Nintendo just revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 last week, after many, many years of waiting. I’ve always believed that the original Switch was never quite as powerful as it should’ve been, even by 2017 standards. Regardless, Nintendo’s next-gen console is finally about to hit shelves, and this time, it looks to be an absolute beast, ready to go straight for the throne in the handheld gaming kingdom.

Not only did Nintendo show us the new hardware, but they also gave us a taste of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games headed our way. It’s not going to be easy on the pocket, that’s for sure, but I can’t pretend I’m not extremely hyped for some of the games on the Switch 2 that I can already picture myself playing at an airport terminal.

6 Mario Kart World

Nintendo’s iconic kart racer, built from the ground up for the Switch 2

Mario Kart World is going to be only the second Mario Kart game I will ever play. The only game in this storied franchise I’ve ever played before is the excellent Mario Kart 8, and that too, for just a single week before I parted ways with the Switch I had borrowed from a friend. Now, with Mario Kart World being a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, I know for certain that I’m going to be purchasing the Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle, so I can get riding on the very first day.

In all honesty, this is just Mario Kart 9 spiritually, and looks to be a massive step-up — we’ve got globe-trotting races, a vast and connected open-world map, and 24-driver races that are going to make the arena look like a sea of blue shells. Add to that the cleanest visuals ever seen in a Nintendo racing game, and you’ve got a game that’s a guaranteed day-one purchase for yours truly.

5 Donkey Kong Bananza

My first Donkey Kong game might be the most chaotic one

I’m just going to come out and say it — I’ve never played a Donkey Kong game before, ever. The closest I’ve ever come to the lovable gorilla is my aforementioned week with Mario Kart 8, where my friend picked him because it reminded him of me, apparently. Having just introduced my partner to gaming, I think a cutesy, thrill-ride of a platformer on the new Nintendo Switch 2 could be the perfect game for both of us to get acquainted with one of Nintendo’s biggest icons.

Donkey Kong Bananza looks like everything I want in a co-op Switch 2 platformer — high-energy movement, chaotic co-op mechanics, and a color palette that makes your eyeballs feel caffeinated. If this is what Nintendo is bringing to the table early on, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the jungle holds.

4 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

A legendary return 18 years in the making

God, it’s been 18 years since we last saw a core Metroid Prime game. Even the announcement of Metroid Prime 4 back in 2017 — which, let’s be honest, was one of the greatest gaming reveals of all time — is now eight years old. At long last, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally on the horizon, bringing Samus Aran to both the Nintendo Switch and the all-new Switch 2. But let’s be real — we all want to play this one on the newer console, where it’ll finally get the frame rate and resolution it deserves.

With Sylux chasing down Samus, Metroid Prime 4 is shaping up to be an unforgettable sci-fi FPS adventure — and yet another day-one buy for me. It’s wild to think that this game has been in development for nearly the entire Nintendo Switch lifecycle, and now it’s primed (pun intended) to be one of the Switch’s final greats, while kicking off a new golden age on the Nintendo Switch 2.

3 Split Fiction

Co-op odyssey with my partner

It isn’t just Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games that I’m excited to play on the new handheld gaming console. Ever since Split Fiction came out in March 2025, I’ve been waiting to play the game with my partner. Sadly, when I was just about ready to get the game started on my self-made PlayStation Portal with my partner, it just didn’t work out, leading to me simply waiting a whole month for a chance to play it.

With the announcement that Split Fiction is headed to the Switch 2, and with the console's launch just around the corner, I’m finally going to get the couch co-op adventure I’ve been waiting for. This fantastic co-op experience is universe-hopping and reality-splitting. It is the perfect game to enjoy in handheld mode or on the big screen — and now, thanks to the power and portability of the Nintendo Switch 2, we’ll be diving in together on day one.

• $50 at Steam
• $50 at Xbox Games Store
• $50 at PlayStation Store

2 Drag x Drive

Once I do end up purchasing a Nintendo Switch 2, you can bet that it’s going to be the first thing I whip out at house parties. That said, the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Drag x Drive looks to be the ultimate party game — an NBA 2K Blacktop crossing over with a neon-drenched synthwave aesthetic.

A 3v3 challenge while sitting in chairs with wheels, Drag x Drive is going to make the most out of the Joy-Con controllers as we frantically drag them across our thighs to go fast and dunk on our mates, mocking them with waves and high-fives while we’re at it.

1 The Duskbloods

Bloodborne 2, but make it not that

The only three FromSoftware games I’ve ever touched are Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring — in that exact order. Did I finish either of the first two? Absolutely not. But does that dampen my excitement for The Duskbloods, a game that looks like a spiritual sequel to Bloodborne? Not one bit.

Sure, the whole PvPvE angle doesn’t exactly top my wishlist, but this is FromSoftware, and they’ve more than earned the benefit of the doubt. The combat looks visceral, the world oozes style, and the gothic aesthetic is peak FromSoftware. I know I’ll be playing it whether I’m traveling or rotting in bed on a lazy afternoon and need a good old soul-crushing challenge. From’s debut on the Switch 2 could very well be one of its most talked-about third-party titles — and I can’t wait to see how it plays on this beefed-up handheld beast.

The Switch 2 era is about to begin

The Nintendo Switch, inarguably, has one of the greatest libraries of all time — something I can’t say for the current generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft. The Nintendo Switch 2, however, seems to be poised to fix the original’s performance bottlenecks, while ushering in a new generation of exclusive games and truly unique experiences that I truly cannot wait to experience and enjoy.

I’ll admit the pricing for the Switch 2 and its games from Nintendo is all over the place, but the console itself seems to have won me over, and I already know that it’s the only console I’m going to be packing for my Christmas travels by the time the year ends. I know there are tons of other games coming out on the Switch 2, including third-party AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and the Tarnished Edition for Elden Ring. However, if I'm going to be spending an arm and a leg on the Switch 2 and its games, these are the ones that I'm buying first.