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Nintendo Direct February 2023: how to watch and what to expect

Tomas Franzese
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It’s that time of the year again; the first Nintendo Direct of 2023 is upon us. Today, Nintendo is holding one of its trademark video game showcases toward the start of the year in order to tease what players can expect from the company for the rest of 2023. With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon as well, today’s Nintendo Direct is particularly exciting.

So you’ll probably want to tune into the Nintendo Direct later today. If you’re wondering how to do that and what else to expect from the event, we’ve rounded up all of that information here for you.

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Link runs toward a ledge in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

When is the February 2023 Nintendo Direct?

The first Nintendo Direct of 2023 will start at 2 p.m. PT today, February 8. Nintendo says the showcase, which will air live and for free, will last “roughly 40 minutes.”

How to watch

Today’s Direct will be officially livestreamed by Nintendo on its YouTube channel. We’ve embedded the livestream below so you can watch it from here. Of course, sites like IGN and GameSpot and various Nintendo influencers will likely co-stream the event as well.

Nintendo Direct 2.8.2023 - Nintendo Switch

What to expect

Nintendo’s official description for today’s showcase is fairly vague, only stating that it will contain “information mostly focused on Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2023.” Thankfully, we have a pretty clear idea of which games that’s likely referring to. Nintendo has already announced release dates for Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so all of those are likely to be featured here ahead of their release in the coming months.

We also know about imminent games like Pikmin 4 and the indefinitely delayed Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp and could possibly get more information here. As always, though, there are bound to be some third-party and first-party surprises as Nintendo’s fall lineup is fairly uncharted at this point. Is it finally time for us to see Metroid Prime 4 in action? One can only hope.

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