Nintendo Direct Switch 2 Live Updates: All the Details As They Happen

1 minute ago | April 2, 2025

Enter the Gungeon 2 is Coming

Enter the Gungeon was a top-tier roguelike, up there with Binding of Isaac, Dead Cells, Hades, and Rogue Legacy. Excited to see a full sequel.

2 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Survival Kids Remake?!

I honestly was getting this post ready joking that the game being shown off looks like a Survival Kids remake because if you thought Daemon X Machina was a pull, this Game Boy game is a way deeper one. Wow.

3 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Borderlands 4 on Switch 2 in 2025

The new Borderlands game is coming out on the Switch 2, and it’s coming out this year. Looks like Borderlands, hopefully will reach the peak Borderlands 2 was. At least hopefully will have less dialog than 3.

Also, I think I know the mall Randy Pitchford got that suit jacket from.

5 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Deltarune 1+2+3+4

Deltarune 1 and 2 have been out for a while. Now the third and fourth chapters are coming. And the release date is launch day.

6 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

GameCube on NSO!

It was on my wish list, but I’m surprised. GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Same day as Switch 2 launch.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soul Caliber 2 (with Link!), and F-Zero GX. Do Eternal Darkness next! And Skies of Arcadia Legends.

Oh, Chibi Robot and Luigi’s Mansion confirmed for the future.

Dedicated wireless GameCube controller (with C button) will also come out, exclusive to NSO members.

8 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Hyrule Warriors 3!

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the story of the Imprisoning War and taking place during [spoiler] long before Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Third Hyrule Warriors game, and Definitive Edition was peak. Age of Calamity was a slideshow, so hopefully this will run better.

9 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Yakuza 0 and Bravely Default

Early Majima and classic Final Fantasy-style stuff. Both games are great.

11 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Project 007

This is going too fast for quips and yes I know the screenshot is Hitman. Still counts. Something something had to take a cab or fall off a waterfall or got thrown into a helicopter blade or something. Anyway, IO Interactive’s Project 007 is coming to the Switch 2. This is huge, since we’ve seen almost nothing about the game it was announced.

13 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

More Games! THPS, Madden, Hogwarts, Hitman

Game announcements are coming in fast and the tool I’m using is kind of slow, so let’s hit these quick:

Madden on Switch 2

Hogwarts Legacy on Switch 2

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 on Switch 2

Hitman on Switch 2.

And wait, what’s that music?

14 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Someone Remembers Daemon X Machina?

Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion coming to the Switch 2. Mecha robot fighting, which is pretty cool, but wow that’s a deep cut. Like Project S.T.E.A.M. levels of deep cut.

16 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Street Fighter 6

Not much to say! Get fighting.

17 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Hades 2: One of the Best Roguelike Dating Sims

Supergiant Games’ Hades 2 is coming to the Switch 2, too! Sweet, because both it and Elden Ring are pretty excellent.

18 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Switch 2: Now for the Maidenless

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition confirmed for Switch 2.

19 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Drag X Drive: Wheelchair Rocket League

I wasn’t expecting Nintendo to put out Murderball, but that’s what Drag X Drive is. Dual mouse controls for moving the wheels.

20 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond With Mouse Controls!

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Switch 2 edition will support mouse controls, which is pretty great considering the first-person perspective. I remain a mouse-and-keyboard shooter purist.

It will also run in 4K60 or 1080p120 in docked mode, but only 720p120 in handheld mode.

22 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Zelda BotW and TotK Switch 2 Editions

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both getting Switch 2 editions with HDR, higher resolution, some note-taking and gadget-sharing features.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is also getting a Switch 2 edition.

24 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Mario Party Jamboree is getting a Switch 2 Edition with the new features from the Joy-Cons (new minigames). You’ll have to pay for an upgrade pack if you already have it for the Switch. Comes out July 24.

25 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Yes, the Joy-Con 2 is a Mouse

This was pretty much confirmed, but it’s official now, and games will take advantage of it. Put a little cap on the Joy-Con 2 and slide it around a surface.

26 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Three Types of Games

Three kinds of games on the Switch 2:

Switch 2 games are specifically for the new system and won’t work on the Switch.

Switch 2 Compatible games are Switch games that work on the Switch (most of them).

Switch 2 Edition games are Switch games with enhancements for the Switch 2.

28 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Launches on June 5!

The launch date is out. It comes out on June 5th.

28 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

The Game Card’s Red

Red game card! Not black! Not sure if it will also taste terrible, but we’ll see.

