The Switch 2 is finally here, and all eyes are on Nintendo’s latest console, particularly as it succeeds the original Switch, no less than the third-best-selling games machine of all time.
Of course, the original Switch’s attractiveness largely came down to its stellar games lineup, and after a slow start, its library swelled with unmissable titles, ballooning its player base with it.
We’ll keep a watchful eye on whether the Switch 2 can emulate its predecessor’s success, but it’s already storming out of the gates with its opening salvo of games.
There are more than 20 titles available at launch, and while it’s sure nice to own all of them, Nintendo have a rep for stingily rarely dropping their game prices. With that in mind, it’s time to whittle down our list of the best Switch 2 games so you can focus on building your library of titles.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
This action RPG blends a cosy farming and town-building sim with fast-paced combat, all set against a Japanese-inspired backdrop. The region of Azuma has been beset with a deadly corruption known as the Blight, and it’s up to you to put an end to it, using your village’s resources and people as well as a diverse set of weapons.
The graphics might not be cutting edge for this gen, but Rune Factory offers an engaging story, a resource-gathering system that respects your time and a compelling relationship system that sees you cosying up to certain allies before leading them into battle. Great if you’re after a heady blend of Stardew Valley with slashy combat sensibilities.
Split Fiction
With Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios reaches even newer heights after their successes with co-op titles A Way Out and It Takes Two. In this action adventurer, players have to communicate, work together and time every action with pixel-perfect precision. Caught in sci-fi and fantasy worlds of their characters’ making, Zoe and Mio need to escape by braving unyielding yet diverse challenges, thrilling pursuits and devious bosses.
A perfect riposte to lazily hashed out open world titles, Split Fiction features unique gameplay mechanics throughout, meaning the action never gets to comfortable or staid, while the puzzles and enemies are as inventive as ever. It’s one of the best couch co-op games of all time, and a great reason to invest in a pair of Pro Controllers to engage in the dual-player mechanics with ease.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
One of the finest games of all time comes to the Switch 2. Featuring a fully explorable and vast Hyrule with a million secrets to uncover, players once again control Link as he garners enough power and allies to take on the infernal Calamity Ganon. That means helping out the locals, taking on its many shrines, and reflecting lasers against its intimidating Guardians. And if you get bored of that, you can go off cooking stat-boosting meals, restoring your lost memories and finding all 900 Korok seeds.
Now released on Switch 2, Breath of the Wild benefits from better performance, higher resolution plus HDR support. The gameplay is as sublime and satisfying as ever, and the puzzling is as intuitive as the best in the Zelda back catalogue. We’re still not over that ludicrous weapon degradation system, though.
Hitman World of Assassination: Signature Edition
Slip into the immaculately tailored suit of Agent 47 and un-alive your poor victims with all manner of grisly deaths too extreme for a Final Destination movie.
Hitman: WoA retitles the third in the latest trilogy and offers up the previous two games on a platter, packing 25 locations to explore and create carnage in. And that means a litany of Rube Goldberg-esque demises to concoct as the barcoded, deadlier version of Pitbull. You’ll crash an F1 race party, cause havoc at a fashion show, and murderize your way through a British manor through any means necessary. Those approaches might involve wearing disguises, slipping into areas unseen, a liberal dose of rat poison and your classic Silverballers. In short, no two missions will go the same, and you’ll be replaying its many levels for their variety and sheer murder-y mayhem until social services want a word.
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
This 1980s prequel follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as ex-yakuza gangsters looking for a way back into the life. Like any Yakuza game, there are more twists, betrayals, and loyalty changes than a Spanish telenovela, as the pair find themselves in the middle of an intense land war within the seedy district of Kamurochō.
Central to the franchise has always been the hard-hitting pugilistic action. Your characters’ finisher moves are particularly brutal, as you jump-piledrive your way through a legion of suited goons. Plus, Kiryu and Majima both deploy their unique fighting styles in the mix, keeping the action fresh but extremely taxing when it comes to boss encounters.
There are plenty of distractions to tease you away from main quest missions too, with bowling, karaoke, dice games, batting cages, original Sega arcades and even real estate and building management sims baked in. If this is the life of a yakuza, sign me up (minus the beating. And finger amputation).
