If you're a Nintendo fan on the internet, you'll likely have seen dozens of rumours regarding the next Nintendo Direct. Scrolling through your preferred gaming feed, you'll find 'insiders' — some legit, most not-a-bit — leaking hot info from 'sources' — some real, most imagined — concerning when Nintendo is planning on serving up its customary platter of upcoming treats. De-lish!
With rumours always swirling around, seeing vague Direct schedule guesses that anyone with an ounce of common sense could produce gets tiresome. What's that? INSIDER CLAIMS NINTENDO DIRECT IS JUST WEEKS AWAY, you say? No s***, Shulk!
How do they do it, these mystic prognosticators? It's not like they have over a decade's worth of data to look back on showing which month Nintendo put out the first full-fat Direct presentation of the yea—hang on. No, they do.
Let's look at the dates of the first proper Nintendo Direct every year since they started in 2011, shall we?...
First Dates - The First Nintendo Direct From Every Year So Far
We've included the duration of the broadcasts below and, in certain cases, we've noted when they were preceded or followed quickly by smaller Directs or other multi-game Nintendo presentations.
Click on the links if you want to see a round-up of the Direct or the presentation itself.
| Year | First Nintendo Direct Date | Approximate length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27th March | 30 mins | Announced after the Switch 2 Direct, but broadcast before |
| 2024 | 21st February | 25 mins | Partner Showcase |
| 2023 | 8th February | 44 mins | |
| 2022 | 9th February | 40 mins | |
| 2021 | 17th February | 54 mins | |
| 2020 | 20th February (Animal Crossing only) | 27 mins | Followed by an Indie World on 17th March, and a Nintendo Direct Mini on 26th March |
| 2019 | 13th February | 36 mins | Preceded by an Indie Highlights on 23rd January |
| 2018 | 8th March | 34 mins | Preceded by a Nintendo Direct Mini on 11th January |
| 2017 | 12th April | 35 mins | Preceded by a Fire Emblem Direct on 18th January, and a Nindies Showcase on 28th February |
| 2016 | 3rd March | 41 mins | |
| 2015 | 14th January | 46 mins | |
| 2014 | 13th February | 41 mins | |
| 2013 | 23rd January (Wii U only) | 35 mins | Followed by a Nintendo 3DS Direct on 14th February |
| 2012 | 22nd February | 48 mins | |
| 2011 | N/A - The first ever Nintendo Direct was broadcast on 21st October 2011 | 7 mins |
Discounting the first year of the series (which debuted in October), you can see that, of the 13 Nintendo Directs listed...
- Eight (61.54%) were broadcast in February
- Two (15.38%) were broadcast in January
- Two (15.38%) were broadcast in March
- One (7.69%) was broadcast in April
For the last six years, the first major Nintendo Direct of the year was broadcast in February. Now, that Animal Crossing-focused one from 2020 muddies the data set a little, but that was a strange year for various reasons.
Regardless, you can see from the table above that, if you were a gambling gamer, the smart money would be on February for the first Nintendo Direct. Science!
Will the Nintendo Direct pattern hold true for 2026?
Nintendo is a big company that's inextricably tied to not only the calendar but also manufacturing, publishing, advertising, and retail partners, not to mention dates dictated by the financial calendar, with shareholders who want to be fiscally dazzled with news of its upcoming products.
We're sure Nintendo would love to shake up the Direct formula and introduce some surprise and delight to its timetable, but the pattern has held true for the last six or seven years for a reason — it works.
SO, when is the first Nintendo Direct of 2026, then?
Hmm, fine. For those of you who skipped to the end through all those pesky words, let's summarise. Using only our divine talents as Nintendo insiders — an ancient art known to Kyoto natives as wii'key-pehdya — we're confident that the first full Nintendo Direct of 2026 will come in *drumroll*...
- Probably February
- Possibly early March
- January and April are longer shots but not impossible
Mark our words! Now, where do we collect our clout?
Think we're way off the mark? Impossible! Were we not vague enough to be right, whatever happens!? Let us know what you think, you lovely insiders, you.