Nintendo Switch 2 release date speculation: Next console news and rumours

With over 140 million sales worldwide, who can blame them?

So far, Nintendo's 2024 has been comfortable. We've had first-party games like Princess Peach: Showtime! and remakes of Mario vs Donkey Kong, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Luigi's Mansion 2.

This all signals to the end of a console's lifecycle, even if some of these titles will still keep Switch owners occupied over the coming months.

For the Nintendo Switch 2, we now have an idea of when more information will be revealed, as well as an idea of its launch. After all, it has been a fair few years since the Switch OLED was released.

So, we've collated all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 information together in one place for your viewing pleasure. It might be a little early to get excited, but there's lots here that suggests Nintendo's next console could be as great as the current one.

When will the Nintendo Switch 2 release? Our speculation

Nintendo has all but confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will not be released before April 2025.

Speaking to investors in May 2024 as part of an earnings call (translated by GamesIndustry.biz), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that its forecast for the current financial year (April 2024 to March 2025) does not include sales of any new console. He also noted that Nintendo "[hasn't] yet discussed launch timing" for the Switch successor.

Before this, the Japanese games maker stated on 7th May 2024 (via X) that a further announcement would come "within this fiscal year" regarding a successor to the Nintendo Switch. While this doesn't answer any questions about the hardware itself, we now have a timeframe.

Nintendo also revealed in the same post that the successor to the Switch will not be mentioned in its upcoming Nintendo Direct for June. So don't expect any more information there.

What has been reported by several outlets – such as Eurogamer and Bloomberg – is that the next Nintendo console was aiming for a 2024 release date before being delayed internally. A 2025 release is now expected.

Taking this into account and its financial call comments, we'd expect the Nintendo Switch 2 to launch in April 2025. We would then guess an unveiling would take place around October to November 2024, going off the original's Switch first trailer dropping on 20th October 2017.

Nintendo Switch 2 rumours and leaks

All of the latest Nintendo Switch successor rumours and leaks point towards the new console potentially being a full new console and not a "Pro" version - essentially, the Switch 2.

It was reported by Eurogamer in September 2023 that Nintendo secretly demoed the Switch 2 at Gamescom in August to a select few people behind the scenes. It states that the lucky few Nintendo partners got to see a demo of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild running on the new console's "beefier target specs", and that development kits are "now in the hands of some key partners".

Expanding on Eurogamer's report, a Nate the Hate podcast (via Nintendo Life) detailed that the Breath of the Wild tech demo was running at 4K 60fps, and that "load times had been erased". This could be pointing towards SSD integration in the new Nintendo console.

It was also claimed that the tech demo showcasing the targeted system specs is capable of running The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo at a similar level to PS5 and Xbox Series X. The console is said to be using DLSS 3.5, too.

How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?

With no official release date, there's no confirmed price for the Nintendo Switch 2 either.

The best way to figure out the future is often to look to the past. Nintendo's latest model is the Nintendo Switch OLED, which arrived for £309.99/$349.99 in October 2021. This was an increase from the standard Nintendo Switch's price of £279.99/$299.99 back in March 2017.

With at least three years passing before the Nintendo Switch 2 arrives, it's fair to assume another price increase will take place.

A prediction from analyst Matthew Kanterman (via Bloomberg) in 2021 pointed to the Nintendo Switch 2 being closer to the $400 mark. "I still think Nintendo can drive strong demand even at $399.99," he said at the time.

Considering a PlayStation 5 costs £480/$499.99, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for Nintendo to enter the £400 bracket.

While the hardware will certainly be less powerful than a PS5, it will still be an upgrade from the current Nintendo Switch models, and this always means higher manufacturing prices which then go on to the consumer.

So, with that, we could see a Nintendo Switch 2 for £379.99/$399.99. Still, until anything is announced, this is purely speculation.

Nintendo Switch 2 specs news: How powerful will the next Nintendo console be?

There have been several reports and rumours surrounding what to expect from the Nintendo Switch 2. Most push for 4K resolution, better battery life, bigger storage, a fix on Joy-Con drift and an OLED screen. Nintendo might have other ideas, though.

