As surprising as it might be, one of the most emotionally impactful games of 2025 is about soccer. Not a sports game in the traditional sense, Despelote instead follows a young boy whose obsession with soccer defines his life, especially the year that his home of Ecuador has qualified for the World Cup for the first time. First released on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox in May, Despelote earned Game Awards nominations for Best Debut Indie Game and Games for Impact, and just before the awards show, Nintendo Switch owners will have their chance to play, too.
Despelote will be available on Nintendo Switch starting on December 11, the same day we’ll see if it takes home a trophy from the Game Awards. Based on developer Julián Cordero’s own childhood, the game follows eight-year-old Julián as he watches, plays, and daydreams about soccer in the leadup to Ecuador’s first appearance at the World Cup. But while soccer means the world for the fictional Julián, Despelote is also a story about the political unrest that enveloped Quito, Ecuador in 2001, while the game’s star and his friends could focus on nothing but the next match.
