The Nintendo Switch 2 is on the way, and based on Nintendo's tease, it's not that different than the original. You're getting a bigger display, magnetic Joy-Cons, more ports and an updated dock.
It's not too shocking that Nintendo is refreshing its formula given the form factor of the original Switch has been a such a big hit.
Still, the first Switch had a huge advantage by launching alongside (the admittedly cross-gen) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, before an initial year that included Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and much more.
We’ve been digging through the leaks, rumors, and development timelines ahead of the Nintendo Direct event on April 2 to put together some predictions for the Switch 2’s launch lineup.
Here's what you could be playing on your Nintendo Switch 2 when it launches in 2025...
Confirmed Switch 2 games
The Switch 2’s first confirmed games are piling up now, with the big focus being a new Mario Kart shown in the console’s initial reveal.
Yooka-Replayee is also slated to launch on Switch 2 (although there’s no telling if it’ll be there at launch) while a sort of Diablo-like game about catching and leveling monsters in Synth Beasts could help cover any potential Pokemon-shaped holes in the lineup.
Leaked games and third-party connections
We’ve seen from a developer’s LinkedIn resume that Warner Bros. Games may have been working on bringing Gotham Knights to a new platform, widely expected to be the Nintendo Switch 2.
The DC Comics action-adventure title hardly set the world ablaze in 2022 but still had plenty to enjoy and could signal that Switch is capable of handling more ambitious third-party ports.
Considering we’ve heard other rumors about open-world epic Elden Ring also finally making its Nintendo debut, it seems possible. The game runs very well on Steam Deck (with or without Shadow of the Erdtree), so it’s not outside of the realms of possibility that FromSoft’s ‘magnum opus’ could find its way to Switch 2.
Then there are the links with Sony and Xbox. Microsoft has said it’ll support Switch 2, and while it may be too soon to expect Halo on Switch 2, the company has already released games on Switch. Given how Skyrim featured prominently in the original Switch’s reveal, could we see the long-rumored Oblivion Remake featured this time around?
Even Sony allowed Lego Horizon Adventures to come to Nintendo’s current system, and while it’s unlikely it’ll drop another big release that’s less family-friendly on Switch 2 (especially given rumors it could re-enter the handheld market), it’ll be interesting to see how much Sony sends towards the new system.
Rumored Nintendo exclusive games
We’ve already said that Nintendo is hard to predict, but there’s certainly enough to get excited about when it comes to the launch lineup.
Mario Kart 9, or whatever was shown at the console’s hardware reveal, is the definition of a system seller. After all, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains the top-selling game on the first-generation Switch. With a gap of ten years, since MK8 first launched on Wii U, aside from the DLC tracks, Nintendo has had plenty of time to build the next installment.
And, as ever, we’re expecting Mario to be big in the console’s first year, if not at launch. N64 launched with Mario 64, then waited a while to hit GameCube and Wii. New Super Mario Bros. U launched with the ill-fated Wii U, but we didn’t get a new Switch-based 3D platformer with Mario until Super Mario Odyssey.
While one retailer has ‘leaked’ a lineup including a 3D Mario game, it seems unlikely Nintendo would launch a new console without a Mario game, particularly off the back of the Super Mario Bros. movie’s success. In the years since Odyssey in 2017, the only new 3D platformer we got was the additional ‘Bowser’s Fury’ added onto Super Mario 3D World’s Switch port.
It was great, but there’s definitely been enough time for that team to work on an entire 3D Mario title. We didn’t even get Odyssey DLC levels!
Switching gears, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond looked so good when it was re-revealed last week that our Switch consoles let out a small gasp, so there’s every chance the shooter is heavily focused on the new system in a similar way to Breath of the Wild which also arrived on Wii U.
Speaking of Zelda, Nintendo’s backward compatibility confirmation means we’re unlikely to get a new mainline entry this time, but if you’ve been holding out for more powerful hardware to play Breath of the Wild or its sequel Tears of the Kingdom, this will likely be the time.
On a similar note, Nintendo consoles don’t tend to launch with Pokemon games, and Scarlet and Violet were very disappointing, at least from a technical perspective. If Nintendo can get those games looking (and running) better, we’d gladly give them another run. And, if not, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is still due this year to give gamers a monster-hunting fix.
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