The long-awaited Nintendo Switch sequel is nearly here, and it’s bigger and bolder in its new black color scheme. However, the Nintendo Switch 2 will not arrive in your mailbox for at least the next few months. While we have a better idea of what the console looks like, we still have to rely on leaks, rumors, and tidbits from Nintendo for the console’s specs and potential game library.
The Switch 2 should include a larger 8-inch screen and similarly resized JoyCons. The console has an additional USB-C port plus extra speakers and air vents to align with today’s handheld PCs like the Steam Deck. The console had already been leaked to hell and back thanks to third-party case makers, but now Nintendo showed us how its rail-less JoyCons will connect.
The new JoyCons are more rounded and slot into the console with a dedicated port and magnetic sides. Each controller has a regular cover that can be used separately, or you can attach it to an extra peripheral to use it as a more traditional controller. The joysticks have a redesigned look with colored bezels that we can only hope point to the end of the original JoyCon’s infamous stick drift.
The only peripherals confirmed so far are the Dock and the controller attachments. We don’t have official word on the dock’s ports, but leaks from Reddit claim it will include two USB-A connections, one HDMI port, an ethernet port, and a single USB-C connector for power. Some scenes from the teaser trailer have given rise to rumors the JoyCons could include some mouse-like capabilities. Civilization VII developers acted coy around the Switch 2 JoyCons, mentioning in an interview with IGN that “I love what they are doing with the controllers.
The sequel console works much like the old one, using the hybrid cartridge and online download system that served the first Switch well. The Switch 2 should be compatible with most cartridges from the first Switch. However, as Nintendo spelled out in its reveal trailer, some games won’t work. Some games “may not be supported on or fully compatible” with the sequel Switch. Nintendo promised it would post more details on its website “at a later date.”
Nintendo plans to host a Nintendo Direct on April 2 at 6 a.m. PT and 9 a.m. ET. This event will provide “a closer look at Nintendo Switch 2,” according to the console maker. Hopefully, it will offer us more information about the console’s slate of launch titles and, perhaps, more details on specs and performance. Until then, we must rely on old rumors and leaks to understand better what’s in store.
When Can I Preorder the Nintendo Switch 2?
There isn’t a precise release date, though you may only need to wait a few months. Nintendo said it plans to host a Nintendo Direct on April 2. A Best Buy landing page for the upcoming console already exists, which indicates that preorders could start right after the company’s Direct.
There will be further opportunities to try a console sooner than that. Nintendo is hosting several early hands-on events in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In the U.S., the company will host events in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas, Texas.
The New York event will take place April 4 through 6. Los Angeles will start on April 11, while you’ll have to wait for April 25 in Dallas. There’s a hands-on event in Toronto, Canada on April 25 as well. These events are free, and you only need a Nintendo Direct account, though you should check your emails to know if you were one of those lucky enough to get to use Nintendo’s new console.
With those hands-on events running throughout April, the next big question is whether Nintendo will launch the Switch 2 in May or June. There have been plenty of hints from noted rumormongers to suggest it could be either month. If we were to give the hat to any of them, we would advise you look at Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming. Based on several anonymous sources stemming from the annual GDC conference, he claimed that the Switch 2 will hit store shelves sometime in June.
Henderson has a strong track record for previous leaks, which makes us more prone to trust his sources than others. Henderson also claimed that the Switch 2 will have a staggered release schedule. First-party games may arrive at the June launch. Third-party games will arrive in October and November, while the third phase will offer even more titles in time for the holiday rush.
As to whether there will be enough Nintendo Switch consoles at launch, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stressed in an investor Q&A that customers should be able to find a Switch 2 at retail without going through scalpers. He reiterated that sentiment in an interview with the Japanese game press, according to a translation from VGC. Supply chain analyst Robin Zhu told Bloomberg that Nintendo’s supply chain network could allow it to sell 20 million Switch 2 units in its first year, 5 million more than the original Switch. Nintendo may have reportedly already shipped 400,000 units to the U.S.
But more supply doesn’t mean the Switch 2 will be as cheap as its predecessor. Noted tipster Zippo has claimed it could cost around $400, which is $100 more than you can get the first Switch for. There’s some wild speculation out there about Switch 2 pricing, and we have yet to see a real hint from a trusted leaker about pricing. It’s still less than the two most significant, expensive consoles, but it would now cost more than an Xbox Series S and as much as a baseline LCD Steam Deck.