The most recent report comes from Android Authority, which put together all of the supposed leaks surrounding the Switch 2's specs. This includes one from Famiboards user LIC that analysed the shipments and data between Nintendo, NVIDIA and other companies.

Based on all this stuff in the rumour mill, the following specifications were then established:

• 12GB RAM - 7,500MT/s transfer (up from 4GB RAM on the Switch OLED)
• 6GB LPDDR5X modules x2
• 256GB UFS 3.1 Storage (up from 64GB on the Switch OLED)

Without claiming to be tech geniuses, those uplifts from the Switch OLED specs — with the new console reportedly more than doubling the RAM and the storage space of its predecessor — sound like seriously juicy upgrades to us.

If we assume that there are similar uplifts happening across the board, it's easy to fantasise that the Switch 2 will be able to run much more powerful games with better graphics than the previous Switch. That is, of course, if these rumours are proven right and our hopes all come true.

Some further details then were shared by known leaker CentroLeaks, stating that the Nintendo Switch 2 may have an eight-inch display (one inch bigger than the Switch OLED) with a fan-made mock-up shared to social media.

The user then shared additional details via Brazilian streamer TvPH, so naturally take this all with a pinch of salt.

A known data miner, who goes by OatmealDone, found evidence of a new Switch dock that will support 4K visuals. That rumour seems to be backed up by Animal Crossing World, a fan-run website that spotted some recent Animal Crossing screenshots, posted by Nintendo, that appeared to be taken in 4K resolution.

4K could feasibly be possible by utilising Nvidia’s DLSS, using machine learning to upscale from a lower internal resolution to a UHD output. That is if Nintendo sticks with Nvidia - but they most likely will.

The current Switch has 32GB storage, while the OLED has 64GB. The battery life has already been improved on the Switch from 6.5 hours to nine in the last update, too. Could the Switch 2 perhaps get us to 10 hours? We can only hope.

The new console is expected to keep the dual-gaming function that the Switch is famous for, allowing you to play games on your TV or in a handheld fashion.

Rumours have also pointed towards the Switch 2 sticking with cartridges and being backwards compatible. The general assumption is that the Nintendo Switch 2 will work better and faster than its predecessor, whichever mode you choose to play your games in. Some fans are hoping that extra-speedy SSD storage might be included, allowing the console to cut down dramatically on loading times.

Also seemingly on the cards is a fitness tracker, much like you get on your smartphones, and this would indicate that the hugely popular Ring Fit Adventure franchise will remain a top priority for Nintendo going forward - something that does not surprise us.

It was reported by Bloomberg in January 2024 that the new console will possess an LCD display at launch, rather than an OLED display. This could potentially result in a strange situation where the visuals of the next-gen Switch could look worse than the Switch OLED in handheld.

One thing we know for sure is that the next Nintendo console will make use of the Nintendo Account, with president Shuntaro Furukawa aiming "to make a smooth transition for customers from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console by using the Nintendo Account" (via Genki_JPN).

Fingers crossed this means the list of retro games on Switch Online carry on over to the new console and continue to expand.

Should I wait to buy a Nintendo Switch 2?

Should you buy a Nintendo Switch today, or wait for the Switch 2? Well, that depends on how soon you want to start playing the best Nintendo Switch games that the console has to offer.

With the Switch 2 likely launching sometime from April 2025 onwards, are you happy waiting until then? There is a chance the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with all Switch games, so if that's true, you won't be missing out.

It's also worth noting that Nintendo doesn't drop the price of its hardware, like, ever - so you won't be saving any major money if you buy the Switch 2 on launch or in three years. This goes for the current Switch, which is still available for £279.99/$299.99, as it was in 2017.

Thankfully, some decent offers do throw in a game or two. And some retailers occasionally do knock the price down a little bit. If you are itching to play Tears of the Kingdom or you can't hold out to play Princess Peach Showtime, you may be better off just picking up a current-gen Switch now.

If not, there's probably less than a year until the Switch 2 hits store shelves.

Read more:

• Nintendo Switch vs Switch Lite: which should you buy?
• Nintendo Switch OLED review: Handheld gaming levels up
• Best Nintendo Switch SD cards to buy

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