Cliff Notes – You can play Switch 2 at Gamescom 2025 as Nintendo confirms attendance
- Nintendo will return to Gamescom 2025, marking its first appearance since skipping last year’s event, likely to prepare for the Switch 2 launch.
- The event will take place from August 20 to August 24, with potential showcases for upcoming titles like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A.
- While Microsoft and Sony have not confirmed their attendance, Gamescom will feature Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley, preceding the main event.
The Switch 2 will be at Gamescom this year
After skipping last year’s event, Nintendo has confirmed it will be attending Gamescom 2025, just two months after the Switch 2’s launch.
Now that E3 is no more, Gamescom is the world’s biggest gaming event, based on its size and visitor numbers, but one company was notably absent last year.
Nintendo skipped last year’s event, held annually in Cologne, Germany, and while no explicit reason was given at the time, it was presumably so the company could prepare for the Switch 2’s launch.
Nintendo has now confirmed it will return for Gamescom 2025, which takes place from August 20 until August 24.
The news was announced on Nintendo’s German account on X. ‘Mark your calendar in red,’ the post reads. ‘Nintendo will be back at Gamescom in 2025. We look forward to welcoming you to Cologne from August 20th to 24th!’
There are no details on what Nintendo will show, but it will likely focus on the Switch 2 line-up beyond its initial launch on June 5, 2025.
Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza will both be released by the time Gamescom 2025 rolls around, so it might be the place to showcase Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A, which are both slated for later this year, albeit without exact release dates.
Drag x Drive, aka the wheelchair basketball game, is also set to launch at some point in the summer, while Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment and Kirby Air Riders both have vague 2025 release dates, so it’s possible they could be playable too.
Neither Microsoft or Sony have announced whether they’re attending Gamescom 2025, but the latter has skipped for the last several years. With Marathon and Ghost of Yōtei on the horizon though, it’s possible Sony could make an appearance.
As usual, Gamescom 2025 will be preceded by Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley, which serves as a starting presentation for the event with game announcements.
Before Gamescom, Keighley is set to host Summer Game Fest on Friday June 6, which will be followed by an Xbox showcase on Sunday, June 8.