It’s another great month for new book releases, with a slew of fantastic stories from some of our favourite authors - such as T. Kingfisher, Ava Reid, and Abby Jimenez - as well as several exciting debuts.
As always, I’ve included a wide array of genres. So, whether you’re looking for a fast-paced YA dystopian, an eerie fantasy, a disturbing psychological thriller, a gothic retelling, or a gory body horror, there is something for every kind of reader.
To the Death by Melissa Welliver
Release date: March 26
If, like me, you’re always on the lookout for books that conjure up a similar feeling to The Hunger Games (or even The Last of Us, according to the Amazon listing), Melissa Welliver’s To the Death sounds like it could fill the void, especially as we patiently - or not so patiently - wait for Sunrise On The Reaping to hit our screens later this year. Add in zombies, and this is easily one of our most anticipated reads of the month.
The story follows Astrid, who is just trying to survive after a virus broke out on the island that she lives on. However, the mainland is watching the island’s every move, turning their lives into a reality TV show. But what does the victor win, you might ask? Well, a ticket off the island. So, when she finds herself paired up with another islander who has secrets of his own, they must fend off the other contestants and the undead, with only one person winning at the end.
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton
Set in Japan, it follows Eriko and her seemingly perfect life. On the outside she has it all - a good family, a beautiful apartment and a stable job - yet no one realises just how lonely she is. It’s because of this that she finds herself turning to a popular lifestyle blog, written by Shōko, for a bit of comfort.
Unlike most people in her country, Shōko not only embraces but highlights her messy life, with her disorganised home and convenience-store dinners taking centre stage. But things take a turn when Eriko befriends Shōko after tracking her down at her favourite restaurant. What happens when obsession and companionship collide? And what will Eriko do to hold onto this new friendship? We can’t wait to see this one pans out.
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Release date: March 24 (US), March 26 (UK)
After quickly becoming an immediate auto-buy author for myself, T. Kingfisher is back with their first new book of 2026, and in this Southern gothic we join scientific illustrator Sonia as she finds herself at rock bottom. That is until the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects. With her moving to his manor house to do so, it almost sounds too good to be true, and that quickly becomes apparent when she arrives.
From the mysterious disappearance of her predecessor, who was also Dr. Halder’s wife, to the bizarre behaviour of the nearby animals, things get weird in a very good way. It’s the kind of story, filled with creepy crawlies, parasitic maggots and wild experiments, that will have you squirming in your seat. Or, at the very least, feeling like you can’t quite shake the feeling of something crawling over your skin.
The Brides by Charlotte Cross
Release date: March 19
Will we ever tire of a good vampire story? We don’t think so. And this month sees an enthralling reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in The Brides. Weaving together the stories of four women, the three who became the brides of Dracula and the fourth who managed to escape, it leans into the Gothic atmosphere and setting while utilising diary entries and letters to push the narrative forward.
And if you happen to be familiar with the 1897 classic, you’ll also recognise John Seaward, with his perspective coming to the forefront, alongside a toxic sapphic relationship and a journey from London to Budapest that will definitely draw you in.
Innamorata by Ava Reid
Release date: March 17
We’re always excited whenever a new Ava Reid book is announced, and Innamorata sounds like another hit from the fantasy author. The first book in what will be The House of Teeth Duology, it follows the last two living descendents of the aforementioned House, heiress Marozia and her cousin Lady Agnes. And it is Agnes who must avenge her family’s fallen honour by recapturing the secrets of death magic.
To do so, she must marry off Marozia to Liuprand, the heir to the conqueror’s throne. However, things aren’t that straightforward, especially when the one thing that Agnes must not do is fall in love. Yet, the building passion between Agnes and Liuprand could threaten to fell them all.
Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas
Release date: March 31
If you happen to love a good horror book, and body horror at that, Nothing Tastes as Good should certainly be on your radar. At over 300lbs, Emmett has struggled with his weight his entire life. And it doesn't help that he lives in Southern California where suntanned six-packs are the norm. So, he has nothing - or everything, depending on how you look at it - to lose when he signs up for a clinical trial for the new weight loss treatment, Obexity.
