Simon Cardy
Guest
With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 very clearly on the horizon, we’re starting to wonder what we’ll be playing on it come launch day. So, in the absence of an official day one lineup, why don’t we have a good ol’ guess?
Nintendo has a well-stocked stable of reliables, and so some of our predictions – such as the arrival of a certain mustachioed plumber in one form or another – are more likely than not. But we’re also hopeful for the re-emergence of some previously announced new projects from beloved indie studios.
Now, we know it’s too much of a dream to think that all of these games will hit the Switch 2 on day one, but even if we get half of them we think we’re in for a great time when we pick up those new joy-con. Here’s what we think (or more accurately, hope) Nintendo has in store for us when the Switch 2 launches.
Over a whole decade has passed since Mario Kart 8 was released for Wii U, and in that time it has morphed into the most complete and essential karting game ever created, thanks to the Switch’s deluxe edition and several DLC additions boosting the track count up to a whopping 96 circuits. Mario Kart 8 has proved so successful, in fact, that it’s both the Wii U and the Switch’s best-selling game. So, it’s fair to say that a new one would be pretty popular.
While it was reported to be in development back in 2022 and designed “with a new twist”, Nintendo is yet to officially confirm the existence of Mario Kart 9. As such, at this stage, we can only guess at what this “new twist” is, but we’re hoping to find out very soon. If Mario Kart 8’s decade-long service was a celebration of the entire history of the series, then its successor will hopefully look to the future and introduce fresh, innovative ideas that will fuel Mario Kart for another decade. Of course, alongside those new ideas, we’d love a release date that coincides with the launch of Switch 2. If there’s such a thing as a “system seller”, then Mario Kart has proven over the years to be exactly that.
Considering the importance of games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy, you’d have thought the Switch would have had more than a single, solitary 3D Mario game. But, besides a re-release of Wii U’s Super Mario 3D World, the only 3D Mario platformer on Switch has been Super Mario Odyssey, which was released way back in 2017, the same year as the Nintendo Switch. We didn’t even get any substantial DLC for Odyssey, despite the idea of adding a world or two seeming an uncontestable slam dunk at the time.
After such a long wait, then, surely the launch of the Switch 2 is the time for a new plumbing platformer full of wacky abilities, inventive level design, and endless collectibles? While it may be greedy of us to hope for both this and a new Mario Kart on the same day, it would be a fantastic statement of intent from Nintendo to show us the future direction of arguably its two most significant Mario series. Failing that, we’d of course take one of them coming a few months after the other. Just please, please don’t keep us waiting. It’s been over seven years since we saw that cap and mustache in three beautiful dimensions…
Metroid fans have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for Metroid Prime 4. First announced as part of the E3 2017 Nintendo Direct, fans suffered many years of radio silence until its surprise reemergence in 2024. During that time, development of the project had reportedly passed from Bandai Namco Studios to Retro Studios, the original creators of the Metroid Prime series.
Now titled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, its gameplay reveal trailer excited many fans, and even had some questioning if what they were seeing was running on the Switch’s successor, so smooth was the action. Well, it looks like the Switch 2 will likely be what we’ll be playing it on, after all, and we’re hoping the long wait for it will end on the console’s launch date.
Two of the original Switch’s biggest hitters (not to mention two of the greatest games ever made), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will likely find their way onto the new console. We’re hoping that backward compatibility will allow for this by default, and keeping our fingers crossed for some kind of automatic “boost” mode for older games, but we also wouldn’t say no to specially enhanced versions of Link’s open-world adventures that take full advantage of the rumoured extra power the Switch 2 possesses. Hyrule in crisp 4K with no framerate drops? Yes, please.
Nintendo always likes to throw a quirkier game into the mix around its console launches. Just take one look at the Switch and its trio of 1-2 Switch, Snipperclips, and Arms to see what I mean. One such experiment that came a little later on in the hybrid console’s lifetime was Ring Fit Adventure, a spiritual successor to the colossally popular Wii Fit that took advantage of the Joy-Con’s motion controls to create a turn-based RPG that was also a fun workout, all in the comfort of your own home (or on the bus, if you’re really into bold acts of public display).
What could so easily have been palmed off as a gimmick went on to sell over 15 million copies and become one of the Switch’s most in-demand games. With no sequel anywhere to be seen, maybe the launch of the Switch 2 is the perfect place to showcase whatever new unconventional tricks the console and its controllers might have up their sleeve.
