The Switch 2 release date will surprise a lot of Nintendo fans today
It's likely coming in June, even if you're able to pre-order today (or next week). Our data shows many people expect to get it much sooner
Sure enough, the Nintendo Switch release date has just been confirmed for June 5, 2025, according to our ongoing Nintendo Switch 2 live blog.
We’re going to find out the Nintendo Switch 2 release date today, and hopefully, that elusive pre-order date, but the difference between the two is going to shock some Nintendo fans, according to The Shortcut’s data. We’ve seen a spike in gamers asking us if shipments are coming in April – and that’s unlikely to be the case.
The Switch 2 release date is expected to be June 2025, two months from today. This also happened when the original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017. We all had to sit idle through a two-month gap between a January 2017 similar to today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and the actual March 3, 2017 launch date.
That said, if you don’t pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 today, April 2 (or April 9, if that ends up being the pre-order date), you may not get it on day one in June either. Stores in the US are concerned about Switch 2 demand outstripping inventory. According to The Shortcut’s spike in traffic, that’s a warranted concern.
Why a Switch 2 release date in June makes sense
It seems like the Nintendo Switch 2 has been rumored forever, and waiting another two months (while some gamers get hands-on time starting this week) will feel like a never-ending pause screen. But the decision has its upsides.
Nintendo is less likely to run into the same console shortages that plague the PS5 and Xbox starting in 2020. Even without dire chip shortages, Sony’s PlayStation brand had setbacks last year when trying to launch the PS5 30th Anniversary console. Nintendo is believed to have pushed the Switch 2 release date back in an effort to avoid this problem – and has promised it won’t face similar shortages.
We’ll also have more Nintendo Switch 2 launch games by the time the rumored June release date rolls around. We need a few more titles besides the confirmed Mario Kart 9 to feel wowed by this new console. After all, the Nintendo Switch 2 price is thought to be $399, which is $100 more than the original Switch 2.
Just going into our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog today knowing these two things:
You shouldn't expect to pick up your Nintendo Switch 2 this month or next
But you’ll need to pre-order the Switch 2 right away if you want it on Day One.
In other words, slow down. But also hurry up, Nintendo fans.
Follow our Nintendo Switch 2 guide to get it on Day One