And while Emmett quickly starts shedding the weight, with his life seemingly changing for the better, there are a few side effects. Of course, there’s the overwhelming cravings. Then, is it strange that he can no longer account for long stretches of time, or that some of the people who were particularly cruel to him have started to disappear? At the same time police are hunting for a cannibalistic killer. Surely that’s just a coincidence, right?
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
Release date: March 10 (US), March 12 (UK)
Blending a few different genres, This Story Might Save Your Life centres around Benny and Joy. Best friends and podcast hosts, they take a deep dive into some of the most outrageous and unbelievable near-death experiences each week, all while adding their trademark life-affirming humour to the mix.
However, when Benny arrives one morning to record their next episode and finds an empty house in complete disarray, with Joy - and her husband Xander - nowhere to be seen, they become entangled in their very own survival story. With Benny being the prime suspect in a case where it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Joy and Xander will be found alive, what secrets have the BFFs been keeping from their listeners, and each other?
The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent
Release date: March 12
We can always count on Liz Nugent to bring us an all consuming and disturbing mystery thriller, and as you might expect from the title, this story revolves around Ruby Cooper. Now, it’s actually quite tricky to sum up or tease this book without giving too much away. All we can really say is that when Ruby is sixteen years old she is involved in a shocking incident that upends and affects her and her family’s life for decades. And what follows is an unflinching tale of trauma, grief and some seriously dark themes.
Let’s just say, it’s the kind of book that will have you simultaneously speeding through it, while throwing your hands up in frustration quite a few times, as Liz successfully introduces yet another character you will no doubt love to hate.
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
Release date: March 24
There are so many brilliant romance books being released this month. From Liz Tomforde’s latest sports romance, In Her Own League, to Elle Kennedy’s Love Song and Across the Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles. But the one that captured my heart and attention has to be Abby Jimenez’s The Night We Met. And if you’re looking for some serious yearning between the two main characters, look no further.
The story follows Larissa and Chris, who appear to be the perfect match for one another. The only issue, Chris is her boyfriend’s best friend and they both know that if either of them were to share how they feel, or even think about acting on it, it would upend their lives and friendships forever. If only she had chosen to get a ride home with Chris instead of Mike on, you guessed it, the night they met. Can they just be friends, or is the risk of hurting one of the closest people to both of them worth potentially blowing up their lives? It is worth mentioning, that even though this is the second in a series, it can be read as a standalone.
Pokémon Pokopia sees you play as a Ditto that has transformed to look like a human and must shape an empty land into a beautiful space for a variety of Pokémon. You'll learn new moves from Pokémon you meet to expand and create a paradise, collecting berries, rocks, and wood, as well as building furniture, growing vegetables in fields you’ve tilled, creating homes for Pokémon you meet, and more.
IGN's Pokémon Pokopia review returned a 9/10. We said: "Pokémon Pokopia is an enjoyable, personality-packed building simulator set in a surprisingly deep world that is stuffed with fun things for its delightful Ditto protagonist to do and create."
Pokémon Pokopia is, of course, a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. Don't forget that you can pre-order and pre-load so it's ready to go the second it strikes midnight! You can also technically play it early if you choose an earlier timezone, but that requires you to have an account in that region, and you'll need to buy it from that region's eShop, too.
Pokémon Pokopia release times
Depending on where you are in the world, Pokémon Pokopia is set to go live on Nintendo Switch 2 at the following times:
Wednesday, March 4, 2026:
PST (San Francisco):
9pm
Thursday, March 5, 2026:
EST (New York):
12am midnight
GMT (London):
12am midnight
CET (Paris):
12am midnight
JST (Tokyo):
12am midnight
CST (Beijing):
12am midnight
AEST (Sydney):
12am midnight
NZST (Wellington):
12am midnight
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Will Powers, the public face of Crimson Desert in the west, has hit out at people accusing developer and publisher Pearl Abyss of “hiding” console footage of the hotly anticipated open-world action adventure game, and promised reveals are coming ahead of its release date.
