Nintendo Switch 2 games: the best games to play on launch day

The best Nintendo Switch 2 games at launch are a mixed bag of bold reinventions of a familiar series to remastered Switch 2 editions of some of Nintendo's best games. Plus we get some innovative indies and inventive controller use.

No console is any good without a decent number of games to play on it at launch – and the same is very much true for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Luckily, while it might seem like there’s not too much new to check out on 5 June, 2025, when the hybrid successor arrives, Nintendo has scooped up plenty of third-party support to ensure that anyone who instantly picks the device up will have plenty of things to play in order to show off their shiny new tech purchase.

The likes of Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will arrive in all their first-party glory later, and I've including some 'coming soon' titles here too. But for now the Nintendo Switch 2 launch day games lineup is looking very healthy despite the lack of true exclusives.

While Mario Kart World will be the one Nintendo Switch 2 launch day title most players will want to pick up, there’s plenty of other Nintendo-focused experiences worth checking out. (The controversial Switch 2 games pricing means the Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle is the value pack to buy, and guarantees lots of players at launch.)

For an explainer to Nintendo's new console, read our guide, 'Nintendo Switch 2: all you need to know' as well as our guide to the Switch 2 pre-order process (you may still get one in the US due to a tariff-induced delaye). Confused if you should upgrade? Read our Nintendo Switch 2 vs Switch OLED explainer.

Back to the launch games, and from souped-up remasters that make some of the original Nintendo Switch’s games look and run better than ever to high-end third-party ports that have never before graced a Nintendo console, all enabled by a new bespoke Switch 2 Nvidia chipset that will bring AI-enhanced visuals and performance, here’s my pick of the top 8 Nintendo Switch 2 launch titles you should check out (pus some others to look forward too).

Nintendo Switch 2 games: best launch day games

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Getting the most obvious candidate out of the way, and Mario Kart World promises to be a huge step up compared to even Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which remains one of the best Switch games.

Offering 1080p, 60fps visuals when played in handheld mode, zooming through this newly interconnected world map across all kinds of madcap circuits gears this one up to be the best Mario Kart entry yet.

Throw in the addition of races that support up to 24 characters and the new Knockout mode that challenges players to fight their way to the front, and there’s plenty about Mario Kart World to get excited about.

Better yet, Nintendo is making Mario Kart World available as part of its own Nintendo Switch 2 bundle, making it easier than ever to play.

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Easily the oddest of the first-party offerings releasing on day one is Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, being a showpiece title of sorts aimed at highlighting all of the new console’s fancy features.

In it, players can expect to explore a shrunken-down version of the Nintendo Switch 2 as its own interactive exhibit, engaging in a series of fun mini-games that includes the likes of quizzes, golf simulation, and tech demos that challenge you to guess the framerate.

It’s… certainly a choice not to just make Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour a pack-in game free to all day-one purchasers, but it’ll at least be available at a discount price and as we point out in our story when Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour was announced, it's visually distinctive, graphic design visuals impress.

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It’s rare to see such a high degree of excitement for what is ostensibly a HD remaster of an eight-year-old game coming to a new system, but that’s exactly the case with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

An enhanced, improved version of the original Nintendo Switch launch title from 2017, Link’s first open-world outing is back to dazzle and charm again on Nintendo Switch 2 – this time with an improved framerate and resolution in both handheld and docked mode.

Admittedly, there is something alluring about the prospect of enjoying this mysterious version of Hyrule at a silky smooth 60fps in the palm of your hands. For a small upgrade fee for existing owners, it could be worth the double dip.

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Link’s most recent open-world adventure is also set to receive a glossier upgrade in the form of the snappily titled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

Offering quicker load times, an improved resolution, and the ability to ride and glide through this unwieldy version of Hyrule at 60fps in handheld mode, this Switch 2 exclusive iteration will no doubt serve as the best way to get to grips with powers like Fuse, Recall, and Ultrahand either for the first or fiftieth time.

Tears of the Kingdom arguably a lot more ambitious than its predecessor (above), encouraging you to save Princess Zelda while exploring the kingdom underground, in the air, and on land. Who needs a new Zelda game when Tears of the Kingdom is set to look the best it’s ever been?

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When you consider how well the Nintendo Switch version of The Witcher 3 previously worked (despite its inherent impossibility) it wasn’t surprising to learn that CD Projekt Red next RPG masterpiece was set to launch on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Hopefully this time the new device’s added horsepower means that there’ll be fewer visual compromises, especially when compared to the still problematic Steam Deck version for Nintendo Switch 2 purchasers hoping to explore Night City in handheld mode.

