The persistent Nintendo Switch 2 rumor mill is heating up While Nintendo itself remains tight-lipped about its future hardware plans, various supposed industry insiders claim to have the latest scoop on the gaming giant's next console

Most commonly referred to as the Nintendo Switch 2, as of February 2024 there is no definite release date for the console In fact, as of this writing, the second generation Nintendo Switch is not technically confirmed However, it seems almost certain that a successor to the best-selling Nintendo Switch will be on the way

For now, all we have are unverified rumors and a healthy dose of speculation when trying to determine a Nintendo Switch 2 release date So here are the most recent Switch 2 release date rumors, along with my own predictions Plus, be sure to follow our dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 hub for all the latest rumors, from specs to pricing

While online whispers surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 can be traced back to 2021, the excitement surrounding the console began to pick up in early 2023 We initially saw reports that the Switch 2 would be released in the winter of 2023 However, that never materialized

These rumors died down when Nintendo itself confirmed that President Shuntaro Furukawa had no plans to release hardware during the current fiscal year, which ends in March However, while the Switch 2 will not be released in the short term, the possibility remains that it will be announced during this fiscal year, and recent leaks suggest that this is the plan

NateTheHate, an industry insider who has provided accurate information in the past, claims that "Switch 2 appears to be ready for a reveal or announcement," and this informant even stated definitively that "Nintendo will announce Switch 2 in March"

That the Switch 2 will be announced next month and released in late 2024 dovetails nicely with additional rumors from various sources suggesting that Nintendo's next console will be released in 2024

The amount of tipsters claiming that the Switch 2 will launch this year has been overwhelming in recent months, and there is a lot of smoke surrounding this idea that these claims must have some validity

However, in light of recent news, it seems unlikely that Switch 2 will definitely launch within the next 10 months On Friday (February 16), a new series of rumors threw a wrench into the works, with several sources suggesting that Nintendo's next console will be delayed from its originally planned 2024 launch date and will not surface until 2025

According to Brazilian games journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, the Switch 2 will appear in early 2025 This totally sucks But at least he claims that it will be released within Nintendo's 2024 fiscal year, which runs through March 2025

Additionally, gaming outlets VGC and Eurogamer have heard similar rumors from their own sources Both claim to have independently corroborated Pedro's initial report and believe that the Switch 2 will appear in the first quarter of 2025

Eurogamer states that "[Switch 2's] launch will be delayed to early next year, but still within the next fiscal year, to ensure that the Switch 2 launch lineup will feature as many titles as possible" VGC also claims to have heard similar stories from sources

The world is full of conflicting information, making it difficult to determine what is accurate and what is false Until there is an official announcement from Nintendo, all of these leaks and rumors should be taken with a grain of salt They may turn out to be false Nintendo has a habit of doing the unexpected

The Nintendo Switch will be seven years old in a few weeks, and its internal components are struggling to keep up with the latest releases For proof, look no further than last year's disastrous Switch version of Mortal Kombat 1 Even Nintendo's flagship games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Realm are struggling to run on the current Switch's outdated technology

In its May 2023 earnings report, Nintendo revealed that Switch sales are slowing faster than expected Furthermore, the console's confirmed first-party game lineup for 2024 consists primarily of smaller titles and remakes, and my sense is that the road left for the Nintendo Switch is not very long

Nintendo Switch 2, or whatever Nintendo ultimately calls its next console, seems like a logical launch strategy for 2024; it's hard to pinpoint exactly when Switch 2 will be released, but it was revealed in March to take advantage of the holiday A September or early October release is still not out of the realm of possibility

Furthermore, the lack of confirmed Switch software for the second half of 2024 may be evidence that Nintendo is preparing a full Switch 2 later this year

The current Nintendo Switch launched five months after the initial announcement, so a similar gap may occur with Switch 2 (if revealed next month, the launch would be in August) However, the OG Switch was announced in October 2016 and hit store shelves in March 2017 Perhaps the Switch 2 will follow a similar trend, being announced this year, but settling on a release date somewhere in 2025

Based on the latest rumors (corroborated by Eurogamer and VGC), there is definitely reason to be concerned that we may not get the Switch 2 until early 2025 It is highly unlikely that Nintendo intended to spend eight years on a console generation, but if reports that the Switch 2's software lineup is not ready are accurate, the gaming giant may feel it has no choice but to wait

Hopefully Nintendo will be ready to talk off the record about what's coming next fairly soon After years of dubious rumors and leaks, we are ready to get some concrete details at this point Meanwhile, if you're eagerly awaiting Switch 2, stay tuned to Tom's Guide for the latest news