Nintendo Direct February 17 stream start time, how to watch, games to expect

Don't panic. It's finally happening. The first major Nintendo Direct in over a year is coming and, as one might imagine, fans are over the moon with excitement. To put it into perspective, there hasn't been a proper Nintendo Direct since December 2019, with Nintendo only releasing partner showcases, indie presentations, and mini showcases through 2020.

Now all that's left to do is wait and speculate, which are two skills Nintendo fans have really sharpened in the past year. In the meantime, here's everything that you need to know about the February 17 Nintendo Direct, including its start time, how to watch it, and what reveals we might see during the presentation.

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What time is the February 17 Nintendo Direct?

The next major Nintendo Direct is happening on Wednesday, February 17. The live stream begins at 2 p.m. Pacific/5 p.m. Eastern and will run for 50 minutes. At nearly an hour, this is one of the most significant Nintendo Directs in quite some time, so expect plenty of announcements and updates on previously announced games.

How to watch the February 17 Nintendo Direct?

You'll be able to watch the show over on Nintendo's YouTube channel, where the company usually streams presentations. There's also a hub page on the Nintendo website that you can watch the stream on. Make sure to set a reminder on the video below so you don't miss it.

What games will be shown at the Nintendo Direct?

Nintendo says that the stream is "focused on available games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and games coming to Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2021." That means that we likely won't see big reveals for games like Metroid Prime 4 that are still a long ways away unless there's a special teaser at the end.

We'll most likely see games like Bravely Default 2, Monster Hunter Rise, and New Pokémon Snap, which are all scheduled for release in the next few months. There are also third-party games like Apex Legends that will likely make an appearance. Some more high-profile indies could pop up as well, like Axiom Verge 2, which just reappeared on Epic Games' own stream.

The only game we know will appear for sure is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so it seems like the next fighter will be shown. "Other available games" could really cover a lot of titles, from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity to Ring Fit Adventure. We'll likely see a few updates to Nintendo titles that came out within the last year or so.

What's rumored for the Nintendo Direct?

The one-word answer? Zelda. The franchise's 35th anniversary is days away (on February 21, 2021), so it seems entirely plausible that we'll see some sort of announcement on that front. While Breath of the Wild 2 doesn't seem like it'll come out in the first half of the year, a rumored Zelda All-Stars Collection certainly could. We know that Nintendo recently filed some trademarks for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which could signal that a remake or Toon Link collection could be coming this spring.

The Pokémon 25th anniversary is right around the corner too, so there's some speculation that we could see something like a Diamond and Pearl remake announced here. It's important to note that most Pokémon announcements happen on dedicated Pokémon streams, so we may not get anything on that front.

Everything else is a bit of a mystery. No More Heroes 3 and Bayonetta 3 could always make a surprise appearance and get a late Spring release date. We could also see some surprise indie releases like Hollow Knight: Silksong or Sports Story that happen right as the Direct ends. Of course, the one rule of Nintendo Directs is "don't get your hopes up." Expect nothing and hope that you'll be pleasantly surprised after to avoid disappointment.

Tune in to the next Nintendo Direct on February 17, 2021 at 5 p.m. Eastern.