When it unlocked
Switch 2, 2026 Sources checked · 7 Nov 2026
Local midnight on 5 Nov 2026 is the unlock. In the United States that means the evening of 4 Nov for the western clocks.
8 rows
| Place | Local unlock |
|---|---|
| New York | 00:00 on 5 Nov ET |
| Chicago | 23:00 on 4 Nov CT |
| Denver | 22:00 on 4 Nov MT |
| Los Angeles | 21:00 on 4 Nov PT |
| London | 00:00 GMT on 5 Nov |
| Tokyo | 00:00 JST on 5 Nov |
| Melbourne (daylight saving) | 00:00 AEDT on 5 Nov |
| Seoul | 00:00 on 5 Nov |
Size, not a single number
IGN's release-times article pairs the date with a 24.5 GB install. TweakTown, writing about the ten-dollar gap between digital and cartridge, says 27 GB and describes a full game card rather than a key card. I print both. Changing the console clock does not change an eShop entitlement: Nintendo says the shop region follows the Nintendo Account country. Use the unlock time for the region of the actual purchase.
CNET's deal story confirms the game was already shipping on 5 Nov and that some Amazon orders slipped. That delay is a retailer problem, not a new release date. If your download button still says coming soon after local midnight, the account region is the first thing to check, then the store status page, before assuming the date moved.
Questions
Did it slip past 5 Nov 2026?
No. Wikipedia, IGN and CNET all treat 5 Nov 2026 as the on-sale date.
How big is the install?
24.5 GB at IGN, 27 GB at TweakTown. Nintendo's store page did not print a size.
Sources
- IGN unlock times — checked 2026-11-07
- Wikipedia 2026 — checked 2026-11-07
- CNET — checked 2026-11-07
- Notebookcheck: regional download sizes — checked 2026-11-07
- Gematsu: Nintendo launch announcement — checked 2026-11-07
- Nintendo: eShop region follows Nintendo Account — checked 2026-11-07
Limitation: this page uses public pages and published guides only.