Pearl Abyss has yet to confirm base performance figures for Crimson Desert on consoles, leaving PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S owners wondering how it will perform on their platforms. With the disastrous release of Cyberpunk 2077 still fresh in the memory, and the backlash developer CD Projekt suffered by not showing off the game on last-gen consoles ahead of launch, some have expressed concern that Crimson Desert might struggle on PlayStation and Xbox, and so would prefer to know the performance targets before pre-ordering the game.
Powers, though, has gone on the offensive, taking to social media and to reddit to hit out at the doubters. In response to one person on X / Twitter who accused Pearl Abyss of “still hiding all console footage,” Powers said: “We're not hiding anything, and I'm sick of having to repeat myself. I've repeated 100s of times that we'll reveal things ahead of launch to give people adequate time to still preorder the game for themselves. We're saying this openly... Let us cook? Please and thank you. /rant”
Powers later commented on the reddit thread discussing his tweet, clarifying his position: “People have the right to information to make an informed purchase. Simply put, that's transparency, and that's what we're promising. But people demanding information on their timeline is entitlement, and that needs to end.”
That thread, by the way, is a mix of genuine concern and enthusiasm, with some explaining why they’re worried about Crimson Desert on consoles, and others appealing for patience. “I understand it can get frustrating replying and responding to all the people asking for console footage but that's because we've seen this before with Cyberpunk 2077 where they held back console footage until the very last minute and players found out that it was a mess,” said one person. “I wouldn't call it entitlement but more like precaution and passion. We're all fans eager to get our hands on the game. I'm sure demanding a few minutes of console footage isn't asking too much especially as the game's only two weeks away from launch.”
The reason I've not pre-ordered your game yet is simple. Not seen it run on a base playstation console. You only show it on playstation pro with PC. you have no issues showing it running on PC just not consoles.
“So from a consumer's perspective, how late before release is a reasonable date for them to reveal console footage?” one person said. “The game comes out in roughly two weeks, we still have not seen much of console let alone the performance. I think it’s fair that consumers want answers when we’re expected to purchase a product,” said another person.
“Thank you for speaking out on that matter. You seem to be convinced that it won't be another Cyberpunk console launch situation so let's believe that,” another added. “I think it's understandable that people rightfully get nervous when devs share footage of only one platform while the game releases on multiple. If it would be a disaster, you would've just made everything worse and the trust would be gone completely though.”
“As soon as I see the PS5 runs the game well, you’ll have my money. I’m literally sold [on] everything but performance,” one potential fan said.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Next week's annual celebration of Super Mario will be marked by the return of three retro games via Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo will add two more Virtual Console titles and a popular Game Boy Advance classic to its subscription service on March 10, otherwise known as Mario Day (because its date is MAR10).
The recently-launched Nintendo Switch Online Virtual Console range will get Mario Tennis and Mario Clash, both released in 1995, while its Game Boy Advance catalog will add 2004's Mario vs. Donkey Kong. You will, however, need the Switch Online's pricier Expansion Pack tier to access the games.
Game Boy Advance for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members: - Mario vs. Donkey Kong™ pic.twitter.com/amdzOF5tEn
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 4, 2026
If you like peering into a peripheral and batting away balls, Mario Tennis is a fairly standard sport experience that happens to feature Nintendo's mascot and other Mushroom Kingdom residents on the court. Mario Clash, meanwhile, is set within the a series of underground pipes and lets you go bowling with Koopa Troopa shells.
Of the three, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is the most interesting. A spiritual successor to the original Donkey Kong, this puzzle platformer was successful enough that it spawned a whole spinoff series, and a full Switch remake that launched in 2024. Here, you can see where that all started.
