.

#65: Asleep in a Dormitory

A black Donkey Kong standing on a metal contraption looking over a crumbly roof top of a dormitory in the Canyon Layer of Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This gem is first spotted when you’re throwing boom rocks in the mine cart, but you’ll have to wait to claim it until you reach the Banandium Refinery Staff Dorms tuning fork. From the tuning fork, enter the building on your left and walk to the edge to find a metal contraption connecting your building to the one below. Drop down onto the building and break into the adjacent room to find the gem.

#66: Surveying the Staff Dorms

A pink Donkey Kong and a young girl on his back standing on top of a tower with a shiny roof in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This is another gem that you’ll need to fall to from Sublayer 300. Smash the concrete at the top of this tower in Longneck Plateau Village using Kong Bananza to fall on to this banana.

#67: Tucked Away in a Dormitory

A pink Donkey Kong with a young girl on his back standing in front of a tucked away golden banana.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This banana can be found in a building to the right of the Spinning Laser Zone challenge. Inside the building closest to the edge, you’ll find a back entrance that leads to the banana.

#68: Battle: Leaps over the Laser

A black Donkey Kong standing in front of a glowing manhole cover that has a banana on it which is also in front of a poster of a monkey in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This battle challenge can be found in the area immediately after the Banandium Refinery Terrace Getaway. From the Getaway, proceed straight and take the first left. Enter the building on the right to find the entrance to the challenge.

Inside, you’ll need to defeat two stompoids to receive the gem.

A black Donkey Kong standing in front of the entrance to the Spinning Laser Zone challenge course in the Canyon Layer of Donkey Kong Bananza.
A black Donkey Kong standing in front of a golden banana in a challenge course in Donkey Kong Bananza.

1/2Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The Spinning Laser Zone challenge can be found in the area immediately after the Banandium Refinery Terrace Getaway. From the Getaway, proceed straight and take the second left to find the challenge course.

The first banana can be spotted as soon as you enter the challenge. Continue through the challenge to find this gem.

#70: Laying Low in the Laser Zone

A black Donkey Kong slamming the ground, revealing a hidden Banandium Gem under the gravel in a challenge in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Immediately after you find the first banana, you’ll enter an area full of spinning lasers. After you slam the ground to bring up the first concrete wall, you’ll spot a Banandium Gem hidden under the patch of gravel. Dig down to collect the gem.

#71: Laser-Zone End Point

A black Donkey Kong standing in front of a golden banana at the end of a challenge in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This gem is found at the end of the Spinning Laser Zone challenge.

#72: De-Voiding the Dorms

A black Donkey Kong standing in front of a half-dug up banana in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you de-void the minecart on the way to Mad Mixer, a Banandium Gem will also get de-voided in the process.

A pink Donkey Kong standing in front of a bunch of bananas in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This Banandium Gem is a reward for beating the Mad Mixer boss, and you’ll get it as you progress through the story.

#74: Mad Mixer’s Parting Gift

A circle highlights where to find a Banandium Gem in the lower Canyon Layer in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you defeat Mad Mixer, teeleport back to the Banandium Refinery Gravel Storage waypoint. Continue straight to find a container full of colorful gravel. Before jumping in, spot the pile of gravel that is the furthest away from you. Underneath this pile, you’ll find a Banandium Gem.

#75: Dropped into the Refinery Depths!

A pink Donkey Kong standing in front of a bunch of golden bananas along with a map indicating its location in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

You get this banana as part of the story progression, after you jump into the hole at the top of the Click-Clack Smokestack.

#76: Shifty Smash: Moving Targets

A pink Donkey Kong and young Pauline standing in front of a glowing floating pyramid beside a molten rock along with its location pointed out on a map in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In the area behind the Spinning Laser Zone Ancient Ruin, you’ll find a shifty triangle beside a boom rock. Complete the challenge by destroying the two floating triangles to get a gem.

#77: Treasure by the Triceratops

Donkey Kong standing on a large pile of colorful rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Behind the Spinning Laser Zone Ancient Ruin, you’ll find an area full of colorful gravel. Dig into the biggest pile to find a banana.

