Nintendo Switch 2 followed in the original Switch’s footsteps by selling like hotcakes, and the first year of game releases somehow looked even better. Now Nintendo’s flagship console is entering its pivotal second year, and with the biggest rivals floundering and making weird decisions, it can solidify the company’s place as the leading platform.
Looking at the list of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games, it’s a very healthy mix of long-awaited ports, system-selling exclusives, and multiplatform titles that will look and play well because of the handheld’s upgraded hardware.
Best upcoming Switch 2 games
| Game | Release Date | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Splatoon Raiders | July 23, 2026 | Switch 2 exclusive |
| Final Fantasy XIV Online | August 2026 early access | Switch 2 version |
| Orbitals | Sept. 3, 2026 | Switch 2 exclusive |
| Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave | Sept. 17, 2026 | Switch 2 exclusive |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 2026 | Switch 2 exclusive |
| The Duskbloods | 2026 | Switch 2 exclusive |
| Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World | Dec. 3, 2026 | Switch 2 and Switch |
| Kingdom Hearts IV | TBA | Switch 2 version |
| Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves | 2027 | Switch 2 exclusive |
| Xenoblade Genesis | 2027 | Switch 2 exclusive |
Splatoon Raiders
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: July 23, 2026
Splatoon Raiders is the first big Switch 2 exclusive this July, and it will most likely make those Splatoon players who wished for a spinoff extremely happy.
It is a single-player Splatoon action game that will have you exploring, fighting enemies, collecting treasure, and using gadgets.
It’s still very much a Splatoon game, with the bright colors, environments, and ink used for combat. If this game is a success, there’s a high probability that Nintendo will follow it up with some more spinoffs.
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: August 2026
Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most successful MMORPGs of all time and Square Enix’s biggest money-maker in recent times. The game was successfully ported to Xbox consoles a couple of years ago, and now, it’s also coming to Switch 2.
FFXIV is truly a massive game that’s constantly being updated, and there are rumors of the eventual death of the PS4 client. While Switch 2 is a more powerful platform, it looks like it will, along with Series S, become the game’s future bottleneck.
The game is coming to Switch 2 in August 2026. New players need to buy the Switch 2 version and pay the game’s own subscription, but Nintendo Switch Online is not required.
Orbitals
Developer: Shapefarm
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Release date: Sept. 3, 2026
Orbitals is a two-player co-op adventure about Maki and Omura, two young explorers trying to save their home beyond the Storm Wall.
It’s an asymmetric co-op where both players handle different tools and responsibilities, with an incredibly pretty and nostalgic 80s anime aesthetic.
It’s a game very much in the Hazelight style of co-op adventures, and we have a bigger piece on this game if you’re interested in learning more about it.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: Sept. 17, 2026
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is the first original Fire Emblem game announced for Nintendo Switch 2. It takes place around the Heroic Games in the Dagdan Empire, where the winner receives one wish.
It’s set in the same universe as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, with some of the characters even making their reappearance. Switch 2’s more powerful hardware allows the series to finally spread its wings and shine in visual fidelity it has never had.
If you’re interested in picking it up in September, we wrote more about it in a separate article as well.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: 2026
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time returns on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026, in what was the final announcement at the Nintendo Direct this June.
For a game that’s coming out this year, we have strangely little info about the scope of this remake. We don’t know how conservative the devs’ approach is and whether they intend to alter the visual style.
What’s clear, though, is that any Zelda release is an event in itself, and especially so when it’s a remake of such a beloved classic.
The Duskbloods
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: FromSoftware
Release date: 2026
The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive multiplayer action game from FromSoftware. This being a multiplayer-oriented game is no longer a surprise after the success of Elden Ring: Nightreign, but what’s peculiar is the Nintendo exclusivity.
FromSoftware never really had any kind of direct ties to Nintendo consoles, so this announcement raised some eyebrows.
Still, this is a major FromSoft release, and the studio rarely makes safe choices, especially with new IP. The company hasn’t had any game that was perceived as a miss since Dark Souls 2, and it’s unlikely that they will start missing now.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World
Developer: Square Enix, TOSE
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: Dec. 3, 2026
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is another entry in the Dragon Quest Monsters series, a franchise where players have to befriend, raise, synthesize, and battle monsters from the Dragon Quest series.
It’s not the biggest title in its scope, and that works well for Switch 2’s handheld mode, as it can be perfectly playable in a piecemeal form whenever you have time to explore, build teams, theorycraft, and win battles.
Kingdom Hearts IV
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: TBA
Kingdom Hearts IV is real, and it’s coming to Nintendo Switch 2. The game was announced back in 2022, and we have barely had any new information since then.
But this Summer, Square Enix unexpectedly showed off an entire battle trailer at Nintendo Direct, confirming that Tetsuya Nomura’s team has been hard at work, while also making an announcement that KH4 is coming to Switch 2 on launch along with every other platform.
We don’t have any concrete release info, or any other info, really, aside from the gameplay slice we saw earlier in June. Nevertheless, this is a mainline Kingdom Hearts entry, and this makes it a huge release by default.
Pokémon Winds and Waves
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: 2027
Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves are coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027, introducing Generation X of Pokémon.
This is the first mainline entry for Switch 2, and its increased hardware capability finally allows the developers to bring the pocket monsters to life in the form they always dreamed of.
The games will introduce a new open world built around islands, ocean routes, wind, and regional ecosystems. and, if rumors are to be believed, an unprecedented number of new Pokémon.
This is one of the biggest system-seller games and will undoubtedly sell tens of millions of copies.
Xenoblade Genesis
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: 2027
During its June Direct, Nintendo announced that all the Xenoblade games are getting a substantial upgrade for the Switch 2 console, with lots of visual fidelity adjustments and even new content. But along with this, the company announced a brand-new entry in Monolith Soft’s storied series titled Xenoblade Genesis.
Details are scarce for now, as the game is slated to be released in 2027, but “Genesis” in the title hints at the possible prequel nature of the entire series.
Monolift Soft is one of Nintendo’s most important RPG studios, and anything they come up with is going to be the biggest release of any particular window.
This is obviously not an exhaustive list of all the hype releases for Switch 2, as the console has finally allowed both first-party devs and multiplatform creators to make games for it without any compromises. And if the first year and the upcoming games are any indication, Switch 2’s game library is shaping up to be an all-timer.
