Nintendo Switch 2

	; The Nintendo Switch 2 docked with Joy-Con detached;
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Type	Home console/handheld hybrid
Release date(s)	June 5, 2025
Media	Nintendo Switch 2 Game Card; Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Card; Nintendo Switch Game Card; microSD Express card
Input	Joy-Con 2; Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller; Touch screen
Predecessor	Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a hybrid video game home console and handheld made by Nintendo and released on June 5, 2025.^[1] Like its predecessor, it can be played portably or placed in a dock to play on a TV or monitor. Compared to the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2 features a larger 1080p 120 Hz display and more powerful hardware, allowing for up to 4K video output in docked mode. A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on January 15, 2026.

The Joy-Con 2 controllers function much like the Joy-Con for the original Nintendo Switch but are now larger and attach to the system via magnets rather than sliding rails. Each Joy-Con 2 contains an optical sensor on its side that allows it to be used like a computer mouse in supported games. Like the Nintendo Switch, there is a more traditional controller, the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible with most Nintendo Switch games, along with its Joy-Con and Pro Controllers.

As of March 31, 2026, the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold a total of 19.86 million units worldwide.^[2]

Features and built-in software

For features that are the same between Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, see Nintendo Switch § Features and built-in software.

User profile icons

Like the Nintendo Switch, users can customize their profiles with icons of characters from various Nintendo franchises. In addition to all 18 Animal Crossing icons from the Nintendo Switch, an additional 12 are available on Nintendo Switch 2, making for a total of 30.^[3]

The Nook Inc., Dodo Airlines, and The Roost logo icons were previously available on Nintendo Switch as unlockable icons for Nintendo Switch Online members to purchase with My Nintendo Platinum Points.

Captures

As with Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2 includes the capture button () to take screenshots and 30-second video clips and are saved to an album accessed from the HOME Menu. Since Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 3.0, screenshots and video taken of the game are now saved at a resolution of 1920×1080.

Animal Crossing-related games

Nintendo Switch 2 Editions

Some games have Nintendo Switch 2 Editions—paid upgrades that enhance existing Nintendo Switch games in various ways, such as higher resolution and frame rates and the addition of new game modes or features. Cartridges of these games inserted in a Nintendo Switch will play the original game.

Game	Image	Release dates
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition		January 15, 2026

Backward compatibility

The Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible with most Nintendo Switch games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons and all other Animal Crossing-related titles.^[4] Additionally, some Nintendo Switch games will receive smaller, free updates that take advantage of the Nintendo Switch 2's hardware in some way.

Game	Image	Release dates
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe		April 28, 2017 April 28, 2017 April 28, 2017 April 28, 2017 April 28, 2017 December 15, 2017 March 16, 2020
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate		December 7, 2018
Animal Crossing: New Horizons		March 20, 2020
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Island Transfer Tool		November 18, 2020