GameStop Offers Transfer and Trade Program for Switch 2 Launch

GameStop recently announced in a post on X that it will be offering a “Transfer and Trade Program to seamlessly upgrade Switch 2 without losing data.” More details are to come, but this will be a beneficial program for those who are looking to soften the financial blow of upgrading consoles and are willing to part ways with their existing system.

On April 2nd, 2025, following the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, GameStop posted on X trade-in values for existing Switch systems if the trade-in goes toward a Switch 2 pre-order prior to April 30th, 2025. The retailer offers up to $175 USD for a Switch OLED system, $125 USD for a Switch system (both the V1 and V2 variants), and $100 USD for the Switch Lite. These values are based upon the systems being in good condition and the trade-in including the Joy-Con controllers and various components (e.g., dock, AC and HDMI cables, Joy-Con grip, Joy-Con straps). If the system has some wear or components are missing, lower values may be offered.

GameStop notes in the announcement that individuals with a Pro Membership receive 10% extra with trade-ins; however, the announcement is not explicitly clear if the stated values assume a Pro Membership or not. Pre-orders for the Switch 2 will become available online at GameStop on April 24th, 2025 at 11 AM EDT and in-person upon store openings on the same day.

Given that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with the vast majority of the Nintendo Switch’s game library, many potential buyers of the upcoming Switch 2 may be willing to let go of their current Switch. However, even with a Nintendo Switch Online account, not all user data is saved in the cloud, and some data resides locally on the console itself. As shown in the image at the beginning of the article, Nintendo has shared a system transfer guide for those who will be upgrading consoles from an existing Switch system and want to transfer important data like user profiles, purchased digital games, game save data, screenshots/videos, and parental controls. The Transfer and Trade Program at GameStop is an interesting proposition so that individuals upgrading consoles may confirm a successful transfer of their data before relinquishing their old system, while still receiving the maximum trade-in offer to reduce the Switch 2 purchase price.

As of the writing of this article, lower prices are listed on GameStop’s website for trade-in values of Nintendo Switch systems. A Switch OLED is valued at $121 USD. The V1 and V2 Switch systems are listed separately at $88 USD and $99 USD, respectively. The Switch Lite is meanwhile listed at $71.50 USD. For those who purchased the two Zelda special editions, they fetch slightly higher prices. The Tears of the Kingdom OLED model is valued at $132 USD, while the golden Hyrule Edition Switch Lite that was released in conjunction with Echoes of Wisdom is valued at $77 USD. All values listed above assume the trade-in is used for store credit and with a Pro Membership. Presumably, once the Switch 2 pre-orders go live, the higher values listed in the April 2nd announcement will be offered as part of the Transfer and Trade Program.

Will you be trading in your original Switch when upgrading to the Switch 2? Do you find GameStop’s Transfer and Trade Program an attractive deal? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: GameStop

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