The Switch 2 launched just over a year ago, and we've already gotten our hands on some excellent games. If you're looking for recommendations of what to play on the newest console, we've compiled every Nintendo game that we've given a review score of 8 or above.
While there are tons of amazing games that have already been released on or ported over to the Switch 2, we’re setting some limits by sticking to Nintendo exclusives. These are predominantly first-party games published by Nintendo for either just the Switch 2 or both Switch consoles.
From IGN's Review: "The leader of the bunch is finally back to kick some tail in Donkey Kong Bananza, a brilliant successor to Super Mario Odyssey and a smashing return for a classic Nintendo character. It was a bold choice to build the Switch 2’s first 3D platformer around Donkey Kong instead of Mario, but it’s proven to be the best decision Nintendo could’ve made. DK’s satisfying, expressive movement and powerful, dynamic abilities create a truly groundbreaking adventure."
From IGN's Review Update: "Not only does The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom still hold up as a game I can’t wait to lose a few dozen more hours in, the updates and additions made to the Switch 2 Edition make it feel like this is the way it was always meant to be played."
From IGN's Review Update: "This Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is of course an enhanced version with visual upgrades, faster loading times, and support for the Zelda Notes service via the Nintendo Switch App on your mobile device. It’s admittedly a fairly modest upgrade in terms of actual new features or content, but a welcome one, and it makes this undoubtedly the best way to play a sprawling epic that still stands tall as one of the greatest achievements in Nintendo’s iconic adventure series."
From IGN's Review: "Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave builds upon its strategic arts in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. It’s never satisfied to make me grow only as a battlefield tactician, or only in my ability to manage my time between skirmishes wisely, but both in perfect harmony. Every time I turned around, I was being given more challenges to face and more tools to master in order to overcome them. The many unique twists of each hero’s story path had me eager to see all the ways those journeys differed from each other, making the grand culmination in the final act hit so damn well. Planning out my expeditions across an imposing map became an unexpected highlight that not only hooked me, but rewarded my persistence by continuing to expand all the ways I could direct my armies as I tried to stay on top of newly emerging threats. The scope of both its formidably challenging battles and intricate management systems would be wildly ambitious for one path, let alone spread across four , yet somehow Fortune’s Weave only gets better and better each time you guide its captivating heroes into the colosseum and far beyond."
From IGN's Review: "Splatoon Raiders is an amazing action RPG with an expertly executed loop. It has fantastic new powers with crazy upgrades that are worth chasing, tough battles that force you to put care into your build in order to overcome them, and a huge variety of fun level types to jump between. The pacing, balance, and difficulty curve are very impressive: I always had to work to get better, but none of the campaign ever felt like grinding or needless padding."
From IGN's Review: "Pokémon Pokopia is a real treat: an enjoyable building and town simulator that capitalizes on the charming personalities of its monsters in a way that appeals to both the creative and collector alike. It's packed with fun things to do and worthy rewards for doing them, and strikes a healthy balance between freedom and suggestion in its building mechanics (despite a few precision nitpicks)."
From IGN's Review: "Two eras intertwine in the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's remake: Nintendo skillfully melds the world and dungeon design of classic Zeldas with the movement and presentation of its more recent games, creating both a beautiful retelling of a legend and a rich adventure that stands on its own."
From IGN's Review: "The first brand-new Mario Kart in a decade makes huge changes to the established formula, but ironically, the best parts about it closely follow the blueprint of every entry that’s come before: unbeatable local multiplayer racing on well-designed tracks that more than live up to the series’ legacy. World’s tight controls, celebratory soundtrack, and universal polish marvelously complement the action, and I can’t wait to see how top players will take full advantage of its exciting parkour mechanics in the months and years ahead."
From IGN's Review: "Pokemon Legends: Z-A finally feels like Game Freak hitting its stride in Pokemon’s 3D era. Lumiose City may not be visually exciting, but exciting Pokemon encounters, well-written characters, and amusing side quests still make it fun to explore while also serving as the ideal vehicle for a more intimate and emotionally mature Pokemon story."
From IGN's Review: "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom left a lot of unanswered questions perfect for exploring in a prequel, but Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment isn’t all that interested in answering them. What it is interested in is weaving together iconic mechanics from its source material to deliver the best musou action the series has seen yet. It constantly rewards your knowledge of Tears of the Kingdom through clever, often hilarious movesets that recontextualize abilities to fit its over-the-top action, as well as smaller payoffs like boss weaknesses that are consistent across the pair of games."