The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally releasing today on June 5th, 2025, bringing new hardware, updated Joy-Cons, and some seriously good launch games. If you’re planning to buy one this week, here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect.
Release Date and Price
- Release: June 5, 2025
- Base Model: $449.99 / €469.99
- Mario Kart World Bundle: $499.99 / €509.99
If you pre-ordered your console, you should obtain it during the day. If you planned on buying it at your local store, you may want to go early, as it is unsure if stores will have a lot of stock.
Detailed Specs Compared to the Switch 1
- CPU Architecture: 8x ARM Cortex A78C
- CPU Clocks: 998MHz (docked), 1101MHz (mobile), Max 1.7GHz
- CPU System Reservation: 2 cores (6 available to developers)
- GPU Architecture: Ampere
- CUDA Cores: 1536
- GPU Clocks: 1007MHz (docked), 561MHz (mobile), Max 1.4GHz
- Memory/Interface: 128-bit/LPDDR5
- Memory Bandwidth: 102GB/s (docked), 68GB/s (mobile)
- Memory System Reservation: 3GB (9GB available for games)
The Switch 2 should have no problem to handle modern games better! It has much smoother frame rates, faster loading, and way better visuals than what the Switch 1 had.
What’s New
- Joy-Con 2: Now attach magnetically and come with better grip and even mouse controls in some games. This means you can use your joy-con on anything like a mouse.
- Built-in Voice Chat: No app needed. There’s also optional camera support via USB-C.
- Backwards Compatibility: Most original Switch games work out of the box, with some getting performance boosts.
- GameCube Support: A few of GameCube classics are coming to Switch Online’s Expansion Pack.
Launch Day Games
If you’re wondering what to play first, here are some of the best options in our opinion:
- Mario Kart World – a full new game with online tournaments and new tracks
- Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition) – remastered with better performance
- Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition – fully optimized for Switch 2. The game also includes the Phatom liberty DLC
- Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut – Optimized for the Switch 2. You will love to play this one handheld!
If you want to take a look at the complete list of games that are coming for the Nintendo Switch 2, we break it down in our latest news!
