Original Nintendo Switch Discontinued in Europe in February 2027 Due to Battery Rules

Nintendo has quietly confirmed that it will stop selling the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED in Europe starting February 2027, marking the end of an era for one of the best-selling consoles of all time. The discontinuation is driven by Europe's new battery regulations and Right to Repair directive, which require consumer electronics to feature replaceable batteries — a standard the original Switch hardware will not be updated to meet. Rather than engineer a costly revision to the ageing platform, Nintendo has chosen to phase it out entirely in the region.

The news comes despite the original Switch still being in active production globally, nearly a decade after its 2017 launch and over a year after the debut of the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025. While the Switch 1 family of consoles will be retired in Europe, Nintendo has confirmed it does have plans to release revised Switch 2 hardware in the region that will comply with the new replaceable battery requirements, ensuring its current-generation platform remains on sale and future-proofed against the incoming rules.

Sources