Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date, Design Revealed

Nintendo has unveiled the long-awaited successor to its popular Switch video game console: the Nintendo Switch 2.

First-look images at the console design and a teaser trailer were revealed by Nintendo Thursday, but the Japan-based video game company has held back the price tag for the Switch 2 as well as the official release date.

Per Nintendo, “Nintendo Switch 2 plays Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2. Details will be shared on the Nintendo website at a later date.”

Additional details about the Switch 2 will be announced during a Nintendo Direct event on April 2. The company says it will host Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events “where consumers can go hands-on with Nintendo Switch 2” in cities around the world beginning in April.

Last May, Nintendo made its first official mention of the device, with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa saying in a statement: “We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015. We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”

Nintendo’s fiscal year runs from April through March, meaning the Japan-based company was promising to announce the Switch successor by the end of March 2025. 

VIP+ Analysis: Nintendo’s New Console Should Force PlayStation, Xbox to Partner Up More

The video game giant remained true to its word, keeping mum about the Switch follow-up console throughout the rest of its investor calls and events in 2024, even as sales of the Switch continued to decline and questions about revenue plans for the future swirled.

The video game industry has long expected the announcement of the Switch 2 to kick off the start of next-gen console announcements from Nintendo competitors Xbox and PlayStation, which have each hinted at plans for their next devices but confirmed nothing up until this point. Instead, both companies have continued to repackage their existing offerings, Microsoft Gaming’s Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation’s PS5, in different limited editions or “pro” options at increased prices.

Watch the Nintendo Switch 2 trailer via the video below.