The Switch 2 rumor mill has been running on fumes since the official first look at Nintendo’s next-gen console, which is probably why we’re seeing more in the realm of pure speculation and gorgeous Switch 2 colorway mockups. But here’s a new rumor I wanted to touch on because it doesn’t seem too far-fetched for Nintendo, a company that has historically had a preposterous “game cartridge to box size ratio” since the DS launched.
The Switch 2’s tablet display will have at least a 33% larger footprint than its predecessor, and if a new claim from Universo Nintendo editor Felipe Lima is to be believed, the size of Switch 2 game boxes might be increasing to match.
On X (formerly Twitter), Lima shared that he unearthed size dimensions for an unnamed Switch 2 game from Take-Two Interactive (parent company of Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games). The dimensions were taken from several temporarily published placeholder listings on French retailer FNAC’s website.
The supposed dimensions: 13cm wide and 19.5cm tall. That would make the size of a Switch 2 game box approximately 43% larger than original Switch game cases, which feels extreme.
This is interesting for many reasons; one of which is that Nintendo Switch game boxes are roughly the same size as the Switch tablet (with Joy-Cons detached). Perhaps Big N wants to continue that trend with Switch 2?
On the surface, this is a difficult rumor to swallow. Especially for those collectors who want their Switch and Switch 2 games to line up perfectly together on a shelf. But let’s consider a couple reasons why Nintendo would increase the size of game boxes.
Avoiding Switch and Switch 2 Confusion At Retail
There’s currently no reason to believe that the size of actual game cartridges is increasing. However, one reason Nintendo might bump up the box size is to prevent consumer confusion at retail. The combination of a Switch 2 logo on the upper left of the box art, paired with a noticeably larger size, would easily indicate the visual difference on store shelves.
Retailers might welcome this because it would cut down on returns. Retailers might also embrace this for another reason: loss prevention. The smaller an item, the easier it is to steal. But I doubt that’s Nintendo’s primary consideration.
Bigger is Better: Switch 2 > Switch 1
Since the dawn of the console wars, numbers have played an instrumental part in the marketing. 16-bit trumps 8-bit. And 64-bit dominates 32-bit. As consoles and the tech industry at large continued to evolve, higher specs were always touted as selling points. Higher Megahertz, higher storage capacities, higher RAM, higher TFLOPs.
This could be as simple as Nintendo’s product team deciding that a larger box not only jumps out on the shelf, but it also provides more space to print that Switch 2 logo on the top left.
Of course, it’s worth mentioning a compelling argument for shrinking box sizes, not expanding them. The United Nations Environmental Programme estimates that only 10% of the 7 billion tons of plastic waste that’s been produced globally has been recycled.
Perhaps Switch 2 game boxes should switch to cardboard? Or, here’s an idea for you Nintendo: if you’re going to increase the size of these game boxes, at least fill up that empty space with some full-color game manuals.
