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- The Switch 2 is launching on 5 June, 2025 worldwide, for AU$699.95.
- The console features a 7.9” LCD display, capable of hitting 120fps with HDR
- It launches with Mario Kart World, an open-world kart racer
It’s official. The Nintendo Switch 2 is coming 5 June, 2025 for AU$699.95 for the console itself, or AU$769.95 with a download code for the upcoming Mario Kart World.
After what feels like months of speculation, the console was finally shown off in detail during Nintendo’s 2 April direct, along with a whole bunch of third-party games, and a dive into a couple first-party titles: namely, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza. Featuring a bigger, more vivid screen, an onboard microphone, and a redesigned kickstand, the console is every bit the bigger and better Switch you were expecting, but with a few new little sprinkles added on.
There’s also already more than 40 games announced for it, which we’ll dive into below, but first let’s see what’s new about the console itself.
The Switch 2 Hardware
The Switch 2 will feature a 7.9” LCD screen, which is capable of hitting 1080p resolution at 120fps, with HDR built-in. That’s all great, and quite a bit better than the original Switch, but it gets considerably better when placed in the new-and-improved dock, which lets the console push out up to 4K resolution at 60fps if you’d prefer to prioritise resolution on a bigger screen.
In order to achieve this, it seems the Switch 2 Dock is a whole different beast than the original’s. Here, the dock has a built-in fan, and some-kind of upscaling technology, enabling that bump to 4K@60fps. Nintendo actively avoids talking about hardware specifications, but its safe to say the Switch 2 is utilising another custom chip from NVIDIA, and it likely has 12GB of Ram.
For now, though, this is what you’ll get in the box on launch day:
- 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
It’s also worth noting that while the Switch 2 comes equipped with 256gb of internal storage as standard, it’ll also be expandable through MicroSD Express cards: the regular ol’ MicroSD cards you have lying around won’t work, nor will the ones you’ve presumably been using in your original Switch.
The new Joy-Cons, called the Joy-Con 2, connect to the console via magnets and have a new button – the C button – which seems to be used almost entirely to engage with Switch 2’s social features. These social features are largely all connected to Nintendo’s GameChat feature, which acts as something of an on-device voice chat (rather than via a separate app, as in the original Switch), but it’ll also let you share the screen of your console to friends, and, if using the new Switch 2 Camera (AU$69), you can even share your face.
GameChat, and all the features associated with it, will be free to use until March 31, 2026, but it’ll then be baked into the Nintendo Online Membership.
Nintendo is also launching a new Switch Pro controller (AU$119), as well as new versions of its Joy-Con Grip (AU$49) and Joy-Con Wheel Grip (AU$29) accessories.
One important thing to note is that price. AU$699 puts the Switch 2 in-line with current console pricing, a distinctly un-Nintendo thing to do.
| System | Price (AUD) |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | $699 |
| PlayStation 5 | $679 |
| PlayStatino 5 Pro | $1199 |
| Xbox Series S | $499 |
| Xbox Series X | $699 |
| Steam Deck (LCD) | $649 |
It’s fair to say that the Nintendo Switch 2 certainly gives you more ways to play than some of these devices (handheld, tabletop, docked, mouse-mode), and gives access to exclusive Nintendo games, but that price is a bitter pill to swallow. In previous generations, Nintendo consoles tended to come in cheaper than the competition, due to their focus on a younger demographic: no more.
Every Nintendo Switch 2 Game Announced So Far
For an announcement that was supposed to be mainly focused on hardware, Nintendo showed off a bunch of games – almost 40, in fact. Here’s a list of everything Nintendo showed off.
- Mario Kart World
- Welcome Tour
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch 2 Edition)
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition)
- Metroid Prime 4 (Switch 2 Edition)
- Pokemon Legends Z-A (Switch 2 Edition)
- Drag x Drive
- Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition
- Hades 2
- Street Fighter 6
- Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion (Switch 2 Edition)
- Split Fiction
- EA Sports FC
- EA Sports’ Madden NFL
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4
- Hitman: World of Assassination
- Project 007 (working title)
- Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
- Yazuka 0 Director’s Cut
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
- Deltarune
- Borderlands 4
- Civilisation 7
- WWE 2K
- NBA 2K
- Enter the Gungeon 2
- Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
- Survival Kids
- Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (still coming in 2025, apparently)
- Wild Hearts
- Star Wars Outlaws
- The Duskbloods
- Kirby Air Riders
- Donkey Kong Bananza
The big ticket first-party items here are Mario Kart World, which will launch alongside the console, Donkey Kong Bananza, which drops on 17 July, 2025, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which is coming at some point this year.
Mario Kart World is a whole different take on the series, veering closer to something like Forza’s Horizon games, where you’ll be capable of exploring a massive, fully-drivable world (presumably the mushroom kingdom) in between races and grand prix. Up to 24 drivers can race, which is a series first, and allows racers to grind on rails and jump off walls. While we got a pretty good look at the game, Nintendo will share more on the game at a further Nintendo Direct.
Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, is the big monkey man’s return to the stage. While DK had a few good games during the Wii and WiiU era, we didn’t hear from him for quite a while until recently, when Donkey Kong Country Returns HD launched on the Switch. Here, he’s back and bigger than ever, with the game featuring a bigger, 3D open-world environment that is destructible environment, where DK can just punch and slam his way through the stage.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is looking as good as you’d expect, but is getting some enhanced features if you’re willing to spend a bit extra for the Switch 2 version. Specifically, it’ll run at up to 120fps, and pairs with the Joy-Con 2’s mouse functionality to make shooting easier. Unfortunately we still don’t have a firm release date.
We’ll have more to share about the Switch 2 in the next few days, but for now if you want to rewatch the direct itself, you can do so below.
