Nintendo has finally whipped the covers off its next console, the Switch 2. While it’s more iteration than revolution, that’s totally fine when you’re working from such a strong starting point. The Switch 2 has the same home/portable hybrid gimmick with a few much needed upgrades, a fresh slate of games, and a close launch date of June 5.
The basic idea is the same: this is a handheld console that you can also plug into a dock to connect to your TV. Before we blast Nintendo for being lazy, we stand by what we said all the way back in our review of the original Switch – this is the best gimmick the company has ever come up with, and it would be crazy to give that up now.
While the Wii’s motion controls were fun, not every player wanted to get up and waggle, and not every developer wanted to build their game around that. But the Switch’s main gimmick is built right in. It’s something that everybody actually uses, and best of all it doesn’t require any extra work from game creators. There’s a reason they sold 150 million of these things.
The Switch 2 builds on this strong foundation with a few features that were sorely missing from the original. The built-in LCD display is now bigger, measuring 7.9 inches, and has been upgraded to 1080p resolution (up from a meager 720p) with HDR and frame rates of up to 120 fps. When docked, the new console can output up to 4K resolution to a TV, rather than the original’s 1080p.
The new JoyCon 2 controllers connect magnetically, and they look a lot sturdier. The SL and SR buttons on top, which were fiddly to press, are much bigger, as are the thumbsticks.
There’s a second USB-C port, giving the option to charge or plug in accessories to the top or bottom of the console. And built-in storage has octupled to 256 GB, which can be expanded further with MicroSD Express cards.
The company also seems to have learned its lesson from the Wii U, when many people were unclear if it was a new console or just an add-on for the Wii. “Switch 2” isn’t a very exciting name, but it also leaves no doubt about what it is – a true successor.
New features
Honestly, a more powerful Switch with better visuals and some hardware tweaks could have been enough, but in classic Ninty fashion we’ve also got a few surprises.
The main one is the mouse function – holding the JoyCon 2 controllers sideways, you can slide them around on a surface to control certain games.
A new C button launches GameChat, an online feature that lets you chat with up to 12 friends through a built-in microphone, while up to four players can share their screens. It’s not just for playing the same game either – you can just hang out while all playing separate games if you want.
If you hook up the Nintendo Switch 2 camera (or any compatible USB-C camera, from the sounds of it), you can also see what your friends are up to. Some games, like Super Mario Party Jamboree, will even superimpose a live feed of everyone’s faces next to their characters in-game, for some extra taunting and jeering.
And finally, a new GameShare function lets you play multiplayer games on several Switch 2 units locally or online, with just one copy of the game card.
Backwards compatibility
Having built up such a massive userbase with the first Switch, it’s good to see Nintendo allowing basically everything to be compatible with its successor. That includes most Switch games, Joy-Cons, Pro Controllers and other accessories, with digital games, save files and user profiles easily transferred to the new machine.
Nintendo Switch Online offerings will make the jump too, and the library of classics will be expanded with GameCube games exclusive to Switch 2. Games available on the console’s launch include The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Soul Calibur II and F-Zero GX, with more to be added later. As with other retro platforms, a new wireless version of the old GameCube controller will be released too.
Like the jump from PlayStation 4 to 5, some Nintendo Switch games will get enhanced Switch 2 Editions that take advantage of the new features and nicer visuals. These can be purchased as standalone titles or through cheaper “upgrade packs” if you own the original. It sounds like some upgrades are free for Nintendo Online subscribers too.
So far the list includes Super Mario Party Jamboree, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Upcoming games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A will launch on both Switch and Switch 2 consoles, with enhanced visuals and controls on the latter.
Games
No new console would be complete without new games, and the Switch 2’s first six months look pretty strong.
Mario Kart World
Nintendo had already teased a new Mario Kart game, but we didn’t expect it to be so drastically different. Mario Kart World is an open-world racer like the Forza Horizon series, where you not only race with up to 24 players but also drive around the terrain between races, taking photos, looking for shortcuts and doing sick flips.
Thankfully the pace-killing gliding and underwater sections, as well as the pointless anti-gravity bits, are gone. In their place is the ability to grind and wall-jump, which seem to provide speed boosts if timed right.
New modes include Knockout Tour, where players have to race across the map to reach checkpoints, with stragglers eliminated at each one.
Mario Kart World is a launch title with the Switch 2 on June 5.
Donkey Kong Bananza
For the first time in 26 years, Donkey Kong gets a new 3D platformer – as well as a bit of a facelift so he now resembles his arcade days. Players are not only running, rolling, climbing and punching, but ripping up chunks of terrain to hurl at enemies or bust open new paths. Should be a blast.
Donkey Kong Bananza is out on July 17.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
This is essentially the flashback sequences from Tears of the Kingdom, played out as a third-person hack-n-slash like the previous Hyrule Warriors games. It’s out sometime mid-year.
Kirby Air Riders
A new racing game based on the long-dormant GameCube title, Kirby and his frenemies will be battling it out sometime in 2025.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
This little game lets players walk around their new console, playing mini games and learning all its new features. It looks kind of the Switch 2’s version of Wii Sports or Nintendo Land, with some clear Astro Bot vibes – although it really feels like it should have just come bundled with the console. It’ll be available on launch day.
Drag x Drive
This robot-wheelchair basketball game is built entirely around the mouse controls, where you drive by sliding the JoyCon around, and shoot by flicking it up. It’s out late this year.
The Duskbloods
Somehow Nintendo managed to score an exclusive on the next game from FromSoftware, the developers behind Elden Ring. It looks like a vampire/steampunk/dark gothic third-person slasher, and if FromSoftware’s other games are anything to go by, your shiny new Switch 2 will be in danger of being shattered against the wall.
It launches in 2026.
A bumper crop of other third-party games are also coming to Nintendo Switch 2, including Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Hades II, Street Fighter 6, Split Fiction, Madden 2K25, Hogwarts Legacy, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4, Hitman: World of Assassination, Borderlands 4, Civilization VII, WWE 2K25, NBA 2K25, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Hollow Knight: Silk Song, Two Point Museum, Star Wars Outlaws, and Fortnite.
The Switch 2 itself launches June 5, for US$449.99 for the base console or $499.99 for a bundle that includes Mario Kart World.
