With the Nintendo Switch 2 nearing its first month out in the wild, we’ve had plenty of time to check out the biggest games that have made its launch largely attractive for the average gamer. Overall, we’re quite impressed by Nintendo’s first-party kick-off and a fair number of third-party releases, but coming up with a list of the best Switch 2 games to play right now hasn’t been easy.
This is positive, actually, as the big ‘problem’ is that, so far, most developers have taken ports and upgrades very seriously, pushing the hardware to its limits in many cases and making good use of its hybrid form factor and extra control options. Thus, reducing our favourite Switch 2 games to just 10 entries has been tricky to say the least. We’d love to include more notable picks, but we don’t want this article to be a chore to read through.
Needless to say, we’ll keep this list up-to-date with the hottest Switch 2 video games releasing in 2025 and beyond, but we can confidently say that even its limited launch lineup has made us hopeful about the console’s future and its surprising capabilities to punch above its weight.
Mario Kart World
The powers that be at Nintendo were totally right to start off with the follow-up to one of the best-selling video games of all time, especially when the main new feature is the first-ever open world to grace the Mario Kart series and 24-driver races. As a showcase of the Switch 2’s new hardware, Mario Kart World is rather traditional, but at the same time, driving those little karts and motorbikes has never felt smoother, and the refreshed art style is lovely.
Ironically, the ‘World’ part of the game falls a bit flat and doesn’t really offer a lot of excitement beyond some well-hidden secrets and a handful of demanding challenges, but the higher player count and the Knockout Tour mode (which sees players getting progressively eliminated in a multi-phase race) make it the most entertaining MK by far. The single-player is robust; local multiplayer supports up to 4 players on the same console; and online play is a seamless riot (and you can split-screen too). Mario Kart World isn’t perfect by any means, but it’ll probably become many players’ addiction, and we can’t wait to see where it’s taken next by the developers.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom (a massive duology) occupy top spots on most lists collecting Nintendo Switch 1’s best-ever games. Thanks to their (paid) Switch 2 upgrades, we’ll continue to celebrate them as some of the very best games on Nintendo’s new console. Ideally, these two would’ve received updates that didn’t ask for more money out of veteran players, but if you haven’t played them yet or want to revisit Hyrule’s gorgeous open world with boosted resolution, framerate, and visual settings, you can’t go wrong with their native Switch 2 versions.
Mind you, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom performed well enough on the original hardware, but things could definitely get choppier than desirable, especially in the second one when players got too creative with the many tools at Link’s disposal. In the Switch 2 releases, expect 100% silky-smooth framerates and shorter load times that make both games even more time-consuming and gorgeous. As far as sandbox action-adventure RPGs go, they don’t much get better than these two; you ought to give them a proper try. Our personal recommendation? Getting the upgrades via the Switch’s Online membership with the Expansion Pack; it’s good bang for the buck overall.
Street Fighter 6
The latest instalment in Capcom’s iconic fighting game series was celebrated back in 2023, and thanks to solid post-launch support and additional paid content, it remains an easy one to recommend more than two years later. Street Fighter 6’s Switch 2 port is the real deal, and we’ve found it every bit as enjoyable as its current-gen/PC counterpart. It even packs exclusive modes that have been tailor-made for Nintendo’s console and full cross-play support, so this is the opposite of a ‘lesser’ version of a multiplatform hit.
The colourful and stylized art help hide most of its resolution shortcomings versus the more cutting-edge versions, so the end result in motion looks and feels the same. Even if you’re concerned about the framerate in the heat of battle, fear not, as it holds steady at 60 FPS, with the only exception being the open-world-ish World Tour mode, which is story-focused and single-player anyway. Whether you’re going docked or handheld, SF6 is remarkably robust on Switch 2, and the lower recommended price tag (even the Years 1-2 Fighters Edition is cheaper than buying the DLCs separately) sweetens this deal.
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red’s long-awaited future-set RPG was a hard sell back in 2020 due to its many technical issues and some half-baked systems. Almost five years later, it’s easily one of the best RPGs ever. Cyberpunk 2077’s Nintendo Switch 2 port – complete with the current-gen-exclusive Phantom Liberty expansion – sounded like crazy talk at first, but now that it’s here and we’ve played it, we’re super impressed. It just feels illegal to play, like it shouldn’t be possible, yet here we are. Considering the size of Nintendo’s new console versus handheld PCs like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, this is the best and most painless way to enjoy Night City on the go.
As long as you’re okay with 30/40 FPS caps (depending on which graphical mode you choose) and some hiccups while traversing the Dogtown area of the map, Cyberpunk 2077 is the most impressive piece of software you can install on your Switch 2 at the moment of writing. This isn’t a greatly dialled-down version of the gorgeous-looking RPG. By and large, it looks roughly the same even without ray tracing and running at much lower resolutions. It also plays fine because it’s not an extremely fast-paced title. Moreover, it’s the most feature-complete Switch 2 game we’ve come across at launch, packing gyro and mouse controls, touchscreen options, and even cross-save support.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Fantasy Life i has quietly become one of the sleeper hits of the year across all current platforms, and Level-5 made sure to release a simple yet robust (and cheap) Switch 2 upgrade to go with the console’s launch. It’s a perfectly enjoyable experience on Switch 1, but we all love having better resolution and FPS alongside bonus visual effects, don’t we? The Girl Who Steals Time is a perfect subtitle, as that’s exactly what this game will do to you. It’s got exploration, crafting, building, and rather deep dungeon-delving. Just don’t expect a fully-fledged multiplayer experience… for now.
