Nintendo officially revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 after seven years of sales, 146 million consoles, and over one billion games. On January 16, Nintendo formally announced the console with a debut trailer, capping a flurry of rumours that had been building throughout January.
On April 2, a Nintendo Direct presentation will be devoted to the system. Fans will have the opportunity to test the system out for themselves in April during pre-release “Experience” events held worldwide.
In this guide, we will cover all the rumours regarding the Switch 2’s release date, price, launch games, and tech specifications. Here is all the important information we currently know about the Nintendo Switch 2 release date.
What is the Expected Release Date for Nintendo Switch 2?
The expected release date for Nintendo Switch 2 is in 2025. Nintendo stated that the Switch 2 will be available in 2025 and that more details will be unveiled in April during a Nintendo Direct and Switch 2 Experience events held globally.
It stated that the Switch 2 would be released in 2025 in the launch video, but it did not provide a more specific release date. All we know for certain at this point is that we will play Switch 2 before the year ends.
Nintendo is organizing a global roadshow to give players a chance to interact with the system. Other events will take place over the next two months, with the first ones taking place in New York and Paris from April 3–6. It supports certain rumours that Nintendo will launch the Switch 2 in June.
Registration for the Switch 2 Experience events in the US (in Paris, Los Angeles, and New York) will open on January 17 at 3 PM ET and run through January 26.
Signing up requires a Nintendo account. Nintendo will choose the winners of the complimentary tickets at random. Here is the whole schedule of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events:
North America:
April 4-6, 2025: New York
April 11-13, 2025: Los Angeles
April 25-27, 2025:Dallas
April 25-27, 2025: Toronto.
Europe:
April 4-6, 2025: Paris
April 11-13, 2025: London
April 25-27, 2025: Milan
April 25-27, 2025: Berlin
May 9-11, 2025: Madrid
May 9-11, 2025: Amsterdam.
What New Features Will Nintendo Switch 2 Offer?
The Switch 2 has detachable Joy-Con controllers, just like the Switch, as was previously rumoured and confirmed by Nintendo’s video.
The Joy-Cons are said to attach magnetically. The purpose of the new square button on the right Joy-Con is yet unknown. On the inside edge of the Joy-Cons is a tiny optical sensor as well.
Fans have conjectured that this will enable mouse-like controls, and a scene in the film that showed the Joy-Cons moving on their side with extra foot-like attachments did appear to support this theory.
To charge and connect to its dock, the console has a second USB-C connector on top, similar to the one on the bottom edge. This will enable it to be charged while being used on its redesigned U-shaped stand in tabletop mode.
However, new attachments like a camera or even a second screen might be able to be connected to it.
Nintendo has not disclosed the specifications of the Switch 2, but reports indicate that it features an 8-inch screen, which is in line with the video. (The screen of the original Switch is 6.2).
What is the expected power of Switch 2? What are its technical specifications?
Nintendo has not yet revealed the Switch 2’s technical specifications. It appears to be a capable gadget, positioned halfway between the current Xbox Series S and a “last-gen” PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, according to reports and leaks.
According to reports, the system’s graphics processing engine is combined with specially designed, AI-powered Nvidia upscaling, which could bring its performance unexpectedly similar to that of current-generation consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
To put it briefly, if AAA games from the current generation are carefully moved over, it should be able to run them. According to online leaks reported by The Verge, the Switch 2 might have more power when docked.
When combined with the upscaler, this could enable 4K images when connected to a television.
Nintendo demonstrated hardware that matched the specifications of the console running The Matrix Awakens’ Unreal Engine 5 tech demo with ray tracing enabled and “visuals comparable to Sony and Microsoft’s current-gen consoles,” according to Eurogamer and VGC’s reporting on the behind-closed-doors Gamescom demos in August 2024.
According to reports from Digital Foundry and Reuters, the console would make use of a specially designed Nvidia chip that can perform both DLSS and ray tracing.
Fans’ analysis of customs and shipping data suggests that the Switch 2 will have significant improvements in RAM (from 4 GB to 12 GB) and storage (from 32 GB to 256 GB).
What Games Are Confirmed for Nintendo Switch 2?
Nintendo has somehow managed to prevent any of its games from leaking, even though there have been numerous leaks concerning the platform itself.
However, we can make some educated conclusions based on our knowledge of Nintendo’s internal development process:
- Mario Kart 9: Although this may not be the official name, Nintendo gave fans a sneak peek at what looks to be a brand-new Mario Kart in the video. With an incredible 64 million copies sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling game on the Switch. A new Mario Kart would be the ideal way to start the Switch 2 era off right.
- A new 3D Super Mario game: Since Super Mario Odyssey in 2017 was the last game in this series, it seems appropriate that a sequel be released in the year of the Switch 2.
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: With a 2025 release date, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond—one of Nintendo’s last significant in-house Switch productions—seems like a great fit for a cross-generation release, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which debuted on both the Wii U and the Switch.
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A: The most recent Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, likewise appears to be a cross-generation game.
A few more games are:
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Shadows
- Metal Gear Solid Delta
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Red Dead Redemption 2.
How to Pre-order Switch 2?
No, the Switch 2 is not yet available for presale. But in April, you might be able to. When Nintendo fully unveiled the original Switch and its games to the public and media in January 2017, two months before launch, preorders for the device began.
Pre-orders might launch on April 2, 2025, concurrent with the Nintendo Direct if it’s playing by the same rules.
No retailer is currently accepting Switch 2 pre-orders as of this writing. After the whole release date and pricing are announced, which is probably going to happen on April 2 during the next Direct, we believe they will open.
Customers can, however, opt to get email alerts from Best Buy when pre-orders become available. Pre-order notifications are presently only accessible from this one retailer, but we’ll update this post when preorders are formally open.
Conclusion
On April 2, Nintendo has planned a Nintendo Direct that will focus exclusively on the Switch 2. We have covered almost everything we need to know about the machine at this point, including launch games, cost, release date, and other features.
Throughout April, Nintendo will host Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events all over the world, giving people a chance to interact with the device. Cities across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia will host these events.
