The Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo’s newest console and the followup to one of the bestselling consoles of all time, finally has a release date and price.
The Switch 2 will be available starting June 5, 2025 for $629.99. Nintendo also revealed a host of new features and games in its Nintendo Direct on Wednesday morning, including a brand-new Mario Kart game and new online modes.
It will be available to pre-order starting April 9.
Here are the four big takeaways.
New Mario Kart coming to Switch 2
Mario Kart World, the first completely new entry in the franchise in more than a decade, will launch the same day as the console.
Described as a globe-spanning game where players can go off the race track and drive virtually everywhere, Mario Kart World bumps the number of drivers in each race from 12 to 24. It also introduces two new game modes.
In the knockout tour mode, players will “race non-stop from one corner of the world to another” to pass checkpoints before being eliminated. In free roam mode, Mario Kart becomes a sandbox where you can “drive wherever your heart takes you” and go for “scenic drives with friends.”
Nintendo says it will share more details about Mario Kart World on April 17.
Bigger screen, better graphics and a brand-new camera
The Switch 2’s built-in screen will be 7.9 inches, significantly larger than the 6.2-inch Switch screen. The display will also be higher resolution, with roughly double the pixels, and capable of up to 120 frames per second. The LCD screen will support HDR, too.
The new Joy-Cons will connect to the screen magnetically, as opposed to the Switch’s slide-in Joy-Cons that sometimes proved difficult to take off. SL and SR buttons — sometimes cumbersome to use when playing with just one Joy-Con — will be bigger on the new version, as will the control sticks.
The Joy-Cons can also be used with a new mouse feature on select games.
A new Nintendo 2 Switch camera — sold separately from the console — will complement the GameChat mode and be integrated in some games. The Joy-Cons will feature a “C” button that pulls up the GameChat menu.
In tabletop mode, a “large, sturdy stand” will replace the flimsy kickstand the Switch used, which often failed to keep the device standing — and sometimes broke off. The Switch 2 will also add a USB-C port at the top of the device, making it possible to charge the console in tabletop mode.
The new console will have 256 gigabytes of internal storage, eight times that of the Switch.
“Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t simply an improved Nintendo Switch,” Tetsuya Sasaki, hardware design lead for the Switch 2, said in Nintendo’s announcement. “We redesigned the system from the ground up, impacting lots of new gameplay features.”
New Donkey Kong and versions of Mario Party, Zelda, Kirby
Nintendo announced Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D platforming game, to be released on July 17. “Crash, bash, and climb through nearly everything in DK’s path,” Nintendo said in a press release. “Tear off chunks of terrain to swing around and throw in groundbreaking exploration.”
The Switch 2 will also feature new editions of familiar favourites. Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and other properties will be re-released on the new console.
The updated versions will feature improved visuals and unique ways to play.
There are also a host of externally-developed games coming to the console, including EA’s Madden NFL, Hogwarts Legacy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, Borderlands 4 and Civilization VII.
The new console will be backwards-compatible with Switch games.
New chat and multiplayer modes
With GameChat, players can voice and video call with friends while playing. Unlike previous Nintendo chat modes, which have required a phone app, GameChat will be integrated with the Switch 2 using a microphone on the console. Players can also screen share with friends, even while playing different games.
A Nintendo Online membership will be required to use GameChat, but it will be available for free until March 31, 2026.
Nintendo is also adding a GameShare mode, which will let users share and play games with other devices, even if they don’t have the game.
