50 free Nintendo Switch trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The Nintendo Switch was the console Nintendo built after the Wii U flopped: a tablet that docks to a TV, with controllers that snap off the sides, announced as 'NX' and sold at launch without a single bundled game. It went on to outsell everything but the PlayStation 2 and ran eight years before the Switch 2 arrived. These 50 questions cover the hardware and the story around it: the Nvidia chip, the 6.2-inch screen, the Horizon operating system, the Lite's launch colours, the OLED model and its LAN-port dock, bitter-tasting game cards and the 'Switch tax'. Then the culture: Jimmy Fallon playing Zelda, Imagine Dragons in the Super Bowl ad, John Cena in the desert, Labo cardboard, Ring Fit, the hidden Golf game that honoured Satoru Iwata, Joy-Con drift and the Gamevice lawsuits. The hard tier asks about the Tokyo teardown cost, Kojima's 'transfarring' and the Tegra X1+ revision. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation so you learn something either way. Play it solo or print it for game night.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year was the Nintendo Switch released?
2017
It launched on March 3 in most regions worldwide.
Q 02What codename did Nintendo use for the console before it was unveiled?
NX
Nintendo first mentioned it alongside its DeNA partnership in March 2015.
Q 03What are the Switch's detachable wireless controllers called?
Joy-Con
Up to eight can connect to a single console at once.
Q 04Which Nintendo console did the Switch succeed?
Wii U
Poor sales of that console made the Switch a 'make or break product' for Nintendo.
Q 05What does Nintendo call playing with the kickstand out on a flat surface?
Tabletop mode
The other two modes are TV mode and Handheld mode.
Q 06How large is the original Switch's touchscreen, measured diagonally?
6.2 inches
It is the same size as the Wii U GamePad's screen.
Q 07What resolution does the original Switch's built-in display support?
720p
Docked, it can output up to 1080p at 60 frames per second.
Q 08The Switch's system-on-chip was developed in partnership with which company?
Nvidia
Using an existing chip made it easier for developers to port games.
Q 09How much internal storage does the original Switch have?
32 GB
Only 25.9 GB is user-accessible; microSD cards expand it up to 2 TB.
Q 10What is the name of the Switch's operating system?
Horizon
It is built on a microkernel architecture.
Q 11What was the US launch price of the Switch Lite?
$199.99
Nintendo's goal was a sub-$200 unit aimed at casual gamers.
Q 12The handheld-only Switch Lite launched in September of which year?
2019
It was promoted alongside the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
Q 13Which colour was one of the three Switch Lite launch colours?
Turquoise
Yellow and grey were the others; coral and blue followed later.
Q 14The OLED model launched alongside which game in October 2021?
Q 21Which launch game was originally announced as a Wii U exclusive?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It sold 2.76 million copies in the console's first month, nearly one per console.
Q 22Which launch title showcased the controllers with face-to-face minigames?
1-2-Switch
Nintendo hoped it could make social gaming more acceptable in Western culture.
Q 23Which talk-show host played the new Zelda game live on TV in December 2016?
Jimmy Fallon
Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aimé presented the console on the show.
Metroid Dread
The OLED model has a 7-inch screen and 64 GB of storage.
Q 15What wired connection did the OLED model's dock add?
Ethernet port
It replaced the USB 3.0 port hidden under the rear cover.
Q 16What was the retail price of the OLED model at launch?
$349.99
The original model launched at $299.99.
Q 17Unlike previous Nintendo home consoles, the Switch has no what?
Region lock
Players can use cartridges or downloads from anywhere, except Chinese content.
Q 18The Switch was the first major home system to use cartridges since which console?
Nintendo 64
Its game cards are smaller and thinner than 3DS cards.
Q 19Game cards are coated with what to discourage children from swallowing them?
A bitterant
The non-toxic coating is denatonium benzoate.
Q 20What nickname did media give to the higher prices of some games on the console?
Switch tax
As of 2018 Switch games cost about 10% more on average than other formats.
Q 24Nintendo's first-ever Super Bowl ad was set to a song by which band?
Imagine Dragons
The song was 'Believer'; the ad aired during Super Bowl LI.
Q 25Which wrestler tried the console in Nintendo's 'Unexpected Places' campaign?
John Cena
Nintendo set up living-room-style spaces in three US locations in February 2017.
Q 26What is Nintendo's line of do-it-yourself cardboard accessories for the Switch called?
Labo
It was announced in January 2018 and includes a VR kit.
Q 27Which 2019 exercise game ships with a Leg Strap and a flexible plastic hoop?
Ring Fit Adventure
Squeezing the ring and running in place perform in-game actions.
Q 28Which NES game was hidden in the firmware as a tribute to Satoru Iwata?
Golf
Iwata programmed it; the Easter egg vanished with the 4.0 update.
Q 29The hidden tribute game only ran when the system clock was set to which date?
July 11
That is the day Iwata died in 2015; players also had to mimic his hand gestures.
Q 30Who was president of Nintendo of America when the Switch launched?
Reggie Fils-Aimé
He called the console 'a home console you can take on the go'.