Image: Nintendo
It looks like we’re not getting the Nintendo Switch 2 this year after all.
Nintendo will not release the Nintendo Switch 2 this year, according to a new report from Brazilian games journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe corroborated by Eurogamer and VGC. The company had previously planned to release the handheld games console this year, before pushing it back to the first quarter of 2025 to ensure a stronger lineup of first-party launch titles.
This likely means that we’re not getting the Nintendo Switch 2 this year as previously expected, as Nintendo works to prepare a better lineup of next-gen games to launch with the console.
Nintendo Switch 2 launch now set for 2025
According to previous reports, Nintendo had planned to produce 10 million Switch 2 units by 2025 to alleviate stock shortages, as the company prepared for a launch in the second half of this year. Those plans have changed. New reports suggest that the Nintendo Switch successor is now set for release in Q1 2025. According to Eurogamer, the delay, “is designed to ensure Switch 2's launch line-up features as many titles as possible.”
Nintendo reportedly informed third-party publishers and developers of the console’s delay as well, though it will still be released during its upcoming fiscal year (April 2024 to March 2025). The upcoming console will now launch eight long years after the Nintendo Switch and is expected to feature a wider 8-inch LCD screen with beefed-up technical specifications compared to those of its predecessor, but the company still expects a “smooth transition,” between both consoles.
For Nintendo’s part, the company has not officially named the Nintendo Switch successor just yet, opting to vaguely talk around the topic in interviews and investor meetings. Still, the writing’s on the wall for the Switch’s retirement. The console has sold more than 139 million units to date, making it a major success for Nintendo even without a major lineup of new titles coming this year. Princess Peach: Showtime!, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Metroid Prime 4 are the only first-party games we know are bound for the Switch in the near future. Beyond that? It's a mystery.