Has there ever been a better spring in which to have a spring sale? This is going to go down as the worst spring ever for pretty much everybody (except all of y’all in the southern hemisphere, who are having a pretty rough fall right now), which makes formerly routine situations feel more vital and important than ever. Nintendo’s running its annual spring sale on the Switch’s eshop, and normally I wouldn’t even think to mention it. Sales happen all the time. But right now, with everybody forced indoors, and desperate for ways to pass the time and try to feel normal, something as basic as a videogame sales promotion becomes more significant. So let’s take a look at the best games and the best bargains during Nintendo’s current spring sale.
Bastion and Transistor Are Both 80% Off
Sale Ends: April 19 at 11:59 a.m. ET
Bastion just barely missed the top ten in our list of the best games of the decade. Yes, Supergiant’s action-RPG is that great. And right now it’s only three bucks on the Switch. Supergiant’s first two games are both 80% now through April 19, so you can grab both Bastion and the almost-as-great Transistor for just under seven bucks, combined. Bastion’s $2.99, and Transistor is $3.99, and they’re both worth several times that. If you don’t have ‘em yet, this is the best time to strike.
Relive the Sega Genesis for Only $12
Sale Ends: April 13 at 11:59 a.m. ET
Sega Genesis Classics packs over 50 Genesis games into a single package, and that’s such a healthy heaping of fantastic 16-bit games that the regular asking price of $30 is entirely reasonable. For the next six days, though, that price has been bumped all the way down to $11.99, which means you get 100% of the nostalgia at a steep 60% discount. Look, I’m old enough to where even just playing Sega games on a Nintendo system still feels weird as heck, but even though I already own this same package on a couple of different platforms, I’ve already scooped it up again so I can take this stuff on the go.
Nine Different LEGO Games Are Available for Up to 60% Off
Sale Ends: April 16 at noon ET
WB Games has put a whole slate of LEGO games on sale, from their own original concepts, to some of the ever-popular pop culture tie-in games. On the lowest end of the scale, you can pick up the following games for $11.99 each: LEGO Worlds, LEGO City Undercover, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame rings up at $15.99, while LEGO Harry Potter Collection, LEGO Jurassic World and LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame are all at $19.99. Finally, LEGO: The Incredibles and LEGO DC Super-Villains—which are both still normally priced at $59.99—are currently going for $23.99. So if you love these tongue-in-cheek block-based beat-em-’ups, there’s a ton you can check out on the cheap.
The First Ever Golf RPG Is Half Off
Sale Ends: April 19 at 11:59 a.m. ET
Bear with me: Golf Story is great. I am not a golf man by any means (although I will always have a soft spot for the original Hot Shots Golf, aka Everybody’s Golf), but this charming hybrid of golf and an RPG remains one of the best and weirdest games on the Switch, over two years after it was released. If you’re still (understandably) skeptical, you can now try it out for half the price—it’s on sale for $7.49 now until the afternoon of April 19.
Embrace Devolution and Save Up to 75% on Some of Devolver Digital’s Best Games
Sale Ends: April 21 at 8:59 a.m. ET
Devolver might actually be second to Nintendo in terms of publishing the most games that we love on the Switch. There are currently 14 Devolver games on sale, most of them at 50% off, including Hotline Miami Collection, My Friend Pedro and Katana Zero. The ones I’d recommend most, though, are Ape Out ($7.49), Gato Roboto ($3.99), Downwell ($1.49), Reigns: Kings & Queens ($3.99), and Gris ($8.49)—all of which found their way to various Paste best of lists.
Help Mario and Pals Take Down those Obnoxious Rabbids
Sale Ends: April 19
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, the weird war game that mashes up two very different franchises, to surprisingly great results, is only $14.99 at the moment. For $19.99 you can get the game and its DLC. If you’ve ever wanted to see Mario and Luigi blast mischievous alien rabbits from France to death, but without paying too much for it, now’s your chance.
There are dozens more games for sale, too, so check out more deals on the Switch at Nintendo’s official site.
Senior editor Garrett Martin writes about videogames, comedy, travel, theme parks, wrestling, and anything else that gets in his way. He’s also on Twitter @grmartin.