With less than a month left until the Switch 2 launches, I can’t stop thinking about a glorious new Nintendo console. There’s little more exciting in this world than a console launch, and for me and many others a Nintendo console launch is the cream of the crop. The 5th of June can’t come soon enough as far as I’m concerned, because I need to get my hands on the successor to the Nintendo Switch.
Very few consoles have had the success of the Switch, and for good reason. With portability at the forefront of this wonderful device, it’s been the perfect hybrid console to fit into the lives of many a family. I’m not sure there’s a single console I’ve spent more time with than the Switch, because it’s just so easy to find the time to play it. With a bit more power under the hood as well as some new features, I’m hopeful I’ll spend even longer with the Switch 2 and all of its hotly anticipated games.
I was initially aiming to compile a top ten list when I decided to write this, but after looking through all the games currently announced for the first year of the Switch 2 I realised I needed much more space. Even with twenty slots to fill I ended up cutting some fantastic games that I really want to play, like Civilization VII (complete with mouse support), Cyberpunk 2077 and Witchbrook. There’s a chance you’ll be disappointed by some games missing, but that’s just because there are so many Switch 2 games coming soon.
To quell some of this disappointment though before the list starts, here are a few more games that won’t appear on this list. As someone who doesn’t enjoy Souls adjacent games, I can’t pretend I’m going to play Elden Ring or The Duskbloods – but feel free to make them 21 and 22 on the list, obviously. There are also some great games that won’t feature because I’ve simply played them too recently to desperately want to jump back in, like Split Fiction and Sonic X Shadow Generations. Now enough talking about the games not on the list, let’s get to my top twenty most anticipated Switch 2 games.
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
My very first official GOTY back in 2020, Final Fantasy VII Remake is an absolute masterpiece. Getting to play it on a handheld will feel like magic, and on top of that I’ve never played the extra Integrade content. I will gleefully replay the first part of Cloud and the gang’s epic adventure, and hopefully that means many more Final Fantasy games make their way to the Switch 2 sooner rather than later.
19. Hades 2
Hades 2 is just made to be played on a portable console, which I know because I tried some of the early access version of the game on the Steam Deck. With a whole lot more content to check out by the time it launches on the Switch 2, I know I’ll lose my life to this sensational Roguelike. It’s hard to feel too sad about this though, because it’s going to be excellent.
18. Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
The Professor Layton games were so popular on the DS, so it’s wild how long we’ve had to wait for this new entry. I’m beyond ready to solve a whole lot of puzzles with gaming’s most dapper protagonist, and probably uncover a mystery in the process. Professor Layton and the New World of Steam likely won’t be a game that pushes the new exciting hardware, but it’ll be perfectly portable and that’s good enough for me.
17. Fortnite
Now this will upset the masses, but I’m probably going to play more Fortnite than anything else on the Switch 2 and I’m not ashamed to say it. Fortnite is the game of choice for me and my husband, and as such we put hundreds of hours into it every year. I never took the download plunge on the original Switch version because it just didn’t feel like a console that would handle it all that well, but it’ll be one of my first downloaded titles when the postie brings me my new console on June 5th.
16. Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World
One of a handful of first party games I didn’t play on the Switch, Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World is getting a seemingly meaty upgrade for the Switch 2 with the all new starry content. As one of the flagship Switch 2 edition games I’m sure Nintendo will be making sure this beloved Kirby adventure feels better than ever, and I can’t wait to finally right the wrong of skipping it a few years ago.
15. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Now I know this placement will be unpopular, because I see all those comments on every single Nintendo Direct announcement. I think the original Hollow Knight is good, but never really got the hype when there are so many great Metroidvanias out there. That being said, Silksong has been a long time coming and I have to admit I’m looking forward to seeing what Team Cherry has cooked up. Six years is a long time to create something special that’s for sure.
14. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
I love mini games that show off new hardware, so a game that was created to do just that will delight me on launch day. This is a console I’m going to spend thousands of hours with, and I want to know absolutely everything it can do. This virtual museum promises to do just that, and after hearing more about it from the lucky fellas that previewed it here I’m ready to jump in with both Joy-Cons. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour may not be something I play over and over again, but it’s exactly how I want to start my adventure with a new console.
13. Deltarune
I was late to the party when Undertale took the gaming world by storm, and I suppose I’m already late to the party with Deltarune too. With two chapters already available, Deltarune will be a fully complete package when it launches on the Switch 2. With key differences from the original Toby Fox smash hit like multiple party members, I’m keeping a keen eye on this sure to be mind bending experience.
12) Enter the Gungeon 2
When I fall in love with a Roguelike, I fall in love hard. When the first Enter the Gungeon came to us almost a decade ago I did just that, and was lost in its world of silly walking bullets and outlandish guns. The charm and bullet hell gameplay just appealed to me so intensely, and after writing this I might have to redownload it. Getting an all new Gungeon game is incredibly exciting to me, and there’s no better way to play a Roguelike than on a portable console. That’s just a fact.
11. Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion
I’ve always been a sucker for a good mech, so it’s sad I never got around to playing Daemon X Machina. The sequel looks so good though, and I won’t be making that same mistake again. Getting to customise a mech with all sorts of explosive kit and flying it around a sprawling alien world sounds like heaven to me, and it’s also something totally different to anything else on this list. It’s bloody great to see such a variety of games already coming to the Switch 2, and I want to play them all including Titanic Scion.
