The Nintendo Switch 2 will release on June 5, the console manufacturer revealed in its Direct livestream today. The price for the base Switch 2 unit was confirmed as $450 (or £396 in the UK), with pre-orders opening on April 9.
Alongside improved graphics and audio, the Nintendo Switch 2 includes a suite of new online and hardware features, like enhanced Joy-Con 2 controllers that support a mouse interface. Held in place magnetically on the handheld, once detached the two Joy-Con 2s can be placed on their side and used to point at the screen in mouse-like fashion.
Nintendo also revealed GameChat for Switch 2, an online social feature that enables screensharing and live chat for up to 12 players. The GameChat interface is brought up using the new C button on the Joy-Con 2 controllers, and the console’s in-built microphone means it doesn’t require a headset to use.
A newly-revealed Nintendo Switch 2 Camera is also compatible with GameChat, and arrives on June 5 alongside the system. Some games can use the player’s camera feed as a feature. Using GameChat will eventually require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription – but it’ll be free from launch until April 2026.
Despite being equally as thick as the original Switch, the Switch 2 features a larger 7.9-inch LCD screen, supporting up to 1080p 120fps in handheld mode. When docked, the Switch 2 can also reach up to 4K resolution, with the dock’s in-built fan keeping the system cool.
There’s also an additional USB-C port on top of the Nintendo Switch 2, besides the existing one at the base of the system, which can be used with the camera peripheral. Like the Switch, the Switch 2 support physical game cards. A new virtual game card system will also let players lend or borrow compatible games.
The company showed new software for the Switch 2 like launch game Mario Kart World, which features a larger, connected setting for Nintendo’s racing series. Another title arriving on June 5 is digital game Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which lets players explore a 3D map of the Switch 2 and learn more about its functionality, including minigames that demonstrate how different features like the mouse controls work.
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Other notable Switch 2 exclusive games will release after launch, like July 17’s 3D platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, FromSoftware’s 2026 multiplayer game The Duskbloods and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which is coming in late 2025.
Nintendo also shed light on how backwards compatibility will work with original Switch games. While the library of existing digital and physical Switch games is compatible with the system, certain titles will feature paid Upgrade Packs for extra features.
These include Super Mario Party Jamboree, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and The Legend of Zelda titles Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild. These upgrades include enhanced visuals and new gameplay or quality-of-life additions. Standalone versions of existing Switch games that package in these upgrades will be called Nintendo Switch 2 Editions.
Certain titles, too, like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, will launch on both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. On Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4 includes a choice of quality and performance modes for the game, suggesting Nintendo will use similar graphics options to those on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles for certain titles.
GameCube games will also be added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier of the subscription service, exclusively for Switch 2 users. F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Soulcalibur 2 comprise the launch line-up, with further titles promised down the line.
Third-party support was also highlighted during the livestream, with games like Elden Ring, Hades 2, Street Fighter 6, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, Civilization VII, Split Fiction, Project 007, Borderlands 4 and Hitman World of Assassination: Signature Edition among the many games coming to the system.
Some third-party Switch games will also offer paid upgrades for Switch 2, with Civilization VII among them at launch.
The console will launch as both a standalone unit and as a bundle with a digital version of Mario Kart World. The official Nintendo US site cites an MSRP of $79.99 for Mario Kart World, which suggests a price bump for first-party games. We’ll keep you updated as Nintendo reveals more on the Switch 2 in the run-up to June 5.