#78: Under Twin-Horn Smokestacks

Arrows point towards an entrance to some smokestacks in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Go to the village in Sublayer 300 via the Longneck Plateau Village tuning fork. Take a right and drop down off the cliff behind the gong. You’ll see a minecart with a Fractone miner near it. Talk to him and pay 1,000 gold to create the track. Take it to the island and smash your way through the concrete wall blocking the left smockstack. Climb up the ladder inside, climb the ceiling bridge to the right smokestack, and climb to the top of that. Break the concrete panel blocking it and you’ll land in Sublayer 301, where you’ll get a gem.

#79: Hanging Hallway Over the Refinery

An arrow points to an open lip of a chimney in Donkey Kong Bananza, showing where to find a Canyon Layer Banandium Gem.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you enter the Longneck Plateau Village in the Canyon Layer. Head up to the rotating stone pillar behind the clothing store. If you walk up to the edge and look down to the left, you’ll notice a suspicious black pillar below you. Drop down and make your way over to the pillar to find a stake embedded into the ground. Break the stake.

Donkey Kong Bananza release time in your time zone on Switch 2


Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D platformer developed by the same team behind Super Mario Odyssey, is the second major Nintendo Switch 2 game, swinging onto the platform later this week.

In Donkey Kong Bananza, which looks absolutely bananas from early previous, you join Donkey Kong and a young Pauline on a trek to the planet’s core in order to fulfill Pauline’s wish — to go back home. On your way, you’ll meet a few friendly faces, collect huge golden bananas called Banandium Gems, and face off against a group of dangerous monkeys.

For anyone dying to get into the game and monkey around in the Switch 2’s second exclusive title, look no further! Here’s when Donkey Kong Bananza will release in your time zone.

Donkey Kong Bananza release time in your time zone

Donkey Kong Bananza will be releasing at midnight of your region’s easternmost time zone on Thursday, July 17. This can be a bit confusing for those who live in larger countries, but as soon as it hits midnight anywhere in your region, the game will become available to play — barring any hiccups.

To make things a little easier, here’s when Donkey Kong Bananza will be available in your time zone:

Now, you can technically change your account’s region to, say, New Zealand to get Donkey Kong Bananza as soon as possible, but that will come with a few drawbacks like unlinking your Nintendo Network ID and potentially being locked out of switching regions. Rather than having to deal with any issues, we’d suggest making an entirely new account in a different region if you want to go this route.

Of course, this will all only apply if you’re purchasing Donkey Kong Bananza from the eShop. If you’re getting a physical copy, you can play as soon as you’re able to get one.

Can you preload Donkey Kong Bananza?

Yes! You can preload Donkey Kong Bananza now as long as you’ve preordered it from the Nintendo eShop. You’ll need 8.6 GB of available space to download the entire game, so make sure to free up some space if you don’t have enough room.

Once it reaches midnight in your region, you can launch the game and monkey around!

How to rewind in Mario Kart World


Mario Kart World’s rewind feature is quietly one of the racing game’s most useful features for learning how its new tricks, jumps, and grinds work. The Nintendo Switch 2 launch game sets you loose to discover rewind on your own, though, with no tutorial or anything explaining how the tool works or when you might want to use it.

Below, we explain how to rewind in Mario Kart World, which modes let you do it, and when you’re better off just taking a mistake on the chin.

How to rewind in Mario Kart World

Press “down” on the direction pad to rewind the previous five seconds and start again. Rewind is useful if you’re trying to learn how to time a jump correctly so you can drive along the wall, if you miss a shortcut, or if you just make a big mistake and would rather not lose eight places after crashing into a wall. It’s handy for evading an incoming obstacle in Battle Mode, too.

GiantBomb’s Jeff Grubb discovered you can even use rewind to escape a blue shell. If you rewind right before the shell makes contact, it’ll explode even without you there to suffer from it.

Bear in mind that rewind doesn’t affect the timer if you’re completing a Free Roam challenge or mode or activity with a timer, such as Time Trials. You’ll start in your previous position, but the timer won’t rewind, and you’ll probably fail the challenge. The better option for fixing a mistake in Free Roam mission scenarios is opening the pause menu and choosing the “retry” option.

Rewind also has no effect on computer-controlled characters, whose positions won’t rewind to match yours. Still, for learning tough courses such as Rainbow Road, it’s worth rewinding and coming in last if only to get the hang of difficult curves without having to start an entire cup over again.

What modes can you use rewind in?