10. Shadow Labyrinth
Sneaking onto the top ten is another Metroidvania, because you can never have too many Metroidvanias. This one is particularly intriguing though, because it’s got a grim dark setting and also features Pac-Man. That is a combination I just have to check out with my own eyes and thumbs, and I really hope Shadow Labyrinth delivers everything I’m looking for when it launches in July.
9. No Sleep for Kaname Date — From AI: The Somnium Files
I was introduced to the absolutely bonkers world of AI: The Somnium Files only a couple of years ago, and it immediately hooked me with its compellingly bizarre story. It’s a series that evolves the classic adventure formula into something completely unique, and features a lovely scoop of anime silliness for good measure. It’ll be interesting to see how this potential spin-off continues the series, and I’ll be certain to find out when No Sleep for Kaname Date — From AI: The Somnium Files releases in July.
8). Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster
I could hardly leave an epic JRPG off a most anticipated list, and a remaster of a portable classic seems like the perfect Switch 2 title. I never finished Bravely Default on the 3DS because I was flaky and weak back in 2012 (I know, that can’t be how long ago it released) but I will this time. With a clever battle system featuring ways to take multiple turns at once and some cheeky new mini games, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is going to delight genre fans all over again and I’m going to be a member of the delighted masses.
7. Drag x Drive
Perhaps the most unexpected game reveal that appeared on the Nintendo Switch 2 direct, I can’t wait to get hooked on robot wheelchair basketball. My husband is even more excited about Drag x Drive though, as he’s always looking for more wheelchair user representation in video games. Even outside of it being really cool that a first party Nintendo game features wheelchair basketball, Drag x Drive looks like an absolute blast to play. With an innovative control scheme that can only work with two mouse controllers and some serious teamwork required, I suspect this game will take people by surprise this summer.
6. Kirby Air Riders
Now some might try to argue that two first party kart racing games in one launch year is too much, but to those I say shut up. I never actually owned Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube, but I trust Sakurai and company to make a must play game for us this year. It’s just never worth betting against a new Nintendo game anymore, and I’m sure the pink puffball will provide us with something different enough from Mario Kart to ensure we need to play both.
5. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
I absolutely adore the Hyrule Warriors games, but Age of Calamity especially struggled with performance issues on the original Switch. This series is in need of the boost in power that a new console will provide, and that’s enough to get me seriously hyped. The game itself looks amazing too of course, with that lovely musou action and a story that’ll fill in some gaps left by Tears of the Kingdom. With Dynasty Warriors: Origins evolving this genre at the start of this year in new and delightful ways, I’m even more ready to kill thousands of enemies in over the top battles in ye olde Hyrule.
4. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
There’s a new Metroid Prime game coming this year, and the fact it’s only in the number four slot of this list is testament to how many hotly anticipated Switch 2 games have been announced already. I am ridiculously giddy to get a new 3D Samus adventure though, because no other series is able to capture exploring an alien land quite like Metroid Prime. I’m not sure I’ll be tempted by the mouse control option, but it’s incredibly cool that it’s there and maybe I’ll become a convert. There’s a serious chance that Metroid Prime 4 will be topping GOTY lists when December comes around, and I’ll be morph balling my way to play it as soon as physically possible.
3. Pokémon Legends: Z-A
In the last twelve months I’ve probably reached the peak of my Pokémon fandom, and as such I need to get my hands on Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Set in the world of one of my all time favourite Pokémon games, this spinoff is likely to be just as amazing as its Arceus focused predecessor. It’s also bringing back mega evolution which was such a great mechanic back on the 3DS, and will hopefully introduce a few new Pokémon or regional forms that could seriously affect the state of competitive play. As a gamer and avid Pokétuber viewer, Legends Z-A will be an important part of my 2025, and hopefully the Switch 2 version of the game will run wonderfully.
2. Donkey Kong Bananza
The second ever 3D Donkey Kong Platformer is coming just over a month after the Switch 2 launches, and it looks very reminiscent of Super Mario Odyssey. I simply can’t imagine much more thrilling than this. The new design of DK himself just makes me smile too, and the environment destroying gameplay looks incredibly satisfying. Any fan of 3D platformers will always pay attention when Nintendo releases a brand new charming title, so for us jumping jocks Donkey Kong Bananza will be a highlight of the summer that will help us hide from the sun’s deadly rays.
1. Mario Kart World
Nobody will be shocked to see this at the top of this list, but frankly I don’t care. We had a whole console generation without a new Mario Kart game, and for our patience we’ve been rewarded with open world Mario Kart. A perfect evolution in kart racing, almost everyone who drops a fat stack of cash on the Switch 2 will also be buying this game. Everything we’ve seen of Mario Kart World is so damn exciting, from the tracks themselves to the sheer number of ridiculously obscure characters you can play as.
Mario Kart World is going to make millions of people smile with glee, make Nintendo a ridiculous amount of money, and showcase the power of the Switch 2 for all to see. If I could only pick one game to buy for the rest of the year I’d pick this one, and I seriously doubt I’d have even a sliver of regret afterwards.
