We are weeks out from the next Nintendo Direct, which will finally reveal more details about the upcoming Switch 2. In the meantime, leaks about the new console have continued to trickle out, and the latest seems to hint at a surprisingly early release date.
On Tuesday, Famiboards user LiC claimed that around 383,000 Switch 2 units were shipped to the US between January 17th and January 22nd. The user has been tracking the shipments of cartons and instruction manuals for months and suggests these units are fully completed retail packages, ready to be placed on store shelves soon.
“383k is a decent-sized shipment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers increase,” the user said. “HVBG [the transport company] had received 1.2 million units of one-per-system parts like the SoC and screen as of December, and 1.7 million as of January, and we can expect 100% of those to end up in units shipped to the US.”
Back in January, Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 would launch in 2025 but didn’t provide a release date. Some have speculated that the console would be ready this summer, while others believe Nintendo will wait until closer to the holiday season.
If hundreds of thousands of Switch 2 units are already sitting in storage in the US, we are willing to bet the console will be available sooner than this fall.
Looking back, Nintendo hosted its Switch Presentation on January 12, 2017, and then launched the console two months later on March 3. There’s no reason to think the gaming company won’t employ the same strategy for the Switch 2. If the timeline ends up being similar, we might even get our hands on the Switch 2 by late May 2025.
Thankfully, we shouldn’t have to guess for much longer. The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is coming on April 2, 2025, at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET.