Rewind is only usable in single-player modes and Free Roam, though you can use it in a multiplayer lobby as well – just not in a multiplayer race. The list of modes that let you use rewind is:

Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.

We have guides explaining how to set up your console (moving data from your original Switch to your Switch 2) as well as guides for things like getting external storage sorted out.

Belkin’s new line of Switch 2 accessories include a simple but effective charging case


Belkin is best known for high-quality smartphone accessories, but just like everyone else, it appears it has a case of Nintendo Switch 2 fever. The company has announced that it will be selling several Switch 2 accessories in time for the console’s launch, including screen protectors and a charging case that comes with a power bank.

The Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2 is the thicker of Belkin’s two case options, primarily because it has a designated spot for an included 10K external battery. The case also includes a flap for storing Switch 2 game cartridges, a hidden pocket for slotting an AirTag so you can track the case if it’s lost and slots on either side of the battery for cables and other accessories. When you need to prop up your Switch 2 with its kickstand while it’s charging, there’s also a groove in the case that’s specifically designed to hold it.

Photos and features of the Belkin Switch 2 Travel Case arranged in a grid, including the cartridge pocket and the built-in handle.Photos and features of the Belkin Switch 2 Travel Case arranged in a grid, including the cartridge pocket and the built-in handle.

Belkin

If you’re looking for something more compact and portable, the Travel Case for Nintendo Switch 2 is only moderately thicker than the console itself. Like the charging case, the travel case includes a built-in sleeve for Switch 2 game cartridges and a spot to hide an AirTag. It also has a built-in handle and a wrist strap so you have multiple ways to carry it when you’re out and about.

For an extra layer of protection, Belkin is also selling two different screen protector options: a Tempered Glass Anti-Reflective Screen Protector and a Tempered Glass Blue Light Screen Protector. Both will shield your Switch 2’s screen from major scratches and can be applied in a few steps. In the case of the blue light screen protector, Belkin is also claiming that it’ll help reduce eye strain if you use your console for an extended period of time. Whichever you pick, just don’t remove the Switch 2’s pre-installed protective film before you apply.

All of Belkin’s new accessories are available to order today from Belkin’s website and Amazon. You can get either the Charging Case or Travel Case in gray, tan or green, and the cases cost $70 or $30, respectively. The Tempered Glass Anti-Reflective Screen Protector costs $25 and the Tempered Glass Blue Light Screen Protector costs $30.

If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.

Nintendo Switch 2 will support regular USB mice in at least one game


The Switch 2’s Joy-Con “mouse” has some competition. At least one launch game for Nintendo’s new console includes USB mouse support. Nobunga’s Ambition: Awakening CE lets you plug in a traditional pointing device and get down to business. According to developer Koei Tecmo, the mouse will “work seamlessly.”

Nobunga’s Ambition will let you switch between controller and USB mouse on the fly. “Once you connect the USB mouse, a message will appear in the top left indicating that the mouse is connected,” Michi Ryu said in a video (translated from Japanese). “When the USB mouse is connected, it takes priority over the Joy-Con 2. As you can see, you can switch instantly. It’s very smooth.”

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So, what does that mean for other mouse-friendly Switch 2 games? Civilization VII, another launch title, comes to mind. We emailed 2K Games to ask and will update this story if we hear back.

To be fair, the Switch 2’s Joy-Con mouse support is solid. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford was pleasantly surprised with it in his hands-on. Still, it’s nice to have options. (And let’s be honest, a real mouse will be hard to beat.)

Although it wasn’t a well-known fact, the original Switch also supported USB mice. For example, Nintendo’s visual programming tool Game Builder Garage worked with them. But the number of games supporting the Joy-Con mouse makes it a bigger deal on the Switch 2.

2026 video games: The big new upcoming video game release dates


When Rockstar Games delayed Grand Theft Auto 6 into 2026, it likely came as a big relief to publishers who had anything on their slate for the back half of 2025. But 2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting, crowded year of big game releases, even without GTA 6.

Beyond sequels, there are plenty of promising original games on the horizon, like role-playing game SacriFire, Warren Spector’s stealth-action PvPvE game Thick As Thieves, and Animal Crossing-but-make-it-vampires indie Moonlight Peaks.

