With 2026 now well underway, we’re officially into the Nintendo Switch 2‘s first full year on the market. (Isn’t it wild to think that it’s already been over six months since the launch of the console?)
And with that passage of time comes the reflection on what’s to come for the system. While many broader questions still remain about some of its bigger catalogue (like the eventual next mainline 3D Mario and Zelda games and the future of Smash Bros.), I’ve found myself appreciating what Nintendo is doing right now. That all came into focus during a recent preview event in New York City centred around games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in early 2026.
As I went through the assortment of demo stations and watched some sizzle reels, I was impressed by the variety on display and how it maintains the unexpected curveball energy that defined the Switch 2 last year. While Mario Kart World was the kind of heavy hitter launch title you’d expect, it was surprising to see the following months filled with such releases as the first new 3D Donkey Kong in decades, Donkey Kong Bananza, the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a new canon Hyrule Warriors and, perhaps most unorthodox of all, a sequel to the cult classic, but critically-not-very-well-received Kirby Air Ride. Say what you will about any of these individual games (and I certainly have my fair share of issues with some of them), but you can’t say Nintendo didn’t take some swings with them.
And sure enough, I saw that eclecticism continue at the NYC preview, from fun twists on classic formulas to unprecedented third-party support. While there’s nothing truly groundbreaking here (it is still that quieter early period, after all), there’s a lot to look forward to soon on Switch 2. Here’s a breakdown of it all.
First-party games…
Mario Tennis Fever.
In terms of brand-new exclusive games, Nintendo is kicking the year off with Mario Tennis Fever, which launches on Feb. 12. This was easily the highlight of the experience for me in several ways. As a newcomer to Mario Tennis, I loved how it represents one of the best things about Nintendo: its ability to take genres I’m generally not into, like sports, racing and fighting, and make them much more approachable and fun. Fever also builds a significant amount upon its predecessor, 2018’s Aces, especially through the all-new “Fever Rackets” that allow you to unleash all kinds of abilities on the court. You can read more on my thoughts on Fever in this separate preview, but suffice it to say that it’s shaping up to be a blast.
The next two games were expanded Switch 2 versions of original Switch titles: Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Admittedly, the latter actually came out a few weeks ago, and I’m not an Animal Crossing guy, anyway, so I didn’t bother checking this out at the preview. (I totally get the appeal, but that sort of social simulation experience generally just feels like busywork to me.) But of course, New Horizons is one of Nintendo’s most popular games of all time, so having new content for that is certainly a notable get for Switch 2.
The other game, however, appealed to me much more. Releasing on March 26 is the (extremely awkwardly named) Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, which brings 17 multiplayer minigames to the 2D platformer, among other additions. That’s where the titular Bellabel Park comes in, a dedicated hub for this new suite of content. As my group picked our characters and ran around the park, I was quickly taken aback by the sheer variety on display.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park. (What a mouthful.)
First, there are both co-op and competitive minigames that can be played locally with up to three others or via GameShare. Some modes also support up to 12 players online. But it’s the individual themes and gimmicks of each minigame that really stood out. For instance, Donut Maker has up to two people using the Switch 2’s mouse functionality to draw platforms for other platforming players. I don’t particularly enjoy using the small Joy-Con as a mouse for extended periods, but this inventive, bite-sized approach is perfect. Another co-op mode, Bob-Omb Relay, has your party racing to the end of a course and alternating between who’s carrying the eponymous explosive, as dictated by Talking Flower.
But it was the competitive content that I really vibed with. One mode, Baby Yoshi’s Feeding Time, is a neat riff on Hungry Hungry Hippos in which you race to feed your dinosaur faster than everyone else. Another mode, meanwhile, is a twist on “Red Light, Green Light” that challenges you to collect as many coins as possible while staying still when a giant Boo turns around, which can prove tricky when bouncing balls and other hazards fall towards you. But my favourite minigame we tried, Zap Frenzy, has you throwing down electrified poles to take out enemies, all while trying to avoid getting ensnared in your own traps. It’s gloriously chaotic.
Besides the new multiplayer minigames, the Switch 2 version of Wonder adds Toad Brigade Training Camp platforming challenges, an Assist Mode, Rosalina and Luma as playable characters, and more. Admittedly, I don’t always check out these kinds of new console versions of last-gen games, especially when they’re just slight visual upgrades. But all of this new content in Wonder — one of my favourite games of 2023 — has definitely gotten me interested in picking it back up.