29 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Nintendo Presents Astro’s Playroom

Welcome Tour is an introduction game for the Switch 2 that walks you through the different features. You walk around a big Switch, hit question mark blocks, and play video games.

IT’S A PAID GAME? Wow.

Also, let’s be real, this is Nintendo’s take on Astro’s Playroom, down to the giant hardware and feature highlights.

32 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

2 USB ports, 256GB Storage, 4K Support

TV mode through the dock will support 4K. That’s huge since the Switch topped out at 1080p.

256GB internal storage, way more than the Switch (32GB).

Two USB ports, so you can connect a Switch 2 Camera, or charge in tabletop mode.

33 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

7.9-Inch, 1080p120 LCD Screen

The screen is much bigger and higher-resolution than the Switch and Switch OLED. 7.9 inches and 1080p with a 120Hz refresh rate. So some games will run at 120fps on the system? It’s an LCD screen, which on paper doesn’t have as good color or contrast as an OLED screen, but it supports HDR, so it might perform very well. I’ve seen several LCD TVs with excellent pictures. It’s possible.

36 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

GameShare: One Game on Multiple Local Switch 2s

For certain games with local multiplayer, you can use GameShare to let your friends play on their Switch 2s with you, with just one copy of the game. Up to three systems, some Switch games will be updated for it.

38 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Nintendo Switch 2 Camera!

The 3DS and Wii U had cameras, but the Switch didn’t. The Switch 2 doesn’t have a camera built in, but there’s a separate camera accessory for face cam.

40 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Nintendo has Discovered Voice Chat

GameChat is a new feature through a microphone on the console. Can easily set up voice chats with the C button.

You don’t have to use your phone to talk to other people on your Switch 2 games! Which is a pretty big step for Nintendo, even if PlayStation and Xbox have had it for three generations.

GameChat will require an NSO membership later, but it will be free until March 2026.

43 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Alone

That was just the funniest frame in the presentation.

44 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Mario Kart Open World

Some real Mario Golf Super Rush energy where you race not just on courses but between them. It looks like a full open world with different tracks between there. Free Race mode lets you go anywhere.

This is definitely a first for Mario Kart. It’s also confirmed to be a Switch 2 exclusive and a launch title, so it won’t be on the Switch.

47 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Starting off With Mario Kart World

It’s definitely a new Mario Kart game. Karts doing wall-jumping and grinding on power lines, seeing vehicle tricks and pretty cool-looking environmental gimmicks.

Also, it’s called Mario Kart World. Going into details on it now.

49 minutes ago | April 2, 2025

Here We Go!

Mario joke.

1 hour ago | April 2, 2025

Nintendo Direct Starts in 15 Minutes

15 minutes away to the big presentation! It’s almost time to find out (maybe) everything about the Switch 2. Nintendo has already started its streams up with a static screen and some ambient music.

2 hours ago | April 2, 2025

Switch 2’s Big Reveal Is Just 1 Hour Away: Here’s What We Want

After a teaser reveal, after months of waiting and speculation, the Switch 2’s coming-out party starts at 9 a.m.! A next-gen debut is always an exciting time in the gaming world, especially for a system like the Switch 2 which has been rumored for years. However, its coming raises several fun questions.

Will the Switch 2’s mysterious C button forever change gaming? Will the hardware’s power and backward compatibility improve Switch 1 games? What will the console cost? What’s the launch date?

We don’t know…yet. Hopefully, Nintendo will answer many, if not all, of those questions during the one-hour Switch 2 Nintendo Direct. So, over the next few minutes, let’s reflect on what PCMag’s gaming experts want from the Switch 2’s hardware and library—and then see which ones become reality.

Keep an eye on this live blog for commentary while checking out the Switch 2 live stream!

18 hours ago | April 1, 2025

Games We Want on the Switch 2

Jordan put together a wishlist of games he wants to see on the Switch 2, and they’re all good choices. Check it out and see which are obvious and which are completely not going to happen (a remake of Kid Icarus Uprising is my top pick, but it’s also less likely than a new F-Zero).

I’ll add a few more, and speaking of F-Zero I want a new F-Zero. We’re getting a new Mario Kart, so we probably won’t get a new high-speed sci-fi racer from Nintendo soon, but it’s still a great series that feels very different from Mario Kart. Since Mario Kart 9 looks like it might be going back to more grounded and less gravity-defying roots, though, there could be room for a racing game with lots of loops and corkscrews.

