Nintendo Switch 2 Direct – Everything Announced During The Big Showcase

The Nintendo Switch 2 is here! Well, it’s coming in just a few short months, but today’s Direct dropped a deluge of new information for the upcoming console. That included its launch date, exclusive games, price, and plenty more to come. It was a big one, so let’s dive into all the things we saw.

Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date – When Is It Coming Out?

The Nintendo Switch 2 will be launching worldwide on June 5, 2025, with a selection of titles and accessories, many of which have been detailed throughout this piece.

As for the console itself, in the box you will find the following:

• Nintendo Switch 2 console
• Joy-Con 2 controllers (L+R)
• Joy-Con 2 Grip
• Joy-Con 2 Straps
• Nintendo Switch 2 Dock
• Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable
• Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter
• USB-C Charging Cable

Nintendo Switch 2 Price – How Much Is It Going To Cost?

Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch 2 will retail for £395.99/€469.99/$449 or £429.99/€509.99/$499.99 with a bundled copy of Mario Kart World.

Nintendo Switch 2 Games – What Was Announced During The Direct?

Today’s Direct, as many of us expected, included a number of games being revealed for the console, both new and existing. In order to make things a little easier, we’ve sorted them into a mixture of launch games and those planned for later this year and beyond, so you have an idea of when to expect them.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Switch 2 Launch Title

First revealed several years ago and having its development rebooted and handed over to Retro Studios, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been a long time coming. Now, we know it will be launching alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. Fear not though, it will also come to the base console if you don’t fancy shelling out for a new one.

Mario Kart World – Switch 2 Launch Title

As the first game officially announced for Nintendo Switch 2 during its initial reveal, we all expected to see the next Mario Kart make an appearance today. Now it has a proper name in the form of Mario Kart World and will be launching alongside the console itself.

Nintendo is taking the series open world for the first time with a variety of biomes to explore in which you can go “virtually anywhere” you like. There are plenty of costumes to choose from as well, alongside an expanded roster, photo mode, and the ability to grind rails and drive along walls. There is a ton of variety here, and it’s easily the most ambitious Mario Kart yet.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour – Switch 2 Launch Title

In what feels like a spiritual successor to Nintendo Land, this game has been developed as an introductory journey into the world of Switch 2. Mini-games are used to highlight how the Joy-Con 2 works and the ways in which its new mouse functionality can be used both in games and across the hardware itself.

Bad news: it’s not free and will be a paid digital game.

Drag x Drive – Coming Summer 2025

This game looks cool, and has been designed to take direct advantage of the new mouse capabilities presented by the Switch 2 Joy-Con. You play as stylish athletes in wheelchairs, taking part in a game of street basketball. You can block shots by raising your hands and controlling your wheels using gyro controls in ways that are hopefully more intuitive than fiddly.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment – Coming 2025

What’s that? A Hyrule Warriors that doesn’t run like absolute garbage? I’ve died and gone to Hylia. Jokes aside, this game looks amazing and is once again developed in partnership with Koei Tecmo. It takes place during the events of Tears of the Kingdom where Zelda is thrown back in time to when the Kingdom of Hyrule was first founded. I can’t wait to see the story in this one and whether it ends up being canon.

The Duskbloods – Coming 2026

This was easily the most unexpected and surprising announcement of the entire Direct. It isn’t Bloodborne 2, but FromSoftware and director Hidetaka Miyazaki are working on The Duskbloods, which appears to be a spiritual successor. Weirder yet, it’s a Switch 2 exclusive.

Kirby Air Riders – 2025

At first glance this trailer looked like a sequel to Kirby and The Forbidden Land, but nope, we are instead getting a fully-fledged sequel to Kirby Air Ride. Little else was shown about it, but the CG trailer left one hell of a first impression regardless. Keep an eye out for further info in the coming months.

Donkey Kong Bananza – Coming July 17, 2025

While there was no announcement of a new 3D Mario during the Direct, we did see the reveal of Donkey Kong Bananza, which is the primate’s first solo 3D adventure since the Nintendo 64 era. Seemingly running in the Odyssey engine, you will be running around fighting enemies and destroying the environment while collecting a bunch of cute little objects.

