Nintendo Switch 2 launches June 5th with GameChat, GameShare, new mobile support and more
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The Nintendo Switch 2 is launching on June 5th, 2025 with Mario Kart World as a launch title.
Today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation showcased this latest Mario Kart game alongside upcoming first-party games in the Zelda, Donkey Kong and Kirby franchises.
New titles include Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Drag x Drive and digital-only Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour.
The console will be available for $449.99 (£395.99 in the UK) standalone or $499.99 (£429.99 in the UK) in a bundle with Mario Kart World. Pre-orders in North America will begin on April 9th, 2025, while UK pre-orders open on April 8th.
Enhanced Switch 2 Editions of original Switch games were also confirmed, set to include upgraded visuals, new features and more. These will be available for purchase physically or digitally as standalone titles, or as digital upgrades for those who already own the original Switch versions.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are among these games and will be made compatible with an updated Nintendo Switch app, which will feature Zelda Notes to help players find secrets in-game while playing.
Pokémon Legends ZA and Metroid Prime 4 are also receiving Switch 2 Editions, previously confirmed for the original Switch but as-yet unreleased.
Switch 2’s USP
The Switch 2 system itself was also shown in greater detail during the Direct, after an initial glimpse in January. It is now confirmed to have a 7.9 inch LCD screen size in handheld mode, at 1080p unlike the original Switch’s 720p. The new hardware will also support 120fps and HDR.
The console will launch with 256GB of storage, eight times that of the original Switch, and its docked mode will support 4K.
Game cartridges themselves will be the same shape as on the original Switch but red in colour.
Ongoing rumours of mouse controls have also been confirmed, supported in both left and right Joy Cons for the Switch 2 model. These controllers have larger control sticks, bigger SL and SR buttons, attach to the console magnetically and have a brand-new C-button.
The new button will activate GameChat, a voice chat feature using the system’s microphone which promises to pick up voices clearly “even at a distance”. This will be available to all Switch 2 owners in open access until March 2026, after which a paid online membership will be required.
Players will also be able to share live gameplay and stream their camera on others’ Switch 2 screens even while playing different titles, with a separate Switch 2 Camera also set to launch on June 5th.
Parental control features will be expanded to account for this.
Nintendo also showcased GameShare, a feature absent from the original Switch but echoing back to Download Play on the Nintendo DS. The feature will allow users to play certain multiplayer titles together across multiple devices even if only one user owns the game – whether in-person or online.
Lastly, third-party games confirmed include Elden Ring, Hades 2, EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Hogwarts Legacy, Borderlands 4, Civilization VII and a Bravely Default remaster.
