Best Nintendo Switch 2 games in 2026

You would probably assume that the first flagship 3D platform for Switch 2 would star Mario, but instead, Nintendo opted to build a game around his old foe, Donkey Kong. It was a stroke of genius. Donkey Kong Bananza isn’t merely a traditional Mario platformer with a DK skin; instead, it’s an experience built around the oversized ape. Levels are almost fully destructible, letting you smash up, down and sideways to discover hidden collectibles as you explore colorful levels from a snowy mountaintop to a dusty canyon-sized desert. Plus, the story, which pairs DK with a young Pauline, is simple but sweet. Oh, and completionists will be pleased to know there are hundreds of shiny objects to find, and each one feels rewarding to uncover.

It turns out that mixing the world of Pokémon with the cozy simulation gameplay of titles like Animal Crossing was a stroke of genius. It’s no exaggeration to say that Pokémon Pokopia took over pop culture upon release in March 2026 in a way the franchise hasn’t since the height of Pokémon Go fever. Your goal is to rebuild a post-apocalyptic world to attract Pokémon to repopulate each environment, and then meet their needs to ensure they stick around. Pokopia is simple and charming, and makes for a great change of pace if you’re burnt out on action and shooter titles. Plus, it’s excellent in handheld mode as you can slowly chip away at a goal without needing to play for hours at a time to make tangible progress.

The Splatoon series is known for its frantic ink-based competitive multiplayer. But each installment has offered an enjoyable single-player component as well. Splatoon Raiders expands on this as the first Splatoon team entirely built around solo (and co-op) play. Think of it as the popular Salmon Run mode introduced in Splatoon 2, but greatly expanded. You play an Inkling or Octoling on a mission to travel the Spirhalite Islands, collecting treasures and defeating hordes of enemies along the way. Also fully playable in up to four-player co-op, it packs Splatoon’s novel third-person shooting gameplay but in a slightly more relaxed setting. But not too relaxed. The later missions still get pretty intense.

Consider this a dual-entry, as both The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, have never looked or run better than they do via their new Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. Both 100+ hour games have been fully remastered for the Switch 2 with improved framerate performance and superior image resolutions. These were already must-play masterpieces, and now, thanks to Nintendo’s new hardware, they are somehow even more essential. If you have to pick one, I’d recommend opting for Tears of the Kingdom, solely because its Ultrahand ability, which lets you cobble together vehicles and structures to complete puzzles and explore the world, is so enjoyable it’s hard to return to BOTW without it. However, you really should play them both if you can.

Clearly, nobody told the team at Supergiant Games that you “can’t improve on perfection” because somehow the developer has taken the formula from its smash-hit 2020 rogue-lite and dialed things up even further in Hades 2. Again set in the world of Greek mythology, you play Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld, on a quest to defeat Chronos, the titan of time. That’s no easy feat, and your victory won’t come easily. However, with each run through the labyrinthine underworld, you’ll gain new abilities (some permanent, some temporary), and inch closer to the grand final showdown. Much like the original Hades, in this sequel, your first successful run is just the start, with Hades 2 offering myriad reasons to keep playing long after beating the titan.

The GOTY-conquering Elden Ring is one of the most content-rich games on Nintendo Switch 2. You’ve got the entirety of the Lands Between to explore at home or on the go, and so long as you can rise to the challenge, you’ll want to see every sight and defeat every boss. Elden Ring comes from FromSoftware, developer of the Dark Souls series, and takes that game's action-RPG framework and throws it into a stunning open world setting. It also looks and runs remarkably well on the Switch 2 hardware (the port’s delayed release was worth the wait). The Switch 2 version, known as “The Tarnished Edition,” comes complete with the excellent Shadow of the Erdtree Tree expansion as well as two new starting classes.

There’s a good chance you already have a copy of Mario Kart World, as Nintendo released a Switch 2 bundle including the game for launch. But if you picked up just the console and are wondering if the latest entry in the kart racer phenomenon is worth buying, the short answer is, absolutely. It’s less content-rich than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but World makes some big changes to the formula, including the inclusion of a vast, but somewhat empty, open world. Fundamentally, it offers the same great Mario Kart racing action that the series has done for decades, but with new moves like wall riding and rail grinding. The new Knockout Tour mode is also fantastic and sees 48 players compete to be crowned the winner battle royale style.

