Pokemon Legends: Arceus is one of the Nintendo Switch exclusives that only receives meaningful discounts once or twice each year. Typically, this means waiting for Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. Well, Prime Day 2024 is practically here (July 16-17), and Best Buy’s Black Friday in July Sale features a handful of Switch-exclusive games for $40, including Pokemon Legends: Arceus, through July 17.
When it launched in early 2022, Arceus marked the first big change for the series in years. Instead of roaming around challenging gym leaders, you’re set free in a sprawling world filled with Pokemon–many of which you can catch without entering combat. You can also discover a handful of mountable Pokemon that make it easy to get around the striking landscapes of Sinnoh. Our Pokemon Legends: Arceus review gave it an 8/10, praising it for taking risks that help breathe new life into the long-running series.
“Though it’s a spin-off, Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn’t lending the Pokemon trappings to an entirely different set of mechanics like the Mystery Dungeon or Stadium series,” wrote critic Steve Watts. “Instead, this game reimagines Pokemon’s core mechanics–finding and catching Pokemon and battling with them–within the new context of exploring vast 3D open spaces. The result is sometimes messy and doesn’t always work, but its distinct qualities set it apart from the core series and ultimately elevate it.”
A sequel, dubbed Pokemon Legends Z-A, is expected to release in 2025.
As mentioned, Arceus isn’t the only Nintendo Switch exclusive discounted during Best Buy’s sale; it’s just the one that we see deals for the least. Check out the quick list of Nintendo Switch Prime Day game deals below. Games that are part of Best Buy’s sale are bolded.
It’s also worth noting that Walmart still has two of its best gaming deals from its huge sale last week. You can buy the Super Mario Party Joy-Con bundle for $69 (was $100) and the Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch Lite bundle for $159 (was $200), which comes with a special-edition turquoise handheld and a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.