Nintendo Switch 2 release date: what the console's April reveal tells us
The Nintendo Switch 2 won't release in March, as many predicted
📆 Nintendo has shown off its next console but no release date was announced
🙏 More information will be shared in April, which means the Switch 2 won’t release in March
🌎 Nintendo is also hosting several global hands-on events, which indicate the console will launch after April
🤷♂️ There was a four-month gap between the Nintendo Switch’s reveal and its release date
Nintendo finally revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 after many months of rumors, leaks, and fervent speculation. However, what it didn’t disclose is the Nintendo Switch 2 release date, which remains up for debate.
After showing off a two-minute trailer that focused on the Nintendo Switch 2’s hardware, Nintendo promised more information would be shared on April 2, 2025. It also announced several global preview events, where exciting fans can go hands-on with its next console. The last hands-on event takes place in Seoul, South Korea in May.
It means that the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t launch in March, like its predecessor, and an April release date would provide little time for Nintendo to generate sufficient word of mouth and marketing for its next console.
A Nintendo Switch 2 release date of June could be a potential option. However, the summer is historically an extremely quiet period for video game releases, and consumers are usually outside enjoying the weather, not sat at home playing video games. (Of course, the Switch 2 can be played anywhere, but the point still stands.)
Could the Nintendo Switch 2 release date take place in September, then? That would probably make more sense, but considering how much has leaked about Nintendo’s next console and, with a full reveal taking place in April, it would be a rather long wait.
For context, the Nintendo Switch was revealed in October 2016 and released in March 2017. That’s a gap of around four months, so by that logic, the Nintendo Switch 2 release date should be August.
Nintendo has bucked the trend, as it has a habit of doing, with its release dates, as consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X typically release in November to capitalize on the holiday period. Clearly, that doesn’t look like it will be the case for the Nintendo Switch 2, which could even drop as early as April if Nintendo feels confident its product will sell with little marketing momentum.
After over 145 million Nintendo Switch sales and an eight-year wait for a successor, it might be justified to be so confident.
Up next: Nintendo Switch 2 price: leak, prediction, and analysis
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.