Nintendo Direct live build-up: start time, how to watch, and our predictions ahead of today’s Partner Showcase that’s kicking off shortly

The next Nintendo Direct presentation is almost here! Promising a look at third-party publisher games, this Partner Showcase will hopefully give us a peek and the next biggest titles coming to both the Nintendo Switch 2 and a smattering of extra life being breathed into the older Switch models.

This update from third-party publishers could shine further light on what the Switch 2 is going to be capable – more modern games of recent times coming to the handheld machine? – as well as what life there is left in the older Switch. Elsewhere, could we see Hollow Knight: Silksong? More information on The Duskbloods? Who knows, but color us excited!

Join us as we count down the next couple of hours until the live stream, keeping you up to date with all the pertinent info, as well as some of our predictions and hopes for a bit of fun before covering the event live, moment to moment.

July Nintendo Direct countdown

If you’re after a visual feature to show exactly how long left until today’s Nintendo Direct, then our handy graphic below has you covered.

July Nintendo Direct how to watch

As ever, the most reliable and straightforward place to catch today’s Nintendo Direct is going to be on the official Nintendo YouTube channel. You can also watch on the official Twitch page if you prefer.

I’d recommend bookmarking the page for easy access, but we’ve got the YouTube video embedded below for convenience.

July Nintendo Direct start time

July’s Nintendo Direct takes place today on July 31, 2025. It starts at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST.

Nintendo confirmed the Direct via a social media post and wek now that this one will be “roughly 25 minutes” long.

Our July Nintendo Direct predictions

Right off the bat, let’s temper expectation. As a ‘Partner Showcase’, the Nintendo Direct is expected to be solely focused on third-party releases for both Switch and Switch 2.

That’s not to say there isn’t plenty to be excited about. The big ticket third-party Switch 2 release is definitely FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, due to launch sometime in 2026. This showcase could be the first time we see a bigger gameplay deep dive.

There’s been plenty of noise about Hollow Knight: Silksong, too, though mainly over in the Xbox camp and the upcoming launch of the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. Still, Nintendo could steal some of Microsoft’s thunder here.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more from Square Enix, particularly Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. Fighting game fans may also want to tune in, as a Tekken 8 Switch 2 release could be a possibility here. There’s also been some buzz on X / Twitter around a re-release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, though admittedly there’s nothing concrete here aside from Capcom’s strong presence at Nintendo Direct presentations typically.