Nintendo Switch 2 is out now: Hardware specs, launch games and an $8bn industry opportunity
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The Nintendo Switch 2 is out today, June 5th, 2025 alongside a handful of launch titles like Mario Kart World.
Seeing in the next Nintendo console generation, the Switch 2 is building upon its 2017 predecessor with a bigger, 7.9-inch handheld screen, HDR support and magnetic Joy-Cons with mouse functionality.
New and improved
After teasing improvements in the Switch 2 reveal this January, Nintendo’s full deep-dive on April 2nd confirmed many more hardware specs, including a resolution boost up to 1080p handheld and 4K on the TV.
The Switch 2 can also display framerates of up to 120fps depending on the game and system settings and has built-in voice chat functionality with GameChat.
By comparison, the original Switch had a 6.2-inch screen and the Switch OLED a 7-inch screen. Both models offered 720p resolution in handheld or 1080p in TV mode, with framerates maxing out at 60fps.
The Switch 2 is currently selling for $449.99 (£395.99 in the UK) standalone or $499.99 (£429.99 in the UK) in a bundle with Mario Kart World, though Nintendo is assessing “the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions”.
Launch games include Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour and Switch 2 editions of existing games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Third-party titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Deltarune and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition are also out on Switch 2 today.
Comeback king
Naturally, the Switch 2 launch also marks the end of the original Switch’s eight-year reign, which triggered Nintendo’s comeback from Wii U flop maker to hybrid console pioneer.
In fact, the Switch bested the Wii U’s lifetime console sales in its first year and has now outsold it more than 10 times over.
With unit sales of over 152 million, the Switch is currently the third best-selling console of all time and has also achieved almost 1.4 billion software sales. A total of 21 first-party games have surpassed 10m unit sales and nine of them sold over 20m copies.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has topped that list, originally a Wii U game but ported and improved on the Switch. The game has sold 68.2m units, meaning 45% of Switch owners have also bought this title.
And from launch phenomenon The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, to best-selling strategy RPG Fire Emblem: Three Houses, to the perfectly timed pandemic counter Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Switch generation also saw many games top their franchises’ sales charts.
But, more than eight years on from release, Nintendo fans are evidently ready for a power upgrade. Nintendo’s net sales fell by 30% in the Switch’s final year as flagship, and net profit declined by 43%, with fewer major IPs releasing new entries in 2024.
As for 2025, analysts foresee a “smash hit” launch for Switch 2. Ampere Analysis head of games research Piers Harding-Rolls has predicted 13m unit sales by the end of the year.
The Switch 2 could represent a $7bn to $8bn opportunity for games content over the next two years. We also asked our Mobile Mavens what they thought of the Switch 2 and its chances of success.
