The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

Nintendo Switch 2 revealed: Price, release date and pre-order speculation

The console has finally been shown off in a first-look trailer, with more details coming in April

Alex Lee
Tech writer
Friday 17 January 2025 14:02 GMT
The Joy-Cons now click on magnetically to the side of the console
The Joy-Cons now click on magnetically to the side of the console (Nintendo UK/The Independent )

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Every gamer has been sitting twiddling their thumbs waiting for this very moment. After months of rumours, Nintendo has finally unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2, revealing the console in a first-look trailer.

Confirmed for release later this year, the Switch 2 has been the worst-kept secret in console history. Leaks were practically raining down on us by the time Thursday’s two-minute video finally dropped. While light on detail, the trailer verified the rumours of magnetically attached Joy-Cons, a larger display, a refreshed design, plus a new Mario Kart game.

More details will be revealed at a Nintendo Direct event on 2 April. According to Nintendo, the Switch 2 will support exclusive Switch 2 titles and offer full backwards compatibility with both physical and digital games from the original Nintendo Switch.

But what else do we know? While the trailer didn’t give us much, the rumour mill has been churning for several years at this point, with earlier rumours suggesting the console was pushed back twice. So, we may already have a good idea. These are the latest news and rumours on the release date, price, specs, launch games and more.

Nintendo Switch 2 release date: When is the console coming out and when can you pre-order?

While Nintendo hasn’t announced an exact release date for the Nintendo Switch 2, the company has confirmed it will arrive in 2025.

Based on current leaks and a bit of informed speculation, we can narrow down when we might see it hit store shelves. On 13 January 2025, games insider Nate the Hate was the first to correctly announce Nintendo’s plans to unveil the Switch 2 on 16 January 2025. In his podcast, he speculated that the Switch 2 could launch in May or June this year, a claim supported by the games industry publication VGC.

To celebrate the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo is hosting hands-on experience days around the globe. They’ll take place in April, May and June, which makes us think the console could be released in one of those months, shortly after the experience days. With the final experience day set for 1 June in Seoul, we’re leaning towards a release in the first week of June.

If you’re interested in getting up close with the Nintendo Switch 2, you’ll need to register for Nitnedo’s free draw, and you must have a Nintendo account. The UK experience day will take place at the Excel in London from 11 to 13 April. Ticket registration opens at 2pm on 17 January.

As for pre-orders, we remain in the dark, but our current predictions are that you may be able to pre-order one after Nintendo hosts its Nintendo Direct on 2 April. When Nintendo launched the original Switch in January 2017, pre-orders went live that same day.

Nintendo Switch 2 price: How much will the console cost?

Nintendo remained tight-lipped about the console’s price in its first-look trailer and is unlikely to reveal more details until closer to the release date. Although there have been some rumours, their reliability isn’t guaranteed, and prices could change.

Still, it seems likely the Nintendo Switch 2 will cost the same as or more than the Nintendo Switch OLED, which is currently priced at £309.99. Analysts who spoke to IGN predict a price of around $400 (£330), $50 more than the Switch OLED in the US.

On 12 January 2025, an alleged employee at French retailer Micromania claimed the Switch 2 would cost €399 – €50 more than the OLED model. If the UK sees a similar £50 price hike, the Switch 2 could cost £359.99 at launch.

Nintendo Switch 2 design

(Nintendo UK)

Nintendo gave us a quick first look at the Nintendo Switch 2 on 16 January with a flashy first-look trailer. While visually impressive, the trailer left many details unexplained, including a thorough breakdown of the console’s design and the functions of its new buttons. But here’s what we’ve gleaned from the trailer.

Just from the design alone, the Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a more grown-up console compared to the original’s playful, brightly-coloured look. While the blue and red accents are still there, they’re more subtle – limited to the edges of the Joy-Cons and thumb sticks – while the rest of the console boasts a sleek black finish. The game cartridge slot is still in the same position, and your Switch 1 cartridges will work on the new model.

When Nintendo placed the Switch 2 alongside the OG model during the trailer, the size difference was striking. The console is noticeably larger, and so are the Joy-Cons and the display. In a previous report, OnLeaks and 91mobiles claimed that the Switch 2 features an 8.4in display.

(Nintendo)

The biggest upgrades seem to come to the Joy-Cons. Instead of the traditional rail-locking system, the trailer shows the Joy-Cons clicking on, potentially magnetically – a heavily rumoured upgrade. This could mean no more fiddling around to slide them in place and making them more stable, but more importantly, it could finally solve the dreaded Joy-Con drift.

