You May Be Surprised Which Switch 2 Games Won't Be Available at Launch
FYI: you'll need to wait until July before you can play Donkey Kong Bananza on Nintendo Switch 2.
Here's some news that might curb any FOMO you might have if you're not getting a Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day, June 5: most of the upcoming console's exclusive games aren't coming out until later this year. If you're still unsure about spending $450 on a new console, you may be better off waiting.
In its latest quarterly financial report, Nintendo confirmed release dates for Switch 2 launch titles. Currently, the June 5 launch lineup for the Switch 2 includes:
Mario Kart World
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Cyberpunk 2077
Yakuza 0
Hitman: World of Assassination
Split Fiction
Street Fighter 6
Bravely Default
Deltarune
That shopping list is not too shabby, especially if you compare it to the paltry selection of games that launched on the original Switch. Still, the vast majority of the Switch 2's launch titles have been around for months or years. Excusing Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour—the $10 interactive instruction manual 'game'—Mario Kart World will be the only completely new title to hit the scene on launch day (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the original Switch's exclusive Nintendo title).
Original titles like Donkey Kong Bananza won't arrive until July 17, the same date that Tamagotchi Plaza should see the light of day. Donkey Kong Bananza is one of those games that played so well in a limited demo, our colleagues at io9 said it was a big reason they want to play Switch 2. The Switch 2 versions of Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby and the Forgotten Land will be available July 24 and Aug. 28, respectively. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is supposed to arrive in 2025, while Pokémon Legends: Z-A should come in 'late 2025,' though both lack precise release dates. The same goes for the new Kirby Air Riders, wheelchair basketball game Drag x Drive, and the Switch 2 edition of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition. Hades II, which will be a Switch 2 timed-console exclusive, still doesn't have a concrete release date while it's in early access on PC.
There are other first-party titles arriving in 2026 or beyond, including Rhythm Heaven Groove, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, and Pokémon Champions. We can only hope Nintendo might release updated versions of other popular Switch games like Super Mario Odyssey. Nintendo likely has more up its sleeve for 2026, but we won't know more until next year rolls around.
The Switch 2 costs $450, $150 more than the original Switch. Not only that, but first-party games are set to cost between $70 or $80. That hasn't stopped preorders from selling out in stores across the U.S. and practically everywhere else. Nintendo has confirmed the vast majority of original Switch games are compatible with Switch 2, but playing your old games at 720p, even on a newer, brighter HDR screen, isn't why most players are buying the Switch 2.
In its latest earnings report, the Japanese console maker said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 units and 45 million games this fiscal year (Nintendo's fiscal year ends in March). Market research firm Omdia predicted Nintendo would sell 14.7 million units globally in 2025 alone, beating the original Switch in the same timeframe. Nintendo's number represents it hedging its bets against earlier analyst forecasts that the company would sell 'boatloads' of its sequel Switch in the first month alone. The original Switch at $300 sold 2.74 million units in its first month and 18 million units worldwide in its first fiscal year on shelves. That 15 million number is likely conservative, enough that analysts can exclaim later that Nintendo beat expectations. In the meantime, the company's profits were down severely leading up to the Switch 2 launch, as should be expected for any new hardware release as big as this.
Games are another matter. The Switch 2's bundle with Mario Kart World for $500 was immensely more popular than the version with the console by itself. Gamers looking to wall run and grind in the long-awaited sequel to Mario Kart 8 will need to drop $80 for the privilege. With the advent of $80 games, more consumers are asking themselves whether they can buy multiple $30, $40, or $50 games or drop $80 on Nintendo's biggest releases.
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