Mojang has confirmed the Minecraft Nintendo Switch 2 release launch date. In an August 5 post on Minecraft.net, written with the playful flourish of a town crier announcing news from a blocky village square with an equally blocky trumpet, the studio announced the world's best-selling game is coming to Nintendo's newest console on October 27th, 2026, complete with enhanced graphics and an upgraded version of one of its most popular add-on packs. The announcement arrives roughly a year and a half after the Switch 2's June 2025 launch, filling one of the more conspicuous gaps in the console's growing library. Here is everything confirmed about the release so far, and what to expect from the new version.
The headline upgrade is Vibrant Visuals, an enhanced graphics mode Mojang originally released last year in 2025, set as the default visual experience on Switch 2, rendering the world of Minecraft to lush life with better lighting throughout. Per Mojang's announcement, taking advantage of the Vibrant Visuals graphics option brings directional lighting, volumetric fog, enhanced shadow effects, and other graphical upgrades across all supported content in the Minecraft Marketplace, giving the game a noticeably different look than the flatter, simpler shading the original Switch version has run on since launch. Engadget's coverage notes the mode won't be available in every context, including split-screen play and certain Marketplace Worlds, but it applies broadly enough to meaningfully change how the game looks on the new hardware compared to the original Switch version, which lacked the graphical horsepower to run Vibrant Visuals at all.
Mojang has not confirmed whether the Switch 2 version supports Joy-Con 2 mouse controls, a feature that could make precision building noticeably faster and more accurate. Engadget specifically flagged this as an open question in its coverage, noting more details about the port are expected in the coming weeks as October approaches.
The Minecraft Nintendo Switch 2 release also brings an update to the Super Mario Mash-Up pack, a Nintendo-exclusive add-on that transforms Minecraft's world, music, and character skins around the Mushroom Kingdom, exclusive to the Nintendo versions of Minecraft since its debut. Mojang's announcement confirms the pack is being updated specifically to take advantage of Vibrant Visuals graphics, letting players explore iconic locations like Peach's castle and Delfino Plaza with the same lighting and shadow improvements applied elsewhere in the game, complete with unique skins for the Mario cast. The pack has been exclusive to Nintendo platforms since its original release on Wii U and has carried over to every subsequent Nintendo version of Minecraft since, remaining one of the most requested crossover add-ons in Minecraft's marketplace among longtime Nintendo fans. As Mojang's own announcement puts it, players should double dash, don't run, to mark their calendars for the date.
Players who already own Minecraft on the original Nintendo Switch will have access to a digital upgrade path to the Switch 2 version as existing Nintendo Switch players, according to Mojang's announcement, though full details have not yet been shared. Whether that upgrade path turns out to be a free upgrade or a paid one remains unconfirmed. The Shortcut's reporting notes it is likely Microsoft will charge a small fee through Nintendo's online store for the upgrade, following a pattern common across other Switch 2 upgraded titles, though Mojang has not confirmed pricing.
Mojang has not published specific transfer instructions yet, but Minecraft's Bedrock Edition already syncs worlds and progress to a player's Microsoft account through cloud saves. Since the Switch 2 version runs on the same Bedrock base, existing Switch worlds should reasonably carry over once signed into the same account.
Minecraft's Bedrock Edition already supports cross-play across Xbox, PC, mobile, PlayStation, and the original Nintendo Switch through a shared Microsoft account system. Nothing in Mojang's Switch 2 announcement suggests this changes, so cross-play with those same platforms should reasonably continue on Switch 2 at launch.
As the Nintendo Switch successor, Switch 2 supports Minecraft across handheld mode, tabletop mode, and TV mode, the same three play styles the original Switch popularized, giving players flexibility in how they explore each new biome for the first time on the upgraded hardware. This official Switch release also benefits from the console's backward compatibility with existing Nintendo Switch Online memberships, meaning multiplayer features tied to Minecraft Realms should carry over without requiring a separate subscription. The release lands alongside other high-profile Switch 2 titles like Mario Kart World and Splatoon Raiders, further building out the console's library heading into the holidays.
Mojang's announcement did not list separate release dates by region, and Minecraft has historically launched simultaneously worldwide across digital storefronts on past platforms. Barring a later regional update from Mojang, players should expect October 27, 2026 to apply globally rather than staggered by country or time zone.
Minecraft has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide since its 2011 release, making it the best-selling video game of all time, ahead of titles like Grand Theft Auto V and Tetris, though Tetris's total sales remain difficult to verify given its many versions across decades. Microsoft acquired developer Mojang Studios in 2014 for $2.5 billion, and the acquisition has proven successful, spawning spinoffs like Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends, and the recently released A Minecraft Movie, plus an animated series in development at Netflix. The Switch 2 release adds yet another platform to a game that has now appeared on nearly every major console and device released since its debut, from early PC and mobile versions through PlayStation, Xbox, and now two generations of Nintendo Switch hardware.
The Switch 2 version arrives shortly after Minecraft Dungeons II, the dungeon-crawler spinoff developed by Mojang and Double Eleven, which launches September 29 on PC, consoles, and both the original Switch and Switch 2. That timing means Minecraft fans on Nintendo hardware get two major releases within a month of each other, one a brand-new spinoff and the other an enhanced version of the original game.
The Minecraft Nintendo Switch 2 release date is locked in for October 27, 2026, with Mojang confirming the date directly rather than leaving it to speculation. No pricing has been announced yet for players buying the game fresh on Switch 2, and Mojang has said only that more details, including specifics on the digital upgrade path, will follow closer to launch. Given how central Vibrant Visuals and the Mario Mash-Up update are to Mojang's own framing of the release, expect additional marketing beats between now and October as the date approaches.
Mojang has not opened preorders or announced a specific storefront listing yet. Once available, the Nintendo eShop is the most likely place to check first, alongside Minecraft.net itself, since Mojang has said more purchasing details will follow closer to the October 27 release date.
Alice Robbins · Editor
Editor