Pokopia.
Outside of the preview event, there are also two other noteworthy games coming to Switch 2 fairly soon: Pokémon Pokopia (March 5) and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (April 16 on original Switch). I’ll confess that I don’t know much about Tomodachi Life, but those games seem pretty well-liked. And Pokopia should be huge, given that mixes the world of Pokémon and mixes it with Animal Crossing-esque life-sim elements.
…and even a bit of hardware
For a lovely blast from the past, Nintendo is also bringing Virtual Boy games to Switch Online + Expansion Pack alongside a $109.99 physical replica accessory of the 32-bit headset (or $29.99 for a cardboard version). Given that the peripheral was released in 1995 and I was born only the year prior, I’d never actually tried it until this preview, so the experience was pretty fascinating. Clearly, the stereoscopic 3D device was ahead of its time in many ways, and that extra dimension made me view experiences in wholly different lights, like Tetris (where you are fully rotating blocks in a 3D space) or even a sidescroller like Wario Land (where hazards swing through the 2D plane towards you).
Virtual Boy.
In total, there will be seven games for Virtual Boy when it launches on Feb. 17, with at least nine more set to roll out in the future. The other launch titles include Golf, I’MAX, Galactic Pinball, Red Alarm and Teleroboboxer. I’m not sure many people outside of older gamers and those like me who have a passion for the preservation of the art form will take to the Virtual Boy, but I’m still happy it exists to remind us of such a novel piece of gaming history.
Also on the peripherals front: a strange device based on Wonder‘s Talking Flower coming March 12. It’s definitely not for me, but I can see kids having fun “conversing” with it.
Strong third-party support
While the original Switch got an assortment of major third-party games over its lifetime, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, many of the more technologically advanced releases had to be handled over Nintendo’s spotty cloud streaming service. On Switch 2, however, the big third-party games can run natively, and the porting results have been pretty impressive so far, from last year’s Cyberpunk 2077 to the recently released Final Fantasy VII Remake.
At the preview event, I got to see two other promising ports courtesy of Capcom: Resident Evil Requiem (Feb. 27) and Pragmata (April 24). Given that I’ve previewed these games twice now on PS5/PC, I had a solid frame of reference for how they should run. And to my surprise, both fared really well on Switch 2. For demoing purposes, both docked and handled versions of each game were available, so I gave them all a try.
Resident Evil Requiem. (Image credit: Capcom)
My biggest takeaway is that the core experiences have been retained quite wonderfully, with frame rates consistently well above 30fps and visuals still looking decent. Obviously, there’s a visual downgrade here in terms of some aliasing and the like. (It’s especially notable in the less-detailed hair of character models.) But on the whole, game performance was strong, even in more action-packed sequences like when I was fleeing from the frightening giant hag in Requiem or blasting and hacking robots in real-time in Pragmata.
And finally, there are several other notable third-party games coming to Switch 2 over the next three months, including:
- Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (Feb 5)
- Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (Feb 12)
- Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and Resident Evil Village (both Feb. 27, same day as Requiem)
- Tales of Berseria Remastered (Feb. 27)
- Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (March 13)
- Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (March 27)
As I left the NYC preview, I was pleased to see that the first few months of the Switch 2’s 2026 calendar are pretty solid. Sure, there isn’t anything truly massive (outside of maybe Pokopia), but that makes sense considering this early-year stretch tends to be fairly light in terms of big releases. And if anything, I’m actually kind of happy that it’s slower. After feeling some burnout from last year, I like the idea of the first-party Switch 2 games providing more relaxing experiences that don’t demand a lot from you, be that the co-op shenanigans in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the competitive Mario Tennis Fever matches or even the apparent coziness of Pokopia. And of course, something like Requiem, Pragmata or FFVII Remake are still there to give Switch 2 owners more serious and hardcore adventures.
Beyond all of this, the rest of 2026 for the Switch 2 remains a mystery outside of a few undated titles, like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, The Duskbloods, Splatoon Raiders and, my most anticipated release, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Who’s to say how these will fare and what else might be in the pipeline. But for now, at least, we have this solid batch of early 2026 games to tide us over.
Image credit: Nintendo
