The Switch 2 console was released on June 5, 2025. It is backwards compatible with nearly all Switch games as well as the original Joy-Cons and Switch Pro controller, although the new Switch 2 controllers offer more functionality. In his Nintendo Switch 2 review, Tom Marks sums up the Switch 2 as "a vital but unexciting upgrade to a console I already love."

At this point, several major Switch 2 video games have been released: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Pokemon Pokopia, and much more. Several high-profile titles have been announced, like the Star Fox remake and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. Triple-A ports are also making their way to the Switch 2 console, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, making the Switch 2 a veritable competitor to pricier handheld gaming PCs. The Switch 2 hardware is powerful enough to run these games at a very playable clip, a feat that's impossible on the original Switch's increasingly outdated hardware.

The Switch 2 will go up in price starting September 1

Nintendo officially announced that the Switch 2 console will go up in price starting September 1. This means that the console sans game will cost $499.99 instead of $449.99. The time to upgrade from your Switch console is now.

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