Here’s my dream Nintendo Switch 2 games lineup
I’ll probably be on board from day on whatever happens, but playing this lot in the console’s first few months would make me very happy
Last week Nintendo finally put the internet out of its increasingly leaky misery and officially unveiled the successor to its phenomenally successful Switch console. The Switch 2 is real, and it’s coming this year.
Unfortunately for all the Nintendo heads, we didn’t actually learn a whole lot more than that from the fairly brief reveal trailer. We already knew it was very likely that the Switch 2 would be an evolution of its predecessor, rather than a grand reinvention. The display is larger, the controllers appear to connect to the console magnetically now, and the kickstand has been redesigned (again). But Nintendo said virtually nothing about specs and, more importantly, even less about games, with a more in-depth Nintendo Direct pencilled in for April 4.
That gives us around two and a half months to wonder what Nintendo might have in store for us come the Switch 2 launch. After the disaster that was the Wii U, the Japanese giant will surely be aiming to come out the gates strong to ensure players can’t resist upgrading, and as last year was a notably quiet one for first-party Switch games, it’s fair to assume to that Nintendo’s various development teams have been busy working on Switch 2 games for a while.
We did get a very brief look at what appears to be a new Mario Kart game, but beyond that Nintendo is saying nothing yet. So naturally I’ve been daydreaming about what my ideal Switch 2 launch lineup might look like. Bear in mind that this isn’t a prediction or based on any official information. This is what I would like to see, without getting too carried away. I don’t expect to be playing GTA 6 or the next open-world Zelda game on the Switch 2 any time soon. And when I say launch game, I don’t necessarily mean launch day. If a game releases within a month or two of the Switch 2’s arrival, I’d consider it part of the launch window.
With that housekeeping out of the day, here’s my dream Nintendo Switch 2 launch games lineup.
Mario Kart 9
Nothing better illustrates the turnaround in Nintendo’s fortunes post-Wii U than Mario Kart 8. While a lot of games would be pretty happy to sell eight and a half million copies – the ballpark figure the eighth entry in Nintendo’s enduring kart racing series managed on the Switch’s ill-fated predecessor – Nintendo suspected it could squeeze more juice out of the game by re-releasing it on Switch as Mario Kart 9 Deluxe. It turned out to be a pretty sound business decision, shifting a frankly silly 64 million copies throughout the console’s lifespan. And counting.
Can we completely rule out Mario Kart 8 Even More Deluxe? Only a fool would do it, but the Mario Kart game teased briefly in the Switch 2 reveal definitely looked new to me. Whether the follow-up to the most successful entry in the series will be a pretty by-the-numbers sequel or something bolder, a la Double Dash, is anyone’s guess, but Nintendo has had more than a decade to think about it.
Likelihood: The final wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s DLC tracks arrived back in November 2023 and we won’t be getting anymore of those. A brand new entry around the launch of the Switch 2 feels like a pretty solid bet. And it’s the one game we’ve seemingly already seen running on the hardware.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD
Nintendo got a lot of mileage out of repackaging Wii U games nobody played for Switch, but for some (increasingly hard to figure out with each passing year) reason, Switch owners were never able to play the excellent HD remasters of two of the most beloved Zelda games on the hybrid console.
Admittedly, Zelda fans ate very well during the Switch generation, with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both occupying a spot in any sensible best games of all time debate, a charming remake of Game Boy classic Link’s Awakening catering to old-school fans, and last year’s Echoes of Wisdom finally giving the titular princess her own adventure. But what can I say, I’m greedy, and while I finally caved and dusted off my Wii U to play through Wind Waker HD a few years ago, I haven’t revisited Twilight Princess since I played it on Wii in 2006, and I would really like to play both games in handheld form on the Switch 2.
Likelihood: With the next brand new 3D Zelda likely years away and the 2D fans catered to in 2024, there should be a spot for these on Nintendo’s 2025 release slate. But its reluctance to listen to the cries of fans throughout the Switch years makes me wonder if this charmingly cel-shaded ship has sailed.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
I’ve put about 15 hours into Atlus’ epic fantasy RPG and have enjoyed what I’ve played so far, but once I got to double figures I realised I’d made a mistake by choosing to play it on Xbox. At this point in my life, I’m just far more likely to make serious progress in enormous RPGs when I can squeeze sessions in throughout the day on a handheld device. Grinding levels is also a lot more tolerable when I can half-watch something on the TV at the same time.
When Atlus finally got round to putting Persona 5 Royal on Switch it immediately felt like its natural home, and I’m willing to bet it’ll be the same for Metaphor: ReFantazio. The question is, do I keep going on Xbox, or make peace with my mistakes and wait for a handheld version? The game is also playable on Steam Deck, but it feels like a Switch 2 no-brainer.
Likelihood: Atlus has ported a number of Persona games to the Switch and obviously knows how well its games are suited to handheld play. But Metaphor: ReFantazio only came out last year and a Personal 5 Royal-like enhanced version is probably more likely to arrive a year or two into the Switch 2’s life cycle.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian’s award-guzzling D&D RPG is a PC game through and through, but the gameplay translated pretty well to console in the PS5 and Xbox versions that arrived a bit later, and Nintendo would surely have a monster hit on its hands if it manages to get the game onto its shiny new console. As much as Nintendo’s own games will always be the biggest sellers, the Switch was also a huge third-party success, and if its successor is as powerful as has been reported, a well optimised port of Baldur’s Gate 3 shouldn’t be beyond it.
