Summary

  • Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will launch on the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2025.
  • Its release window was revealed as part of a new gameplay trailer, which debuted on November 29.
  • The wait for the next Professor Layton game will thus be around eight years long in total, which is by far the biggest gap between any two entries in the iconic puzzle-adventure franchise.

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2025. Its release window was revealed as part of a new trailer that debuted during Level-5's November 29 event dedicated to the upcoming Professor Layton game.

The latest entry in the iconic puzzle-adventure franchise that hit the market was Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy, which launched on the 3DS back in 2017. More than half a decade later, Level-5 revealed that Professor Layton is making a comeback on the Switch during an early February Nintendo Direct.

But the game is still some way off from being completed, with its latest trailer revealing that Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is targeting a 2025 launch. Its official website was also updated with the new release window following the trailer's debut. The wait between Layton's Mystery Journey and its follow-up will hence be around eight years long, which is double the length of the second-biggest gap between any two consecutive entries in the franchise.

That's not to say that the next Professor Layton game has actually been in the making for anywhere near as long; Level-5's Switch titles historically took around three years to go from production to release, and although game development cycles have certainly gotten longer in recent times, there's no indication that Professor Layton and the New World of Steam left pre-production before 2022. The Japanese studio's 300-strong workforce typically completes two or three games per year, with the new Professor Layton installment being its first title that's confirmed to be targeting a 2025 release.

And while the series' comeback inspired some hope among the fandom that Level-5 might treat the Switch to a Professor Layton collection, there's nothing to suggest that the developer actually plans to do so. On the contrary, given the company's historical preference for announcing its projects years in advance, it's unlikely that anything of the sort is currently in the works.

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam Seems Like an Obvious Nintendo Switch 2 Release

As for the next entry in the franchise, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is set to arrive at the tail end of the Switch's life cycle. Specifically, numerous industry insiders believe that the Switch 2 will launch in 2024, which suggests that the new Professor Layton game could be a cross-generation release even if Nintendo's next console doesn't end up offering backward compatibility. In the meantime, Switch gamers can look forward to three other Level-5 games scheduled for release throughout 2024: Megaton Musashi Wired, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, and Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.

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Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam
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Puzzle
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Systems
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Released
2025
Developer(s)
Level 5
Publisher(s)
Level 5
Franchise
Professor Layton
Number of Players
Single-player
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WHERE TO PLAY

PHYSICAL
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The latest entry in Level 5's Professor Layton franchise, Professor Layton and The New World of Steam has been announced for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

Genre(s)
Puzzle