
It’s going to be a relatively big week for Nintendo and Switch owners as Donkey Kong Bananza is set to hit store shelves on Thursday. It, perhaps outside of Mario Kart World, has been among the most highly-anticipated Switch 2 releases thus far, but the exclusive Switch 2 game lineup is still relatively thin and fans seem to be clamoring for more. But worry not – a reliable Nintendo leaker has recently divulged that the next Nintendo Direct showcase is likely to go live this month.
When is the next Nintendo Switch 2 Direct?

With the launch of Switch 2 getting pushed back and Nintendo focusing on dedicated Direct showcases for Mario Kart World (this one wasn’t so hot) and Donkey Kong Bananza (this one totally sold me on the game), we didn’t really get a proper Nintendo summer showcase.

While the launch window game release schedule for Switch 2 certainly isn’t abysmal, it leaves a lot to be desired for me – most of the games were upgraded ports of Switch 1 titles and there’s really only a couple big Switch 2 games we know about that don’t have release dates.
Donkey Kong Bananza hits on July 17, and that’s sure to inject some excitement into the next-gen platform. We know Pokémon Legends: Z-A launches in mid October because Nintendo revealed as much already, but that leaves a relatively thin release lineup between mid July and October in terms of first-party titles.
Okay so, when’s the next Nintendo Direct to get us hyped for some upcoming games? We need release dates for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond as well as Kirby Air Riders still, and, I for one, am still hoping for at least some kind of major teaser from the Mushroom Kingdom even if it doesn’t release this year. The possibility of a major first-party release we don’t already know about for this summer seems hopeful at best, but a mere mention of a new Mario game could really help the cause and keep the hype train rolling right through the year on the backs of the new Pokémon game and Metroid if you ask me.
To answer the question at hand, we don’t know for sure, but reliable leaker NateTheHate who has a pretty solid track record suggests the next Nintendo Direct will go live before the month is out.
We are hoping to at least hear more about all of these Microsoft games that were rumored to be coming to Nintendo Switch, never mind Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Activision ports previously floating around from leakers. Perhaps a mention of a brand new Mario game is a little too hopeful (although we could see a teaser for a release in early 2026 though?), but we at least need release dates for all of the major upcoming releases we know about thus far Nintendo – Borderlands 4, Elden Ring, and FF VII remake.
We will keep a close eye for the next Nintendo Direct so stay tuned – the potential dates for the show being thrown around right now include Jul 22, 23, or 24, or perhaps the following week before we get into August.
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