Nintendo has not yet announced any other celebrations to mark Mario Day, though fans are hoping we hear more from the company soon following a recent third-party Partner Direct and this week's Indie World broadcast. The company has often held a full Nintendo Direct in March, ahead of the financial year's end. Maybe we'll hear more about that next week too.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
One Piece, Japan’s popular pirate-themed manga series, finally has some real-life sunken treasure. Author Eiichiro Oda has apparently written the secret to One Piece on a piece of paper, which has been placed in a pressure-resistant glass sphere and submerged in the ocean. This is a publicity stunt to celebrate the long-running manga selling over 600 million copies worldwide, however the answer that fans have been waiting for won’t be revealed until the story’s climax.
The One Piece manga started in 1997. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his motley crew as they search for a legendary treasure called “One Piece," which was left behind by Pirate King Gol. D Roger. Since then it has spawned a highly popular multimedia franchise of anime series, movies, and games. But what exactly One Piece is has remained a secret.
However, this week Oda has literally turned the ultimate goal of his 28-year-old series into pirate booty. With the help of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Oda has submerged the secret to One Piece at an undisclosed location 651 meters below sea level, as reported by The Sankei Shimbun.
As a teaser, a mock-up of half of the piece of paper has been printed in the March 4 morning editions of Japan's Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun newspapers. Fans are urged to keep the mock-up until the secret is revealed.
— ONE PIECE スタッフ【公式】/ Official (@Eiichiro_Staff) March 4, 2026
The teaser doesn’t reveal anything juicy though. The mock-up just says, “One Piece is… and… Monkey D. Luffy is…” Talk about cryptic! There’s also a dramatic documentary-style video of the treasure being submerged on One Piece’s official YouTube.
Over on social media, people are joking that some One Piece fans are diehard enough to actually try to find the treasure in real life. One commenter quipped in Japanese, “What if this marks the dawn of The Great Pirate Era in our modern times?,” referencing the time period from One Piece. Some fans have already started the detective work, with one Redditor proposing that the secret to One Piece could be lying somewhere on the seabed of Suruga Bay, off Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture.
Oda will reveal what is on the paper in One Piece's final chapter, and there are plans to retrieve the glass sphere from the ocean then. However, there is still no official timeline for when the series will end. Perhaps this teaser suggests that we can expect the answer to what One Piece actually is sooner rather than later.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Following numerous delays, Bungie's Marathon is almost here, releasing on PC (via Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 5 after a successful "Server Slam" beta test over the weekend. It's Bungie's first new game since it released Destiny 2 in 2018.
A PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon sees players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environments, exploring the lost colony that once inhabited Tau Ceti’s surface.
In our Marathon review-in-progress, we wrote: "The Server Slam alone doesn’t paint a full picture, but working my way to character rank 30 was a really promising glimpse at the first stretch of progression in what looks to be quite an intense climb to the endgame.
"I’ll be diving deep into every aspect of Marathon at its full launch and be back with a final review once I’ve seen what the later half of that experience feels like – some of which is being held behind planned updates in a couple of weeks. But at least right now, I’m feeling extremely good about the chances of this becoming my next obsession."
Bungie recently revealed what to expect from Marathon at launch and confirmed plans for seasonal wipes, which means all players lose their gear every few months, bringing a "clean slate for the whole community" each session. Players will keep their achievements, cosmetics, titles, and other rewards, as well as their Codex progression.
Marathon release times
Depending on where you are in the world, Marathon is set to go live on all platforms at the following times:
Thursday, March 5, 2026:
PST (San Francisco):
10am
CST (Austin, Mexico City):
12pm
EST (New York):
1pm
GMT (London):
6pm
CET (Paris):
7pm
Friday, March 6, 2026
JST (Tokyo):
3am
CST (Beijing):
3am
AEST (Sydney):
5am
NZST (Wellington):
7am
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Activision has demanded a prominent Call of Duty leaker stop releasing confidential information about the series, insisting that even when leaks are wrong they cause problems.
X / Twitter account @TheGhostOfHope is well known in the Call of Duty community for leaks, and has been doing so for some time. Just last month, Hope claimed that “sources” had indicated that an apparent delay of the next Xbox had “hurt” Call of Duty marketing plans, as Activision apparently wanted Modern Warfare 4 to be a launch title and compete with GTA 6.
