Nintendo has announced the Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a special game launching alongside the Switch 2 to take you on a guided tour of its new hardware. Surprisingly, though, it’s not a pack-in piece of software, but a separate, paid digital game.
Shown during today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a “virtual exhibition” of the new hardware. Per Nintendo, “through tech demos, minigames and other interactions, players will get to know the new system inside and out in ways they may never have known about otherwise.”
Today’s Direct showed footage of a small player avatar exploring a super-sized Switch 2, reading about the different features and facts about the Nintendo Switch 2. It seems to act like a virtual museum of sorts, but also have some min-games like Speed Golf, Dodge the Spiked Balls, and a Maracas Physics Demo.
On stream and in a press release, Nintendo also confirmed the Switch 2 Welcome Tour will be available to buy from the Nintendo eShop on Switch 2’s launch day.
While it’s a neat tool, fans were quick to wonder why this was a paid digital-only game and not a console pack-in for the Nintendo Switch 2. No price has been listed as of this writing.
For comparison, the Switch 2 is also launching with games like Mario Kart World, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, and Deltarune Chapters 1 through 4. While a showcase for the new console is certainly intriguing, it will be competing for some stretched wallets early on.
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5, 2025 at a $449.99 USD price tag, or $499.99 for the bundle including Mario Kart World.
To catch up on everything announced during today’s stream, be sure to check out our recap of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct right here.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