The Switch has successfully ported most of the Wii U’s good games over, but that leaves some room from earlier generations. If Nintendo doesn’t add GameCube games to Nintendo Switch Online, some remasters or remakes would be welcome. Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door was a start, but how about Luigi’s Mansion HD, or Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem? Or from Sega, maybe Skies of Arcadia: Legends (or a sequel to Skies of Arcadia). And you know what? Soul Caliber 2, the GameCube version with Link.

While we’re reaching back for great games to put on the Switch 2, or any modern console, I want to mention the best RPG duology on the PlayStation 2, Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant. You turned into a demon, fought through pre-WWI Europe and Japan, hung out with a masked wrestler who was a vampire, Mata Hari and Gepetto were in your party, it was great. Has absolutely nothing to do with any Nintendo system, but neither do a ton of amazing ports on the Switch, and I’ll take any opportunity to talk about Shadow Hearts.

Oh, and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Please. I just want to hear anything about it. It’s been years.

19 hours ago | April 1, 2025

The First Switch 2 Accessories

The first bits of confirmation of the Switch 2’s form factor and design came from some accessory companies before Nintendo unveiled the system. Dbrand, makers of Darkplates 2.0 and occasional gleeful poker of the game company bear, has been teasing its Killswitch 2 accessory for some time. It looks like a case for the Switch 2 with ergonomic grips for the Joy-Cons. It doesn’t seem ground-breaking, but if you want to protect your new system it might be worth a look. Dbrand will open up reservations tomorrow. Jsaux is being less coy about it, and has actually announced an entire line of Switch 2 accessories. Nacon also has a section for Switch 2 accessories on its site, but it only says “Coming soon.”

Today, though, in honor of April 1st, Dbrand rolled out a new product that is both a joke and will actually be shipping. Touch Grass is a limited edition skin for a bunch of different phones, tablets, and gaming consoles and handhelds including all Switches but not the Switch 2, and it’s just what it says. It’s astroturf for your devices. Specifically, it’s green flocked polyethylene designed to simulate grass. It’s cute, though I think Dbrand’s leather skins are a better style flex.

19 hours ago | April 1, 2025

The C Button Mystery

The Switch 2’s right Joy-Con has a mysterious C button under the home button. There’s a lot of speculation about it, and until Nintendo tells us what it does its purpose remains a question. The Switch already has a separate capture button, and the home button already fulfills the system menu purpose, and the plus and minus buttons control in-game menus and actions. It’s really not clear what the button could do.

One theory Jordan noted, and that I would love to see, is that it’s a Cast button for connecting a Switch to the Switch 2 for a dual-screen experience. Maybe for Wii U and 3DS games? There are a lot of amazing games locked on the 3DS because of its dual-screen design. That seems like a pretty far out-there idea, but so were the Wii U and DS in the first place.

20 hours ago | April 1, 2025

The Switch News Won’t Stop on Wednesday

The Nintendo Direct tomorrow will show off the console itself, but Nintendo will keep the news coming until the weekend. The Nintendo Treehouse (Nintendo of America’s development, localization, and hype-building division) will have its own streams April 3 and 4 at 10:00 a.m. ET, also on Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channels. They’ll have hands-on gameplay for Switch 2 games, which should give us a closer look at how the system performs.

20 hours ago | April 1, 2025

Sigh. Labo Was a Good Idea, and It Probably Won’t be on the Switch 2

I really liked Nintendo’s Labo kits. They were a fun gimmick to review, but more than that they were a really clever way to make basic engineering and mechanisms seem fun and engaging for kids. Even if they weren’t really educational sets, they were just very charming and interesting, and there wasn’t anything like it.

If you aren’t familiar with Labo, it was a series of sets where you could assemble different accessories out of cardboard and put your Switch in it for real-life games. There was a variety kit with toys like a fishing rod and a piano, a robot kit with a mechanical backpack, a vehicle kit with a steering wheel, and a VR kit that turned the Switch into a VR headset. None of them offered very deep experiences, but each one showed off some real ingenuity in turning cardboard and rubber bands into working machines, and that sort of cleverness could really encourage a kid to get into engineering. At least, that’s what I thought.

Nintendo hasn’t touched Labo for a few years, and since each one was designed for the regular Switch (the Switch OLED was actually slightly too big for the VR kit) they will probably count among the Switch games that will not in fact work on the Switch 2. I’d love to see Nintendo revisit the concept, but it sadly just seemed to not catch on.

21 hours ago | April 1, 2025

Switch 1 Games to Play on the Switch 2

Nintendo had another Direct last week highlighting upcoming games that will be coming out on the standard Switch. The biggest games were Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which got close looks. They’re major Switch games, and they’re also probably going to be major Switch 2 launch games. The big question is if those will be two separate things.