Game release dates are always in flux, though, so Polygon’s guide to the new video games coming out in 2026 will be regularly updated with new titles, release dates, and (inevitable) delays.

New video game releases coming in 2026

2026 video games with no release date

The confusion around $90 Switch 2 games proves how broken the internet is


If you’re a gamer who has been on Facebook or YouTube in the past week, there’s probably a good chance you’ve seen people arguing about the Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing. My Facebook algorithm has interpreted my interest in the system as a sign that I want to see a constant stream of angry memes about how much it costs. While I’ve seen concerns over the hardware itself dying down, the one complaint that’s stuck is the price of its games. My feeds are filled with engagement memes daring commenters to justify Mario Kart World‘s $90 price tag.

There’s just one problem: Mario Kart World does not cost $90, at least based on what we know right now. No currently announced Nintendo Switch 2 game appears to either, but it hasn’t stopped that detail from spreading on a fundamentally broken internet.

If you’re confused about that claim because you’ve heard the price repeated as fact 100 times by now, I can’t blame you. In the immediate chaos following the Switch 2’s reveal, players were left to dig up information themselves. Last week’s Switch 2 Direct didn’t even state the console’s price; I only found out about it through an email after the stream ended. That was confusing enough, but Nintendo’s lack of transparency caused even more confusion around games. It didn’t take long for players to discover that Mario Kart World and some Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of original Switch games will retail for $80. Variable pricing for games only made matters harder to understand, as heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza will cost $70 instead.

Somewhere in that rapid learning process, word began to spread that the physical editions of some Switch 2 games would cost 90 Euros. That fact quickly mutated into a different one entirely: That physical Switch 2 games cost $90. It’s hard to pinpoint where exactly that jump originated from, but it’s easy to see how someone could have misinterpreted it. Maybe they assumed the Euro symbol was a dollar sign. Maybe they mistakenly assumed that those two things are 1:1. Whatever happened, it should have been a detail that was debunked within a day.

Instead, it spread like wildfire. And it has yet to stop.

How does something like this happen on the internet, a repository of readily available information? After all, it’s not hard to find Mario Kart World‘s official price. Its website has listed an $80 MSRP since day one. That question leads to an unfortunate answer: The internet is becoming more harmful than helpful by the day. Social media platforms built to drive engagement through outrage and an increasing reliance on inaccurate AI tools to source our news are making us dumber, and the Switch 2 pricing rumor is only one small example of that.

Let’s break down the misinformation pipeline here. A quick Google search along the lines of “Switch 2 games $90” will inevitably bring up a Reddit thread from /Games titled “Nintendo Switch 2 Games Will Cost $80 For Digital, $90 For Physical.” The post includes a link to an article from Insider Gaming, a website known as a source for video game leaks. Insider Gaming was among a small handful of sites to run with the story that physical Switch 2 games cost $90 early on. Websites like Forbes reported the same information on April 2 in an article that includes no source for the claim and even mentions the 90 Euro detail. The article has not been corrected in the week following its publication.

Insider Gaming, on the other hand, did change its article. If you go into that Reddit thread and click the linked story, you’ll instead land on “Nintendo Switch 2 Games Will Cost Up To $98 For Physical Games When Converted From Euros.” There’s a correction midway down the article now, but that change isn’t reflected in the Reddit thread that now dominates search results on the topic.

That telephone game only gets worse. Exacerbating the confusion is Google’s own AI overview, a tool that dominates the top of the page when it populates. If you were to Google “how much are Switch 2 games?” right now, there’s a good chance you will get an AI overview that tells you that physical games either could or do cost $90. In my current search results, Google says “Nintendo Switch 2 games are expected to be priced higher than previous Nintendo Switch titles, with many games potentially costing $79.99 or even $89.99.” Other results I’ve seen cut the “potentially entirely” and say they “will” cost that much.

That information comes with a few links, citing where the news came from. A link on a blurb about the $90 price point goes to an article from Indy100, which says outright that Mario Kart World costs $90 with no source to back it up. Other cited links point to articles from Mashable and CNET. The latter actually debunks the $90 claim, but that hasn’t stopped Google’s AI for using it as a source to back up its faulty information.

