When I wrote about Nintendo’s 2024, I waxed lyrical about how many great Switch games there were, but the hybrid handheld console was certainly showing its age.
The Nintendo Switch 2 did finally launch in 2025, but it did so in June, meaning it’s actually an oddly-paced year for the company that’s done a great job in recent years 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 more helped the Switch gallop off into the sunset with plenty of positivity.
And yet, it would be fair to say we were all waiting for that June release. We were getting Cyberpunk 2077 on a Nintendo system, Hitman on the go, and big hitters like Mario Kart World. And while pricing and the prevalence of ‘Game Key Cards’ remains a contentious issue in the community, neither has stopped the Switch 2, and its software, from selling big.
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 (more on that shortly), but also down to the fact that third-parties flocked to the system in the same way they did a few months into the original Switch’s life cycle.
Whereas last time we saw a ‘wait and see’ approach, we got a whole bunch of games revealed and launched within the console’s first six months. Sure, some of them were older games repackaged for Switch 2, but getting the likes of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition to take on the go, with mouse controls, still feels novel months later.
Then there’s Nintendo’s own output. Mario Kart World arguably wasn’t quite the slam dunk that its predecessor, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was, but it sure looks like a system seller from here. And, when that started to trail off, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was rolled into bundles to replace it, offering the best way to play the latest critter-catching adventure.
Perhaps best of all is just how welcoming the Switch 2 is if you didn’t play the original console. Not played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom? They’re here, running better than they ever did on the last-gen console thanks to some fantastic Switch 2 Edition upgrades.
There are still some considerable caveats. For one, backwards compatibility is great, but Nintendo’s paid upgrades have been inconsistent. Super Mario Party Jamboree’s additional Switch 2 content feels barely worth the price of admission, but then you can play a whole new array of remixed levels in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Some of the free upgrades are great, too, like Super Mario Odyssey and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet running much better.
That brings us nicely to what Nintendo hasn’t shown us yet. While Donkey Kong Bananza is a great platforming adventure, we’re yet to get a new 3D Mario title, while the Metroid fanbase seems somewhat divided about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. We’re getting Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave next year, which is exciting, but Nintendo’s huge array of IP is currently unaccounted for.
On the one hand, that’s very exciting, especially with things like Super Smash Bros. or Animal Crossing yet to come, but on the other hand, it makes you wonder where the next big system seller is coming from. If you don’t care for Mario Kart or Pokémon, there’s not really an on-ramp for you at present.
Third parties, thankfully, are working to pick up that mantle. I’d much rather play Madden NFL and EA Sports FC on my PS5, but the fact that both are here already, and not just watered-down ports, is an example of how the Switch 2 is getting support that its predecessor just didn’t really 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 up to 120fps in both docked and handheld was a shock at the time, but we might already be seeing some hardware limitations. Borderlands 4 and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Switch 2 ports of games you can already play elsewhere, have both been delayed into 2026, certainly raising concerns over their quality.
Will we be left wondering if the Switch version of a game will run well enough again? The more I think about ARK: Survival Evolved on the 2017 system, the more I really hope we can avoid that kind of mess again, especially since one of the console’s biggest launches in January is 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Still, 2026 looks promising – we’ll have a full preview in the coming days, but between third-party games like Resident Evil: Requiem, Pragmata, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and even 007: First Light, it’s clear that developers are ready to stand up and be counted for on Switch 2. We just hope the Switch 2 can stand up for them, too.
The best handheld games consoles for all budgets
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