The 12 Best Games On The Nintendo Switch 2

CD Projekt Red’s open-world RPG is one of the most impressive technical showcases for the Switch 2 thus far. Cyberpunk 2077 once broke PlayStation 4s and Xbox Ones across the globe, but it runs well on Nintendo’s system. Driving around Night City is still a dream, and the Switch 2’s optional mouse controls are pretty intuitive in the game’s shooting segments. There are certainly better ways to play Cyberpunk 2077, but seeing it running on a Switch 2 is a reminder that while the system might seem like a pretty lowkey upgrade from the original, playing console-quality games on the go is still a novel experience eight years later. — Kenneth Shepard

A good match for: Story-driven RPG fans
Not a good match for: People with a weak stomach for some tough subject matter

A divine maiden must be escorted across a corrupted mountain so she can purge its towns, caves, and forests of gruesome demonic spirits. There are lots of ways a game could ask you to do this, but Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess settles on a unique hybrid of tower defense and excellent third-person arcade action. Japanese folklore permeates the meticulous, hand-crafted art direction, and Capcom’s in-house expertise when it comes to tight combat and beautiful animations is on full display. The Switch 2 version doesn’t look quite as polished and pristine as Kunitsu-Gami does on other platforms, but it’s still one of the most underrated real-time strategy adventures around, made better by the recent addition of new game plus and endless roguelike modes. —Ethan

A good match for: People who love collecting orbs

Not a good match for: Anyone afraid of big, long demon tongues

World of Assassination is a treasure trove of stealth challenges, each one ending in a satisfying execution of a person you won’t feel too bad about removing from a shadowy world of conspiracy and dark secrets. With three full campaigns, side missions, countless arcade challenges, regular updates featuring celebrity targets such as the recently added Le Chiffre from Casino Royale (played by Mads Mikkelsen), and the endless roguelike Freelancer mode, Hitman WoA is a perfect forever game for those of us who like to sneak around places we’re not supposed to be. True, performance on the Switch 2 isn’t as great as it can be on more powerful hardware, and you do need to be online to access Freelancer mode and many other challenges. But Hitman presents such a rich buffet of unique and memorable stealth sequences, each full of opportunities to come up with an endless variety of clever solutions, that you could easily spend an entire console generation playing it before you feel like you’ve mastered everything the game can throw at you. — Claire Jackson

A good match for: People who love sneaking around

Not a good match for: People who don’t

It’s no surprise that the two best games on the original Switch are vastly improved in their Switch 2 incarnations. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom run at a smooth 60fps on the Switch 2, and if seeing these games running on a device that doesn’t feel like it’s struggling to keep them afloat isn’t enough, the Switch 2 editions come with new content thanks to the Zelda Notes app that adds new challenges and lore to two already dense games. If you played them before, they’re worth revisiting. If you never touched Link’s open-world adventures, they’re even more essential on the Switch 2. — Kenneth Shepard

A good match for: People who want peak
Not a good match for: People who get overwhelmed with dense systems

Nintendo’s biggest launch title for the Switch 2 is still arguably the best game the system has to offer. Mario Kart World is a sublime addition to the kart racer series’ long line of quality party game staples. Though it’s not without its frustrations, World is the chaotic, rollicking fun of throwing a blue shell down a track or barreling through your enemies as a Bullet Bill at its best. The open world is kind of empty, but it’s a fun playground to practice all the cool stunts you can do now, like riding on the wall and grinding on rails. Mario Kart World is all about giving you the freedom to race how you want, and that means giving you more tools, more players on the track at once, and more bothersome items to chuck at your foes. This is only the beginning, and Nintendo will likely be updating the game for years to come. Mario Kart World will undoubtedly be a staple of the Switch 2’s lifetime. — Kenneth Shepard

A good match for: Everyone, really
Not a good match for: Anyone looking for something chill

