10 games that would make the Switch 2 Nintendo’s best console ever

2025 is officially here, and with it, we know the announcement and launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 is practically imminent at this point. The start of a new generation of consoles is always exciting, but with the Switch 2, it feels like a more momentous occasion than ever. Nintendo is riding the unwavering success of the original Switch, and with the increase in power that we expect from the new console, not only are Nintendo’s own games going to look better than ever, third-party support has every reason to reach unprecedented levels for Nintendo consoles.

It needs to work out that way, too, if Nintendo wants to maintain that momentum going into the next generation. I’ve already talked about the games I think

Nintendo needs for the Switch 2
to achieve its full sales potential, but today, I want to take a more personal look at what I want to see Nintendo (and its partners) do with the lineup of games on the Switch 2, whether it’s in the launch year or later down the line.

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10

A new 3D Mario game

It’s a given, but still

Mario may be one of the most overused brands in all of gaming, but even with many recent titles featuring the Italian plumber from New York, they’re not all the same. The “3D Mario series”, as one might call it, is a very different beast than anything we’ve seen in the last few years. The last 3D Mario game was Super Mario 3D + Bowser’s Fury back in early 2021, and that was an enhanced port of a 2013 game with extra content. The last original game in the series was Super Mario Odyssey all the way back in October 2017, so we’re long overdue for a new title from this development team.

I’m not exactly a creative individual, so it’s hard to say where Nintendo will head with its next venture in the Mario world, but I think expanding on the concept of the Bowser’s Fury portion of the aforemention title would be the perfect way to go. That was probably the most fun I ever had in a Mario game, and I stayed up until 6AM that weekend playing it to completion. Whether it’s a fully open world like that or it follows a sandbox style more akin to Super Mario Odyssey, I think the next 3D Mario will be absolutely phenomenal. If Nintendo can conjure up new worlds that feel as unique and varied as what Odyssey offered, we’ll be in for the best of times.

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9

A new Donkey Kong game

We’re long overdue

The last game in the Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, is quite possibly the best 2D platforming game ever made, and it’s almost shocking that in the over 10 years since its launch, the franchise has received nothing more than a port to the Switch and an upcoming remaster of Donkey Kong Country Returns, a Wii game that already received a port to the Nintendo 3DS.

Of course, that last title was developed by Retro Studios, a team that’s been busy working away on the upcoming Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, so it’s hard to say who can take up the mantle, but I would love to see a new game in the series that stays at that same level of quality. I can go either way about whether the game would be a 2D or 3D platformer, but considering we’ve only ever seen a 3D game in the series on the Nintendo 64, I think it would be great to see the format get a shot at redemption with much more capable hardware. Either way, I’ll be one of the first in line to get whatever comes next in the Donkey Kong series, and I hope it happens sooner rather than later.

8

Amiibo Warriors

Wait, hear me out

Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have a strong history of collaborating on titles, with the most prominent examples being the Warriors games featuring Nintendo characters (Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors and their respective sequels). These games aren’t for everyone, but they’re great for fan service, and I think Nintendo could absolutely leverage that concept to maek a game that revolves entirely around its amiibo line of figures.

I know it’s a long shot, but if executed well, this could be a live service game that would be very profitable for Nintendo through the sale of more amiibo figures. Realistically, it’s been a long time since amiibo were truly useful in a Nintendo game, and the company treats them more like collectibles than core parts of its business, but I think giving users an extra reason to get more figures could work out great for the company.

The way I imagine it, amiibo Warriors would be a free-to-start game where the content available depends entirely on the amiibo figures you own. Each amiibo can be its own playable character, but it would be especially interesting if each one unlocked unique levels and potentially even weapons that fit that character. This wouldn’t immediately result in a lot of profits for Nintendo, but treated as a live service title, it could help add value to each new amiibo figure Nintendo releases going forward and result in more profit that way. Nintendo could even have figures and content based around things like movies to boost continued interest that much more.

7

Good versions of free-to-play games

Apex Legends, Fortnite, and more

I don’t care much about playing a lot of free-to-play battle royale titles, but I have occasionally been suckered into playing Apex Legends on my PC with some of my friends, and it can be fun even if I’m terrible at it. Games like Apex Legends and Fortnite are already on Switch, but the graphics settings have to be turned down so much that you’re at a legitimate disadvantage playing these games on Switch, even compared to other consoles. The lower frame rates and poor draw distances make it that much harder to spot and react to enemies quickly.

I think it’s a given that most of these titles will be updated to support the Switch 2 and its full capabilities, but I think it’s a point worth reiterating because I’d love to see it as soon as possible. I’m not going to be good at these games any time soon, but I’d still give them more of a shot if they had good versions on my go-to platform.

6

The modern Tomb Raider trilogy

Let me play these on the go

I’m at a point where I kind of hate reviewing gaming PCs, but whenever I do, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the few games I keep coming back to that I actually enjoy playing during my testing. The setting is fun, the characters seem interesting, and the game is very visually impressive for a 2019 title. Recently, remastered editions of the original Tomb Raider trilogy from the late 90s made their way to the Switch, but with the Switch 2, I think it’s time for the modern Tomb Raider trilogy to also come to Nintendo.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third game in the trilogy that started with Tomb Raider in 2013, followed by Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015. All three games are critically acclaimed (especially the first two), and I would love to experience them all on a Nintendo platform. If those 90s classics have an audience on Switch, I’m sure these titles do too, and these are among the few games Nintendo has been missing out on that I would be genuinely interested nin getting as soon as possible.