In sleuthing around to find who else misreported the price, I searched “Digital Trends Switch 2 $90” to see if we had mistakenly published it. The results turn up an AI overview that says “Yes, there are reports that some Nintendo Switch 2 games will be priced at $90 for physical copies and $80 for digital.” It does not link to Digital Trends, but rather a video from YouTuber DreamCast guy complaining about the made up price. The second source? The Reddit thread linking a now corrected Insider Gaming story. Scroll down past the overview and you’ll find that Reddit thread surfaced first before a Digital Trends article explaining the hardware price. It is followed by the false Forbes article, one from Game Rant, and a NeoGaf forum post — all of which state the unconfirmed information as fact.

This is the world we’re currently living in. The internet has always been loaded with misinformation, but it used to be that sites like Google would weed out the bad information and surface reputable sources first. That last line of defense has gone away in the wake of constant algorithm changes that prioritize sites like Reddit and AI tools that then regurgitate what’s on those sites and spits them back out as facts. That then bleeds back out into angry social media posts and YouTube videos that are designed to rack up views and engagement, and then fed back into Google’s AI tools to complete the cycle. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle once information like that becomes accepted. I’ve had conversations with people offline where I’ve been asked what I think about the $90 games. It’s just something people believe now and it will continue to be reinforced by the tools that we rely on to inform us. We’re all left a little angrier for it.

The Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing woes are very real. The console’s $450 price tag is a big leap over its predecessor, $80 for Mario Kart World is still steep, and even the system’s digital instruction manual costs $10. You might even end up spending $90 if you buy The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Switch 2 Edition and then throw in its additional DLC. And who knows, physical games could end up costing $90 once launch day actually comes. President Donald Trump’s current tariff roulette means that everything is in flux. We will update this article if the game pricing does in fact change.

But as of right now, there’s no hard information indicating that Switch 2 games actually do cost $90, no matter how many Facebook memes tell you it does. Be vigilant about where you get your information. Do your research when you come across something that sounds wrong. Knowledge isn’t just power in today’s world; it’s your only defense.






Nintendo Switch 2 price may not be affected by tariffs, analyst says


Research firm DFC Intelligence said Monday that it was “modeling a 20% price increase over the next two years” for Switch 2. But in updated guidance sent to Polygon from the firm’s CEO David Cole, “the reference to a 20% hardware price increase over the next two years applied to the hardware side in general and not just the Switch.”

“In the case of the Switch 2, we believe much of the 20% increase was already baked into the $450 price,” Cole said. “It is not likely Nintendo will raise the price, and if they do, we don’t expect it to be 20%. Also much of that increase is in the form of NOT discounting prices. So not necessarily a price increase but where we model a 20% price decrease in the next year or so we have the prices holding steady.”

Nintendo announced the launch price of Switch 2 at $449.99 last Wednesday, but that was before Trump outlined “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries, including territories where Nintendo manufactures its hardware. Trump hit China with an additional 34% duty on Wednesday, and Vietnam, where Nintendo has moved some of its production, with a 46% tariff. Trump also hit Japan, where Nintendo is headquartered, with a 24% tariff on Japanese goods.

Trump’s move pushed Nintendo pause Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S., which were planned to open on April 9, while it “assess[ed] the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.”

DFC Intelligence’s report did not specifically say that the launch price of Switch 2 could creep beyond the previously announced $449.99 asking price, but that hardware prices could go up depending on costs associated with tariffs. While game consoles have traditionally gone down in price, the most recent console generation bucked that trend; Nintendo still sells the Switch at its original launch price of $299.99. Rivals Sony and Microsoft have both raised prices on their current-gen consoles in certain territories.

“Additional clarity is expected when Nintendo releases its earnings in May,” analysts said in the report.

According to DFC Intelligence’s report, tariffs and uncertain pricing may push Nintendo to scale back its manufacturing, and the research firm lowered its sales forecast for the Switch 2, from 17 million to 15 million units in 2025. But DFC Intelligence still expects Switch 2 to be “the fastest-selling console system ever.”

Even with a possible price increase in the U.S., the firm is bullish on Nintendo’s prospects. Switch 2, DFC Intelligence says, “will continue to grow Nintendo’s growth among PC gamers and the core adult market,” and “has the potential to reshape the video game market.”

Update: DFC Intelligence clarified to Polygon its modeling for this report, stating that it concluded that Switch 2 will not rise in price as a result of tariffs. This story has been updated to reflect this clarification.