Got a Nintendo Switch and want to know which games to pop on your wish list? Here we list the best games coming out soon, with trailers for each.
Nintendo
Key Takeaways
- The Nintendo Switch offers portability and continues to be impressive alongside the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
- Upcoming Switch games to look forward to include Blasphemous 2, Sea of Stars, Mortal Kombat 1, Detective Pikachu Returns, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
- Highly anticipated games like Hogwarts Legacy, Super Mario RPG, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Metroid Prime 4, and Professor Layton and the New World of Steam are also expected.
The Nintendo Switch has proved itself as a superb alternative to major consoles from Sony and Xbox, offering something else besides – portability. It’s still just as impressive now that the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are on the scene, too.
With the Nintendo Switch Lite also going great guns, plus the Nintendo Switch OLED now available, there are a ton of fans looking for the best games to buy.
That’s why we’ve gathered a list of the upcoming Switch games we’ve got our own beady eyes on. You can find them in chronological order – soonest first – with trailers for each.
Blasphemous 2
- Pre-order: Amazon
- Release date: 24 August 2023
- Switch exclusive? No, also on PC, PlayStation and Xbox
- Publisher: Team17
If you like your platformers brutal not only in terms of difficulty but in visual style and tone, then you probably enjoyed the first Blasphemous, a creepy and atmospheric Metroidvania game that has a cult following.
Its sequel looks like an excellent expansion of what made the first game fun, with more weapons and special moves to master and a whole heap of new enemies to eviscerate.
Sea of Stars
- Download demo: Nintendo eShop
- Release date: 29 August 2023
- Switch exclusive? No, also on PlayStation and PC
- Publisher: Sabotage Studios
This gorgeous little turn-based RPG has a real spirit to it, and a simply gorgeous pixellated art style that we can’t wait to sink into. It’s really reminiscent of the amazing Golden Sun games on Game Boy Advance, to our eyes.
There’s a lovely demo on the eShop right now that has us very excited about the interesting and vibrant world it’s going to offer up, rich with detail and fun characters.
Mortal Kombat 1
- Pre-order: Amazon
- Release date: 19 September 2023
- Switch exclusive? No, also on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
- Publisher: Warner Bros.
Mortal Kombat’s latest entry is taking the series back to its roots and re-telling the origin stories of some of its most famous characters, with a new fighting system and a big story mode.
We’re pretty surprised it’s coming to Switch given it’ll skip the PS4 and Xbox One, so we’ll be very intrigued to see what technical solution has made it work for Nintendo’s console.
Detective Pikachu Returns
- Pre-order: Nintendo eShop
- Release date: 6 October 2023
- Switch exclusive? Yes
- Publisher: Nintendo
A long-awaited return for Detective Pikachu after a much-loved outing on the 3DS, this looks like a fun romp through a noir-ish city solving crimes with the grizzled little detective.
It’s always fun to play other Pokemon games than the main entries, not least because they’re generally a little better-looking – and this one brings actual voice-acting to the table.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Pre-order: Amazon
- Release date: 20 October 2023
- Switch exclusive? Yes
- Publisher: Nintendo
The next big 2D Mario game is always a significant moment for Nintendo, and it’s been ages since we got a completely fresh Mario platformer with a new arty style.
Wonder looks like a barrel of fun, with wacky levels and all-new powerups including one that turns Mario into an Elephant, which we can’t wait to try.
Hogwarts Legacy
- Pre-order: Amazon
- Release date: 14 November 2023
- Switch exclusive? No, also on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
- Publisher: Warner Bros.
Although it’s already out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, Hogwarts Legacy is taking a little longer to come to Switch as its developers wrangle with the lower power output of the console.
If you’re hoping to explore Hogwarts and figure out what’s caused a goblin uprising, you’ll be able to do so on the go or in docked mode once this port eventually lands.
Super Mario RPG
- Pre-order: Amazon
- Release date: 17 November 2023
- Switch exclusive? Yes
- Publisher: Nintendo
One of the most beloved games from the SNES era, Super Mario RPG is being completely remade for the Switch, and it looks absolutely gorgeous.
A turn-based RPG that has an incredible sense of humour and liveliness, this will give whole new generations of players a chance to experience one of the best non-platforming Mario games.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Release date: TBC
- Switch exclusive? No
- Publisher: Team Cherry
Hollow Knight: Silksong is an upcoming Metroidvania action-adventure video game that’s the sequel to 2017’s award-winning Hollow Knight. You’ll be journeying to all new lands with special powers to battle the bug hordes. It has been suggested that this game will launch in June but there’s no official word yet.
Metroid Prime 4
- Release date: TBC
- Switch exclusive? Yes
- Publisher: Nintendo
Nintendo announced a new instalment of Metroid Prime, this time for Switch, way back during its E3 2017 Spotlight presentation – but few other details have emerged in an absolute age that’s passed since then.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
- Release date: TBC
- Switch exclusive? Yes
- Publisher: Level-5
With nothing but an incredibly short teaser trailer to go on, all we know for sure is that Professor Layton is back at last, and it looks like we’ll be solving mysteries in a new steampunk city.
For those who love gentle stories and puzzling conundrums, this will be one to watch – the series has become a cult hit with plenty of entries on past Nintendo hardware.