5

A new F-Zero

Not even just for me

There are some Nintendo franchises you always hear people beg for the return of, and among them F-Zero has to be one of the options I’ve heard the most over the years. This high-speed racing series from Nintendo apparently peaked with F-Zero GX, a Nintendo GameCube game I haven’t played, but I think the setting and tone alone make this one something I’d love to see return. Futuristic racing games have always been super cool to me, and F-Zero GX looks great.

In 2023, Nintendo released F-Zero 99 and that game has a legitimately passionate fanbase and a team of developers that is equally passionate about it. The game was supposed to stop getting new content after a few months, but after Nintendo had announced the end of major updates, that’s when the game got some of its biggest additions, and it’s clear that there’s a spark there with fans.

Whether it’s a remake of F-Zero GX or a new title entirely, a more single-player oriented version of F-Zero with fuilly modern graphics, new tracks and characters, and other additions would be an awesome addition to the Switch 2 lineup, and one I’d be willing to try out.

4

Hi-Fi Rush

It’s just a perfect fit

I’m still upset that Microsoft finally made a colorful, stylized game that was actually good, it was critically acclaimed, and did good numbers for the company, only for Microsoft to dissolve the development team a year later. But aside from the bad decisions at Xbox, Hi-Fi Rush looks like a very fun game, and it’s one that Microsoft already ported to PlayStation 5, so I have to iamgine the only reason it didn’t come to the Switch is due to the lack of horsepower.

Of course, Microsoft sold the Hi-Fi Rush rights to Krafton, developers of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which should be totally free to bring the game to the Switch 2. Still, considering PUBG itself never appeared on the Switch, it’s hard to say whether it will actually come over with the new ownership. I really hope it will happen, though, and with Krafton already promising more games in the series, I’d love to see those come to Switch 2 in the future as well.

3

Grand Theft Auto VI

And a GTA top-down collection

I have to admit I’m not actually the biggest fan of the current formula of Grand Theft Auto games since they went fully 3D, especially with the always-increasing scope, but there is something that’s always appealing about that world, and with Grand Theft Auto VI poised to be the biggest phenomenon in all of gaming history, there was just no way I could leave it out of this list. We don’t really know much about this game yet, but it’s a sequel that’s been 12 years in the making since its predecessor launched, and GTA is one of the most popular franchises of all time, and tht’s all it takes.

The main Grand Theft Auto titles have not come to Nintendo platforms since GTA2, at least in terms of brand-new releases, but the Switch did get Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition long with the other platforms, so I think Rockstar finally sees value in Nintendo’s platforms as a potential target for its games. And while the Switch could never fit a game of this scope, I think its successor is a prime candidate to get something like this.

As a little bonus pick here, and since I did mention I don’t like the fully 3D games as much, I’d love to see Rockstar offer a (remastered) collection of its top-down games, including the original Grand Theft Auto, GTA2, Grand Theft Auto Advance, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. These are my favorite style of games in this series, and all of these games were originally on Nintendo platforms in some way, so it feels like a great fit.

2

Mario Kart 9

Make single-player interesting again

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is NIntendo’s best-selling title on the Switch, and with it being essentially an 11-year-old game that just received more content over time, a sequel is something fans have been very vocal about wanting. After Nintendo doubled the amount of tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the Booster Course Pass DLC, though, it is hard to imagine how the company can move forward. Will Mario Kart 9 include all the same tracks from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and build on top of that? Will those older tracks be upgraded?

Personally, I wouldn’t mind starting over with a smaller selection of fresh tracks, but what I really want to see is a bigger focus on single-player content. Mario Kart games are primarily focused on multiplayer, and it makes sense, but the mission mode in Mario Kart DS was such a cool component of that game and something that Nintendo has refused to bring back ever since for reasons I can’t understand. And a game like Diddy Kong Racing on the Nintendo 64 even had a proper adventure mode. Why can’t Mario Kart get something like this? I’d love a better incentive to play the game by myself that isn’t just getting better at the game. I want something that provides a sense of progress better than past games have.

1

Astral Chain 2

Nintendo’s best new IP this generation

Nintendo and Platinum Games took fans by surprise when in 2019 they introduced Astral Chain, a brand-new IP that infused Platinum Games’ heavy-action gameplay with very stylized graphics that felt right out of an anime, set in a stunning sci-fi world. That was one of the

best games on the system
, and I’m honestly somewhat surprised nothing else has really been done with the IP ever since, aside from a small appearance of a character from this game in the gameplay reveal trailer for Bayonetta 3.

Things have been shaky at Platinum Games with some recent management change, but Nintendo acquired the entirety of the Astral Chain license sometime after the game was released, so it’s a matter of finding the right partner to continue developing the games. I don’t expect it to happen as quickly as I’d like, but I just want to see more stories in this universe during the Switch 2 generation.

What do you want to see from the Switch 2?

Those are just the 10 games off the top of my head that I want to see on the Switch 2 the most and that would reasonably come out in the next year or two. Of course, I’d love a new Zelda game or Pokémon, but those are known quantities that are probably a ways off, and I didn’t want to just include safe picks. All of these games would be amazing to see and I would very likely buy all of them on launch day. But if you have your own picks, I’d love to hear them.

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