Nintendo Switch 2 details: June 5 launch, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, From Software exclusive and more [UPDATE]

We heard a ton about games, got a release date. (Oh, and they put the price in a press release: $449.99)

Nintendo Switch Welcome Tour. Screenshot: Via Nintendo Direct

Nintendo aired an hour-long showcase of its upcoming Switch 2 hybrid handheld/console today, and answered a lot of questions in the process.

• Launch date: June 5

• Switch 2 price: $449.99

• Game price: Update - Nintendo’s website lists Mario Kart World at $80; Donkey Kong Bananza will cost $70; both are higher than Nintendo’s long-standing $60 but closet to the current industry-standard $70.

• Launch games:

  • Mario Kart World - A new kart-racer set on tracks spread across a massive map; letting players drive to each course; 24 drivers per race

  • Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - an interactive tour of the Switch 2, complete with mini-games (this is a paid game)

  • Split Fiction: Hazelight’s already-released co-op game

  • Hogwarts Legacy: A graphically enhanced version of WB/Avalanche’s Harry Potter hit

  • Hitman World of Assassination: io Interactive’s ongoing game about sneakily killing people

  • Bravely Default: Flying Fairy: An upgrade of the Square Enix role-playing game

  • GameCube games via Nintendo Switch Online (including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur II, F-Zero GX; though unclear if those are all on launch day), with save point support and customizable controls

  • Deltarune 1 + 2 + 3

  • Cyberpunk 2077

• Hardware capabilities:

  • The Switch 2’s mysterious C button is for “Game Chat,” for talking to friends and family while gaming; also supports screen-sharing

    

  • An optional Nintendo Switch 2 camera can be plugged into the system to allow for video feeds during the in-game chat

  • Gameshare: Will allow some games to be shared across multiple systems, even if players only have one copy of the game.

  • Specs: 7.9 inch LCD screen (vs. 6.2 inch screen from the original Switch), 1080p, with HDR support, up to 120FPS for some games, 256GB of internal storage; 2-6.5 hours of batter life (more specs here)

  • The Joy-Con controllers for Switch 2 will offer optional mouse-like controls, when the controllers are held like a knife

  • A new Pro Controller: This new version of Nintendo’s more Xbox/PlayStation-style controller has an audio jack and GL/GR buttons that can be assigned various functions

• Switch 1 games on Switch 2: Some Switch 1 games will get upgraded Switch 2 editions that add features at an additional upgrade cost.

  • Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch 2 edition) - July 24: This Switch 1 game is getting an update that adds mouse controls, support for the system’s external camera, new mini-games. People who own the base game can pay to upgrade.

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 editions) - Enhanced resolutions/framerates, and support for note-taking and map navigation via an external phone app

  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch 2 edition) - Has improved graphics and a bonus story.

  • Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch 2 edition) - supports mouse controls for aiming and up to 120FPS graphics

  • Pokemon Legends Z-A (Switch 2 edition) - Better graphics and framerates

• More games:

  • Donkey Kong Bananza (July 17) - A new 3D Donkey Kong platforming game, first one of its kind since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64

  • Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Winter) - The latest in the “warriors” series of games featuring battles against hordes of enemies; co-developed by Koei Tecmo

  • Kirby Air Riders (2025): directed by Smash Bros. maestro Masahiro Sakurai

  • Drag x Drive (Summer 2025): A game about wheelchair basketball using the Switch 2’s mouse controls

  • Elden Ring (2025) - FromSoftware’s hit open-world fantasy game a, never made it to Switch 1

  • Hades II - SuperGiant’s roguelike, currently out in early access in PC

  • Street Fighter 6 - Capcom’s already-released fighting game, with amiibo support

  • Daemon Ex Machina: Titanic Scion

  • EA Sports FC and Madden

  • Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 (summer)

  • Borderlands 4

  • Io’s James Bond game

  • Yakuza 0 Directors Cut

  • WWE 2K and NBA 2K

  • Enter the Gungeon 2

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

  • Fortnite

  • Star Wars Outlaws

  • Professor Layton and the New World of Steam

  • Human Fall Flat 2

  • Hollow Knight SIlksong (yes, they showed it… briefly)

  • A new multiplayer FromSoftware game called The Duskbloods (2026) - Switch exclusive

  • And more…

Takeaways:

• A healthy amount of first-party support: Mario Kart at launch, a new Donkey Kong adventure the month after, and a Zelda “warriors” game all slated for year one (along with enhanced Switch 2 versions of upcoming Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Legends Z-A games).

• A massive showing of third-party support, from Japanese and western publishers. Western publishers/developers had jumped onto the Switch bandwagon thanks to its huge installed base, but the system’s low specs did not mesh well with the kind of graphics that western studios tend to push. That’s changed with Switch 2—for now. As for the Japanese support: The FromSoftware exclusive Duskblood is a huge get for Nintendo

• $450 for the console is higher than Nintendo usually goes. Switch 1 launched at $300 (adjusted for inflation, that’d be about $392 now). Nintendo also avoided mentioning this in the Nintendo Direct broadcast.

• No game prices? Nintendo provided a release date for Switch 2, but did not say what it would cost. It also did not say what games would cost, but signaled a higher price-point ($70?), as they made clear that Switch 2 editions of Switch 1 games will cost money to upgrade. Update 2 - 10:45am: They can go as high as$80, based on Nintendo’s listing for Mario Kart World. No other major games have released at that price on any system in recent memory. Nintendo lists Donkey Kong Bananza at $70.

Note: This article was written speedily during the Nintendo Direct. Apologies for any excess of typos!