Developer CD Projekt Red has confirmed "fully cross-progression compatible" with other versions, as well as teasing performance on the game's social account, stating it will be "1080p docked and 720p in handheld mode" with the game running between 30-40 FPS "depending on the mode" (the dev is promising Performance and Quality modes).

Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition is the futuristic behemoth most players will know, making its debut on a Nintendo console while taking advantage of features like gyroscopic aiming and mouse controls.

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It’s barely been five minutes since Split Fiction released on other home consoles to instant critical acclaim. However, developer Hazelight Studios has clearly already been busy behind the scenes, cooking up a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 version set to arrive alongside the console at launch.

This story about to aspiring writers who get trapped and then must battle through each other’s sci-fi and fantasy stories makes perfect sense for Nintendo’s hybrid device, largely because it’s a game that can only be played in co-op.

The ability to break off the Nintendo Switch 2’s two Joy-Con and use each as its own independent controller should go down a treat, then, with the game being a perfect fit for Nintendo’s playful audience. (Want your own swish Joy-Con? Read our Switch and Switch 2 accessories guide.)

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Although veteran Nintendo fanatics will be able to get their futuristic racer fix with the return of F-Zero GX as part of the Nintendo GameCube back catalogue, much like it was with the original Nintendo Switch, the Fast series arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 on day one with its latest high-speed competitor.

Offering a smooth 60fps experience in both handheld and docked mode with 4K HDR on the latter, Fast Fusion is a great-looking antigravity racer that serves as the perfect anti programming to Mario Kart World.

Trailers and screenshots so far look to prove this as the most ambitious entry yet, with developer Shin'en Multimedia promising it to be ‘The fastest racing game you may have ever experienced’. We won’t have to wait long to find out.

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For as beautiful and smooth AAA games can look on Nintendo Switch 2, there’s no denying the platform’s excellent ability to play host to so many excellent indie games.

Arguably one of the biggest examples was quirky pixelated RPG Undertale, which was swiftly followed up on by the free first chapter of spiritual sequel Deltarune. (The sequel was made using GameMaker, proof great games don't need expensive tech.)

That’s why it was a nice surprise to see that chapters 3 and 4 weren’t only coming soon, but releasing together (alongside the already released chapters 1 and 2) on the day of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch.

Solo developer Toby Fox has already teased a room that will specifically cater towards the Switch 2’s mouse controls, rendering Nintendo’s sequel hybrid instantly the best console to play this collection on.

Nintendo Switch 2 games: coming soon

These games may not be released on the Switch 2 launch day, but during the 'launch window' and definitely in 2025.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza bursts with vibrant chaos and mixes classic platforming, wild banana chasing and charming retro vibes. The nostalgia is backed by cutting edge tech – the 3D world is fully destructible.

Pub Nintendo Dev Nintendo ETA 17 July

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond may be coming to current Switch as well as Switch 2, but on the console you'll get 'mouse controls' as well as 1080p at 120fps in docked TV mode. It's setup to be of 2025's best shooters – read my opinion on Metroid Prime 4's art direction.

Pub Nintendo Dev Retro Studios ETA 2025

The Duskbloods

The Duskbloods, FromSoftware's online multiplayer game, caught everyone off-guard at Switch 2's launch, and is already being called Bloodborne 2 by fans. Featuring the elegant dark fantasy art direction the developer is renowned for, The Duskbloods looks destined for cult and commercial success. (Read our Elden Ring review, a game from the same dev, to see what's in store.)

Pub Nintendo Dev FromSoftware ETA 2025

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is the latest in the successful Professor Layton puzzle games, and like those games this one features clever puzzles mixed with refined steampunk illustrated graphics and deft storytelling.

Pub Nintendo Dev Level-5 ETA 2025

The Legend of Zelda – The Wind Waker

This vibrant cel-shaded masterpiece leads the launch day lineup for GameCube Classics coming to Nintendo Online, the subscription service for Switch and Switch 2.

The Wind Waker is the one Zelda game fans have been demanded for years to have a remaster (it did get a HD relaunch on Wii U), so this is an eye-catching freebie for subscribers.

Also coming to Nintendo Online GameCube Classics are iconic racer F-Zero GX and 3D fighter Soul Calibur II, featuring a guest appearance from Legend of Zelda's Link.

Pub Various Dev Various ETA 5 June

Which games will you be playing at launch (or later in 2025 if you missed the preorder?). Let us know in the comments below.