Described as a ‘slow-life RPG’ (whatever that means), Fantasy Life i feels gigantic. It has 14 unique jobs (aka ‘Lives’) to choose from, and switching between them is quick and effortless. This means you have 14 different job-related questlines and progression tracks to complete as you explore vast environments across three distinct eras. There’s a bigger story to follow too, but most of the time you’ll be meeting and helping plenty of friendly NPCs, all while farming resources to reshape an entire island and go creative whenever you want. In the absence of a new Animal Crossing, we’re adoring this one, but it’s also so much more, and its RPG systems (challenging endgame included) are no joke.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Kunitsu-Gami flew under many players’ radars when it first launched in 2024 on all the current-gen consoles and PC, yet you’ve probably seen many people praise it. Well, its Switch 2 port is quite strong and features robust mouse controls. When coupled with a mission-based structure and a refreshingly restrained scope, it sort of becomes perfect for this hardware, and the $40 price tag makes it very easy to recommend if you care about off-beat, mid-sized games from big publishers and fun twists on RTS and tower defence mechanics.
At the same time, Kunitsu-Gami packs top-down, hack-and-slash action that makes it seem simpler than it really is at first, so it’s a little big title that’s full of surprises. In its Japan-inspired setting, a holy mountain has been covered by demonic corruption, and it’s up to a Maiden and her protector (the player) to repel the invaders and restore the area and its people to their former glory. The mythology, folklore, visuals, and music on display are stunning, but it’s the fast-paced but meaty mix of strategy and brutal action that enchanted us. Even at a lower resolution and with variable framerate below the 60 FPS mark, Kunitsu-Gami shines and dazzles. Just make sure to avoid the dreadful HDR implementation.
Fortnite
Epic Games’ online behemoth is no stranger to Nintendo’s hardware, but the Switch 1 port was (and still is) rough at best. Now, Switch 2’s superior horsepower has turned it into a genuinely great version of the hit video game. And yes, it’s free-to-play and has full cross-platform support. Just jump in and play with the same account you’ve used for years. If you’re (somehow) a newcomer, this could easily become your go-to way to play Fortnite.
While it lacks the extra bells and whistles added by the most recent UE5 updates on the big consoles and PC, Fortnite on Switch 2 looks and moves remarkably well, targeting 60 FPS and largely sticking close to the cap. Load times are also much faster, and as a former PC player, I’m even tempted to say it stutters way less due to less shader-related issues. All in all, this is the best portable iteration of Fortnite so far, and it’s not missing any of the modes or experiences that have turned it into a ‘game of games’ full of pop culture icons.
Fast Fusion
Almost every console launch comes with an overlooked banger that gets little coverage, and we’re aiming to fix that. Fast Fusion is a launch-day exclusive that’s no doubt this console’s first hidden gem. Back when the Switch 1 launched in 2017, Fast RMX was praised as an all-new riff on Sony’s Wipeout and Nintendo’s F-Zero series, and veteran developer Shin’en Multimedia has knocked it out of the park with this new iteration. It’s fast, furious, and traditional in its structure and unlock system. Moreover, you can ‘fuse’ different racing ships to come up with new ones that might have the exact stats you’re looking for.
As a tech showcase for Nintendo’s new console, it’s also one of the better games to grab during its early days, as it makes great use of the custom DLSS upscaling which should be giving Switch 2 an edge over recent handheld PCs like the Steam Deck. If you play docked, there are five different graphical modes to choose from, with the game hitting up to 4K at 30 FPS, and handheld play supports two. Needless to say, you may want to target 60 FPS, as reaction times are key to come out on top in this game.
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet
Nintendo has released several free patches (with more to come) that improve the original resolution and framerate targets of several first-party hits such as Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 3 when played on Switch 2. All of those are totally worth checking out, but the standout upgrade so far is Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s.
When they were first released, the last generation of Pokémon games was heavily criticized despite the notable evolution of the traditional Pokémon formula and a stronger commitment to a modern open-world design. The problem? They ran so terribly that many longtime fans put them off until patches fixed things or the next console came out. Furthermore, the overall visual presentation was unacceptable for such a massive franchise.
Fast-forward to June 2025 and Pokémon’s latest have received a transformative Switch 2 patch that greatly improves the image clarity, resolution, and framerate (almost 100% locked to 60 FPS now across every scenario). Even the numbers of wild Pokémon have changed, making navigating certain areas more tense than before. Since we enjoyed the games underneath all the technical issues back in the day, now we can’t do anything but include them on our list of Switch 2’s finest.
No Man’s Sky
One of Switch 1’s biggest impossible ports was No Man’s Sky, another game that faced a rough launch but was improved exponentially over the years. Long story short: It’s the biggest and most diverse space exploration game that you can play nowadays… as long as you don’t hate procedural generation. What once was a boring walking simulator that also happened to have spaceships has become an ever-evolving universe full of systems and a true sense of wonder and discovery that few other games have managed to capture on that virtually limitless scale.
Though Hello Games’ Switch 1 efforts were quite commendable, there was a hard limit to what could be achieved with that console, so the (free) Switch 2 upgrade that was launched alongside Nintendo’s newest is game-changing. Now, it’s fully on-par with the current-gen and PC versions content-wise; that also includes true, seamless online multiplayer. Performance and visuals are amazing (forget about 60 FPS though), and the overall experience is way above what PS4 and Xbox One can offer. Don’t skip it.
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