Nintendo Switch 2 Direct – GameCube Games Are Finally On The Way

If you are a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, once the Switch 2 launches you’ll be able to play GameCube games on the service, and a bunch of classics were confirmed during the Direct. All the games confirmed to be coming to the service at launch include:

• The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
• F-Zero GX
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Pokemon Colosseum
• Soul Calibur 2
• Super Mario Strikers
• Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
• Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
• Super Mario Sunshine

Nintendo Switch 2 Enhanced Games – How Do They Work?

The Direct also confirmed the new console will support ‘Nintendo Switch 2 Versions’ of existing Switch games that take advantage of new features. One of the main showcases focused on Super Mario Party Jamboree which comes with an assortment of new modes supportive of the new Joy-Con and camera. They all look pretty fun and intuitive.

You can access these new versions by purchasing what Nintendo has described as an Upgrade Pack. We have no idea how much these will cost yet, unfortunately.

Here are all the confirmed enhanced games so far:

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Kirby and The Forgotten Land
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A

In general, these will boast higher performance, resolution, and superior visuals since they are all bespoke upgrades, rather than just naturally taking advantage of the hardware. Which is why I imagine Nintendo is cheeky enough to charge for them.

Nintendo Switch 2 Third-Party Games – All The Other Games Confirmed For Switch 2

Aside from the major first-party announcements, Nintendo also spent a large amount of time touching on a bunch of other titles coming to the new system. We’ve listed all of them below for your perusal:

• Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition
• Street Fighter 6
• Hades 2
• Split Fiction
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4
• Hitman: Signature Edition
• Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
• Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut
• EA Sports FC and Madden
• Deltarune
• Borderlands 4
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

Nintendo Switch 2 Features – What Can The New Console Do?

The long-speculated C-button that Nintendo has been teasing for years now is, as expected, a way to communicate with your friends while playing. It’s called GameChat, and is basically a built-in Discord for the Switch 2. A microphone built into the system will recognise voices to ensure you are heard in loud environments while also allowing you to log in.

There’s a screen-sharing feature too. It’s scary how much this looks like a sanitised take on Discord that you would only find on a Nintendo console. Never change…

You will also be able to purchase a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera at launch, which can be used for normal video functions or even be incorporated into video games themselves. The example seen in the Direct is a circle featuring a player’s face sitting alongside her character in Mario Party.

GameShare is another new feature that will allow you to play a game with other players on multiple systems on just a single game, making it easier to have single-screen experiences in multiplayer if you’re nowhere near a Dock.

As for the screen, it comes in at 7.9 inches with double the pixels of the original Switch. It supports 1080p resolution and up to 120 frames per second on an LCD screen with HDR. We expected as much, but the Joy-Con will attach through magnets and now has much bigger buttons for easier interactivity, and they can both be used as mice if you like.

3D audio, as seen on PlayStation 5, also makes its debut on Nintendo Switch 2, even if you’re without a Surround Sound setup. As for the kickstand, it seems far sturdier and better to use.

Nintendo Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, which is eight times larger than the original Switch and also means there will hopefully be less need for SD cards.

Nintendo Switch 2 Backward Compatibility – Can It Play My Old Games?

It was confirmed ahead of today’s Direct that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to play the vast majority of existing Nintendo Switch titles, both physical and digital. It also offers natural graphical and performance benefits, thanks to the more powerful hardware.

Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch 2 will require MicroSD Express cards, meaning your old ones won’t work on the new console. A new Pro Controller is also coming at launch.

However, it is worth noting that certain titles that make use of specific accessories, like Ring Fit Adventure or Nintendo Labo won’t be compatible, which frankly was to be expected.

There will be plenty more information on Nintendo Switch 2, its games, and accessories set to emerge in the coming weeks and months, but today’s Direct gave us a pretty comprehensive picture of what the launch experience will look like, even if we still have a couple of burning questions.