The longest Nintendo Direct ever is about to begin Friday morning and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. We’re three months into the the life of the new Switch 2 and the fall 2025 release calendar is just starting to pick up. While Nintendo will no doubt preview its slate of upcoming games ahead of the holiday (Metroid Prime 4 release date?), it’s also a great opportunity to share a look ahead at what’s coming to the new hardware in 2026 and beyond (Super Mario Galaxy 2 remaster?).
The September 12 Nintendo Direct will last roughly 60 minutes, making it the Mario-maker’s longest showcase outside of the Switch 2 reveal earlier this year. It’s scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and will be streaming on YouTube and Twitch, though you can also watch it in the embedded feed below. The company has promised updates not only on its new console but on games coming to the original Switch as well. Given the over 150 million units sold, I don’t see Nintendo completely turning its back on the platform anytime soon.
Fans are greedy for updates on the status of the next Animal Crossing, Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and 3D Mario games. According to recent leaks and rumors, plenty of ports are also in the pipeline for Switch 2 including Resident Evil 7, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more. Cyberpunk 2077 at launch and more recently Star Wars Outlaws have proven that the hardware has enough juice to handle some of the biggest games, if enough TLC goes into the ports.
When it comes to the Switch 1, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Rhythm Heaven Groove were both announced for the eight-year-old console earlier this year, but aren’t expected to arrive until 2026. While plenty of smaller third-party games will probably continue to be ported to both the old and new handheld hybrids, it’ll be interesting to see if Nintendo continues bringing some of its newer releases to the older platform or pushes fans to start buying the Switch 2. The latter is already the fastest-selling console ever in the U.S. At least before any potential price hikes amid ongoing tariffs.