The original Switch may not have possessed the graphical horsepower to power Capcom’s stunning Resident Evil 4 remake, but maybe the Switch 2 can provide a home for Leon Kennedy’s glossy Spanish nightmare. One of 2023’s best games perhaps wouldn’t set the world alight with a launch date arrival, but it would be an impressive flex that proved the console’s capabilities. More importantly, though, there would be something undeniably poetic about one of the greatest horror games of all time returning to Nintendo many years after its long legacy began back on the GameCube.
Okay, maybe this one is a little out there. But with both Doom (2016) and its sequel Doom Eternal having made their way to the original Switch, plus Microsoft’s ever-increasing willingness to launch their games on anything that isn’t an Xbox, Doom: The Dark Ages on Switch 2 might just happen. We’ve so far seen very little of id Software’s new shooter outside of a short gameplay trailer, but we’re set to learn plenty more at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct. Will a release date be revealed, and could it align itself with the Switch 2’s? We’re ready to rip and tear on the go, again.
One of the greatest indie game success stories of all-time, not many games made outside of Nintendo’s walls left a bigger footprint on the Switch generation than Stardew Valley. So, what better place is there than the Switch 2 to launch Stardew developer ConcernedApe’s upcoming chocolate shop sim, The Haunted Chocolatier? In development since 2020, we’ve had just one gameplay trailer and little else. But the confectionary simulator with action-RPG elements and added ghosts seems like the perfect game to eat up hours and hours of handheld time, especially if it were to launch with the Switch 2.
Admittedly, a launch day release may be unlikely. Solo developer Eric Barone revealed a few months ago that he hadn’t been working on The Haunted Chocolatier “for a long time”, so perhaps a launch year window may be slightly more realistic. But it being there on Switch 2’s launch day would make the world taste good. Look, I just want to be able to play the creepy Willy Wonka game, okay?
My final pick is another follow-up to a beloved indie cult classic that found a home on Switch, Celeste. Studio Extremely OK Games is working away on its successor, Earthblade, a “2D explor-action” game with gorgeous pixel art. While updates have been few and far between, it’s not outside the realms of reality that we could see this arrive on the Switch 2 at launch. Last year, developer Maddy Thorson revealed that it would be released in 2025 “at the earliest”, so who knows, maybe it is just waiting to be unleashed alongside some new Nintendo hardware.
Those are my nine picks for what games we hope (and, admittedly, dream) might launch with the Switch 2 later this year. What do you think will make the launch lineup? Let us know in the comments below.
Nintendo has a well-stocked stable of reliables, and so some of our predictions – such as the arrival of a certain mustachioed plumber in one form or another – are more likely than not. But we’re also hopeful for the re-emergence of some previously announced new projects from beloved indie studios.
Now, we know it’s too much of a dream to think that all of these games will hit the Switch 2 on day one, but even if we get half of them we think we’re in for a great time when we pick up those new joy-con. Here’s what we think (or more accurately, hope) Nintendo has in store for us when the Switch 2 launches.
Mario Kart 9
Over a whole decade has passed since Mario Kart 8 was released for Wii U, and in that time it has morphed into the most complete and essential karting game ever created, thanks to the Switch’s deluxe edition and several DLC additions boosting the track count up to a whopping 96 circuits. Mario Kart 8 has proved so successful, in fact, that it’s both the Wii U and the Switch’s best-selling game. So, it’s fair to say that a new one would be pretty popular.
While it was reported to be in development back in 2022 and designed “with a new twist”, Nintendo is yet to officially confirm the existence of Mario Kart 9. As such, at this stage, we can only guess at what this “new twist” is, but we’re hoping to find out very soon. If Mario Kart 8’s decade-long service was a celebration of the entire history of the series, then its successor will hopefully look to the future and introduce fresh, innovative ideas that will fuel Mario Kart for another decade. Of course, alongside those new ideas, we’d love a release date that coincides with the launch of Switch 2. If there’s such a thing as a “system seller”, then Mario Kart has proven over the years to be exactly that.
New 3D Super Mario
Considering the importance of games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy, you’d have thought the Switch would have had more than a single, solitary 3D Mario game. But, besides a re-release of Wii U’s Super Mario 3D World, the only 3D Mario platformer on Switch has been Super Mario Odyssey, which was released way back in 2017, the same year as the Nintendo Switch. We didn’t even get any substantial DLC for Odyssey, despite the idea of adding a world or two seeming an uncontestable slam dunk at the time.
