Nintendo Switch 2 thermal limits mean you need air conditioning if you want to play in a hot climate — Big N advises against use in environments above 35 degrees Celsius (95F) due to overheating risk

Nintendo just confirmed that its Switch 2 console can potentially overheat when used in hot environments. According to its X (formerly Twitter) post [machine translated], both the original Switch and the newer Switch 2 must be used in ambient temperatures between 5 and 35 degrees Celsius (41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). It also warned against using its consoles outdoors, especially as temperatures in Japan have been soaring above 35 degrees Celsius recently.

“Using Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 in a hot environment may cause the console to become hot. Please use it in a place between 5 and 35°C, as it may cause a malfunction,” Nintendo Japan’s customer service posted on X. “Recently, the temperature has been exceeding 35°C for several days. Please be careful when using outdoors.”

Many users have already reported the overheating issue on the Switch 2 in early July, with the console’s fans spinning at max speed trying to cool the unit. There were also several instances of the handheld crashing — both in handheld and docked modes — with one even saying that it became too hot to hold. More concerningly, these incidents weren’t limited to AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077. There were reports of this happening even while playing less demanding games like Splatoon or Pokémon.

Beyond that, this warning is also concerning for players based in hotter climates. Some regions, especially in the Middle East, the Sahara, and South Asia, often experience temperatures far exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. So, players based in this area would have trouble playing with the Switch 2 unless they’re in an air-conditioned area. And as global temperatures continue to soar, we can only expect more areas to experience higher ambient temperatures, causing more consoles to experience overheating.

The Nintendo Switch 2 received a major hardware upgrade from the original Switch. But despite that, it’s still a woefully underpowered console compared to modern handhelds like the GPD Win 5 and the Ayaneo Next 2. Although most of its fans buy it for its Nintendo exclusives, the company’s decision to have more AAA games available on its platform means that its hardware will be pushed to its performance and thermal limits by more demanding, less optimized titles.

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Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.