Will the Switch 2 Be More Powerful Than the First Switch?
All the current speculation points to the Switch 2 getting access to a special chip from Nvidia. It’s a rumor going back nearly three years to early leakers hinting that Nintendo would get access to a custom variant of the T234, scaled down drastically to fit inside a mobile design. The current Switch uses a modified Tegra X1 chip, but the next Switch could be far more capable than Nintendo’s first handheld console. Documents shown publicly from the Microsoft buyout of Activision Blizzard hint that Nintendo’s console could be as powerful, if not a bit more capable, than the last console generation—namely the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
At the beginning of 2025, leakers showed off the console’s supposed motherboard, including an unknown Nvidia chip. In addition, patents indicate Nintendo may provide AI upscaling that could help support games at 4K resolution when docked. Patents from Nintendo indicate this will allow the Switch to fit games on “smaller capacity physical media.” 4K resolutions have become so standard for high-end gaming and these patents indicate Nintendo wants its next handheld to compete with 4K-capable consoles.
Reuters reporting supported these rumors citing one anonymous source who claimed that Nintendo was indeed getting a new, custom chip. Late last year, Digital Foundry performed a deep dive into the supposed chip architecture and capabilities of this custom Nvidia chipset dubbed the T239. They performed benchmarks with similar architecture on the RTX 2050 running at 750 Mhz.
There’s also been plenty of rumors about the display. Some of the most concrete reports from industry analysts noted that the Nintendo Switch sequel will have an 8-inch LCD screen, a significant size bump from the regular 6.2-inch Switch LCD screen. However, a few fans are likely disappointed that the next console won’t maintain the Switch OLED’s beautiful 7-inch display.
The LCD screen likely reduces costs, which served the first Switch well when buyers had to choose between it or spending upwards of $500 on a new Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. But since that launch we’ve gotten other handheld consoles, like the Steam Deck OLED.
As for other hardware rumors? FCC filings indicate the Switch 2 will support NFC (near-field communication) and WiFi 6. The NFC tech will likely be useful for any of your Amiibos you still have lying around. There’s also that mysterious “C” button found on the righthand JoyCon seen in the most recent images shown by Nintendo through its new Nintendo Today! app. We still have no clue what this button does, so the rest is up to speculation.
What Games Will Be Available for the Switch 2?
Nintendo has yet to confirm a full game lineup, though we do have a good idea of how Nintendo expects players to move their past Switch library to their new handhelds. The Switch maker will update all Switch systems in April to sport “Virtual Game Cards.” These act as single instances of a game you own, allowing you to swap them between two consoles you own. You need to have each console near each other on your first attempt, but after that you can swap games between consoles over the internet, provided you’re on the same Nintendo account.
Though the company’s March 27 Nintendo Direct didn’t mention the Switch 2, we did get a small peak behind the curtain thanks to its Virtual Games Card page. In the fine print, the company referred to “Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive” games and “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition” games. This implies that Nintendo may update older titles to take advantage of the Switch 2 hardware, much like Sony did with its “Enhanced” games for the PlayStation 5 Pro.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal trailer showcased a level in Mario Kart that’s not currently available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The gameplay also showed redesigned models for characters like Donkey Kong, which suggests that this is a new Mario Kart and will likely be a Switch 2 launch title. Nintendo has been partnering with Lego for a whole line of Mario Kart sets, which gives more credence for a new Nintendo racer coming soon,.
Otherwise, we suspect the previously announced Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will come alongside the Switch 2, probably bridging the gap between the old and new handheld consoles. Considering its 2025 release date, the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A is highly likely to be cross-platform.
After that, we can only speculate based on past rumors and our hopes and dreams. Nintendo usually tries to engender support for new hardware with a new 3D Mario title. However, we don’t know if this will be a straight follow-up to the modern classic Super Mario: Odyssey or some new game altogether. We also expect Nintendo to re-release The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, for Switch 2. Both games were prone to framerate issues when there were too many effects on screen, so they would benefit from new, improved hardware.
This post was updated again 1/16/25 at 10:15 a.m. ET to include official details from Nintendo. It was updated again on Feb. 6 to include more information about the reveal trailer timing and rumors about the JoyCon’s mouse-like capabilities. It was again updated March 26 to include new information about a suspected Switch 2 release date. It was updated March 27 to include details about Virtual Game Cards and Switch 2 Edition games.