“Because of this delay, the idea of two Call of Duty games launching with the next Xbox has been floated,” Hope continued. “A traditional Call of Duty multiplayer and a standalone Zombies title, presumably developed by Treyarch. Likely similar to that of Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered were both released together.”
Hope also claimed that Microsoft wanted Activision to “be more agile” and “less attached to annualized releases” moving forward.
“Whoever at COD PR came up with denying almost any rumor put out by anybody besides datamined stuff is a genius,” Hope said in response to Activision’s denial. “Makes leakers look like fools and everybody will forget about them lying in a few years when this stuff comes true LOL. They know what they’re doing I’ll give them that.”
Fast forward to today, March 4, and Hope said that Activision had “legally demanded” that he stop his so-called leaks, and that he had agreed to do so. “Still gonna stick around and chat about Official Call of Duty info and anything not related to leaks/confidential information,” Hope added. “Cheers for these past few years.”
Activision has legally demanded that I stop leaking and disseminating confidential information related to Call of Duty/Activision and I am complying with their demands. Still gonna stick around and chat about Official Call of Duty info and anything not related to… pic.twitter.com/uALC3xlyC9
Surprisingly, the official Call of Duty X / Twitter account has responded to some prominent Call of Duty social media accounts who have discussed the action. Call of Duty content creator TDAWG to ask if Activision’s takedown validated Hope’s leaks. Replying, the official Call of Duty Twitter account denied all the leaks were accurate, but insisted that even wrong leaks can be damaging, as “they still hurt the people building the game and mess with player expectations.”
Nah. Even when leaks are wrong, they still hurt the people building the game and mess with player expectations.
That tweet met with a mixed response itself. Rod Breslau, aka Slasher, took issue with it, saying that “posting like this through the official account to go after a singular person reporting information is disgusting.”
COD Warfare replied: “Yet your hype trailers and false advertising do more harm than the leaks to the players, as you advertise some thing completely different to what the actual game really is, BO6 first teaser ‘Gulf War’ ended some weird story with zombies missions, BO7 hyped up BO2 sequel and then you released that mess campaign wise.”
“Wild to see the official COD account still go after ‘fake leaks,’” added TCMFGames.
The Call of duty account subsequently replied to one person who called on Activision to “do the same to the hackers, and their providers,” with: “tick, tick 💣”
In truth, the Call of Duty series has always had a significant leaker community around it, and information on upcoming games and features typically emerges ahead of official announcements. That makes Activision’s action here all the more surprising, and now other prominent Call of Duty leakers have expressed concern.
Activision is coming off the back of the bruising launch of Black Ops 7, which has struggled in sales terms compared to Black Ops 6, a fact that's reflected in everything from European sales figures to Activision's own admissions. Of course, none of this takes into account the Game Pass effect. Call of Duty now launches day one on Microsoft’s subscription service, which will no doubt have an impact on sales at least on Xbox consoles. All eyes are now on Activision for the inevitable announcement of this year’s premium Call of Duty game. The question is, will it leak ahead of time?
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Resident Evil Requiem has sold 5 million copies in just five days, and is another hit for publisher Capcom.
This morning, a press release stated that the company's new Resident Evil blockbuster had already passed the sales milestone following a hugely successful launch weekend. Requiem's launch appears to be the biggest in recent franchise history — hitting 5 million sales faster than Resident Evil Village, and the remakes of Resi 2 and Resi 4.
In its press release, Capcom went on to highlight some of its own major accomplishments with the game, such as the "photorealistic detail, including the character's skin, teary eyes and flowing hair" made possible by its own custom RE Engine technology.
But while Requiem certainly looks the part, the game's success is likely due to a whole host of reasons, such as the return of hugely popular hero Leon S. Kennedy, a major focus on nostalgic elements such as the series' long-awaited return to Raccoon City, and the title's fun mix of survival horror and action gameplay, spread between sequences with Leon and FBI rookie Grace Ashcroft.
