Switch 2 Release Date, Price, Specs, And Everything Else We Know

After seven years on the market, 150 million systems, and more than 1 billion games sold for the original Switch, Nintendo is finally ushering in its next console–the Nintendo Switch 2. Following many rumors, leaks, and reports, Nintendo revealed lots of new information about the Switch 2 during a Nintendo Direct on April 2–and it was a beefy broadcast with tons of announcements.

This post covers everything we know about the Switch 2’s price and release date, launch titles, backward compatibility, and lots more. Preorders for the Switch 2 were expected to open on April 9 but were later delayed due to US President Donald Trump’s controversial tariff plan. They eventually opened on April 24, with original pricing for the system and games–but not accessories–being maintained.

Switch 2 Price And Release Date

The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5, and it’s priced at $450 in the US. Nintendo will also offer a $500 bundle that includes a digital copy of Mario Kart World, though it will only be available until this fall. This bundle represents a good value, as Mario Kart World on its own costs $80. A June launch for the Switch 2 was previously rumored, while the price point is also in the ballpark of what people expected it to cost.

For comparison, Nintendo released the original Switch in March 2017, priced at $300 USD. Most things in life have gotten more expensive since 2017, so it’s not a gigantic surprise to see the Switch 2 carry a higher price point. What’s unclear is whether or not US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on goods imported from China had any effect on the higher price point for the Switch 2.

A major development came on April 4, which is when Nintendo announced that Switch 2 preorders were delayed, as Nintendo took time to assess the situation surrounding the controversial tariffs. Some speculate the price could be increased as a result. As of April 18, Nintendo announced that the system’s pricing would be maintained for preorders, while increasing the price of a number of accessories. It also warned, “Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions.” That could open the door for a price increase on the system itself in the future, should tariffs or other factors warrant it.

Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda said the Switch 2’s new chipset from Nvidia will cost as much as $150, which compares to $80 per unit for the original Switch. He predicted, prior to the April 2 Nintendo Direct, that the Switch 2 would cost as much as $500 due to this.

Be sure to consult GameSpot’s Switch 2 preorder guide to find out everything you need to know about buying the system right at launch.

Adjusted for inflation, the Switch 2 is about $50 more expensive than the Switch when it launched in 2017. Why? Nintendo’s Bill Trinen told IGN, “Obviously, the cost of everything goes up over time, and I personally would love if the cost of things didn’t go up over time.” The Switch 2 has “new features and new tech,” and this carries a cost, Trinen said.

“We look at what is the experience on Nintendo Switch? What’s the experience on Nintendo Switch 2? What are the new features that it offers? And certainly there’s the cost of goods and things that factor into that, but we try to find the right appropriate price for a product based on that,” he said.

One analyst believes a more apparent reason for the increased price is simply because Nintendo can. “Nintendo is charging this price because they feel they can and that people will pay,” analyst Serkan Toto said.

Preorder Mess

Preorders for the Switch 2 in the US began on April 24, and as many expected, the situation was something of a mess as people scrambled to secure a system, games, and accessories. Many retailers have sold through their initial allotments, so be sure to consult GameSpot’s Switch 2 preorder guide to find out everything you need to know about getting a system.

What’s In The Box

The Switch 2 includes the following:

Nintendo Switch 2 console
Joy-Con 2 controllers (L+R)
Joy-Con 2 Grip
Joy-Con 2 Straps
Nintendo Switch 2 Dock
Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable
Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter
USB-C Charging Cable

Impact Of Tariffs

A major storyline surrounding the Switch 2 following the April 2 Nintendo Direct pertained to something not many people saw coming–tariffs. The Nintendo Direct took place the same day of Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariff plan that saw the president implement huge tariff rates on dozens of countries. How this pertains to and impacts the Switch 2 is that Nintendo assembles the console in China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and fears about the impact of these tariffs prompted Nintendo to temporarily delay Switch 2 US preorders.

Had the original tariff plan gone into effect as announced, experts theorized that Nintendo might have to raise the price of the Switch 2 or eat the cost. It remains to be seen what’s going to happen, however, especially considering Trump has not backed down from his increased tariffs on China. It’s also been reported that Nintendo has already shipped hundreds of thousands of Switch 2 units to the US, and may be bringing in more by the day, in a bid to avoid the new tariffs during the 90-day pause.

One change we have seen is to the price of accessories, which are increasing between $1 and $10 depending on the specific item.

Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories	Old Price	New Price
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller	$79.99	$84.99
Joy-Con 2 Pair	$89.99	$94.99
Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip	$34.99	$39.99
Joy-Con 2 Strap	$12.99	$13.99
Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set	$19.99	$24.99
Nintendo Switch 2 Camera	$49.99	$54.99
Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set	$109.99	$119.99
Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector	$39.99	$39.99
Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case	$33.99	$84.99
Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter	$28.99	$34.99

Switch 2 Cards Taste Bad

The Switch 2 includes a number of upgrades and improvements over the original Switch, but one thing has stayed the same. The Switch 2 carts remain coated in material that tastes very bad in an effort to help prevent children or animals from accidentally eating them.

