Beyond Mario Kart World: what else is worth playing on Nintendo Switch 2?

The Guardian

9 hours ago

The Nintendo Switch 2 certainly makes a strong first impression, but once that gadget limerence begins to fade, it's down to the games to stave off any creeping buyer's remorse. We all know that Mario Kart World is undoubtedly a multiplayer masterpiece, and original Switch games from Pokémon Scarlet/Violet to Zelda have been updated to look amazing on the new console, but there's otherwise a severe lack of Nintendo-made launch games for the Switch (beyond the £8 tech demo, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour).
Thankfully, other developers have stepped in to fill the gap, releasing a bunch of updated versions of games that have been out on other consoles for a while. What should you pick up when you're tired of Mario Kart World?
Hitman World of Assassination: Signature Edition
Built to be replayed over and over, Hitman is a series of intricately designed assassination scenarios in settings from the Amalfi Coast to a creepy old UK country manor, each one teeming with tantalising ways to take out your target. Developer IO Interactive maintains a schedule of live events to keep you sneaking back into this morally questionable stealth game. In handheld mode, World of Assassination looks especially stunning, the Switch 2's HDR screen lending extra vibrancy to a classic Berlin nightclub level. Thankfully, Agent 47's antics fare just as well in docked mode, each locale shimmering with energy as characters bustle about their routines – all at a good framerate.
How good is it on Switch 2? 4/5
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Polish developer CD Projekt Red is back again with another impossible port, the most high profile third-party launch title on Switch 2. Years ago, The Witcher 3 was crammed on to the original Switch at the lowest possible resolution, losing its beauty, atmosphere and arguably something of its essence – but Cyberpunk 2077 fares far better. While this sci-fi RPG infamously chugged along on PS4 and Xbox One, Cyberpunk 2077 is perfectly playable on Switch 2. It supports a litany of motion control options, including new mouse controls, and indoor missions and cutscenes look startlingly good. Yet the futuristic facade begins to unravel whenever you hop into your cybercar. When hurtling around Night City's seedy streets – especially in the Phantom Liberty expansion – the processors visibly strain under the load, blurring and softening the city around you. If you're keen to lose yourself in Cyberpunk 2077 wherever you go – or this is your only console – this is a solid enough effort. For everyone else – you'd be best off roaming Night City on PlayStation 5, Xbox or a capable PC.
How good is it on Switch 2? 3/5
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD
Of all the games I was excited to see running on my shiny new £400 console, an upprezzed 3DS game certainly wasn't the top of my list. It should have been, as Bravely Default HD breathes new life into one of the best RPGs of yesteryear. Freed from the shackles of a teensy screen, this painterly storybook world suddenly glistens with life and detail. While the simplistic character models betray their 3DS origins during cutscenes, against all odds this endearing playable diorama looks stunning in 4K and even better on Switch 2's 1080p handheld screen – proving that a good art style really is timeless. Bravely Default is the closest we'll ever get to a Final Fantasy IX sequel, so if you've had enough of getting blue-shelled and are pining for an eye-catching RPG to steal away the hours, look no further.
How good is it on Switch 2? 4/5
Sonic X Shadow Generations
With Mario busy zooming across the racetrack and Donkey Kong's banana-fuelled escapades still a month away, it falls to the blue blur to bring platforming to Nintendo's new console. Luckily Sonic's Switch 2 debut is a thing of beauty. In handheld mode, this remake truly shines, offering a sublime marriage of colour and speed as you're hunched over that chonky screen. A remake of 2011's Sonic Generations, this redux adds an all-new Y2K-esque Shadow-centric expansion, a la Super Mario 3D World expansion Bowser's Fury. What leaves a sour taste, however, is how publisher Sega has priced this. Despite launching on the original Switch last year, owners of the Switch 1 version have no discounted upgrade path for Switch 2, forced to pay full whack once again. This is a fast, fluid and furious port – it's just a shame for the people who already bought the inferior version.
How good is it on Switch 2? 3/5
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
One of 2024's weirdest games dances and slashes its way on to Switch 2 with delightful results: you are a demon-hunter accompanying a dancing priestess through mythological Japan. A cut above most other launch ports, Kunitsu looks remarkably similar to the PS5 version when playing docked, giving this criminally overlooked game a second lease of life on Nintendo's new machine. Melding demon-dismembering action with engrossing village defence, Path of the Goddess's pick up and play game loop fits the Switch 2 perfectly. It takes a noticeable visual hit in handheld, however, so playing on the TV is the optimal way to go.
How good is it on Switch 2? 4/5
Yakuza 0: Director's Cut
This reimagining of Tokyo's 1980s gangster underground is a game I've started multiple times and always abandoned. Yet after playing this sublime Switch 2 port, I'm determined to finally see Kiryu's story through. Boasting gorgeous lighting and running at 4K and 6OFPS when docked, along with Hitman, this Director's Cut is a graphical highlight for Nintendo's new hybrid console. With a drama-laden storyline filled with betrayals, oddball side quests, back alley fisticuffs and drunken karaoke, Yakuza 0 offers the meatiest – and strangest – narrative-led experience currently on Switch 2. With 25 minutes of brand new cutscenes, and an all-new four-player co-op multiplayer mode, this is the definitive version.
How good is it on Switch 2? 5/5
Street Fighter 6
I can't help but think fondly about the 3DS launch game Super Street Fighter IV 3D as I batter seven shades of cells out of Ryu on Switch 2. Featuring every mode and fighter yet released, this is a generous package. Battles feel slick and responsive, keeping that core frame rate as reliably consistent as you need in a fighting game. Yet where Street Fighter 6's art style shone on PS5, its roster of iconic fighters look oddly off-brand on Switch 2. Chun Li's legs feel disproportionate. Zangief's eyes bulge as if he's been straining his bladder during a long haul flight – it all feels like a Temu version of the real thing. If you've yet to play Street Fighter 6 elsewhere, these visual quirks will probably go unnoticed, but for those who can hadouken on other platforms, this is one fight worth sitting out.
How good is it on Switch 2? 3/5
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Sega has let the side down again with Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S: it's another 'upgrade' of an existing Switch game, at full price. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S adds a few new multiplayer modes and little else. This puzzle game barely benefits from enhanced resolution or framerate improvements, and there is little point in buying this insultingly lazy launch title. Stick to the Switch 1 version for your fix of gooey globules and trance-inducing tetriminos.
How good is it on Switch 2? 1/5
Fast Fusion
The Switch 2 launch title least likely to break the bank. A download-only release, this four-player futuristic racer is Wipeout meets F-Zero – and only costs £13.49. Just like Shinen's Fast Racing Neo on Wii U and Fast RMX on the original Switch, Fast Fusion is a glorious technical showcase, putting the Switch 2's processors through their paces with stunningly rendered 4K racetracks. With fuse-able vehicles, online showdowns and a predictably pulse-pumping soundtrack, Fast Fusion is the perfect edgy racing counterpart to the saccharine Mario Kart World.
How good is it on Switch 2? 4/5