With the last general Nintendo Direct dating back to September 2025, fans are watching the calendar and leaning on a handful of predictions: a possible June 2026 presentation on Tuesday, potential Switch 2-focused remakes and ports, and a long list of third-pa
It’s June, and the quiet between Nintendo’s big broadcasts is starting to feel louder than the announcements themselves.
There hasn’t been a general Nintendo Direct since September 2025. Since then. the momentum has come in smaller bursts—either handled spontaneously or delivered through the Nintendo Today app—formats that leave a certain kind of fan hunger unaddressed. A full Direct does something else entirely: it gathers everything into one moment. and for a few breathless days afterward. the internet can argue. replay. and dissect.
That’s why June 2026 is landing as the season fans are most willing to believe in. There’s even a specific rumor attached to the timing: certain indications point to a presentation on Tuesday. It hasn’t been confirmed.
What people are expecting. if it happens. is a mix of Nintendo’s biggest names and the kind of “wait. that’s real?” momentum that often gets lost when updates come too spread out. The logic is simple from a business standpoint—announcements delivered closer together can be overshadowed by something enormous in the same broadcast. Spread them out, give them their own spotlight, and they tend to stick.
A Direct, though, is different. It’s the one format that still feels like a single stage—Mario, Zelda, Smash—everything in one place. If Nintendo does return with that kind of spotlight in June 2026, the predictions are already circling.
There’s also one name that keeps coming up in the rumor cycle: NateTheHate. The piece of his prediction fans are most focused on is a remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in development for Nintendo Switch 2.
Alongside that. NateTheHate’s predictions include Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and also point to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Nintendo Switch Sports getting something new as well. The details are murky—there’s no clarity on whether those become Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. entirely new entries. or. in Xenoblade’s case. another definitive edition.
NateTheHate has also been explicit that he hasn’t offered predictions for Nintendo’s full 2026 lineup. noting there are still surprises in store. The same rumor set brings up his older mentions of a Kirby: Planet Robobot port or remake—something he floated a long time ago. and something that still hasn’t happened. But the reasoning fans are clinging to is practical: Nintendo Switch 1 still has a huge install base. and releasing a port of one of Kirby’s most loved games could be an effective bridge while the next new mainline entry waits.
Then there’s 3D Mario. NateTheHate’s position is that the game does exist, but won’t be ready until 2027. Even so, a June Nintendo Direct could show a snippet—framed as the kind of “one more thing” tease that signals a future without pretending it’s close.
When the conversation shifts to the second half of 2026. it becomes less about one title and more about the shape of the broader calendar. The expectation is that there will be tons of third-party announcements at some point. because Nintendo Switch 2 leaks and rumors have been piling up for months. The rumor list being tossed around is wide and fast: Minecraft. Monster Hunter Wilds. Hi-Fi Rush. Metaphor: ReFantazio. Expedition 33. Mewgenics. and Sonic Frontiers: Definitive Edition—among many others.
That volume is exactly what makes fans believe a Direct is overdue. There have been so many third-party Nintendo Switch 2 leaks over the past few months that it would be surprising, the thinking goes, if Nintendo didn’t eventually package that momentum into a broadcast.
There’s also a human layer to this waiting: when Nintendo goes quiet on the scale of a full Direct, fans start looking for certainty wherever it can be found—timelines, patterns, even the gaps between announcements. And right now, the gap is big enough that speculation is filling it.
Some of what people want from a June 2026 Direct isn’t rooted in predictions at all.
Switch Online is one example. The speculation points out that Nintendo hasn’t added a new Nintendo Switch Online platform in a while—while the Virtual Boy was added earlier this year. the question being asked is whether anyone is actually using it. The pitch in these hopes is that. with Switch 2’s built-in microphone. Nintendo DS could become a viable option for its own service. and that Nintendo could stretch it over an additional five years while drip-feeding the library to consumers.
GameCube games are another request that keeps resurfacing. People say it’s been over a year and still there’s no Super Mario Sunshine on Nintendo Switch Online.
DLC is also a recurring theme, because a Direct can be the moment when “more” becomes official. Mario Kart World is singled out as a place that could use new characters and courses. with specific ideas floating: drivers from Donkey Kong Bananza. Luigi’s Mansion. and the like. plus more courses connected to the open world.
For Pokemon Pokopia, the expectation is that DLC is inevitable—there’s “an absolute ton of content,” and the speculation imagines maybe one new area this year.
And for players who want more than expansions—new launches and follow-ups—the wishes are just as direct. It’d make sense, fans argue, to see a new Super Mario Maker or Luigi’s Mansion game sometime soon. The reason timing feels plausible is that Next Level Games’ last self-developed title was Mario Strikers: Battle League in 2022—already four years ago.
A new 3D Mario is also described as the dream outcome mentioned earlier in the rumor thread. But some hopes are constrained by what others think is timing and pacing.
Animal Crossing is considered too soon. So is an all-new Zelda. Splatoon is treated similarly: Splatoon is already getting Splatoon Raiders this year, so Splatoon 4 is presumed off the table. Zelda is expected to receive at least one remake announcement, but the next 3D entry is likely years away. Animal Crossing’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is framed as something that likely arrived to hold players over for another few years. though the writers say they’d like to be wrong about that.
Put together. the facts people are juggling make the waiting feel sharper: Nintendo hasn’t done a general Direct since September 2025. and the last wave of messaging has been handled either spontaneously or through the Nintendo Today app. Against that backdrop. June 2026 is being treated as the moment Nintendo could bundle attention back into one presentation—especially with third-party rumors moving quickly and NateTheHate’s Switch 2-focused predictions giving fans something concrete to orbit.
So the question hanging over Tuesday—if it ends up being real—isn’t just what Nintendo will announce. It’s whether the company will choose the old rhythm again: one stage, one spotlight, and enough big names to make the whole month feel like it belongs to gamers once more.
Nintendo Direct June 2026 Nintendo Switch 2 NateTheHate Zelda Ocarina of Time remake Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Nintendo Switch Sports Kirby Planet Robobot 3D Mario third-party announcements Minecraft Monster Hunter Wilds