To add to other comments here, new Nintendo games were supposed to be more expensive physically - say, $80 instead of digital $70 for the new FE - but it turns out, retailers don’t want to be undercut by digital sales. So at least at launch and for some time, the physical price is slightly less than physical, so people want to buy them more. (I assume Nintendo asked for more money to provide physicals though, so the retailers get ~10 bucks less per sale)

Remember that retailers with an unsold copy lost money on it, while Nintendo loses nothing from not getting a digital sale (though they still prefer selling digital, so they get all of the money)

Even though physical cartridges are tiny, retail stores still have to manage them as part of inventory. I think the retail margins are relatively tiny on those (25% or less), but there is still room for a retailer to reduce price and still make a profit, particularly to clear out inventory. But, if some games are distributed to retailers by allotment, I can see a retailer reducing their price to increase volume and qualify to get more games in the next allotment.

OTOH, digital titles are sold directly by the console manufacturer in their online store. Yes, you can buy a code at the retailer, but I bet those pieces of cardboard have an entirely different distribution agreement. With less effective competition (since there isn’t really any functional distribution to speak of), digital stores don’t need to discount.

I’d say most 1st party games are more expensive digital vs physical, not only on Nintendo consoles.

Games that are actually made by Nintendo tend to be expensive and are rarely discounted anyway, at least on the Nintendo store. The online store also isn’t competitive whereas the physical shops tend to try to beat each other on price. If you can you need to try and find games that give you a download code that you can buy from shops, online stores, etc.

There’s an iPhone app I use called NT Deals. It watches the Nintendo Store and it will show you details about games like the lowest price it’s ever been and you can set an alert so if it goes on sale or the price drops it’ll let you know. I’m a PC gamer normally and I refuse to buy games at full price. It took about nine months before I could buy Zelda BotW because it took so long to go on sale even years after it was released.

So I didn’t think this sounded right from my experience and checked the UK store (where I am) and it is as you’d expect, all digital purchased games are generally cheaper by £8 - £10 than a physical released. Some older Switch 2 games are priced the same for both physical and digital though.

Just wandering, have you possibly misread the prices the wrong way round. As the prices you listed seem like it would be right if they were reversed.

This is on the official Nintendo site and other retailers selling physical maybe even cheaper.

Ocarina is €60 from Nintendo eshop unless the price isn’t consistent across Europe. Physical games can be cheaper, but it’s dependent on retailers giving discounts.