Summary
After the April 2025 Nintendo Direct, we truly got to see how much potential theNintendo Switch 2system has. Development teams from all over the industry have been working hard to bring some of their greatest to the console, shaping it up to have an incredible start on the market.
The Direct also announced countless games that were coming to the console on the day of its launch and some of these titles are mighty impressive. From upgraded versions of Switch games to graphical powerhouses that are a mystery as to how they ended up on a Nintendo system, the Switch 2’s launch lineup has something for every kind of gamer.
The long-running Hitman series has had many ups and downs, but in modern times, they are some of the gaming industry’s best for their iconic gameplay, featuring everyone’s favorite assassin, Agent 47. Unlike the Switch one, which hadHitman 3being cloud-streamed rather than natively running, the Switch 2 is able to make the realistic locations from around the globe look absolutely stunning as you infiltrate your way through them.
Hitman World of Assassination combines the best of all three modern Hitman titles and their DLC into one giant cohesive game with hundreds of hours of content to sneak and assassinate your way through. That’s not all though, as it also brings in a bunch of new content as well, such as an excellent rogue-like mode and the Signature Edition includes some exclusive costumes.
The open-world genre has been one of the biggest emerging genres of the past decade and no other title pioneered it more than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel Tears of the Kingdom. Taking up the role of thesilent heroLink, you will journey across the breathtaking world of Hyrule in both titles to explore, solve puzzles, and save the land, all using fluid mechanics that push the boundaries of creativity in their own ways.
For those who already own the Switch version of these brilliant adventures, you will be able to upgrade and either continue your save file or start a new one without deleting your old one. What’s great is that, if you have Nintendo Switch Online Plus Expansion Pack, you get access to the upgrade passes for both these games for free. As soon as you get your hands on the new console, you may venture back into a more beautiful Hyrule for no additional cost if you own the Switch versions.
Bravely Default deserves a spotlight in your JRPG collection. This remaster leaps from the 3DS, finally joining its sequel on the Switch platforms, to spread its wings and fly once again now with gorgeously improved visuals that still hold the charm of the original release’s unique artstyle.
Bravely Default isnot your average JRPG,it is a tale that stays with you thanks to a wonderful cast of characters and the rich world of Luxendarc is full of surprises. The combat isn’t your usual turn-based mechanics either; the Brave & Default system and many customizable jobs that act as classes create nearly endless depth in how you approach each battle. For veterans of the game, there are new quality-of-life features in the remaster that help make the more tedious parts of the game as refined and fun as the rest of it is.
It’s very rare for Nintendo consoles to receive any of the fantastic Yakuza games, but luckily the most iconic is making its way over with a fresh coat of paint in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut.Kazuma Kiryuis one of those characters you may just never get tired of and with him as the protagonist, Yakuza 0 is a blast from start to finish with a wonderfully realistic world and story that meshes perfectly with the silly out there humor and design the series is known for.
For the first time, this version of the game includes English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish-language voice-overs as well as over 30 minutes of even more comedy-gold cutscenes that make it worth picking up even if you have before. Yakuza is a series that surprises you at every single moment and, while it isn’t the most recent entry in the series, Yakuza 0 is one of the best and, with the power of the Switch 2, it looks better than ever.
Fighting games may not be for everyone, but Street Fighter 6 does what it can to allow anyone to enjoy it with a wide range of options and modes. Style oozes out of every single punch of the game, from dynamic hit effects that look like paint strokes to an in-depth single-player mode where you can create your own fighter. There are 18 fighters to choose from in the base game, including series icons such as Ryu or Chun-Li to emerging legends such as Luke or Kimberly to keep matches fresh.
The Official Years 1-2 Edition comes with all DLC released across the first two years of the game’s life, with some unmissable content included, such as Terry and Mai from Fatal Fury, as well as a plethora more characters to play as. If you’re looking to just hop into one of the most stylish fighting games around, then you can pick up the base game instead for much cheaper and have an absolute blast with some pals online or offline.
While the world around you crumbles, you can rewrite the past in the classic Sid Meier’s Civilization series. Civilization 7 is the biggest evolution for the series, with new twists on the refined turn-based strategy gameplay, such as being able to take any leader you want and start in a range of ages and locations to make your own history and your own civilization.
Civilization is always best played using a mouse, thanks how easy it is to select and navigate the many key-menus the gameplay is littered with. Unfortunately, this often means that console versions do feel a bit clunky to control, but the Joy-Con 2 is here to fix that. With mouse control support and wonderfully stunning visuals, just like the other modern console versions, the Switch 2 version of Civilization 7 is equally high quality as the other versions.
This wonderful co-op adventure title is like no other and is perfect fora date nightor to reconnect with an old friend. From the creators of It Takes Two, Split Fiction takes the two-player-centric gameplay style and runs absolutely wild with creative elements inspired by fantasy fiction and various worlds. You and another player can follow the story of Mio and Zoe as they journey through the questionable stories of their unpublished books in either split-screen or online co-op.
One amazing feature of the Switch 2 version is that you can use GameShare to play the game with a Switch user even though the game isn’t available on the original system. This means you don’t have to worry about where your partner or friend is or what console they own and can enjoy the game with anyone you want to.
If you’re looking for something more light-hearted and silly, then Toby Fox has you covered. Deltarune is an alternate universe of the Undertale world, with the same quirky charm and excellent storytelling as its predecessor, but increased tenfold with incredible music, fun gameplay and a perfect cast of characters you can’t help but love and laugh at.
While it isn’t a massive graphical showcase for the hardware, Deltarune is still very much worth playing on the Switch 2 for its exclusive features that take advantage of the mouse controls of the Joy-Con 2. There are still more chapters to come as the game isn’t fully finished yet, but buying it now will get you all the future content. What is here already is some of the most creative RPG gameplay and narrative around and, if you are unsure, the first two chapters are free to try out.
Open-world games will have a nearly endless amount of content all wrapped up in a deep world with no limits and no open-world is as original as CD Projekt Red’s infamous Cyberpunk 2077. The game is a dystopian futuristic open-world role-playing masterclass that has ambition and passion poured into every inch of the bustling, detailed world of Night City and its characters.
Cyberpunk 2077 may have had a rocky first launch, but it has come a long way since then. CD Projekt Red has committed itself to fixing every little issue to the point where the game is finally able to be enjoyed as the masterpiece it is and this goes for theSwitch 2 version as well.Since the DLC Phamtom Liberty is included, and you can play the game wherever and whenever, this version of the game is truly the Ultimate Edition.
Mario Kart World is pushing kart racers to new heights and taking them across the world with a fully interconnected map. Now, when you finish a race, you won’t just appear at a random location in the Mario world; instead, you must now drive there yourself. With 24 racers at once, a plethora of items and brand-new tricks such as riding on walls or grinding on rails, Mario Kart World is what a dream come true feels like.
Despite the controversies surrounding the game and its price point, it’s more than worth it with everything on offer as a multiplayer and single-player title for gamers and non-gamers alike. Mario Kart World is re-innovating and reinventing what a Mario Kart game is and, after over a decade of Mario Kart 8, it’s great to see something so fresh.
