Wednesday was the official reveal of the Switch 2. Nintendo announced that its next console will be released on June 5 and have a starting price of $450. In its hour-long Nintendo Direct, a lot of games were shown and I can safely say I’m excited.
The Switch 2 looks like it’ll have a lot of support from third-party developers to go along with Nintendo’s spectacular first-party games. This means the new Switch will hit the ground running as its launch lineup already looks good, but there’ll be even more must-buy games soon after.
These are a few of the games I’m most excited about.
The Duskbloods
Arguably, the biggest surprise of Wednesday’s show was The Duskbloods from popular developer FromSoftware. The studio behind Dark Souls and Elden Ring is making an exclusive game for the Switch 2, and it looks remarkably like its last exclusive game, Bloodborne. There are still many questions about it, but this is easily going to be the most anticipated game for 2026.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight, from developer Team Cherry, was a cult hit when it came out in 2017. Back in 2019, the developer revealed it was doing a sequel called Hollow Knight: Silksong that would focus on Hornet, a rival turned ally of the Knight who was the hero of the first game. Only a few seconds were shown during the stream, but this clip excited fans as it was confirmation that the game exists after years of silence from the developer.
Mario Kart World
If there’s one series that’s a must-buy on any Nintendo console, it’s Mario Kart. With the new game, Mario Kart World, the kart racing game goes to an open-world style, letting players travel anywhere. The game looks like so much fun, and I’m looking to buy the $500 Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle when the console launches. (The game will be an eye-watering $80 sold separately.)
Donkey Kong Bananza
One of the franchises I wrote that Nintendo forgot about was Donkey Kong, so I was happy to see it come back on the Switch 2. Donkey Kong Bananza is a new 3D platforming game featuring the Nintendo mascot, and it looks like a fresh new approach for the barrel-chucking simian. Nintendo did give a release date of July 17 for Donkey Kong’s new game, and I can’t wait.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition
FromSoftware had a double whammy of games during the Switch 2 Direct. This is a port of Elden Ring, but the Tarnished Edition includes the original game as well as the DLC, Shadows of the Erdtree.
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Cyberpunk 2077 is an amazing game and having that playable on a handheld console will be a sight to see. It took multiple patches to get the games to run smoothly on the Steam Deck, but if it can run well right out of the box on the Switch 2, it will be a game to pick up.
Project 007
This was another surprise from the Nintendo Direct stream. IO Interactive is developing a new James Bond game, but not much other than the working title has been revealed. Still, with a studio like IO Interactive — best known for the Hitman games — working on it, it’s easy to be excited for another Bond game.
Here are some of the other games shown on Wednesday that I’m excited for:
- Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition)
- Split Fiction
- Street Fighter 6
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition)
- Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
- Shadow Labyrinth (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition)
- Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition)
- Borderlands 4
- Kirby Air Riders
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition)
The Switch 2 launches on June 5, and preorders will be available at retailers starting on April 9. To prevent scalpers from buying most of the Switch 2 stock, Nintendo implemented some cunning requirements for those who want to buy a Switch 2 at launch.
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