After such a long wait, then, surely the launch of the Switch 2 is the time for a new plumbing platformer full of wacky abilities, inventive level design, and endless collectibles? While it may be greedy of us to hope for both this and a new Mario Kart on the same day, it would be a fantastic statement of intent from Nintendo to show us the future direction of arguably its two most significant Mario series. Failing that, we’d of course take one of them coming a few months after the other. Just please, please don’t keep us waiting. It’s been over seven years since we saw that cap and mustache in three beautiful dimensions…
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Metroid fans have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for Metroid Prime 4. First announced as part of the E3 2017 Nintendo Direct, fans suffered many years of radio silence until its surprise reemergence in 2024. During that time, development of the project had reportedly passed from Bandai Namco Studios to Retro Studios, the original creators of the Metroid Prime series.
Now titled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, its gameplay reveal trailer excited many fans, and even had some questioning if what they were seeing was running on the Switch’s successor, so smooth was the action. Well, it looks like the Switch 2 will likely be what we’ll be playing it on, after all, and we’re hoping the long wait for it will end on the console’s launch date.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom Enhanced
Two of the original Switch’s biggest hitters (not to mention two of the greatest games ever made), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will likely find their way onto the new console. We’re hoping that backward compatibility will allow for this by default, and keeping our fingers crossed for some kind of automatic “boost” mode for older games, but we also wouldn’t say no to specially enhanced versions of Link’s open-world adventures that take full advantage of the rumoured extra power the Switch 2 possesses. Hyrule in crisp 4K with no framerate drops? Yes, please.
Ring Fit Adventure 2
Nintendo always likes to throw a quirkier game into the mix around its console launches. Just take one look at the Switch and its trio of 1-2 Switch, Snipperclips, and Arms to see what I mean. One such experiment that came a little later on in the hybrid console’s lifetime was Ring Fit Adventure, a spiritual successor to the colossally popular Wii Fit that took advantage of the Joy-Con’s motion controls to create a turn-based RPG that was also a fun workout, all in the comfort of your own home (or on the bus, if you’re really into bold acts of public display).
What could so easily have been palmed off as a gimmick went on to sell over 15 million copies and become one of the Switch’s most in-demand games. With no sequel anywhere to be seen, maybe the launch of the Switch 2 is the perfect place to showcase whatever new unconventional tricks the console and its controllers might have up their sleeve.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
The original Switch may not have possessed the graphical horsepower to power Capcom’s stunning Resident Evil 4 remake, but maybe the Switch 2 can provide a home for Leon Kennedy’s glossy Spanish nightmare. One of 2023’s best games perhaps wouldn’t set the world alight with a launch date arrival, but it would be an impressive flex that proved the console’s capabilities. More importantly, though, there would be something undeniably poetic about one of the greatest horror games of all time returning to Nintendo many years after its long legacy began back on the GameCube.
Doom: The Dark Ages
Okay, maybe this one is a little out there. But with both Doom (2016) and its sequel Doom Eternal having made their way to the original Switch, plus Microsoft’s ever-increasing willingness to launch their games on anything that isn’t an Xbox, Doom: The Dark Ages on Switch 2 might just happen. We’ve so far seen very little of id Software’s new shooter outside of a short gameplay trailer, but we’re set to learn plenty more at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct. Will a release date be revealed, and could it align itself with the Switch 2’s? We’re ready to rip and tear on the go, again.
The Haunted Chocolatier
One of the greatest indie game success stories of all-time, not many games made outside of Nintendo’s walls left a bigger footprint on the Switch generation than Stardew Valley. So, what better place is there than the Switch 2 to launch Stardew developer ConcernedApe’s upcoming chocolate shop sim, The Haunted Chocolatier? In development since 2020, we’ve had just one gameplay trailer and little else. But the confectionary simulator with action-RPG elements and added ghosts seems like the perfect game to eat up hours and hours of handheld time, especially if it were to launch with the Switch 2.
Admittedly, a launch day release may be unlikely. Solo developer Eric Barone revealed a few months ago that he hadn’t been working on The Haunted Chocolatier “for a long time”, so perhaps a launch year window may be slightly more realistic. But it being there on Switch 2’s launch day would make the world taste good. Look, I just want to be able to play the creepy Willy Wonka game, okay?
Earthblade
My final pick is another follow-up to a beloved indie cult classic that found a home on Switch, Celeste. Studio Extremely OK Games is working away on its successor, Earthblade, a “2D explor-action” game with gorgeous pixel art. While updates have been few and far between, it’s not outside the realms of reality that we could see this arrive on the Switch 2 at launch. Last year, developer Maddy Thorson revealed that it would be released in 2025 “at the earliest”, so who knows, maybe it is just waiting to be unleashed alongside some new Nintendo hardware.
Those are my nine picks for what games we hope (and, admittedly, dream) might launch with the Switch 2 later this year. What do you think will make the launch lineup? Let us know in the comments below.