Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Nintendo Direct August 2024: How to watch and what to expect

Add as a preferred source on Google

Graphics presenting the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase on the left and the Indie World Showcase on the right.

Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

It seems like only yesterday when we last got a Nintendo Direct. OK, it was in June, but it was packed with announcements like a new Zelda game and confirmation that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  is not only happening, but is set for next year. Apparently there’s more to show as Nintendo is holding yet another Nintendo Direct, coupled with an Indie World Showcase, on Tuesday, August 27.

The last Direct filled out the rest of Nintendo’s 2024 release schedule, so what else could it have in store from its partners? Will we finally get news about Hollow Knight: Silksong? Here’s what you need to know to tune in.

Recommended Videos

When is the August 2024 Nintendo Direct?

The Indie World Showcase/Nintendo Partner Showcase double feature will begin at 7 a.m. PT on August 27 and last “roughly 40 minutes in total.”

Join us tomorrow, August 27 at 7am PT, for an #IndieWorld Showcase followed by a #NintendoDirect Partner Showcase! The livestream, featuring both presentations back-to-back, will be roughly 40 minutes in total.

Watch here: https://t.co/SyxftK1vRR pic.twitter.com/tIs15ggQaM

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 26, 2024

How to watch the August 2024 Nintendo Direct

Indie World Showcase + Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase 8.27.2024

As per usual, you’ll be able to watch all the announcements over on Nintendo’s YouTube channel, which we’ve embedded above.

What to expect from the August 2024 Nintendo Direct

It’s always best to keep low expectations around a game showcase, and that’s definitely the case here. The first thing you need to know is that this is actually two presentations. First up is an Indie World Showcase, which puts the spotlight on indies coming to the platform. After that is the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, so expect third-party announcements. So, no, we won’t be getting any more news on a Metroid Prime 4 release date, but we might get an update on when the cozy Lord of the Rings game Tales of the Shire or Lego Horizon Adventures are coming to the platform.

The most important thing to note going into this Direct is that Nintendo confirmed there won’t be any news about the Switch successor. The games featured in these two showcases will likely fill out Nintendo’s calendar for the rest of the year and into early 2025 without talking about Switch 2 launch titles.

It’s worth noting that Nintendo usually holds a Direct in September, so this one is coming in a bit early. We could speculate wildly about what this could mean, but it’s possible Nintendo pushed it a bit to make room for a Switch successor announcement sometime this fall.

Carli Velocci
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
Phantom Blade Zero makes me think Sony might have a point about going all digital
Physical games still matter, but when the disc isn't a complete copy of the game, the argument for keeping it becomes harder to make.
Phantom Blade Zero Featured Image

I'm a big supporter of physical games. There's something satisfying about owning a disc, lending it to a friend, or grabbing a bargain without waiting for a digital storefront to approve the price. But Phantom Blade Zero has me questioning one of the biggest arguments in the physical-versus-digital debate. The game's digital version launches on October 29, 2026, while its physical PS5 editions, including Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate versions, won't arrive until 2027.

And there's another wrinkle: the digital version reportedly needs up to 134GB of storage, raising questions about how much of the game can actually fit on a standard Blu-ray disc. A standard PS5 Ultra HD Blu-ray disc maxes out at 100GB, so Phantom Blade Zero may need to ship across multiple discs or require players to download additional data to finish installing it. Either way, the idea of popping in a disc and having the complete game ready to play gets a little murkier.

Read more
Nintendo Switch 2 jailbreak breakthrough shows what AI can do, but it’s not a one-click hack
The software-only exploit works on the latest firmware, but it's tethered and still has significant limitations.
Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 has reportedly been jailbroken, and AI helped crack the code. Developer Sammy Hajhamid, aka pepsipu, used OpenAI's Codex to help exploit the console, even modding Mario Kart World with the likes of Peter Griffin and Hatsune Miku. But before anyone celebrates an unlocked Nintendo playground, there's a catch: the exploit is tethered, not a full-blown custom firmware jailbreak.

AI helped crack the Switch 2, but it wasn't a one-click job

Read more
Xbox Cloud Gaming gets a standalone pay-as-you-go option
The service starts at $3.99 for 10 hours, and unused playtime won’t expire until you use it up.
Xbox Cloud Gaming

Microsoft may already be putting pieces of its rumored Game Pass overhaul into place. A recent report claimed that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is planning a major rethink of the subscription service that could let players pay separately for features such as cloud gaming, multiplayer, and console-only games. Xbox has now started testing a pay-as-you-go version of Cloud Gaming that does not require a Game Pass subscription.

Xbox Cloud Gaming now has an hourly price

Read more