Drag x Drive: Everything We Know

So, ARMS was a bust, at least in the sense of garnering a wide appeal. It’s a fighting game intended to veer away from the norm and demonstrate Nintendo’s new gyroscope-controlled mechanics. While the game did manage to capture Nintendo’s shiny new feature, the game itself didn’t quite land favorably with the gaming community. 

Drag x Drive, on the other hand, might be on its way to writing a different story. In summary, it’s a wheelchair basketball game intended to demonstrate Nintendo Switch 2’s gyroscope controls and mouse functionality. You’ll hold each of Nintendo Switch 2’s JoyCons and push them forward like you would a wheelchair as you zoom down the court, raise your hand and flick your wrist forward to shoot. 

Like Astro Bot, we could be looking at a means for Nintendo to encourage developers to create more games using the new Joy-Con mouse features rather than an actual sports game that garners a dedicated community. In any case, as Nintendo Switch 2 continues to add more games to its catalog ahead of the June 5, 2025 release, any playable game on the new console warrants attention, hence our Drag x Drive: Everything We Know article below.

What is Drag x Drive?

Drag x Drive is an upcoming three-on-three basketball sports game. Unlike most games, players will be in wheelchairs, adding the much-needed inclusivity of the physically challenged into the gaming world. Plus, the gameplay seems fun and authentic, such as pushing both wheels of your wheelchair forward using each Joy-Con controller like a mouse.

Story

As far as I can tell, Drag x Drive doesn’t have a story campaign or mode. It seems to only have one game mode: the basketball quick team matches. Perhaps more game modes will be added in the future. 

We may play through more court types, control different wheelchairs, or perhaps perform more complex gimmicks. For now, Drag x Drive seems solely a team-based competitive wheelchair basketball sports game.

Gameplay

Drag x Drive plans to use a unique control system, demonstrating the capabilities of Nintendo Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers. The controllers will act as a mouse, and you’ll need two in both hands to control each wheel of your wheelchair.

By simultaneously pushing the controllers forward, you’ll zoom down (and around) the court. You’ll speed down the court to drive the ball into the basket, chase down opponents to grab the ball or defend your teammates from the opposing team.

Once you reach the basket, all you do is raise your hand and flick your wrist forward to score. However, you can perform dunks as shown in the trailer, which earns you more points.

Moreover, you can perform tricks, using the half-pipe to propel yourself into the air. Tricks and dunks certainly are a game changer, especially in the otherwise quite basic gameplay. They may offer more replayability as you try to pull off the slickest tricks and dunks.

Overall, Drag x Drive is a multiplayer game in which you team up with friends or online players in groups of three. Matches are fast-paced 3v3 matches and seem pretty fun, at least before more entertaining games land on Nintendo Switch 2.

Development

Drag x Drive’s development could be tricky, especially since Nintendo could have easily demonstrated the Joy-Cons functionality as a minigame. They chose to develop an independent game that could mean the demand for varied game modes and constant updates. 

Also, the controls are fifty-fifty. Sure, it sounds simple to slide both controllers forward to move in that direction. But what happens when you need to turn and need to only slide one controller to pivot? Will it be smooth and fluid? 

Given it’s a new control system, newcomers may struggle a bit. It might feel like learning to walk or getting to grips with a new language. Fortunately, Nintendo tested the mouse controls at the Nintendo Direct event. Gamers have already been able to test the new mouse mechanic, and besides taking a bit to sink in, it seems to eventually be working flawlessly.

You’ll be sliding the Joy-Con 2 controllers to move forward and easily transitioning into shooting and dunking with no fret. Hence, Nintendo seems to have their Wii Sports equivalent showcasing the Joy-Con’s mouse capabilities. From here, developers may follow, developing more quality games that make the most of the new mouse controls. 

On our front, all we can do is cross our fingers that the final product goes beyond simply showcasing controls and actually sticking around for longer because a high-quality, entertaining, inclusive game is actually a pretty rare find.

Trailer

Nintendo has been gracious in revealing Drag x Drive’s gameplay trailer. It’s the best depiction of the gameplay you can expect from the final game. Two teams of three speed down the court, using Joy-Con 2 controllers to wheel the players forward. 

You can use the Joy-Con 2 controllers as a mouse that appears tight and responsive in the respective movement you need. Both of your wheels cascade down the court, turning on command. To shoot, though, you’ll need to raise your hand and flick your wrist forward, as shown in the trailer. 

Surprisingly, you won’t just be driving down the court but also nabbing the ball away from the opposing team and defending your team. Also exciting is the feature that allows you to dunk and even perform a full 360 before dunking the ball. 

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

Drag x Drive is slated to arrive in the third quarter of 2025. We, unfortunately, do not have an exact release date yet. However, since it’ll be launching exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, which is planned to release on June 5, 2025, we might be looking at a release date on the day of or sometime after. 

As for editions, Nintendo has yet to confirm if there will be any. For any new information, be sure to follow Nintendo of America on X or check back in with us for more updates.