The Nintendo Switch 2 release window could be three months away in June 2025, according to a YouTube leaker corroborating previous rumors surrounding the console's launch.
EXtas1s, a leaker with something of a track record for revealing gaming news, published a video claiming Nintendo will officially launch the console at the end of June.
“According to what I’ve been told, the Nintendo Switch 2 is currently planned for release at the end of June [2025],” he said.
“I don’t have an exact date, but that’s the current target. What I’m hearing is that it will be officially revealed in early April, with a release set for late June."
If that date sounds familiar, it's because it's the same release window suggested by an ex-Nintendo employee earlier this year. The employee, known as Sean, worked as a sales lead for Nintendo and believes the console will be released around mid-June, before the end of the school year.
And the early April reveal is a lock-in. Nintendo is hosting a Switch 2-themed Nintendo Direct on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, starting at 9 AM Eastern, 6 AM Pacific and 2 PM BST.
The company has revealed that we'll get technical specifications of the new console in a "closer look" at Switch 2. Whether or not the price and release date are revealed remains to be seen.
Launch games
In his video, eXtas1s makes some big predictions on third-party titles expected to join Mario Kart 9 in the Switch 2's suite of launch titles.
“I can say that Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is expected to be one of the very first Bandai Namco games to arrive on the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch," he said.
“There has been a lot of speculation and rumors about Elden Ring and Tekken 8 coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. Well, from what I’ve been told, these two games will indeed be coming to the Switch 2.”
The prospect of Elden Ring, in particular, on the Switch 2 is tempting for gamers who missed out on FromSoftware Inc's sprawling adventure the first time around.
But it's just one of several big-name third-party games that could arrive on the Nintendo Switch 2 following launch.
These include, according to The Game Post, several huge Xbox titles that could find a new audience on Nintendo's handheld:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Fallout 4
- Starfield
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Of course, with the limited power of the Nintendo Switch 2 (possibly similar to that of a PlayStation 4 Pro), it will be interesting to see how games we're used to seeing on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5-level hardware play out.
While Nintendo's own first-party titles are sure to be the system sellers for a huge majority of buyers, the ability to competently play third-party titles will position the Switch 2 against handheld PCs like the Steam Deck and whatever handheld the Xbox team is currently cooking up.
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