In an interview with GameSpot, Nintendo’s Takuhiro Dohta confirmed that the gross-tasting coating returns for Switch 2 carts, adding that the goal was the same: “We don’t want anybody to be at risk of any unwanted consumption. We have indeed made it so that if it enters your mouth, you’ll spit it out.”

Anyone who licks a Switch 2 cartridge won’t be harmed apart from having a bad tase left in their mouth, Nintendo said. We licked the original Switch cartridges and found them to taste very gross. We have not (yet) been able to conduct the same very important scientific research for Switch 2 cartridges.

Whatever the case, we’re going to take Dohta at his word for now. “I do not advise that you do,” he said of licking a Switch 2 cartridge.

Nintendo’s Kouichi Kawamoto added: “When the Nintendo Switch was being developed, I did lick it once, but never again. I can’t believe that other people are trying that.”

Original Switch cartridges were coated with denatonium benzoate–this is the same material some farmers use to stop animals from eating their crops. Whether or not Nintendo sourced the same substance for Switch 2 cartridges isn’t immediately clear.

GameShare

During the March 27 Nintendo Direct, the company announced a game-lending program for the Switch and Switch 2 that allows players to share digital games. This is called GameShare.

Buying digital games on Switch consoles will in the future (and on Switch 2) be treated as Virtual Game Cards that can be digitally loaded, ejected, and shared with other Switch consoles. Those who own multiple Nintendo Switch devices will be able to move Virtual Game Cards between accounts on up to two systems as if they were ejecting a cartridge and physically inserting it into another device.

A local connection between the two consoles is required when moving Virtual Game Cards between two consoles for the first time, and an internet connection is required when loading a Virtual Game Card or moving it to another console, according to the Nintendo Direct presentation.

Accounts in the same Nintendo family group, which currently supports up to eight people, can lend copies of purchased games to other members of the same group, although only one game at a time can be lent out to and from a particular person. Lent games are shared via local wireless connection and last for two weeks, after which they will automatically return to the original owner.

Virtual Game Cards will come to Nintendo Switch via a system update in late April, according to Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi during the Nintendo Direct presentation, and will be included as a Switch 2 feature when the console launches in June.

Size Comparison

The Switch 2 sports a 7.9-inch LCD screen (compared to 6.2 for the original Switch and 7 inches for the Switch OLED) capable of displaying at up to 1080p. The console is the same thickness as the original Switch (.55 inches). With Joy-Con 2 controllers attached, the Switch 2 stands about 4.5 inches tall x 10.7 inches wide. In terms of weight, the Switch 2 is about .88 pounds, or 1.18 pounds with the Joy-Con 2 controllers attached.

Magnetic Joy-Cons And Mouse Controls

The Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, as rumored, use magnets to attach to the Switch 2 console. Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto said Nintendo originally wanted to use magnets for the first Switch, but it didn’t work out because the controllers “would wobble when attached to the console” due to “the weak connection.” Nintendo said it feared this wobble would make users “uneasy,” so it opted for the “rail” system that ultimately shipped. “But we always wished we could make it easier to attach and detach controllers” with magnets, and the Switch 2 delivers this, he said.

We also learned during the April 2 Nintendo Direct that players can indeed use the console’s new Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse, opening up possibilities for point-and-click adventures and strategy games to be an even better experience on the system.

In an overview of the Switch 2 hardware, Nintendo confirmed that both the left and right Joy-Cons on the system, which are also bigger and more ergonomic than their predecessors, can be turned on their side and used like a computer mouse. The Direct didn’t expand too much on the mouse functionality, other than noting that mouse controls will only be available in certain games.

Nintendo later demonstrated a wheelchair-sports-inspired game called Drag x Drive designed to make the most of the unique dual-mouse controls, but it will be interesting to see how many developers make use of the unique control scheme. Some of the other games confirmed so far to support these mouse controls include Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, Civilization VII, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Super Mario Party Jamboree.

Switch 2 Specs

Nintendo consoles are historically less powerful than the latest PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and that appears to be the case with the Switch 2 as well. Nintendo said the Switch 2 is capable of outputting at up to 4K with HDR support when docked, and 1080p on the screen itself. The console can provide “vivid, detailed game experiences, as well as smooth graphics showcasing character movements and their rich facial expressions,” Nintendo said.

