a massive roster of Mario characters, a host of fast-paced new features, and an expansive world map, the new Mario Kart quickly became one of the most anticipated games of the year.

The excitement dissipated, though, when Nintendo announced the price: $450 for the console, and eighty United States dollars for the privilege of playing Mario Kart World. The sudden increase was surprising, if not totally unexpected based on recent world events. While it's hard to defend the sudden price increase, the math does add up, and not for the reason you might think.

Mario Kart World’s $80 Price Is Hard To Swallow

Why The Sudden Increase?

For a standard edition of any video game, even a huge, triple-A release in a beloved franchise, to cost $80 at launch is basically unheard of. While game prices were once a lot more flexible, they generally evened out at a standard $60 during the seventh console generation - the Xbox 360 and PS3 era.

I'd say we enjoyed that standard $60 price point for a good few years, but the fact of the matter is that we complained about it then, too. Still, we didn't know how good we had it: beginning in 2020, with the release of NBA 2K21, $70 became the new standard price for triple-A video games. It was easy to justify at the time, given pandemic-related inflation.

And if you didn't want to pay full price, there were a couple of workarounds at first - for a while, you could still buy the PS4 editions of certain games for $60, then claim the PS5 upgrade for free. Some games would still come out for $60 on PC, even if their console versions were more expensive. But in time, PS5 and Xbox X/S sales went up, publishers stopped doing cross-generational releases, and we were all forced to accept - whether we liked it or not - that $70 was the new standard price for triple-A releases.

Nintendo's first $70 game was The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its Switch 2 upgrade will cost $80.

How wrong we were. Nintendo now becomes the first publisher to break the $70 rule, announcing that several Switch 2 launch titles - not just Mario Kart World, but also Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Mario Party Jamboree - would go for $80. Some Switch 2 games are currently listed at $70, including the new release Donkey Kong Bananza, so it's not totally clear how these prices are being calculated. What is clear, though, is that gamers are upset.

Mario Kart World's higher price has caused a shockwave of fan outrage, with many demanding delaying Switch 2 preorders in the US while it considers the impact of tariffs, meaning the Switch 2 could become even more expensive here.

Besides the already exorbitant price, many players are concerned that Nintendo sets a dangerous precedent. If Mario Kart World can cost $80, other triple-A games are certain to follow suit. And if they do, why can't even bigger releases charge players even more, like Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to be doing with its $100 price tag?

Adjusting For Inflation, Mario Kart Has Been More Expensive

The Real Culprit Is Something More Sinister

Now, this is not to defend Mario Kart World for raising game prices, potentially creating a damaging trend. But the fact of the matter is that previous Mario Kart games have been even more expensive, soaring over that $80 price point when adjusting for inflation. Although some series installments were released as budget titles at lower prices (see the table below), when compared to today's buying power, even the cheapest Mario Kart games approach the $80 mark.

How Mario Kart Prices Compare To Mario Kart World

Every Mario Kart Game's Price Adjusted For Inflation

The table below lists every major Mario Kart release to date alongside its price at launch, and that dollar amount when adjusted for inflation. These figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator. It uses data from the month when the game was released in the States, comparing it to prices in February 2025, the most recent month from which data was available. It does not for any future inflation that may result from tariffs.

As you can see, most Mario Kart games cost about the equivalent of $80 today in of purchasing power when they were first released, including Mario Kart 8. A handful were cheaper, but not by much; Mario Kart DS still cost over $70 adjusted for inflation. A select few cost even more: the original Super Mario Kart would be $90 today, and Mario Kart 64, by far the most expensive of the bunch, would've run you almost $120.

It doesn't make the $80 price point any better, or mean that those who do shell out the full price for Mario Kart World will feel it any less. But it does go to show that we didn't know how good we had it when games typically cost 60 or even $70.

At the moment, we're all still reeling from sticker shock, so it's hard to say what kind of effect this new development is going to have on the video game economy. Whatever the case, it may be an uphill battle for Mario Kart World, even if it's one it should've fought a long time ago.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics