These Are the Best Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games

The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular consoles Nintendo has ever produced, with a wide variety of games to choose from and plenty of unique features. We’ve already gotten to play new entries across the Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokémon series on Nintendo Switch, but there are still plenty of great games on the way for the hybrid console. This includes exclusive games developed internally by Nintendo as well as third-party titles and ports also available on other platforms.

Since many of the games announced at the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct and the September Direct have launched already, the list of upcoming games is dwindling. Still, we know of a slew of games coming to the system in the future. And on top of that, there’s still a lot more time for more announcements to be made, so we may get even more games throughout 2022. However you slice it, it’s an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan.

With that in mind, there are still lots of games to look forward to on the platform. These are the best upcoming Nintendo Switch games for 2022, and beyond.

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Pokémon Legends: Arceus — January 28, 2022

While ILCA is working on the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes, Game Freak is cooking up something special with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This will be an open-world action RPG, a first for the series, and it will take place before the events of Diamond and Pearl in the Sinnoh region. Fans have been asking for an open-world Pokémon action RPG for what feels like decades now, and Game Freak seems to be delivering on that wish.

It will still follow a similar structure to the turn-based games but will have real-time combat. You’ll be able to explore the open world and freely catch Pokémon that roam throughout it. At this time, there’s still a lot we don’t know about this game, but it’s shaping up to be something really different for the series. It’s currently scheduled to release on January 28, 2022.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human — February 4, 2022

Dying Light 2: Stay Human has been in development for a long time, and after suffering numerous delays, it appears like it’ll be launching in February 2022. This is a game built for modern hardware, so the Nintendo Switch version will be cloud-based, just like Hitman 3, Control, and Guardians of the Galaxy. This means you must have a stable and powerful internet connection at all times to run this game, which might be an issue for some players. The game itself looks promising, with a massive open world to explore, and various branching paths that encourage multiple playthroughs.

Triangle Strategy — March 4, 2022

Odd name choice aside, Triangle Strategy looks to be another fantastic turn-based tactics game created by Square Enix. This game serves as a follow-up of sorts to Octopath Traveler, though their stories aren’t necessarily connected. The Square Enix community and its fans seem ecstatic about this game, as it’s the first tactics game the company has developed in a long time. Once you’re inside, you’ll quickly notice the beautiful art style you know and love. Rather than turn-based combat, you’ll witness a grid-based tactics battle system, including riveting storytelling. The best part is that you can get the free demo on the eShop today if you want. The bad news is we all have to wait until 2022 to play the real deal. We’re crying too. At least Nintendo and Square Enix announced its official release date during the September 2021 Direct. It’s coming soon!

Chocobo GP — March 10, 2022

Nintendo likely won’t release Mario Kart 9 any time soon, but at least Square Enix has something else for us to play in the meantime. Chocobo GP is a wacky cart racer featuring — you guessed it — Chocobos. It’ll send players to beloved Final Fantasy stages, along with various race types, and even supports up to 8-player multiplayer modes. It’s certainly a cute-looking adventure to enjoy towards the beginning of 2022. It’s slated to launch on March 10, 2022, but preorders aren’t live just yet.

Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp — Spring 2022

It’s hard to believe Advance Wars is back, even if its newest entries aren’t original games. As announced during the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is headed to Switch later in 2022, serving as remakes of the first two games in the series.

Advance Wars is a turn-based tactical game with a devoted fan base. In fact, fans have been asking for more Advance Wars for years, and Nintendo will finally deliver. The last entry, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, launched for the Nintendo DS in 2008, but the series has been dormant since then. It’s likely Nintendo is gauging interest in the Advance Wars series to possibly develop a new game. Sadly, this collection was delayed from December 2021 to Spring 2022. Hopefully, it will be ready to launch soon.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga — Spring 2022

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has been in the works for several years, but after suffering from at least one delay, it seems it will finally be ready to launch in spring 2022. The notable thing about this package is that it will incorporate all nine Star Wars films in the Skywalker saga, featuring voice acting and numerous stages from the entire series. Aside from its visual improvements, this collection will feature refined combat for both lightsaber and blaster sections of the game. Hopefully, this one will launch soon!

Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Spring 2022

The premise of exploring a 3D post-apocalyptic world as Kirby is wild and strange, but appealing. That’s exactly what we’re getting in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, a game announced during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct. This is the newest mainline Kirby game since 2018’s Star Allies, and it looks to be a huge step up in terms of scope and gameplay. While it certainly features a post-apocalyptic world, it’s still a Kirby game, meaning it’ll be far less drab than something you’d get in The Last of Us. Of course, Kirby will still be able to copy his enemies’ attacks and use them to overcome the odds. Kirby and the Forgotten Land seems to be in the same vein as Super Mario Odyssey, in terms of its large open areas.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns — Second half of 2022

Hailing from developer Firaxis, the team behind XCOM, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a turn-based tactical RPG. It will feature similar gameplay as the XCOM series, but with a few twists and turns that keep it separate from them. In it, you play as a new hero called The Hunter, who can be customized to your liking. But you can still fight alongside your favorite Marvel heroes, including Wolverine, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man. Best of all, it’s coming to Nintendo Switch, meaning you’ll be able to play it on the big screen or on the go. Sadly, this game was delayed from March 2022 to the second half of the year, with no specific release date given.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge — 2022