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of gaming’s great redemption stories. Released in late 2020, it was heavily criticized for omitting promised features and being a technical mess, but developer CD Projekt Red has spent the last five years improving the game and releasing the essential expansion Phantom Liberty. Now the complete sci-fi action-RPG experience is available on Switch 2, and it’s currently the best place to play Cyberpunk 2077 on the go. If you’re unfamiliar with this one, it comes from the same developers as The Witcher, and sees you play a mercenary named V in the seedy and crime-filled Night City. Your goal is to become a legend of the underworld, or die trying. Packed with well-written quests, memorable characters and a near-unrivalled sense of atmosphere, Cyberpunk 2077 is now considered a masterpiece for very good reason.

Capcom brought the modern Resident Evil trilogy to the Switch 2 in 2026, and while Resi 7 and Resi 8 are survival horror experiences you shouldn’t skip, I’m giving the nod to Resident Evil Requiem, the latest mainline game in the franchise. There are some noticeable visual downgrades on the Switch 2 compared to Requiem on rival consoles, but you’re getting a robust Resi experience on a device you can play anywhere. The game itself is fantastic, and smartly mixes horror and action thanks to its two playable protagonists, newcomer Grace Ashcroft and returning fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy. If you’re craving even more Resident Evil on Switch 2, the remake trilogy is set to arrive on the console in October, which is great news.

Nintendo has positioned the Yoshi spin-off games as the perfect franchise for younger or inexperienced players, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book maintains that theme. It’s a side-scrolling platform set within a…well, a mysterious book. You play the adorable little green dino as they explore each chapter, meeting unique creatures and interacting with them to solve puzzles and reach the end goal. It’s very simple in its design, with no combat or fail states to speak of, so if you want a game that will test you, steer clear, but if you’re looking for an easy-going adventure that’s very approachable for all ages, it’s a pleasant time.

The first mainline Pokémon game released on Nintendo Switch 2 was always going to face big expectations, but Pokémon Legends: Z-A manages to rank among the best games in the long-running monster-collecting series yet. The sequel to 2021’s Legends: Arceus is set in the sprawling Lumiose City, and as per usual, sees you catching as many powerful critters as possible. The big twist here is a new battle system that completely flips the script. Turn-based is out, and a new real-time system has been added, making battling rival Pokémon trainers more frenetic and exhilarating than ever. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is also available on the original Switch, but if you want the best experience (and the most stable framerate), be sure to play on Switch 2.

Since the release of Dark Souls in 2010, many developers have tried to replicate FromSoftware’s winning formula, but no games in the Soulslike genre have got as close as Lies of P. This excellent but difficult action-RPG is based on “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi and casts you as a powerful puppet walking the streets of the ruined city of Krat. On your adventure, you’ll face tough bosses and even regular enemies that cut you down in a matter of seconds if you’re not playing carefully. On Switch 2, you get the “Complete Edition,” which packs in the game’s equally essential Overture expansion. Lies of P also looks and runs well on the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s a must-play for Dark Souls fans.

Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom pals once again step into the tennis court in Mario Tennis Fever, the first brand new Mario sports game on the Nintendo Switch 2. It offers the same whimsical take on the popular sport, with the new addition of Fever Rackets letting you create all kinds of chaos on the court from fireballs to freeze shots. The single-player Adventure Mode is once again a disappointingly brief affair, but there are 38 playable games at launch, the most in series history. Mario Tennis Fever is the perfect party game pick, as even novice players can get to grips with the basics after just a few rallies. Plus, Mario and friends look super cute in tennis gear!

Capcom is on a hot streak right now, and while it’s great to see classic franchises like Resident Evil and Onimusha thrive, I appreciate that the Japanese publisher is also finding time for new ideas. One such example is Pragmata, a sci-fi action game with a unique combat system built around hacking. To damage enemies, you need to complete a small micro-game first to open them up to taking damage. It’s a novel system, and doesn’t lose its appeal across the whole 12-hour campaign. The story is also a highlight; you play an engineer named Hugh, protecting an android girl (nicknamed Diana) as they try to escape a lunar base overrun with corrupted machines. Pragmata is fresh and simply fantastic.