If you're already one of the millions playing, IGN's Resident Evil: Requiem guide will help you every step of the way through RE9. Take note of these key tips and tricks before you get started, and focus on finding these important items early. Plus, our comprehensive walkthrough will make sure you don't miss a single Bobblehead or file as you try to survive from the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center all the way to Raccoon City.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Outside of the recent Target preorders (that came and went incredibly fast), this is the best price I've seen on the upcoming Mega Evolution expansion. With six boosters included, you're looking at just under $7.20 per pack.
Funnily enough, all things considered, this is actually quite a good deal. For just over $40, you're looking at a certified bargain by comparison to the other recent Mega Evolution expansions. Phantasmal Flames bundles are still selling for $55+, and Ascended Heroes bundles are still rocking a $70+ market value over a month after release.
While it's not quite as good a value as picking up the Booster Box at TCGplayer right now, including 36 packs for $228.80 market price (working out at $6.35 per pack), it's still a great deal for anyone who hasn't got a spare $200 to throw around, but still wants to get involved with the new set.
Amazon's preorder price guarantee also means you'll pay the lowest price possible between now and release day, no matter if the price increases or drops even further. Locking in your preorder now while the price is so low (comparatively to preorders elsewhere, and on the resale market).
Just to be clear, while this is still a good deal, it is also still above the recognised MSRP ($18.99). But, in all honesty, you so rarely see that price anymore that the de facto listings for Booster Bundles sit anywhere between $40-$60 at online retailers like Amazon, which tend to list closer to market price than MSRP. If anything, preorders are MSRP are so rare, that's a deal within itself, and so hard to come by, most probably don't even realise the inflationary pricing on listings elsewhere.
Market price is currently sitting at $95.88, and has been on a steady decline, dropping -26.76% in just the past 30 days. Funnily enough, while ETBs are dropping in price right now, the aforementioned 36-pack booster box is actually on the rise, jumping from around $200 just last week to almost $230 now.
Perfect Order is going to be honing in on many of the Pokémon featured in the Legends: Z-A game. Among the cards announced from the 120-card set so far, we know we’re going to be seeing many of the game’s starring Mega Pokémon: Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Starmie ex, and Mega Clefable ex; but also some surprising extra additions like Meowth ex.
It's just a few weeks away now, releasing on March 27, so I'd highly recommend locking in your preorder for at least 1 or 2 of these booster bundles ASAP.
Robert Anderson is IGN's Senior Commerce Editor and resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Bluesky.
Highguard came out on January 26th as a free-to-play PvP raid extraction shooter. And now, in less than two months since launch, Wildlight Entertainment announced its cancellation. A lot of players will call this the next Concord, or Concord 2.0. However, there is a big difference between Highguard and Concord. Highguard was played by 2 … Continue reading Highguard is shutting down in less than two months after launch→
If you're in need of a second pair of Joy-Con controllers for your Nintendo Switch 2 console but don't want to pay $100, here is a rare opportunity to pick one up at a discount. AliExpress is offering a pair of genuine Nintendo Joy-Con 2 controllers for just $83.21 after you apply a $9 off coupon code: "9USAFFS". This is the only discount I've seen so far.
Although these are genuine official Nintendo Switch Joy-Con 2 controllers, they are imported, most likely from Hong Kong, China, or Japan. However, it doesn't matter because Switch 2 hardware is region unlocked, meaning you can use imported controllers with any US-purchased Switch 2 console out of the box without any fiddling required. Imported hardware does not get a US-based Nintendo warranty, however AliExpress does offer a generous 90-day free returns window.
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 Controllers (Pair) for $83.21
The original Joy-Con is also compatible with the Switch 2, but the newer Joy-Con 2 features several upgrades that are worth saving up for. The biggest difference is that the Joy-Con 2 is physically larger, with bigger buttons and a matte texture for a better grip and improved ergonomics. It also magnetically attaches to the Switch 2 console for a more secure hold. Functionally, the new Joy-Con is updated with "HD Rumble 2" for better tactile feedback, an optical sensor so that you can use the controller like a mouse, and a C button to access the GameChat feature.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
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