Summary
The launch of a newNintendoconsole is usually a highly anticipated event, as longtime and newer fans gather to see how the manufacturer has innovated since the last cycle. Beyond the hardware itself, there are usually one or two launch games that make it even more compelling to purchase Nintendo’s new system.
The number of games available on the first day of a Nintendo home console launch has varied drastically over the years. Whether due to hardware limitations or the company’s popularity at the time, each device had a different number of titles available for you to play during your first session.
9N64
Two Games
The N64 was a significant milestone for the industry, as it showcased the capabilities of video games with 3D graphics. While the jump from 2D to 3D felt astronomical, it took developers some time to learn how to make games in this new format. It was also more expensive for them to create games for the cartridge-based console when the PlayStation and Saturn used compact discs.
There were two first-party games available for the N64 on its launch day in North America, Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. Both titles do an excellent job of displaying what the console was capable of, butnot having a single third-party titlemade the release of the N64 pretty underwhelming.
8Virtual Boy
Four Games
The Virtual Boy was Nintendo’s attempt at bringing virtual reality to consumers during the 1990s, but it was never able to find success and was discontinued a year after it came out. The monochrome display was headache-inducing, and the lack of exciting games made the system undesirable for even the biggest fans of Nintendo.
Nintendo had some confidence in the device when it came out and had four different games (just over a fifth of the console’s library) available to grab alongside it. Mario’s Tennis was easily the highlight of the batch, but even that game was panned for its lack of multiplayer and minimalist design. Even if you snagged a Virtual Boy at launch with every game possible, it might not have kept you busy for even a weekend.
7SNES
Five Games
After the NES helped revive the video game industry during the video game crash of 1983, many wondered what Nintendo would do next with its famous franchises like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. While the Super Nintendo only launched with five games, each one proved just how powerful the console was compared to its predecessor.
Five games might not seem like a lot, especially compared to their other home console launches, but Nintendo decided to focus on quality over quantity for the SNES. Each game also covers a different genre, from a platformer (Super Mario World) to a city-building simulator (SimCity), so there was something for almost everyone on the day the Super Nintendo came out.
6Switch
Eight Games
There were plenty of reasons to be skeptical about the Switch after the Wii U failed to expand or excite Nintendo’s audience. Fortunately, there was one first-party game that fans were clamoring for that would launch with the console and guarantee a decent head start in the market - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
1-2-Switch was the other first-party title available at launch, and the rest of the support came from third parties and indie developers. When you weren’t exploring the vastness of Hyrule, you could enjoy high-speed races in games like Fast RMX or play Snipperclips and Super Bomberman R with a friend or two.
5GameCube
12 Games
After the N64 had a slow start with only two games available at launch, the GameCube made sure there was alarger selection of titles to choose fromto make the console more appealing to more consumers. Nintendo’s transition to a disc-based machine made it much easier and cheaper for third-parties to develop games for the console, and they showed up with a handful on launch day.
The biggest games from Nintendo were Luigi’s Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm. While they offered two unique experiences, there were plenty of other great options as well. There were baseball, hockey, BMX, and Madden games available for sports fans, and other games like Super Monkey Ball and Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2 would still be considered some of the console’s best games at the end of its lifecycle.
4NES
17 Games
Nintendo’s first console might still be its most important in terms of legacy. After the video game crash, the industry felt like it was in shambles as consumers became weary of shovelware and stopped buying as many video games as before. Thankfully, the Nintendo Entertainment Sytem (NES) arrived at the right time with the right number of games.
The superstars of the launch were Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt, but there were many other games to choose from that covered a decent number of genres at the time. Baseball, Golf, and Tennis are simple but enjoyable sports games you can play with a friend, while other titles like Mach Rider and Excitebike are still remembered fondly to this day.
3Wii
21 Games
Nintendo struck gold with its motion-based gimmick for the Nintendo Wii. While the console’s design restricted certain franchises from shining as much as they do on other platforms, its uniqueness allowed it to stand out from the competition and compelled developers to see how they could use motion controls to create new experiences.
The Wii is the only home console from Nintendo that came with a pack-in game (Wii Sports) that perfectly demonstrated what the unit was capable of. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess also came out for the Wii on launch day, so once you were done playing tennis for a couple of hours, you could also hop into one of thebest games in the beloved series.
2Switch 2
25 Games
The perception around Nintendo changed significantly between the launch of the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2. During those eight years, the company thrived when others struggled, and both indie and third-party developers found more success on the hybrid unit than anywhere else.
The Switch 2 is a powerhouse compared to its predecessor, featuring 4K resolution, HDR, and higher frame rates. Alongside first-party games like Mario Kart World and upgraded versions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, it also launched with a variety of slightly older games like Cyberpunk 2077 that can finally run on Nintendo hardware without relying on cloud technology.
1Wii U
34 Games
You have to wonder if Nintendo knew how much of a failure the Wii U would be before it even launched. It’s strange that one of the company’s biggest disappointments was frontloaded with so many games at the beginning, but in hindsight, it seemed like a desperate attempt to get as many units in as many households as possible before negative reviews began to spread.
Out of the 34 games, only two were from Nintendo itself (Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U), while the rest of the launch line-up was composed of ports of older third-party games like Mass Effect 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Assassin’s Creed 3. Surprisingly, the best launch game for the Wii U was probably Ubisoft’s ZombiU, which showcased what the console was capable of before it even had a chance to shine.