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Back in the 90s, you’d blow minds if you’d foretold a Sonic title would be playable on a Nintendo console. While the franchise has enjoyed (and endured) mixed successes over the years, we’re pleased to report that Generations remains a solid outing for the Blue Blur. Not a standalone title but a remaster of 2011’s excellent Sonic Generations bolted onto newer title, Shadow Generations, this platformer incorporates dizzyingly fast 3D and side-scrolling action that puts Sonic rival Shadow front and centre of his own story. Sonic Generations’ levels are refreshing to revisit after all this time following a fresh graphical overhaul, while Shadow’s campaign, albeit fairly brief, offers new gameplay elements with powerful new abilities, which he’ll need to navigate some of the most creative and dynamic stages we’ve seen in a hedgehog game. A must for Sonic fans.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
With Breath of the Wild such an unmitigated success, Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t stray too far from this winning formula, serving as a direct sequel rather than the traditional blank slate that most Zelda titles are. However, it adds two major gameplay mechanics. Link can now skydive off the world’s various floating islands and enter a subterranean region known as the Depths, giving TotK an unprecedented amount of verticality and tasty exploration. There are also Zonai devices, part of a building sandbox system that lets you put together any monstrous vehicle or construct to solve physics-based puzzles or traverse entire areas with ease.
Enemies are also much more refined and varied, while some of the boss encounters are hulking creations that fill the screen, demanding a hefty amount of resources to down. And while Tears of the Kingdom pushed the poor Switch to its absolute limits, Switch 2 players can enjoy a higher resolution, improved frame rates, and HDR, lending for a smoother and more refined gameplay experience. Plus, base jumping off Great Sky Island and hurtling towards the rolling greens of Hyrule never gets old.
Street Fighter 6
A gorgeously designed roster of 18 new and returning characters is yours to master in this 2023 fighter that many acclaim as one of the finest fighting titles of all time.
SF6 will have blister-afflicted players juggling both their opponents and their characters’ drive meters, which allow for devastating moves right from the outset, though over-egg it, and you risk making your fighter weaker and more vulnerable. It’s as much a cerebral and tactical experience as it is a test of your coordination, muscle memory and move set.
Each fighting stage comprises beautifully rendered locales featuring huge depth and layers of detail — not that you’ll get to enjoy them as you’re busy pummelling your opponents into next week.
Switch 2 adds in wireless local play as well as three fighting modes. It also presents the scrapping action at a buttery smooth 60 fps, with fantastically rendered fighter animations and impact flourishes with colors that pop, much like your joints after a bout against M. Bison.
Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
This futuristic sandbox game was brutally ripped apart due to its broken nature at launch, but after years of patching, Cyberpunk 2077 is now a sci-fi fan’s dream, set in a dystopian city full of darkness, violence and corruption, as mega-conglomerates, heavily modded street gangs and AI entities wrestle for power in Night City.
Players control V, a merc who gets mixed up in a corporate war, and, just to complicate matters, has the digital psyche of a long-dead rockstar trapped in his mind like a WeTransfer gone south. Good thing he’s got a whole arsenal of tools at his disposal, including enough arms to start (and finish) a war, arms that transform into head-lopping blades, and a cyber arsenal of hacks that can topple computer systems, cars and even people.
Performance-wise, the Switch 2 obviously isn’t going to compete with your i9 gaming rig running an RTX 4090, but the level of detail and graphical fidelity that Cyberpunk 2077 squeezes out of Nintendo’s hybrid handheld is still sterling work. It’s perfect for first-timers who haven’t dived in yet as well as veterans looking for another run to become a Night City legend, as the console offers motion and mouse controls, gyro aiming, and touchscreen functionality. Plus, the bundled expansion, Phantom Liberty, is one of the finest post-game additions in recent years, with an emotional tale revolving around a hacker turned rogue and several gut-punch endings. Plus, you can hang with Idris Elba. Idris Elba, people.
Mario Kart World
The most ambitious and best-looking Mario Kart to date, featuring an open world design, 24-player races, a free-roam mode, offroading and plenty of new raceway tricks. There’s also a fiendishly addictive new mode, Knockout Tour, which apes the wildly popular battle royale-style elimination games where those who can’t stay with the pack are booted off the race. Players get to boost around a huge number of tracks in cars, motorbikes, boats and even planes.
All this lovable racing action is presented in the Switch 2’s sublimely smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a vibrant colour scheme that’s synonymous with House Mario.
A new feature is the ability to gurn at your rivals’ real faces in real time, with the use of the optional Switch 2 Camera pack. And you can capture the look on a cocky player’s face when they’re inches from the checkered flag before being blasted by that nefarious blue shell. With so much packed in, MKW will keep players busy for months.
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