We now have a rumored release date for the Nintendo Switch 2.
As shared on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit by user vnnder, they visited a Saturn/MediaMarkt store in Germany. The store employee apparently told them they have a listed release date of May 9, 2025 for the console.
We can’t confirm that release date on our end, but it’s the first time since they made the official reveal trailer that we received a rumor for a release date. With the Switch 2 Direct scheduled days away, it seems certain that Nintendo already has a set date for its release, and that’s not going to change.
It’s not that it’s impossible for Nintendo to change that date now, but it would be expensive to make all the necessary adjustments if they did do it. So a leak like this, even if it spreads around, won’t be enough to make them change their plans.
The timing of this potential release is worth consideration. It would be placed a month before what was traditionally E3 season in the month of June. While the ESA no longer holds E3 events, the industry, including Nintendo themselves, still use that month to push their biggest video game promotions for the year.
It would be a strong strategy to get the Switch 2 released in stores a month before Nintendo’s Digital Event or Nintendo Direct for June. They would have a prime opportunity to promote the console and its launch games, after the hardcore gamers who pre-ordered and are even willing to line up to midnight launches would have gotten their hands on it.
It may also be anticipating the potential release of Grand Theft Auto 6. In the same vein that some people in the industry expect the Nintendo Switch 2 to have the biggest launch for a video game console of all time, Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to have the biggest launch for a video game title of all time.
And in a strange way, Nintendo and Rockstar won’t want to be competing with each other for attention. While it’s true that there are gamers who care about one and not the other, there’s a bigger picture where these companies spend millions in marketing to make the most sales out of their products.
And in a situation where two very high-profile products are getting marketed at the same time, the marketing will be competing with each other for attention. We don’t know if Nintendo has talked to Rockstar directly about this, but we believe Rockstar, as much as Nintendo, will want to keep their products far apart too.
So is this also somehow a hint about Grand Theft Auto 6? It may be that Rockstar will now be slotting their game to the second half of 2025 because of this.
