When I wrote about Nintendo’s 2024, I waxed lyrical about what number of nice Switch video games there have been, however the hybrid handheld console was actually exhibiting its age.
The Nintendo Switch 2 did lastly launch in 2025, however it did so in June, which means it’s truly an oddly-paced 12 months for the corporate that’s carried out an awesome job lately of drip-feeding compelling exclusives.
As a result, I’ll split this year into Nintendo pre-Switch 2 and after the console had arrived, but it’s worth stressing that it’s been a pretty great year – and hardware sales are looking promising for the latest system, too.
Before Switch 2
While Nintendo kicked the year off with a short teaser about the Switch 2 on January 16, we didn’t get additional spec info until a full Direct presentation on April 2, before the console launched on June 5.
That meant the heavy lifting for the company’s first six months of the year was all about the software, and to its credit, the hits kept coming across both first and third-party titles. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Civilization 7, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and extra helped the Switch gallop off into the sundown with loads of positivity.
And but, it will be truthful to say we have been all ready for that June launch. We have been getting Cyberpunk 2077 on a Nintendo system, Hitman on the go, and large hitters like Mario Kart World. And whereas pricing and the prevalence of ‘Game Key Cards’ stays a contentious problem in the neighborhood, neither has stopped the Switch 2, and its software program, from promoting huge.
The big arrival
The Switch 2, in some ways, arguably had one of the best launch lineups of all time. That’s partially because we got a new Mario Kart title in World (extra on that shortly), but additionally right down to the truth that third-parties flocked to the system in the identical approach they did a couple of months into the unique Switch’s life cycle.
Whereas final time we noticed a ‘wait and see’ strategy, we acquired an entire bunch of video games revealed and launched inside the console’s first six months. Sure, a few of them have been older video games repackaged for Switch 2, however getting the likes of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition to tackle the go, with mouse controls, nonetheless feels novel months later.
Then there’s Nintendo’s personal output. Mario Kart World arguably wasn’t fairly the slam dunk that its predecessor, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was, however it certain seems like a system vendor from right here. And, when that began to path off, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was rolled into bundles to exchange it, providing one of the best ways to play the most recent critter-catching journey.
Perhaps better of all is simply how welcoming the Switch 2 is should you didn’t play the unique console. Not performed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom? They’re right here, operating higher than they ever did on the last-gen console due to some improbable Switch 2 Edition upgrades.
There are nonetheless some appreciable caveats. For one, backwards compatibility is nice, however Nintendo’s paid upgrades have been inconsistent. Super Mario Party Jamboree’s extra Switch 2 content material feels barely well worth the value of admission, however then you possibly can play an entire new array of remixed ranges in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Some of the free upgrades are nice, too, like Super Mario Odyssey and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet operating a lot better.
That brings us properly to what Nintendo hasn’t proven us but. While Donkey Kong Bananza is a superb platforming journey, we’re but to get a brand new 3D Mario title, whereas the Metroid fanbase appears considerably divided about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. We’re getting Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave subsequent 12 months, which is thrilling, however Nintendo’s large array of IP is at the moment unaccounted for.
On the one hand, that’s very thrilling, particularly with issues like Super Smash Bros. or Animal Crossing but to come back, however however, it makes you surprise the place the following huge system vendor is coming from. If you don’t look after Mario Kart or Pokémon, there’s not likely an on-ramp for you at current.
Third events, fortunately, are working to select up that mantle. I’d a lot reasonably play Madden NFL and EA Sports FC on my PS5, however the truth that each are right here already, and never simply watered-down ports, is an instance of how the Switch 2 is getting assist that its predecessor simply didn’t actually have.
A storm brewing?
One of the main criticisms of the original Switch was its lack of graphical grunt compared to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at the time. While this was certainly negated by the fact that you could take it anywhere, the Switch 2 arrives when handheld PCs that pack much more power are launched seemingly every month.
Nintendo’s assertion that the Switch 2 would support 4K visuals (in docked mode) and as much as 120fps in each docked and handheld was a shock on the time, however we would already be seeing some {hardware} limitations. Borderlands 4 and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Switch 2 ports of video games you possibly can already play elsewhere, have each been delayed into 2026, actually elevating issues over their high quality.
Will we be left questioning if the Switch model of a sport will run properly sufficient once more? The extra I take into consideration ARK: Survival Evolved on the 2017 system, the extra I actually hope we are able to keep away from that type of mess once more, particularly since one of many console’s largest launches in January is 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Still, 2026 seems promising – we’ll have a full preview within the coming days, however between third-party video games like Resident Evil: Requiem, Pragmata, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and even 007: First Light, it’s clear that builders are prepared to face up and be counted for on Switch 2. We simply hope the Switch 2 can rise up for them, too.
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