Not for the first time, Nintendo gave Star Fox fans a “new” game that was actually just a visually overhauled remake of Star Fox 64. This Nintendo 64 was already remade for the 3DS and re-imagined on Wii U in Star Fox Zero. So it was a little disappointing to get yet another retread of a Star Fox adventure that’s been reworked multiple times already. Nevertheless, 2026’s Star Fox is still a delightfully enjoyable rail shooter, and it’s the best-looking title in the series to date. If Fox McCloud’s inclusion in the “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has you itching to “do a barrel roll” on your Switch 2, it’s an excellent starting point.

Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch 2 is a great showcase of the improved power of the hybrid console over its predecessor. This open-world adventure set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is available on Switch 1, but it’s a seriously compromised experience with ugly textures, a crawling framerate and loads of additional loading screens. Hogwarts Legacy on Switch 2 is much closer to the flagship version found on other platforms, even if a few restrictions remain in the name of squeezing the large RPG onto a portable device. It’s a must-play for Potter fans, and lets you attend and explore the iconic wizarding school as you unravel a sinister goblin plot. And yes, you do get sorted into one of the four houses, so best hope you’re not put in Slytherin.

Last year’s Game Awards nominated Blue Prince comes to Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s an excellent port of a truly exceptional puzzle game. This is the type of puzzler that is so absorbing that you’ll want to have a notepad and pen handy as you attempt to unlock the hidden 46th room in a constantly-changing mansion. You play the air to a great fortune, but to win your inheritance, you’ll have to solve the puzzle box of a grand estate. Delivered with charming cell-shaded visuals, Blue Prince is a masterclass in inventive puzzle design but also very clever storytelling delivered through environmental clues and collectible pick-ups. It can be a tad frustrating at times when you feel like you've hit a wall, but with enough careful consideration, you'll have that aha moment.

Sonic Generations was already considered one of the Blue Blur’s best games of the modern era, and this remastered package adds a new chapter that lets you play as everybody’s favourite motorcycle-riding anti-hero hedgehog, Shadow. Blending 3D sections with more traditional side-scrolling levels, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a true celebration of Sonic’s past and present, and with the recent blockbuster movies bringing the gaming icon to a whole new audience, it’s a perfectly timed package. It’s also well-suited for the portable nature of the Switch 2, as levels can be completed in short bursts, making it ideal for pick-and-play fun. Even when running at blazingly fast speed, Sonic x Shadow Generations runs very well on Switch 2.

Bethesda’s time-eating post-apocalyptic RPG comes to Nintendo Switch 2 in the form of Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, and it's the perfect chance to revisit this 2015 favorite. You’re getting the complete base Fallout 4 experience, it’s six official DLC expansions, and more than 150 Creation Club items that range from new outfits to unique weapons. That’s a heck of a lot of game, and Fallout 4 also looks and runs well on the Nintendo Switch 2. If you’ve yet to dive into the Commonwealth wasteland, you play the survivor of a nuclear apocalypse on a quest to find your missing son. Just expect to get distracted a whole lot along the way, as Fallout 4 is absolutely crammed with side quests.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was always facing an uphill battle to satisfy fans. As the first mainline Metroid Prime game in 18 years, and released eight years after its initial announcement at E3 2017, a lot of hype had built up in the passionate Metroid fanbase. While the game’s reception was ultimately divisive, many critics and fans (including TG’s own Anthony Spadafora) loved it. Praise was dished out for its detailed levels, tight combat, classic Prime formula, and excellent graphics on Switch 2. However, the open-world desert hub was widely criticised. In this new Prime adventure, Samus is trapped on the uncharted planet of Viewros and must battle alien foes and solve cryptic puzzles to unravel its many mysteries.

Yes, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour probably should have been a pack-in title. It’s a collection of micro-games, tech demos and information packets that explain how Nintendo designed the Switch 2 hardware. It makes a great introduction to the system, and the central setup of the whole tour taking place inside a building-sized Switch 2 is pretty novel. There’s also a lot to see, with a 100% playthrough likely to take you around 10 hours. If you want to get a better understanding of the ingenuity that went into making your Nintendo Switch 2 console, it’s a worthwhile experience, and at $10, it feels appropriately priced. Though Nintendo could have gained a lot of goodwill and avoided some online backlash by making it free, ala Wii Sports.