The Switch 2’s LCD screen has 1080p resolution and supports HDR with up to a 120fps refresh rate with VRR support if your display accommodates it. The official Switch 2 specs site mentions the CPU/GPU is a custom-made processor from Nvidia. The console has 256GB of storage (with a portion of this reserved for the system), along with Wireless LAN and Bluetooth support.

The Switch 2 supports linear PCM output 5.1ch, along with output via HDMI connector in TV mode. The Switch 2 has stereo speakers and a built-in microphone. The console is compatible with microSD Express cards only–up to 2TB. The system also has an accelerometer, gyroscope, and a mouse sensor located in the Joy-Con.

And if you’re taking the console outside, Nintendo said it recommends being within a range of 41 to 95 degrees F, with 20-80% humidity.

As for the battery, the Switch 2 has an internal lithium-ion battery with a “rough” estimate of 2-6.5 hours–this depends on usage, like with any battery. The Switch 2 takes about three hours to charge when in Sleep mode. The system is equipped with two USB-C ports. The top one can be used to attach accessories, although it also allows for easier charging when in handheld or tabletop mode.

Digital Foundry recently posted what appear to be the Switch 2’s final and complete specs. You can see them below.

Switch 2: Nvidia T239

CPU: 8x ARM Cortex A78C
CPU Clocks: 998MHz (docked), 1101MHz (mobile), Max 1.7GHz.
CPU System Reservation: 2 cores (6 available to developers)
GPU Architecture: Ampere
CUDA Cores: 1536
GPU Clocks: 1007MHz (docked), 561MHz (mobile), Max 1.4GHz
Memory/Interface: 128-bit/LPDDR5
Memory Bandwidth: 102GB/s (docked), 68GB/s (mobile)
Memory System Reservation: 3 GB (9GB available for games)

Launch Titles

Nintendo has not provided a full rundown of Switch 2 launch titles, but plenty of them have been confirmed so far. Some of the games confirmed for launch include Nintendo’s own Mario Kart World, along with a range of third-party games, including Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Split Fiction, Street Fighter 6, and Hitman: World of Assassination. Presumably many more will be announced in the weeks and months ahead. For more, check out GameSpot’s rundown of all the Switch 2 launch games.

New Accessories

The Switch 2 will of course have a range of optional accessories, and some of these were revealed during the April 2 Nintendo Direct. As noted above in the tariffs section, prices are increasing in the US for these. Nintendo will sell a Nintendo Switch 2 camera for $55 that players can use in certain games to show their faces to friends as they play games. The Switch 2 will also support a variety of non-Nintendo USB-C cameras. Nintendo is also selling an updated Pro controller for $85, while players can buy an extra set of Joy-Cons for $95, a Joy-Con charging grip for $40, and the Switch 2 Dock Set for $120.

The C Button And Camera

The Switch 2 has a C button, and its purpose was largely a mystery until the April 2 Nintendo Direct. We now know that the C button activates a social hub called GameChat, in which up to four people can link up via voice chat and play together. GameChat also allows for screen sharing, even if everyone is playing a different game. The demonstration of this during the stream showed other players’ broadcasts with a fairly low quality and frame rate, even when maximized to be the most prominent thing shown on screen.

GameChat is free until the end of March 2026, at which point Nintendo will lock it behind the paywall of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. So what happens if you press the C Button and you don’t have an NSO membership? Nintendo assures us that nothing bad will happen, and instead, it will likely direct people to a page where they can sign up.

If a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera is connected, each player can also appear in the corner of the shared screen. Third-party cameras are also supported.

Backward Compatibility

On November 6, Nintendo confirmed backward compatibility for the Switch 2. Not only that, but Nintendo Switch Online will work across Switch 1 and Switch 2. Nintendo has said the Switch 2 will play Switch 2-exclusive games and Nintendo Switch games, for both physical and digital. However, Nintendo said “certain” original Switch games “may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.” After the April 2 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo published a list of backward compatibility titles that are currently encountering issues. Nintendo said these games are able to start up on Switch 2 but include some “in-game compatibility issues.” Some of the affected titles are Fall Guys, Alan Wake Remastered, Rocket League, and Warframe, among many others. You can see the list of affected titles on Nintendo’s website here and here.

Do Old Controllers Work on Switch 2?

Backwards-compatibility support also extends to original Switch Joy-Cons and the Pro controller–these can be used on Switch 2.

How To Play Switch 2 Early

Nintendo has revealed that fans will get to try the new system ahead of launch through what’s called “Experience events” that begin in April at locations around the world.

The event kicks off on April 4 with events in New York and Paris, before expanding to places like Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto, London, Milan, Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

Fans must have a Nintendo Account to participate. Ticket registration opens on January 17 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. Nintendo is expecting a lot of demand, apparently, as tickets will be given out in a free-to-enter drawing, with participants randomly selected.

Nintendo Switch 2 Experience host cities and schedule. All dates are local.

North America: