Nintendo Switch Online's game vouchers are one of the many benefits of joining the subscription service, along with the ability to play online and access various game catalogs, such as NES, Game Boy, and, most recently, GameCube. However, the Japanese company doesn't want you to benefit from the money-saving feature for much longer, taking the decision to remove it from NSO.
Game vouchers are excellent if you prefer digital over physical, as for $99.98 / £84, you get two vouchers to use on a wide variety of Nintendo Switch games, including mainline Pokémon games, such as Scarlet and Violet, which cost $59.99 / £49.99. However, those aren't the most expensive titles on offer with the service, as you can also use one of the vouchers on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a game with a price tag of $69.99 / £59.99.
So, if you use the vouchers on the critically acclaimed Zelda game and Pokémon Scarlet, for example, you save $30 / £25.98, and if you do this whenever you buy Switch games, you save a lot of money in the long run. At least until Nintendo ceases the vouchers on January 30, 2026, at 23:59 local time. However, the slightly good news is that you can still buy the vouchers until that date, and they remain active for one year after purchase, meaning any you buy on the final day are usable until January 30, 2027.
While this change is quite disheartening, it's worth noting that Nintendo intends to add new Switch games to the selection you can choose from even after January 2026, so you can still get those fresh experiences a little bit cheaper for an extra year. While they don't typically appear on the list of redeemable games until pre-orders open on the eShop, we do know that the new Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, is on the list, so it's fair to assume that you might see games like Metroid Prime 4 and Kirby Air Riders on there when the time comes.
Considering that the price of Nintendo Switch 2 games seems to be a bit dearer, it's not completely surprising to see Nintendo make this move, with the most recent Mario game costing $79.99 / £74.99 and Donkey Kong Bananza reaching $69.99 / £58.99 digitally, with that number increasing to £66.99 in the UK if you want the physical copy of DK's next adventure. To be fair, it certainly seems worth the price in our Donkey Kong Bananza review.
Elsewhere in Nintendo land, it appears as though we could be getting a Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition, and there's a James Bond rip-off that's so blatant that it's borderline hilarious. If money-saving features are on the way out, perhaps questionable games like Agent 07 - Spy Revenge need evaluating, too.
Since you need to start paying full whack for more games in the next year and a half, make sure you check out articles like our Mario Kart World review, Cyberpunk 2077 review, and Yakuza 0 Director's Cut review to ensure the games are right for you.