Nintendo has reportedly shared a timeline for the release of their next-generation Switch console, the Switch 2, with developers. The long-awaited successor to the popular Switch won’t be launching in 2024, and it’s now looking like a mid-2025 launch is the earliest possibility. This news comes from industry insider Christopher Dring of GamesIndustry.biz, who has been in communication with game developers working on titles for the new console.
Dring’s information aligns with previous reports suggesting a Q1 2025 launch for the Switch 2, which would have placed it between January and March of 2025. However, based on conversations with developers, Dring believes the launch window may have shifted. He states that Nintendo’s recent financial announcements, while mentioning the upcoming announcement of the new Switch, didn’t explicitly mention a release date within the next financial year. This is in contrast to their previous practices when launching a new console, where they clearly communicated the release plans.
Dring further clarifies that developers he’s spoken with have been instructed not to anticipate a 2024 launch for the Switch 2. Instead, the expectation among these developers is a release sometime between April and May of 2025. This would make a late-2024 release highly unlikely, even though it’s been rumored in some circles. A spring 2025 launch would provide some breathing room for developers, especially considering the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI, which could potentially overlap with the launch window if the Switch 2 was released later in the year.
While Nintendo has yet to officially confirm the release date for the Switch 2, the information shared by Dring and corroborated by developer sources suggests that a mid-2025 launch is the most likely scenario. Fans eagerly awaiting the new console may need to adjust their expectations for a bit longer, but with the release date drawing closer, more concrete information is sure to emerge in the coming months.
