Nintendo Switch Fighting Game Arms Will Have A Free Demo, Here's When

Today during the Nintendo Direct dedicated to the fighting game Arms, Nintendo announced new details about the Nintendo Switch title and also revealed that a free demo is coming soon.

The Global Testpunch Demo, as it is called, will follow a similar model to the demos for Splatoon and Splatoon 2, which is to say they might not be all that convenient for you. The demos will be available at "blocks of time" through the weekend of May 26-28 and again on June 2-4. You need only download the free demo from the eShop to get in, while specific timing of the demo periods will be announced later. The Splatoon 2 beta was held for one-hour periods, repeating throughout the weekend.

Arms was developed by "many" of the same people at Nintendo who worked on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the company said in a press release. Players can expect "the same level of polish and competitive action" in Arms as Mario Kart 8, according to Nintendo.

"With games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, and Splatoon 2, the next few months will be a summer of social competitive gaming on Nintendo Switch," Nintendo of America VP Doug Bowser (real name) said in a statement. "This Nintendo Direct presentation offered great reasons why Arms is perfect for players of all ages, whether they are familiar with fighting games or not."

You can watch a replay of today's Nintendo Direct event in the video above.

Arms launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on June 16. For lots more, you can check out all of GameSpot's written and video content for it here.