Switch 2 release date explained by Nintendo: ‘June was very good timing’

• 🤔 Nintendo chose June 5 for the Switch 2 release, breaking the traditional November launch trend

• 🌞 The hybrid nature of the Switch 2 makes it ideal for summer travel and outdoor play

• 📆 The Switch 2 faces minimal competition, with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach being the only major PS5 game in June

• 💪 The timing allows Nintendo to establish the Switch 2 before the holiday season, supported by major game launches

Console launches traditionally happen in November. It’s seen as the optimal time to release new hardware, with spending increasing during the holiday season. However, Nintendo bucked that trend when it launched the Switch in March 2017, and it’s doing so again with the Switch 2’s release date on June 5.

Summer tends to be a quiet period for video game releases. However, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has explained why June was the right month to launch the Switch 2.

In an interview with NPR, (thanks, Nintendo Everything) Bowser said: “We like to think that the year is a year and that there are no specific time frames when you should or must launch video games. And so, as we looked at the games that we had prepared and ready to launch with the hardware, we thought June was a very good timing. It’s the start of summer season, and obviously, with a Nintendo Switch 2, you have a device that you can both play at home and play at home docked like a gaming console, or you can take it out of the dock and take it on the go. So it’s a perfect game for summer travel.”

As Bowser points out, the hybrid nature of the Switch 2 means it can be taken on the go or played outside during the day.

It’s also fair to say that the Switch 2 is launching amid little competition from Microsoft or Sony, since Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is the only major upcoming PS5 game set to be released in June.

Nintendo will also be acutely aware of GTA 6’s impending release, a game that’s not been confirmed for Switch 2. Publishers are avoiding GTA 6 like the plague, as it’s bound to eclipse any major release. It would also naturally make Nintendo’s new console look less appealing if it was unable to play one of the most anticipated games of all time.

A June 5 release date makes sense for Switch 2, as it gives Nintendo plenty of time to establish its new console ahead of the holidays. Alongside Mario Kart World, Nintendo is also releasing Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond this year.

You can check out the full list of Nintendo Switch 2 launch games. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Shortcut for the latest Switch 2 pre-order restock alerts and news.

Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.