Switch 2 release date announced, Nintendo to sell both “Japan-only” and “multi-language” versions

Nintendo finally reveals the big date for the long-awaited Switch successor, which will be getting a brand-new Donkey Kong adventure.

“When is the Switch 2 coming out?” has been a question gamers have been asking for a long time. With the Switch having been released all the way back in 2017, it’s a valid question, but Nintendo has always moved at its own pace, and stayed completely mum on its future hardware plans all the way up until this past January, when they revealed the successor system in a brief teaser video.

At the time, Nintendo also announced that it would be holding hands-on previews at cities around the world, with dates for the events ranging from April 11 to June 1. So it was safe to assume that the system wouldn’t be going on sale until some time after then, but it turns out the gap is going to be almost non-existent, as Nintendo has now announced that the Switch 2 will be released on June 5.

The news was delivered in Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct YouTube presentation, which also previewed the first Switch 2 exclusive, Super Mario Kart World, an all-new entry in the series which adds an open-world where players can race across a giant connected map from one circuit to another, The presentation also revealed the function for the Switch 2 controller’s mysterious C button, GameChat, a video chat system that allows you and your friends to video chat while playing games and even add your video of yourself into the gameplay screen using the separately sold Switch 2 camera. GameChat also allows for online sharing of certain games so that you and a group of friends can play co-op together even if only one of you owns the game.

The presentation also confirmed that the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons attach magnetically to the system and have mouse functionality. On the software side, Nintendo has a number of upgraded Switch 2 versions of Switch hits such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom and Kirby and the Forgotten Land in the works, and also on the way are Switch 2 ports of titles that gamers have been enjoying on rival consoles and PC, including Elden Ring, Hades II, Split Fiction, and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. The gigantic software coup, though, was the announcement of The Duskbloods, a brand-new vampire-themed game from From Software directed by Dark Souls and Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki which will be a Switch 2 exclusive and on sale in 2026. Nintendo closed out the software previews the surprise unveiling of Donkey Kong Bonanza, a lavish new 3-D (and sometimes 2-D) adventure for its simian star.

In an odd footnote for the international community in Japan, Nintendo also said that it will be releasing two versions of the hardware within the country, a “Japanese-language Japan-only” Switch 2, which will be offered in a bundled set that includes a download-version copy of Mario Kart World and a “multi-language” Switch 2 for players “requiring languages other than Japanese.” To clarify, both of these versions of the Switch 2 are going to be sold within Japan, but with the multi-language version not available at retail stores and only purchasable directly form Nintendo through the My Nintendo online store.

▼ Japanese-Language System (Japan-Only)

▼ Multi-Language System

It’s a curious move, since the Switch, along with Sony’s PlayStation family since the PS3, simply include home menu options that allows you to easily set the system language to Japanese, English, or several other languages, and to change the setting as often as you like. It’s not clear why Nintendo suddenly feels the need to undo a convenience that’s become an industry standard, though the logic behind it may be an attempt to prevent overseas scalpers buying Japanese Switch 2s en masse to exploit the currently weak yen. That would also explain why the multi-language version is only available by direct order from Nintendo, which would allow it to exert tighter purchase controls than retailers would.

Speaking of prices, Nintendo has yet to say how much the Switch 2 will cost or when it’ll be available for pre-order, but with a launch date of June 5, that information should be coming very soon.

Source, images: YouTube/Nintendo 公式チャンネル
Featured image: Nintendo
Top, insert images:YouTube/Nintendo 公式チャンネル
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