Nintendo will be present at Gamescom 2025, having skipped the event last year.
The company confirmed it would be returning to the annual German event, which is the highest attended gaming convention in the world, in a post on social media.
“Mark your calendar in red: Nintendo will be back at @gamescom in 2025,” Nintendo’s German X account announced, adding it is “[looking] forward to welcoming you to Cologne from August 20th to 24th!”
Yes, Gamescom will be held in August, which – as I’m sure you’re aware – is after Nintendo Switch 2 releases. So, with that in mind, what can those attending the convention expect to see from the Mario maker?
Well, Nintendo hasn’t shared specifics. However, two of Nintendo’s biggest first party games Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza will have already been released by the time Gamescom comes around, though it seems likely these will be available for players to demo while in Cologne.
“Yes, everyone might have been expecting Mario, but Bananza’s brawny obliteration is far better suited to his one-time enemy,” our former EIC Tom Phillips wrote after going hands-on with Donkey Kong Bananza.
Meanwhile, other games coming to the Switch successor have also been available to try out at other events including Metroid Prime 4, so it again seems fair to assume it will be playable at Nintendo’s Gamescom booth. Maybe we will hear a firm release date around then, as well.
Our Ed called Metroid Prime 4 “the best example of Switch 2’s varied control capabilities” when he took the upcoming release for a spin earlier this year, though for now he isn’t totally convinced by the mouse (as a reminder, the Switch 2 Joy-Con will boast mouse functionality on the console’s release).
“I played Metroid Prime 4 with each Joy-Con 2 placed on my thighs. This worked surprisingly well, with the controls still responsive despite being on an uneven surface. Nintendo told me the sensitivity can be tweaked too, allowing for smaller movements,” he wrote in Eurogamer’s Metroid Prime 4 demo preview.
“Still, how usable this method is will likely depend on the size of your thighs: if you don’t have enough real estate to move the controller around, you’ll be moving based on quick adjustments rather than smooth, sweeping motions.” (Personally, I have quite generous thigh real estate.)
We will keep you posted with any more news regarding Gamescom 2025, and of course Switch 2, as and when we hear more. In the meantime, you can check out our handy guide to all Nintendo Switch 2 launch games here.