What games will Switch 2 have at launch?

The Switch 2 rumours are heating up. Some leaked images have been released, and fans are speculating that it could be announced this month! In my wildest dreams it will be capable of turning into a VR headset, but I realise this is unlikely (maybe Switch 3). I’m chiefly just hoping for a more powerful version of the Switch, which seems all but guaranteed. There is a rumour that the Switch 2 Joy-Cons will connect magnetically, which does sound pretty great. The old Joy-Cons can be a pain to connect and disconnect. So, I’m happy all round.

But a console is made by its games, and with the console’s announcement potentially around the corner, a host of new game announcements is sure to follow. Or at least there will be if Nintendo doesn’t want the console to flop (nervous flashbacks to the Wii U). But on that score, there’s no danger. Even in the Switch’s waning days, Nintendo has maintained a consistent and surprisingly high output of first-party games. There’s even a new Zelda game! Consolidating their handheld and home console game development is paying dividends. But it begs the question, if the Switch is getting this many great games at the end of its life, what do they have lined up for Switch 2? It’s time to speculate wildly!

When the Switch launched, there was one huge game. A single killer app that let everyone know, from the start, that the Switch was going to be incredible and that, more importantly, its games would be awesome as well. This wasn’t going to be a rehash of the Wii era’s casual games (although I do love the Wii era). Other big games were announced and promptly released over the following months, which was an essential factor for success. But at launch, it was all about Breath of the Wild.

This approach, a big game at launch and several more big games in the following months, worked very well for Nintendo. Switch sales are now nearing PS2 levels. It’s a safe bet, then, that Switch 2’s launch will have a similar strategy. The question is, what’s the big game going to be? The obvious contender is 3D Mario. It’s been a long time since the last major 3D Mario game, Mario Odyssey was a part of the Switch’s opening lineup (released a few months after launch). They released Bowsers Fury a couple of years ago, but it’s only a few hours long and feels more like an appetiser. In short, 3D Mario is due a new game, and I can’t think of a better opportunity to release one than the launch of a new system.

There could also be a port of Metroid Prime 4 (and hopefully Prime 1-3) or even a simultaneous cross-platform release. There is precedent for this: Breath of the Wild was released on both the Switch and Wii U. It would be surprising if they didn’t do this with Prime 4 as well. It has to be released on the Switch because that’s the console they announced it for. But after so many years of development, it would be a wasted opportunity not to release such a massive game on the new console as well. A Prime 4 Ultimate edition might also help to market Switch 2. Some (predominantly non-Nintendo-playing) gamers may view Mario as a kid’s game. It’s sacrilege, I know, but still plausible. An exclusively Mario-focused launch might subsequently turn them away. A Prime 4 Ultimate release would go a long way to winning them over. Being a launch title would also do wonders for Metroid’s popularity.

Nintendo’s home consoles often launch with pre-bundled “tech demo” games designed to show off the console’s capabilities and features. For the Wii, it was Wii Sports (so great that it recently got a sequel: Switch Sports), and for the Wii U, it was Nintendo Land (which I love to no end). The Switch launch somewhat departed from this tradition; there weren’t any pre-bundled games, but it did have 1-2-Switch, a game that arguably filled the “tech demo” role. It underperformed commercially but recently received a sequel, Everybody 1-2-Switch! This does indicate that Nintendo still considers the “tech demo” a worthwhile endeavour. It seems likely, then, that the Switch 2 will have its own “tech demo” launch title. I’m holding out for Nintendo Land 2. It won’t be that, but I can dream!

Mario Kart 9 is a shoo-in. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released for Switch less than two months after the console launched, which almost definitely boosted early console sales (it’s still the best-selling game). Nintendo will likely want a repeat of that boost, and it’s been a long time since the last entry. Mario Kart 8 (the original version) was first released in 2014. They’ve had a long time for game development. Admittedly, there was DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which, by diverting development resources, could have potentially dampened Mario Kart 9’s development. But that seems unlikely. The DLC content was drawn predominantly from the mobile game and, whilst fun, was of a noticeably lower visual quality than the base game. It won’t have pulled too many resources away from Mario Kart 9.

Other, less certain, possibilities for launch can be briefly mentioned. It was previously rumoured that the 3D Mario team was developing a new Donkey Kong game, which could be a launch title. Although it might conflict with the development of a new 3D Mario and, if it’s one or the other, Mario is the safer bet. Still, the recent re-release of Donkey Kong Country Returns might be preparing the waters. There will also, eventually, be another Smash Bros., although it’s difficult to say when that would be, given the semi-retirement of its creator. The recent releases of Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom mean that it will be some time before Switch 2 gets a Zelda game. Unless that is, it receives the long-awaited ports of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD. Finally, a new IP may debut. Similar to how Arms debuted during the Switch launch. What that new IP will be, is anyone’s guess.

Beyond all that, if Nintendo does nothing but maintain its current development schedule (and it will ramp it up), Switch 2 is guaranteed a great early-life library.

-Dexter