The new Nintendo Switch 2 is already the fastest-selling gaming console ever, moving over 3.5 million units in its first week. Now that the red-hot handheld is out in the wild, here are the top ten best games available to play on the Switch 2 so far.
10. Fast Fusion
The Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive racing game that throws back to F-Zero with its anti-grav, high speed tracks and style. The kicker is that Fast Fusion features a unique vehicle fusion element that can take favorite racecars and meld them together to make something entirely new. Fast Fusion is also a great example of some of the Switch 2’s best features like Gameshare and four-player split screen. As a launch title, it’s one that any Switch 2 owner should definitely check out.
9. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
The Welcome Tour should have been included with the Switch 2. It is an excellent tutorial about the hardware, serving up detailed explanations of the engineering that went into every innovation in the Switch 2 and offering tips and tricks to get the most out of the new console. For the less technically-minded, Welcome Tour is still a challenging scavenger hunt that integrates a bevy of microgames that capitalize on the Switch 2’s new capabilities. Had it been included with the system, like Nintendo had done with Wii Sports, Welcome Tour would have been universally praised as a must-play.
8. Split Fiction
Telling two stories in tandem, Split Fiction is the latest from Hazelight Studio, the geniuses behind 2021’s It Takes Two which topped many a GOTY list. The entire game is a co-op player’s dream, automatically splitting the screen whether playing remotely or locally as the asymetric gameplay requires a constant level of cooperation with your partner. The story switches back and forth between sci-fi and fantasy and one-off bonus levels break up the action with injections of everything from horror to the absolutely absurd. Bonus, just like all of Hazelight’s co-op games, only one player needs to own it for both to play.
7. Hogwarts Legacy Digital Deluxe Edition
When Hogwarts Legacy showed up on the OG Switch, it was plagued with jankiness that made it unplayable for many gamers. Now, thanks to the Switch 2’s extra horsepower, the game is a dream to play, delivering a version of Hogwarts and the surrounding areas that are worthy of hours of exploration, intense wizarding fights, satisfying puzzles and more open-world flying that you can shake a (broom)stick at.
6. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
The recent pair of Pokemon games, Scarlet and Violet, benefit so much from the Switch 2’s improved hardware that they feel like entirely new games. While gameplay remains unchanged, graphics and framerates are significantly pumped up and load times are cut to feel almost non-existent. Nintendo is cooking more Pokemon specifically for the Switch 2 with Pokemon Legends Z-A that’s due out on October 16th this year and will unveil what’s next for the series later this summer but until then, a revisit to Paldea will deliver that Gotta Catch Em All experience with the best looks yet.
5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Switch 2’s debut also marked the introduction of Gamecube games into the Nintendo eShop, chief among them The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Stylized like no other Zelda game and a total blast from the past, the nostalgia-heavy experience is a delightful use of the Switch 2’s hardware and, when played in contrast to more modern Zelda games like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, serve as a reminder of how far the series has come and how good it’s been all along.
4. No Man’s Sky
The space exploration of No Man’s Sky is unlike any other game out there. Truly capturing the vastness of space, players can discover, trade, build and explore everything from tiny nooks of a particular planet’s cave system to entire galaxies. Since it’s debut in 2016, No Man’s Sky has been constantly evolving with huge updates that have renewed the game over and over and offered up continually deeper experiences in the giant universe. On the Switch 2, graphics have been upgraded and gameplay is smoother, making it a great game to play and a perfect piece of software to showcase just how big of an improvement the Switch 2 is over its predecessor, especially because the upgrade to the Switch 2 version is free.
3. Hitman: World of Assassination
Agent 47’s latest set of missions is the perfect game for the Switch 2’s portable possibilities. World of Assassination rewards replays with different approaches and that suits the Switch 2 well, offering up gameplay that’s easily consumed in 20 minute segments. If the Switch 2 is a perfect companion for a commute, Hitman: World of Assassination is the perfect game to go along with it. It’s also a nice reminder that not every game on Nintendo is family friendly and core gamers can certainly get their fix of violence and murder on the Switch 2.
2. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom
Lumping these two together because the premium upgrade for both are included for free with the Nintendo Online Expansion Pack and they are both the top games of their respective debut years returning better than ever on the Switch 2. The first of the premium enhanced versions of past Nintendo games to arrive on the next-gen console, it’s more than just better graphics and improved load times though those improvements are very noticeable and very welcome. More than that, there are gameplay changes with the Zelda guide app integration that make a replay of either game look and feel like an entirely new experience.
1. Mario Kart World
Put simply, Mario Kart World is a masterpiece and there’s no wonder why Nintendo pegged it as THE launch game for their latest console. Built on the familiarity of a series that goes all the way back to the Super Nintendo but still packed with new innovation and a determination to leverage online connectedness, Mario Kart World features an enormous cast of characters, a unique open world to explore and incredibly challenging racing gameplay, both locally and online. The new Knockout Rally mode is a true crown jewel of the game, especially online, where 24 racers go the distance as courses get strung together seamlessly and the four players furthest from the front get eliminated at checkpoints. It’s a chaotic, intense and super competitive approach to the gameplay that has dominated on Nintendo’s systems for decades, and the rush of victory will likely keep gamers coming back for years.