Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a peculiar hybrid between a tech demo and an interactive museum that launched alongside the console itself in June 2025. The player moves around a giant model of the Switch 2 itself, walking across its body as if across an exhibition floor, gradually discovering stops dedicated to specific components. Each station offers either a short minigame, a quiz, or a hands-on demonstration showing what a given feature can do and why it was designed that way. The whole thing feels like a guided tour, except here you're allowed to touch most of the exhibits.

The content consists of tasks built around the new controllers and display. One set tests the mouse mode of the Joy-Con 2, another the precision of the motion sensors, another shows the difference between various refresh rates, dynamic image range, or spatial audio. There are also simple reflex tests, small puzzles, and collectible medals for completed challenges, so the whole thing works as a light reward loop for those who want to complete everything at one hundred percent. Most of the content can be finished within a few hours, part of the stops are designed for two players on one console, and a few tasks require a connected camera or docked mode.

Technically, it's more of a showcase than a game: the presentation is clean, clear, and deliberately sparing with effects, since the goal is to show off the hardware's qualities rather than dazzle. The music is understated, electronic, and stays in the background as accompaniment in an exhibition hall. Reception was mixed, mainly because Nintendo sold the title separately instead of bundling it with the console; many players found that an odd choice for content of this kind. The content itself, though, was mostly rated as likable and informative. Today, Welcome Tour mainly stands as a period document of the Switch 2's first year and as a pleasant hour for anyone curious about how the console works inside and what the new controllers can do.