10 Essential Games We're Waiting For on Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendon’t? Well… with Switch 2, Nintendoes… but it’ll cost you!
“Drop the price!” – that’s pretty much what we all thought. Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct was an avalanche of emotions. On the one hand, we were happy to finally get details about the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2. On the other hand, the news about the new game prices kinda ruined the vibe. Still, let’s stay optimistic!
We’ve picked 10 games that caught our eye and, honestly, make us believe the new console is worth all the attention — even despite the price controversies.
Mario Kart: World
Release date: 5 June 2025
This is the game that accompanied the official announcement of the new console, made on 16 January 2025. Initially, we thought we were dealing with a Mario Kart 9, but it seems this new title in the franchise is more than that. World is an evolution of the series, with a segmented open-world design, allowing exploration of vast areas with your chosen character. Beyond the races we’re used to, we’ll also have access to boat races, a free-roam mode, off-road sections, and different ways to customise our vehicle and chosen character. I don’t know who you’ll be playing with, but you’ll find me doing all sorts of tricks I learned from Return of the DOSboi with the new (and coolest) character in the game, Moo Moo Meadows Cow!
Hades II
Release date: 2025
The legendary game from Supergiant Games will have its official launch this year! What’s more, it will also be available on Nintendo Switch 2 (though not exactly on 5 June 2025). In this sequel to the famous rogue-like dungeon crawler, we’ll step into the role of Melinoë, the youngest daughter of Hades and Persephone. The Chthonic Princess ventures into the depths of her kingdom to rescue her parents from the clutches of her primordial grandfather, Chronos. Melinoë will be aided in this sacred mission by members of her divine family, such as Nemesis, Hecate, or Poseidon, along with heroes of Olympian legends like Heracles or Narcissus.
Split Fiction
Release date: 5 June 2025
The game designed to be experienced by two players is now coming to Nintendo’s new console. While it’s interesting to play Split/Fiction on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series, you need another controller or for player 2 to be on their preferred platform to play it via friend pass. The local co-op problem is now solved, as the new Nintendo console comes with 2 Joy-Cons (with a new, larger, and more ergonomic design) allowing anyone to literally go through the entire Sci-Fi and Fantasy adventure with family and friends.
Donkey Kong: Bananza
Release date: 17 July 2025
What could be cooler than Super Mario Odyssey? A SUPER DONKEY KONG ODYSSEY! …. What do you mean you wanted Odyssey 2 with the moustachioed plumber? Can’t be, so we’re getting Donkey Kong: Bananza instead. This is the first 3D platformer in the franchise in 26 years, since Donkey Kong 64. In this new adventure, we’ll be recovering golden bananas (and Banandium crystals) from the hands of the VoidCo members. This new game will take us deep into the world, to the so-called “Underground World”, where DK will gain new abilities, such as the power to dig to explore long-forgotten caves.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Release date: Winter 2025
I think I’m starting to see the release cycle in this famous franchise. A main series game comes out, then a Warriors-style spin-off from the same universe. The sequel to the main franchise appears, and then a new musou-style title. Otherwise, I can’t explain how they announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which is a new prequel to the current series. If in Age of Calamity we saw what happened during the time of the 4 champions and how the great kingdom of Hyrule fell into ruins, in the new game we will see how Ganondorf was imprisoned.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Release date: 2025
Can you believe a new Metroid is about to be released? This title was announced in 2017, more than 8 years ago! Samus’s new adventure suffered during development, going through several forms and numerous restarts of the project from scratch. In Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the protagonist will arrive on the planet Viewros, an untamed jungle where the Galactic Federation had a secret laboratory that was attacked by Space Pirates. Samus will come to the aid of the Federation, and during the adventure, she will gain psychic powers such as changing the trajectory of bullets (à la Wanted from 2008). The game can run in 4k/60 fps in quality mode or 1080p/120fps in performance mode. And before I forget, we can use the new mouse functionality of the Joy-Cons for an experience closer to a PC-shooter!
The Duskbloods
Release date: TBD 2026
The big surprise of the presentation was The Duskbloods. This new game from FromSoftware was developed in partnership with Nintendo and is exclusive (for now) to Switch 2. The game presents itself as a spiritual successor to the renowned Bloodborne, with the action taking place in what appears to be a Victorian London-like city. The title is a PvPvE that puts us in the role of people who seem to suffer from vampirism and who fight indescribable horrors. The game will be released in 2026, but until then, we can satisfy our craving for a multiplayer Soulslike with Elden Ring: Nightrein.
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD
Release date: 5 June 2025
The first game in Square Enix’s beloved franchise will be released in a remastered version on Nintendo Switch 2! For all those who couldn’t experience this title in 2012 when it was released on Nintendo 3DS, this is your chance to discover a world inspired by Final Fantasy! Four protagonists, each with their own mysterious past, embark on an epic adventure to save the land of Luxendarc from the forces of chaos! If the story sounds a bit familiar, it’s because it’s heavily inspired by the first Final Fantasy title, but with a cuter art style and a more complex class system. So don’t expect to see any character exclaiming “CHAOS” every 5 minutes, like in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Release date: 2025
Silksong…
Wait, do I really need to explain why? Okay. Although it started as a DLC for Hollow Knight, the project quickly evolved into a game in its own right, becoming the official sequel to Team Cherry’s metroidvania masterpiece released in 2017. Although initially announced in the same year Hollow Knight was published, the game’s development was plagued by many problems, and over the years the name came to denote the false hopes of fans. However, in the year of our Lord 2025, we will finally have the opportunity to show off our mastery and talent in this beautiful and incredibly difficult game.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Release date: 2025
Alright, alright, I know we’re cheating a bit here… But how else can we enjoy this famous GameCube game if we don’t have that console? This title is an indirect sequel to Ocarina of Time, taking place hundreds of years after its events. In The Wind Waker, Link lives in an archipelago of 49 islands, separated by a vast sea. He must embark on an epic adventure aboard a talking ship (the King of Red Lions) to rescue his sister from Ganondorf’s hands. This game can be accessed through the GameCube emulation service, which requires a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription (which will give you the option to upgrade for free to the Switch 2 versions of Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and other Switch 1 games).
What games are you eagerly waiting to get your hands on for Nintendo Switch 2?