I regrettably haven’t made it past the first act on PS5, but the thought of taking the Forgotten Realms on the go with a Switch 2 port makes me pretty excited.
Likelihood: The Steam Deck is a powerful bit of kit and is known to struggle with Baldur’s Gate 3’s later chapters. A Switch 2 port would need to fare better to make it preferable to playing on PC, but I think this one will happen eventually, if not at launch.
Metroid Prime 4
The only significant Nintendo release confirmed for 2025 at the moment is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and it’s definitely coming to the current Switch. It’s pretty clear, though, that Samus’ long-awaited return is the perfect launch title for the Switch 2, just as Metroid: Dread was for the Switch OLED back in 2021. The more powerful new hardware should get a proper workout with Retro Studios’ much-anticipated sequel, which already looked pretty stunning running on a regular Switch in last year’s gameplay trailer.
Given how long it’s been in development and Nintendo’s willingness to finally show off the game in 2024, it feels pretty nailed on that Metroid Prime 4 does arrive in the next 12 months, and if Nintendo wants to get the hardcore fans on board for Switch 2, it’s hard to think of a better launch game to pair it with.
Likelihood: While you won’t need to upgrade to Switch 2 to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a cross-generation launch seems very likely, and after waiting for so long, Metroid fans will want to experience the game in its best possible form.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Switch generation has ushered in countless brilliant games from Nintendo, but indies are an equally important part of the console’s story. And indie sensations don’t come any bigger than Hollow Knight, the beloved Metroidvania game whose sequel we’ve been not-so-patiently awaiting for several years now. 2D games, to me, will always just feel better on a handheld device, especially Metroidvanias. I just love holding these mysterious, secret-packed little worlds in my hands, and as much as I’m hoping to play a game with the word “Mario” in title come the launch of the Switch 2, it makes perfect sense for Hollow Knight: Silksong to finally arrive as part of the console’s launch lineup.
Likelihood: Developer Team Cherry has been extremely quiet for a long time, which makes me wonder if it’s been waiting for Nintendo to make its move, given how many people played the first Hollow Knight on Switch. Silksong will undoubtedly come to the Switch 2 at some point, but there’s surely no better window than a console launch.
An Arms-esque wildcard
It wouldn’t be a Nintendo console launch without a game nobody predicted, and in the Switch’s first year that game was Arms, the colourful fighting game that utilised the Joy-Con’s motion sensors and asked the question, what if boxers had extendable weaponised arms? Arms was great fun, even if the series didn’t exactly take off, and when the Switch 2 arrives later this year I hope Nintendo has something similarly experimental awaiting us.
It didn’t escape the attention of the internet that in the Switch 2 announcement trailer (as revealed in the leaks) the new Joy-Con controller looks like it can transform into something resembling a computer mouse. If that’s the Switch 2’s flashy new innovation, I’d expect a launch title that leans into the functionality. Perhaps some kind of point and click adventure, or even a rare first-person game from Nintendo?
Likelihood: Admittedly this one is a bit vague, but if the Switch 2 controllers double as gaming mice you can be confident that Nintendo will want to demonstrate their potential from the jump.
More Nintendo Switch Online games
Nintendo reimagined the Wii and Wii U’s Virtual Console service as Nintendo Switch Online for the Switch era, offering a still expanding library of its unrivalled back catalogue as part of a subscription service, spanning the NES era through to the N64, with Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles arriving a few years ago. It seems likely that NSO will continue in its current form when the Switch 2 arrives, and while the selection of games is now pretty extensive, I want more.
We still don’t have the likes of Donkey Kong 64 or Diddy Kong Racing on the service, and somehow Pokémon Red, Yellow and Blue are still missing. Nintendo could easily win a few points with its long-standing fans by chucking them on to coincide with the Switch 2’s launch. And who knows, we might even see DS and GameCube games start to appear at some point.
Likelihood: Nintendo’s NSO strategy can be frustratingly random and unpredictable, but it surely wants to entice even more subscribers for the Switch 2, and there’s no better way of doing that than adding more games at launch.
The next 3D Mario game
If Mario is indeed revving up his go-kart once again then we can probably forget about getting the plumber’s inevitable next 3D outing at launch as well. But this article is about fantasy, not reality, and given that the last brand new 3D Mario game came out the year the first Switch launched, you’ll forgive me for getting impatient. Following up a game as fantastic as Super Mario Odyssey was always going to be a tough assignment, but we saw Nintendo’s dabble with more open-world levels in Bowser’s Fury, and ever since playing that I’ve been convinced that the next 3D Mario game will build on that framework.
It’s pretty obvious that Nintendo’s dedicated Mario team is readying that game, whatever it is, for the Switch 2. What a one-two punch it would be to get both a new Mario Kart game and a Mario platformer at the same time.
Likelihood: Unless Nintendo is being especially cruel with its marketing it looks like Mario Kart 9 will be the first big Switch 2 game to bear the plumber’s name. I think a traditional Mario platformer is mostly likely to land at the end of the year to ensure Santa needs multiple sacks to fit in all those consoles for delivery. But one can dream.
Matt Tate
Contributor 
