The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Games

After a rocky launch that saw the game pulled from console stores, Cyberpunk 2077 now sits proudly next to The Witcher 3 as an acclaimed RPG from CD Projekt Red. On Switch 2, Cyberpunk 2077 is a visual showcase that lets you explore the digital dystopia on a TV or handheld screen. It also leverages motion controls and mouse inputs for additional play options. Best of all, this package includes the Phantom Liberty DLC expansion, which is significantly better than the main campaign.

Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo’s latest blockbuster, smashes together all sorts of wild and wacky concepts. The sandbox 3D platforming is the next evolution of Super Mario Odyssey. You can dig through the entire underground world and its various terrain, leading to creative experimentation like a recent Zelda title. And Donkey Kong puts his primal strength to great use by bashing baddies. It’s pure monkey business, and that’s fantastic.

A sequel to a cult hit 3DS game, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time blends cozy life-sim elements with classic RPG-style questing. You shape your character by taking on different “life” classes, like alchemist or woodcutter, and gaining new skills to complete new tasks, such as honing your combat or becoming a better gatherer. This supersized entry includes an open world full of shrines and secrets to encounter. On Nintendo Switch 2, Fantasy Life i runs with superior performance, and Switch 1 owners can upgrade to the new version for a small fee.

Just like the first Switch, Switch 2 launches with a gorgeous, futuristic racing game courtesy of Shin’en Multimedia. Fast Fusion is very much a spiritual successor to F-Zero and Wipeout, putting you behind the wheel of a high-tech hovercraft as you race at incalculable speeds. The visuals look better than ever thanks to Switch 2’s power and multiple graphic options. Fast Fusion also supports GameShare, so several people can compete with just one game copy.

World of Assassination bundles Agent 47’s globe-spanning missions from the Hitman reboot trilogy. So, you can spend countless hours slickly killing naughty rich people in scenic locales. The levels are dense with many potential ways to get the job done, so your replays feel like new experiences. The game’s robust online modes offer limited-time assignments and targets.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land finally gave the pink puffball a 3D platforming adventure to call his own. Fortunately, it was worth the wait. Kirby’s imaginative levels are even better with three dimensions, and his copy abilities like hammer, sword, and tornado gain more depth with added moves. This Switch 2 edition improves the visuals and performance across the board. It also adds an entirely new campaign, Star-Crossed World, with extra crystalline stages and bonus abilities.

A curious release from Capcom, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess blends action-focused combat, real-time tower defense strategy, and Japanese folklore. As you guide the goddess through dangerous paths, you must cut down monsters that threaten her safety. Command allies, gather resources, and place traps to ensure no evil escapes. On Switch 2, the game supports mouse controls for precise inputs.

Years of updates and expansions have transformed No Man’s Sky from an intriguing premise to one of the most engrossing gaming universes. The original Nintendo Switch version was impressive, but the free Switch 2 upgrade makes the procedurally generated planets even more beautiful. Switch 2 players can also enjoy expanded multiplayer and settlement-building features.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the Switch 1 were, if nothing else, ambitious. The open-world Pokémon titles let you tackle tasks however you wanted, with your pocket monsters at the ready. However, the games were plagued by technical issues. A free patch on Switch 2 fixes all that, dramatically boosting the games’ frame rates and resolutions. Now, Scarlet and Violet fully embrace their monster-battling potential.

Street Fighter practically invented the fighting game genre, and the excellent Street Fighter 6 proves that no one has defeated the champ. Reimagined control schemes provide accessible ways for newcomers to join the battle, while deep mechanics give advanced players unique ways to approach combat. Robust online modes let you fight and fraternize in an arcade-style hub, while the single-player campaign lets you brawl through a fully realized Metro City. The Switch 2 version supports wacky motion controls and amiibo figurines.

Sonic Generations successfully streamlined Sonic’s questionable history into a fun greatest hits collection, including retro 2D stages and breakneck 3D stages. This remaster also includes Shadow Generations, a new platforming adventure in which the angsty antihero runs through some of the best 3D Sonic levels ever conceived. If you haven’t played it already, this is the Sonic game to get.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest games ever made. A perfect launch title on the first Nintendo Switch, it introduced a vast, open-world Hyrule full of freedom and danger. The sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, doubled down on creativity by letting you build your own contraptions to tackle the game’s challenges. By either buying an upgrade or subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online, Switch 2 owners can enjoy these masterpieces at higher resolutions and frame rates that make the already attractive titles even more beautiful. With Nintendo’s mobile app, you can even share designs and listen to audio notes narrated by characters from the game, including Princess Zelda.

The original Tony Hawk games turned pro skateboarding into digital bliss. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 continues to remaster these gems for a new generation, combining modern visuals with time-tested skating controls. Revisit classic parks as well as a handful of new locales. Control old-school and new-school skaters, or shred as Doom Guy and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

The Yakuza saga is huge and sprawling, but if you’re looking to get into Sega’s gangster melodrama, Yakuza 0 is the place to start. For starters, it’s a prequel that takes place in 1980s Japan and acts as an origin story for Kiryu and Majima. Plus, Yakuza 0 is also one of the best games in the series, with a twisty storyline and satisfying beat ’em up combat that gives you multiple styles when fighting enemy mobs. The Switch 2 Director’s Cut includes a new English dub as well as a multiplayer mode.