Harkening back to the old arcade classics of the ’80s and ’90s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a modern take on the 2D beat-’em-up adventures, starring everyone’s favorite turtles. Much like the old classics, Shredder’s Revenge features four-player cooperative multiplayer — both locally and online. It will follow Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael as they battle famous villains like the Foot Clan and the titular Shredder. This game doesn’t have an exact release date just yet, but it’ll be ready sometime in 2022.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel — 2022

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been heralded as the best game of the generation and possibly the best Legend of Zelda game of all time. It comes as no surprise that Nintendo wanted to create a direct sequel to it in BotW 2, though just what form that will take remains unclear.

A teaser trailer released at E3 2019 suggests that Zelda could be playable along with Link, and the world seems to be suffering from another calamity despite the destruction of Ganon.

At E3 2021, Nintendo showed off more of this game, still referring to it as “the sequel to Breath of the Wild.” The open-world still remains, but players will now be able to venture to the skies above, similar to Skyward Sword. It’s gearing up for a 2022 release window.

Splatoon 3 — 2022

Although the release isn’t expected for quite some time, Nintendo gave us a sneak peek at Splatoon 3, set to launch at some point during 2022. During a February 2021 Nintendo Direct, we got the chance to see a new locale referred to as Splatlands, a desert populated by Inklings. Even though there wasn’t much unveiled with the Splatoon 3 preview, we know that it will still have 4v4 Turf War online battles and new equipment to unlock. All that aside, we have a bunch of unanswered questions. We’re burning to know the new features and whether the game will present a powerful single-player mode. Nintendo then reaffirmed the game’s 2022 release window, though a specific date was not revealed. 

Bayonetta 3 — 2022

One of the biggest surprises of the September 2021 Nintendo Direct was the reemergence of Bayonetta 3, a game that has been in the works since at least 2017. The new trailer showed off some of the game’s characters as well as gameplay, and it’s just as wacky as you’d expect. In it, we got to see Bayonetta utilizing her witch powers to control a gigantic creature — using it to battle it out against her foes. The gameplay seems like it’s on par with the rest of the series, focusing on fast-paced action, combos, and light exploration. And of course, the titular Bayonetta is just as sassy and stylish as ever, sporting a new haircut! Best of all is the game’s 2022 release window. It’s almost here!

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope — 2022

One of the most exciting upcoming Switch games is Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. This will be the sequel to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, a game that surprised many of us when it launched in 2017. It will still feature the beloved tactical strategy gameplay but will send players to new planets, hopefully introducing even more variation in enemy types. With more open-ended exploration and the migration to space, Sparks of Hope seems like it’ll be a worthy successor to one of the most beloved Switch games.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout — TBA

The hit party battle royale game, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout captivated a large player base during the summer of 2020 and aims to come out on Nintendo Switch sometime in the future. It became famous for its wacky game modes, tons of unlockables, and references to other games such as Doom and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Fall Guys was originally supposed to launch for Nintendo Switch in the summer of 2021, but has been delayed to an undisclosed date. Here’s hoping it actually does launch this year, but as we get closer to 2022, it’s looking less likely.

Sports Story — TBA

Golf Story was far more than a golf game on Nintendo Switch — it was a full-scale role-playing game filled with charming characters, all wrapped up in a golf shell that could still be enjoyed by those who don’t care about sports in the slightest. Developer Sidebar Games is taking this concept even further in Sports Story, which blends sports with role-playing mechanics again and adds plenty of new sports. These include tennis and you’ll study at a tennis academy, just like in the Game Boy Color classic Mario Tennis. You will even get the chance to compete in a “Decasportathon” to show just how up to the challenge you truly are. Although this game was slated for mid-2020, a Nintendo Direct indicated that it had been delayed.

Hollow Knight: Silksong — TBA

One of 2017’s absolute best games is getting a sequel in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it’s headed to Nintendo Switch sometime in the future. It will take the stunning visuals, Metroidvania gameplay, and atmosphere of the original Hollow Knight and put you in the shoes (do these creatures wear shoes?) of Hornet, a princess who is tasked with protecting Hallownest. Silksong was announced last year, and we haven’t gotten much of an update on its development, but hopefully, we won’t have to wait much longer. If it’s half as good as the original, we’re all in for a treat.

Metroid Prime 4 — TBA

Since we’re on the topic of games we know nothing about, word about Metroid Prime 4 released several years ago at an E3 Nintendo Direct presentation, but we haven’t heard anything from Nintendo since. Supposedly, the game was still in the developing process at Bandai Namco. Still, the game was not advancing as quickly as Nintendo expected, and it was thus scrapped and restarted with Metroid Prime trilogy creator Retro Studios taking the wheel. We don’t know if the game will launch in the next few years, but we do know one thing: Metroid fans are great at waiting. Otherwise, they may get stuck with another game like Other M, and no one wants that.

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