There’s also a new square button on the right Joy-Con, just below the Home button. What is this mysterious button? It’s unclear for now, but rumours suggest it could be for a new chat feature on the system.

One moment in the trailer showed a Joy-Con sliding across a surface like a mouse, hinting at mouse-like functionality that could open up a wealth of possibilities.,

(Nintendo)

In terms of the dock, it looks broadly the same but has rounded corners instead of those sharper ones found on the original Switch, just making it look a lot sleeker. Hopefully, we’ll learn more in the coming weeks and months.

Nintendo Switch 2 launch games: What titles will come to the console?

(Nintendo)

Nintendo only revealed one game for the Switch in the reveal trailer – a new Mario Kart game running on the system. Excited fans have forensically analysed frames in the trailer and have noticed that there are up to 24 players on a race course at once. Tracks also appear much wider – Mario Kart titles have always limited gamers to 12 racers at once, and that’s already chaotic enough.

Speeding around the track on everything from bikes, karts and snowmobiles to quadbikes, lowriders jet skis and, yes even a cheetah, are some familiar faces, including Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Bowser, Yoshi, Toad, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Pauline, Donkey Kong, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Toadette and more (though they can’t all be made out clearly).

But what other games can we expect to see? In Nate the Hate’s podcast, the games insider speculated a new 3D Mario game will be released in December 2025, and third-party releases could include the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Metal Gear Solid Delta.

Nintendo Switch 2 specs

Nintendo has never been all that concerned with technical specs, so even when it hosts its Nintendo Direct event, the gaming giant still might not go into any substantial detail. Prior leaks could give us some idea, however.

The Nintendo Switch currently uses Nvidia’s (now very old) Tegra X1 chip, which features a 256-core Maxwell GPU. The rumours so far suggest Nintendo will be sticking with Nvidia for the Nintendo Switch 2, despite stiff competition from AMD, which provided the chip for Valve’s powerful Steam Deck.

In September 2022, an Nvidia employee stated that the Nintendo Switch 2 would make use of a new Nvidia Tegra chip, specifically the Tegra T239 – a previously unconfirmed circuit that older rumours suggested the Switch 2 would use.

Nvidia’s sources once again backed up these claims in late February 2024. Games leaker Moore’s Law is Dead stated in a YouTube video that the leak from Digital Foundry about the T239 processor is an “almost entirely correct summary” of the Nintendo Switch 2. The insider claimed that the T239 has an Ampere GPU architecture and uses Samsung’s 8nm process node with 8GB, 12GB or 16GB of 128-bit LPDDR5 memory. That could make it as powerful as the PS4.

While there has been no word on 4K support, a 2021 patent filed by Nintendo suggested it was working on 4K upscaling. VGC added to this rumour in September when its sources were shown the Nintendo Switch 2 at Gamescon. According to the publication: “One Switch 2 demo is understood to have been an improved version of the Switch launch title Zelda: Breath of the Wild, running at a higher framerate and resolution than the original game.”

VGC’s source saw The Matrix Awakens running on the machine, which was used as an Unreal Engine test demo for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. “The demo is said to have been running using Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology, with advanced ray tracing enabled and visuals comparable to Sony’s and Microsoft’s current-gen consoles,” the report reads.

In September 2024, photos of prototype components leaked on a Chinese website. According to Digital Foundry, the leak “was genuine”. Alongside the alleged photos, another user leaked a reported full spec list of the console. The leak stated it would have 256GB of storage, 12GB of RAM and HDMI 2.1 ports.

Based on the leaked specs, the Switch 2 won’t be as fast as the PS5 or Xbox series X, but it has more RAM than the Xbox Series S, making it more similar to the Steam Deck. We’re unlikely to hear official information about the specs until the console is in the hands of experts who teardown the device.

The best Nintendo Switch deals

Nintendo Switch OLED: Was £309.99, now £270, Amazon.co.uk

(Nintendo Switch)

With the Switch 2 officially on the way, the Switch OLED is starting to come down in price. Amazon has discounted the console by £40. “Its colourful display, better build quality and bigger storage make buying the Nintendo Switch OLED a no-brainer,” we said in our review of the console.

We’ve rounded up the best Nintendo Switch games for every kind of player

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in