A rundown of everything announced or reported about Switch 2, including its release date, price, games, and features
After many months, if not years, of leaks and speculation, it’s finally official: Nintendo has announced its next console, and it’s called Nintendo Switch 2. As the name implies, it’s a very similar design to the Switch — a hybrid handheld console with detachable controllers that can be connected to a TV via a dock.
While it may seem an obvious move, this iterative handheld is an unusual strategy for Nintendo, which has often chosen to innovate with its new hardware, finding new control systems and new forms of play. But, with 146 million units sold after nearly eight years on the market, the Switch is Nintendo’s second most successful gaming system ever (after the Nintendo DS), and the third-bestselling console of all time. So perhaps it’s not surprising that the company decided, for once, that its previous console design wasn’t broken and didn’t need fixing. Also, Nintendo Switch 2 launches into a changed market where players have come to expect that they will be able to carry their game libraries forward from one machine to another, which precluded a radical change.
However, after Nintendo’s quite minimal announcement video, many questions remain. Nintendo focused on the new hardware and only showed one new game, a new Mario Kart. It also refrained from announcing a firm release date or price for the Switch 2. And not all of the rumored features of the new system were addressed by Nintendo’s video. Here’s everything we know — and everything we think we know — about Nintendo’s next console.What is the latest Switch 2 news?
Nintendo has suggested that some Switch 1 games will be getting enhanced versions for Switch 2 — or at least, versions that run natively on the Switch 2 console rather than through the backward compatibility layer. A footnote to an article about the new Virtual Game Card system made mention of “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games” as distinct from Switch 2 exclusives. (It also appeared to confirm that the Switch 2 will also use the new Virtual Game Cards.) Read our full report.
Additionally, as spotted by VGC, an image of the Switch 2 included in promotional materials for the new Nintendo Today app showed the new, extra button on the right Joy-Con clearly labelled with a C. The mysterious “C button” has been the subject of much speculation since it appeared in leaks — and the mystery around it only deepened when, in the Switch 2 announcement video, it was blank and unlabeled. Now the C is officially back. But we still don’t know what it stands for.What is Switch 2’s release date?
In its announcement video, Nintendo confirmed it would release the Switch 2 in 2025, but refrained from giving a more precise release date than that. At this stage, all we know for sure is that we’ll be playing Switch 2 before the year is up. However, there have been strong indications that the wait won’t be too long.
Last year, Nikkei reported that Nintendo was targeting March 2025 in an effort to avoid hardware shortages and ensure a strong lineup of games — but noted that a slip beyond March was possible. The former is clearly not happening, but a launch within the subsequent spring or summer months seems plausible. Nintendo unveiled the Switch in October 2016, debuted it to press and players in January 2017, and released it in March 2017. If the company follows the same timeline this time around — which, given the early April timing of the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct and the Switch 2 Experience events rolling out all spring long, it seems to be — we’re likely looking at a June 2025 release.What is Switch 2’s price?
Aside from the games lineup, this is the biggest unanswered question we have about the Switch 2. Nintendo revealed nothing about pricing in its announcement video. But the likelihood is that it will be more expensive than the Switch.
The Switch launched at $299 in 2017, and its official sticker price hasn’t dropped a single cent since. This is in line with the changing trends in pricing.
