The Switch 2 already has a trio of exciting early releases: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and a new Mario Kart. This is just a taste of what Nintendo is cooking and there are so many other Nintendo games that we could see in the Switch 2’s first year.
1
3D Mario
I’m only allowing myself two “this one’s all but guaranteed” statements on this list, and a new 3D Mario platformer is one of them. Every Nintendo home console since the Nintendo 64 has seen the release of a 3D Mario platformer in its first year, be it a launch title or something closer to the console’s first anniversary. There’s simply no better tone-setter for a generation.
Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 8—the internal studio focused solely on 3D Mario—hasn’t released a new game since 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey other than the experimental open world Bowser’s Fury that came bundled with the Super Mario 3D World re-release. It’s very possible this was a testing ground for the Switch 2’s 3D Mario entry. I imagine it’ll be a major part of April 2nd’s Nintendo Direct, and that it’ll be the company’s 2025 holiday headliner.
2
Super Mario Maker 3
On the topic of Mario, every Luma is aligned for Super Mario Maker 3. The countless new ideas to pull from Super Mario Bros. Wonder have all the makings of the most versatile level editor yet.
More importantly, the Switch 2’s mouse controls seem like they were made for making Mario levels. Point-and-click inputs are second only to the Wii U gamepad touch screen, and a far cry better than awkwardly fiddling with a controller in Super Mario Maker 2. Heck, this new control scheme even opens the door to creating 3D levels. Super Mario Maker 3D, anyone?
3
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem Engage was released in 2023, but it was finished enough to be rated by the ESRB in 2021. Considering that longer-than-expected development gap, it’s all but certain that a new Fire Emblem is close to completion, if not already finished and awaiting release.
What form this will take is unknown. It’s been long-rumored that a remake of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is up next, bringing the revered entry to Western audiences for the first time. But what I think the franchise needs more is a Three Houses successor. The social simulation and more realistic characters brought in a whole new audience that probably won’t show up otherwise while also being a surefire way to bring RPG fans into the Switch 2 fold.
4
Something From Monolith Soft
Another play for RPG fans to adopt the Switch 2 would be a new game from Monolith Soft. The studio did just this with Xenoblade 2 for the Switch, and enough time has passed since Xenoblade Chronicles 3 that it’s likely a new game is well into development. If it’s to release in the Switch 2’s first year, it’ll probably be in early-to-mid 2026 as Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is where Nintendo will want the Xeno-fans’ attention in 2025.
Monolith Soft was also working on a new action game IP back in 2017. If this wasn’t silently canceled, it’s surely on deck to release very soon. Given how the studio’s games always feel held back by hardware, it’s plausible that a choice was made to wait and release it without technical compromises. Regardless, this is all an opportunity for me to say I desire a new Monolith Soft game (a sentiment equivalent to the sky being blue).
5
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing has always been a hit for Nintendo, but for many Switch owners, it’s now exclusively synonymous with the company. There’s a not-unsubstantial portion of Switch owners who bought the console for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and nothing else. A new entry may be the only chance Nintendo has of recapturing this audience.
We’re five years past New Horizons’ release, but I think Nintendo needs extra time to shake up the formula in ways that entice people to go through the motions of life with anthropomorphic neighbors all over again. Instead, I could see a smaller-scale title that utilizes the franchise, or a port of the feature-complete release of the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp gacha game.
Any way of servicing Animal Crossing fans will help bolster system sales, especially if a forthcoming mainline entry is teased.
6
A Donkey Kong Platformer
Donkey Kong is back at the forefront of Nintendo’s brand image once again, what with the ape getting his own theme park land, a ton of classic re-releases, and a charismatic role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This last point made him beloved by a new generation, so it’s no surprise his redesign in the new Mario Kart leans toward his movie visage. More importantly, a redesign likely signals a new solo adventure.
Criminally, it’s been over a decade since the last Donkey Kong Country platformer. It’s long past time for a new entry, especially with virtually every oldie already rehashed on the Switch. I think Nintendo will establish Donkey Kong as a major player in its stable of characters by releasing a platformer featuring his new design in the early days of the Switch 2, with Mario Kart being the momentum to ensure it sells.
7
3D Kirby
We get a new Kirby game virtually every year, so I see no reason why we wouldn’t in 2025 (and if not, certainly 2026). I’m going to go a step further though and predict the first entry on the Switch 2 will be a sequel to 2022’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
The pink puffball’s first foray into 3D platforming proved to be a stroke of brilliance, as reflected in its critical praise and high sales. People now expect this level of fidelity and control in their Kirby games, and it’s been long enough that a new one could easily be ready by mid-2026. Nintendo will probably want to give it some distance from 3D Mario so I wouldn’t expect it until then.
Perhaps in the interim, we’ll get another of the franchise’s signature glorified mini-game stand-alone releases.
8
Ring Fit Adventure 2
Alright, here’s my second “this one’s all but guaranteed” game.
Ring Fit Adventure was one of the best-selling Switch games. Nintendo did a masterful job of designing a fitness game that combined exercise routines and RPG mechanics. Unfortunately, it’s also reliant on the original Switch as the Pilates ring controller requires a rail-based Joy-Con. At a bare minimum, I expect Nintendo to release a new Pilates ring with a magnetic dock for the Switch 2 Joy-Con and a leg strap that accommodates the larger controller. Yet if the company wants to convert exercisers to the Switch 2, a sequel is required.
While it’s possible that Nintendo will give a new type of exercise game a shot, it seems intent on making Ring Fit Adventure a staple (it even had an Alarmo theme). I’d be surprised if Nintendo let the franchise linger for long.
9
Kid Icarus
Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has been on the record again and again about his desire to see a continuation of the Kid Icarus franchise he resurrected with the 3DS hit Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Hints in his YouTube series on game development had people thinking a port was coming to the Switch. I think it’s far more likely that Sakurai’s next game will be a new Kid Icarus entry. We know from the final YouTube episode that he’s long been at work on an unannounced game, so we may not be waiting long. It’s a most welcome return too as the 3DS was a poor fit for its entry due to control limitations, but take that barrier away and this franchise has the potential to reach new heights.
10
Pikmin (But Not Pikmin 5)
Pikmin 4 had one of the longest development cycles in Nintendo’s history. Shigeru Miyamoto announced its existence in 2015, but the game didn’t launch until 2023. While I doubt it’ll take that long for Pikmin to return in its proper form again, it’s too soon. In the meantime, Nintendo will want another means of bolstering its adorable seedlings so beloved they found their way into Mario’s theme park land.
To this end, I think we’ll see a game starring Pikmin in the Switch 2’s first year. Pikmin 99, perhaps? A second stab at the Hey! Pikmin platforming formula? A cozy game? I have no idea other than a strong feeling that Pikmin won’t be absent on the Switch 2 for long.
“But what about Zelda and Splatoon?” I hear you cry.
Outside of performance boosts for the original Switch’s stable of entries, The Legend of Zelda may be taking a short break. It’s far too early for the next 3D outing, and we just got a 2D one in Echoes of Wisdom. We might see The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess reappear in some form, though.
Splatoon is in a similar situation. Splatoon 3 just ended its content update cycle, which culminated in a huge Splatfest. Historically, this ultimate event has decided the theme of the next game, which is to say that while Splatoon 4 is surely in development, it’s not going to be remotely ready for the launch window this time around.
How much of this will come to pass? We’ll get some answers on April 2nd when a Switch 2-exclusive Nintendo Direct finally details what we can expect from the console.
