Nintendo’s Switch 2 arrives on June 5, 2025, with a powerhouse lineup of exclusives, remasters, and third-party blockbusters. After combing through official announcements and industry leaks, here’s the definitive breakdown of every major game confirmed for launch.
Nintendo’s Big Guns: First-Party Exclusives
- Mario Kart World – The franchise’s first open-world racer, featuring a fully explorable Mushroom Kingdom with dynamic weather, NPC interactions, and hidden kart upgrades.
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment – A Tears of the Kingdom prequel with 4-player co-op and a new “Legion” battle system.
- Kirby Air Riders – A high-speed aerial combat game where Kirby pilots customizable ships across floating islands.
- Donkey Kong Bananza – A 3D platformer blending Banjo-Kazooie exploration with DK Country barrel-blasting.
- Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour – A tech demo/minigame suite showcasing the console’s HD rumble 2.0 and adaptive trigger features.
Upgraded Classics: Enhanced Switch Ports
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Native 4K/60FPS with ray-traced lighting.
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Now targeting 120Hz mode for OLED displays.
- Super Mario Odyssey – Adds six new kingdoms and Luigi as a playable character.
GameCube Revival: F-Zero GX Remastered and Wind Waker HD will be free for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers at launch.
Third-Party Megatons
- Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition – Includes Phantom Liberty and Switch 2-exclusive vehicle customization.
- Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition – Packing all DLC and a new dungeon generator.
- Hades 2 – Launching simultaneously on Switch 2 and PC after its early access period.
- Street Fighter 6 – Features exclusive Nintendo-themed costumes (Mario’s cap for Ryu, Samus’ armor for Chun-Li).
Surprise Adds:
- Project 007 (IO Interactive’s James Bond game) confirmed as a timed exclusive.
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion – A Guardians of the Galaxy-style RPG from Eidos Montréal.
Hardware & Backward Compatibility
- Backward Compatibility: 95% of Switch 1 games will work, with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate receiving a free framerate unlock patch.
- Storage: 512GB base model (expandable via NVMe SSD slot).
- Rumors: A Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 cloud version is in testing, per Nintendo’s deal with Microsoft.
The Big Picture
With 22 first-party titles and 40+ third-party games at launch, the Switch 2 is Nintendo’s most aggressive hardware transition since the Wii. The $450 base model includes Mario Kart World as a pack-in, while the $500 “Deluxe” bundle adds Hyrule Warriors and a charging dock.
Pro Tip: Physical copies of Switch 2 games use 128GB cartridges—expect larger file sizes for cross-gen titles like Hogwarts Legacy.
