Nintendo Switch 2 release date announced – and a new Mario Kart game.
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Nintendo has unveiled the Switch 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to one of all time best-selling consoles, will be out on 5 June.
Fans waited anxiously to learn more since January, when the Japanese gaming giant put months of rumour-mongering to bed by announcing rudimentary details about the new console.
In a Nintendo Direct streamed presentation, viewed by over a million viewers, it provided additional information regarding the hardware, and also confirmed that it would be followed by Mario Kart World, a new release of Nintendo’s most popular game.
It also made an announcement of a string of other fresh titles for the console, such as Elden Ring and Street Fighter 6.
The firm stated that the new console would feature improved graphics and sound compared to its parent, and a chat facility for players to talk to one another when playing.
The price will differ between markets but in the UK it will cost £395, or £429 with Mario Kart. Nintendo Switch 2
Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and Kirby return
Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and Kirby make a comeback
In addition to enormous interest in the hardware itself, gamers have been eager to learn which games they will be playing on it.
Perhaps the most enticing was Mario Kart World – where the franchise has been provided with a major overhaul.
Water effects, character editing, large wide open race courses viewed from far away with weather and climates galore – Nintendo is strongly displaying to fans here that this system has more tucked away inside of it than last generation’s counterpart.
The company also demonstrated platforming action adventure Donkey Kong Bananza and Kirby Air Riders, a follow-up to the fan favorite released in 2005 – both later this year.
Nintendo also revealed that “compatible” Switch games will also be compatible with the Switch 2. Others will receive Switch 2 versions, so they will include new graphics and gameplay.
On the Nintendo Store website, the Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are sold digitally for £66.99 and £58.99, respectively.
Their physical counterparts are both £8 more.
Duskbloods and other games announced
The third-party made games – like Elden Ring – are remarkable too because some are the type of big-hitter games that have traditionally not made it to Nintendo consoles in recent years.
They consist of:
– Cyberpunk 2077
– Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
– Hitman World of Assassination
– Hades 2
– Hollow Knight: Silksong
Elden Ring maker FromSoftware also announced a new multiplayer title – The Duskbloods – as a Switch 2 exclusive in 2026.
Mouse, camera and chat function
The console itself boasts a larger screen than the previous one at 7.9 inches, with an improved display – 1080p to the Switch’s 720p, HDR-enabled and with the ability to display up to 120fps.
Minor adjustments – like bigger buttons and control sticks – will be given some thought. But of more interest is that both controllers can be utilized as a mouse, like with a PC, in compatible games.
Nintendo contends that its 3D audio technology will provide a surround sound effect, but this will not be the selling point that convinces people to grab the device.
256GB of onboard storage is a significant bump, as Nintendo has been conservative on this point in the past.
The C button on the switch controller is the new piece of hardware on the Switch 2.
It seems to aid to manage a voice chat function that is integrated into the system.
Players appear at the screen bottom, looking nearly as much like Zoom or Teams – with a rather low frame rate screen share – as it’s possible to make them, and Nintendo insists its tech will block out your voice no matter what other noise is around.
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