Nintendo Switch 2 Trial Experience: Dates, Tickets, and What Is Included

The Nintendo Switch 2 is real, but it won’t be available for quite some time. But, if you really want to get hands on with the new console before it officially releases, Nintendo is offering a limited chance to test it out.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience is a set of physical events that will take place in various locations around the world starting on April 4, offering everyone a chance to try out the Switch 2 ahead of its launch later this year. That is, if you manage to get a reservation.
What is the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience?
The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience is a new physical event series hosted by Nintendo to demo its new console before it fully releases.
With a Nintendo Direct scheduled for early April that will focus almost entirely on the Switch 2, we will learn more about the console and the games launching around the same time there. Until then, all we know is that the Switch 2 Experience is a ticketed event that you can get tickets for in order to trial the system and some of its offerings early.
Outside of media previews or additional videos from Nintendo, the Switch 2 Experience events will likely be the first time players get to see the hybrid console in action and experience some new exclusive games.
If you want speculation about what might be present other than the consoles themselves, Nintendo will likely have demos for multiple, currently unannounced games along with showcasing backward compatibility. Among those games should be a new Mario Kart title that was briefly teased during the Switch 2 reveal trailer.
How to Get Nintendo Switch 2 Experience Tickets
Nintendo is offering tickets to the Switch 2 Experience for free to any user with a Nintendo Account, though it is being done via a drawing so you aren’t guaranteed a spot. Based on your region, the experience might end up being a bit different.
For users in the United States, if you visit the official Nintendo website page for the Switch 2 Experience, you can register for any of the available events directly starting on Jan. 17 and before sign ups end on Jan. 26 at 11:59pm local time.
The only requirement is you must have a Nintendo Account to register for a free ticket in the randomly selected drawing. If you encounter any issues while signing up, try refreshing the page and entering yoru information again until you are assigned to a drawing group and sent confirmation since high traffic could cause issues early on.
Related Article: Nintendo Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility - How Does It Work?
While signing up, you can request multiple tickets, allowing you to attend these events as a small group as long as the other people you are registering as a group have a Nintendo Account that is linked to the same Nintendo Account family group, which you can check or edit via your Nintendo Account page.
Full Nintendo Switch 2 Experience Schedule
The exact time for some Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events has not been set and Nintendo has confirmed that more locations could be added in the future. However, here is a full list of current experience dates, courtesy of Wario64 and the Nintendo website.
Dates | Locations |
---|---|
April 4 to 6 | New York |
April 11 to 13 | Los Angeles |
April 25 to 27 | Dallas |
April 26 and 27 | Tokyo (Makuhari) |
May 9 to 11 | Madrid |
May 10 and 11 | Melbourne |
May 31 and June 1 | Seoul |
To Be Announced | Hong Kong |