Y’all, it’s a damn galaxy in your pocket. Do I even need to say anything else? Over the years, No Man’s Sky has continued to improve, expanding the potential of what you can do in its virtually endless playground of procedurally generated planets and ecosystems. Being able to jump into your ship and fly directly to a planet you can see off in the distance hasn’t gotten old since 2016. Though there are many quests and neat challenges you can take on, you don’t have to; NMS is the game you want to make out of it. Want a hardcore survival experience across the vastness of a simulated galaxy? It’s here. Want to set up an oxygen farm on a remote moon somewhere? Time to get digging. Want to catalog all of the lifeforms on a planet that’ll take you hours upon hours to walk across? Lace up your boots. Hello Games’ massive space sim works really well in portable format, whether you’re playing online or off. Dogfights in space. Finding planets no one’s seen before. Seeing a gorgeous vista where you can seamlessly travel to virtually anything you can see. When you’ve an appetite for galactic expeditions, No Man’s Sky is here to deliver multiple courses. — Claire Jackson

A good match for: Digital space explorers who aren’t afraid to find their own fun

Not a good match for: Folks who find survival mechanics overbearing or want a more traditional, guided gaming experience

Hazelight’s co-op platformer Split Fiction doesn’t feel built for the Switch 2. Its split-screen format makes it a pain to play in tabletop mode, so it’s really best played on a TV like you would on your PS5 or Xbox. But once you’ve got it running on a big screen, the game is still a hoot. Though its cheesy writing leaves much to be desired, as a cooperative platformer with a ton of mechanical and environmental variety, it’s easily the best in Hazelight’s long history of co-op games. That final level still whips ass, too. — Kenneth Shepard

A good match for: Someone with a friend to play with
Not a good match for: Someone who doesn’t have a friend to play with

Fighting games were always going to be one of the biggest tests of the Switch 2's technical capabilities, and Capcom thankfully managed to bring one of the best genre entries in recent years to the system without much compromise in Street Fighter 6. Some of its Switch 2 features, like amiibo support and motion controls with the Joy-Cons, feel like cute nods to the system’s original features rather than something that fundamentally changes the game, so you’ll most likely go right back to standard play before long. Once you do, though, you’ll find a really great version of an already stellar game running at a smooth 60fps. Sure, it’s probably not going to be the version people are playing at EVO, but it’s more than good enough to break out at the function and play with friends. — Kenneth Shepard

A good match for: The fighting game sickos
Not a good match for: People who don’t like to memorize combos

Donkey Kong and Pauline’s latest adventure is one of the Switch 2’s most impressive technical achievements. Its breakable environments are so malleable that they’re a bit of a distraction, but its tight platforming, creative problem-solving, and booming personality make it one of the most joyful games on the Switch 2 right now. Is it the cultural moment the system needs to bring people in out of the gate? Maybe not. But it’s still an absolute delight worth booting up if you’ve got the system in its first few months. — Kenneth Shepard

A good match for: People who wanted King Kong to have a happier ending
Not a good match for: People who can’t move on without finding every collectable in a level

Shin’en Multimedia is back, filling another F-Zero-sized hole in another Nintendo console launch. Fast Fusion is a simple but slick racer in which you zip through crisp, hyper-realistic sci-fi courses snagging speed boosts and avoiding crashes. There’s a jump button because it’s fun to jump when it feels like you’re about to break the sound barrier, and a new mechanic that lets you combine two vehicles together to take advantage of their combined stats. It’s better than it has any right to be and a fun, flashy exclusive to show off Nintendo’s new console. — Ethan

A good match for: Unreal Engine sickos who love WipeOut

Not a good match for: Those who get easily carsick

The life sim RPGs that helped define the modern Nintendo handheld landscape are alive and well on Switch 2, and Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is the best of them when it comes to rewarding grinding loops that give you a fair bit of freedom. It’s a city builder, survival crafting sim, and simple action-RPG all rolled up into one, with a pleasant art style and music by longtime Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. There are so, so many parts, and the sum of each of them offers a progression loop that’s rewarding and compelling enough to make up for its flaws. —Ethan

A good match for: Those who wish Final Fantasy V was more like Animal Crossing

Not a good match for: People who hate experiencing life through menus