Game releases as new console generations come out often include ports between last-gen and next-gen systems. Did you know that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had a Wii U version? The Sheikah slate was actually designed to look like a Wii U gamepad, not a Switch! There wasn’t any backwards compatibility between the Switch and the Wii U, though, but The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess got GameCube and Wii ports when those consoles were passing the torch between them, and you could play GameCube games on the Wii. Since the Switch 2 is presumably a proper generation upgrade over the Switch, Metroid Prime and Pokemon Legends will probably have individual Switch and Switch 2 versions. The former will play on either device, and the latter will specifically take advantage of the Switch 2’s extra power for hopefully higher resolutions and better framerates.

Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi Life are also getting sequels on the Switch. They aren’t as graphically intensive as Metroid or Zelda, and separate Switch 2 versions probably aren’t necessary.

22 hours ago | April 1, 2025

The Youth(ful Adults) Want the Switch 2

Millennials and Zoomers are looking forward to the Switch 2, and interested in buying it, and we have actual numbers on that. According to a survey performed by our colleagues at CNET, more than half (58%) of US adults who actively play games are interested in getting the Switch 2. Among them, Gen Z and Millennials are especially interested at 70% and 71% respectively.

Price is the biggest sticking point in the survey, and among a list of deciding factors that would influence a purchase 27% of all US adult gamers and 31% of Gen Z highlight how much the system will cost.

CNET goes into the survey results in much more detail, so check out their analysis.

The survey doesn’t include non-adults, so we don’t know how interested Gen Alpha is or what would convince them to buy the Switch 2 if they could afford it. Maybe if it comes out of a toilet loaded with rizz aura and it isn’t and/or is sigma? Look, I don’t know. I grew up in the 90s and we had really stupid tastes then, too.

22 hours ago | April 1, 2025

Sailing the Seas of Rumors: What We Don’t Know

Besides what Nintendo has already told us, the Switch 2 has been surrounded by rumors for years, ranging from its very existence (a perennial claim since 2021, when the Switch OLED made it clear we weren’t getting a Pro/New Switch before the sequel system) to its processing power. Those rumors have come from leaks of varying levels of confidence, or purely from speculation.

At this point, the biggest mysteries are how much power the Switch 2 has, how much it will cost, and when it will come out. Hardware specs have been the most wobbly, and they probably won’t be cleared up during the Nintendo Direct because the company isn’t one for highlighting numbers over features. From a few different leaks the best estimates we have is that the Switch 2 will have 8GB to 12GB of RAM and 64GB to 256GB of storage, and in terms of power it might use a version of the ARM Cortex-A78AE, an eight-core processor processor that’s mostly designed for self-driving vehicles. I don’t know, maybe?

Ultimately, the numbers in the specs don’t matter. What matters is how the Switch 2 performs, and unlike for PC hardware we can’t exactly compare numbers directly between different architectures and platforms. We also can’t benchmark them, so we’re just going to have to see what games look like and how well they play. And we probably won’t get the best idea of that tomorrow through a Nintendo Direct stream.

We will likely get the release date and price, though. Those rumors have settled into reasonable estimates of a June or July launch, and a $400 retail price. These definitely come more from speculation based on the game console market as it is now and the timing of the Nintendo Direct than they do from alleged leaks. We’ll find out if those estimates are right tomorrow.

22 hours ago | April 1, 2025

The (Mostly Confirmed) Story So Far

Nintendo officially announced the Switch 2 in January, but with very few details besides a video looking over the whole system. It was better than nothing, since it actually let us see what the Switch 2 looks like, and I gleaned five pretty solid details from that video. That along with some other information Nintendo has released about the Switch 2 gives us an early picture that will get filled out tomorrow. Here’s what we know, or are at least pretty sure of: 

• It’s the same form factor as the Switch

• It’s backwards compatible, for both digital and physical Switch games

• The screen is bigger

• The Joy-Cons are now magnetically attached, with physical contact points

• The Joy-Cons might have mouse functions

• A new Mario Kart will probably be a launch game

That’s what Nintendo has pretty much confirmed, but that’s not the whole picture, and there are a ton of gaps.

22 hours ago | April 1, 2025

How to Watch

This one’s easy (and we have a longer story explaining it in more detail). The YouTube stream is right above here, so you can watch from this page. You’ll have to reload for updates during the Nintendo Direct, though, which means you can also watch it on a few other places: