The Switch 2 launches this Thursday, along with around 23 titles – a marked improvement on the paltry five the original Switch arrived with. It’s a meaty line-up, spearheaded by the free roaming Mario Kart World, but don’t expect much in the way of fresh faces, with only a handful of truly new experiences present on day one. Nintendo has also come under fire for pricing – with Mario Kart World arriving at £74.99 – and the use of Game-Key Cards, which instead of providing a physical copy of a game merely contain the ability to download it.
Nevertheless, the launch line-up is resoundingly solid with many recognisable titles, and being able to play these in handheld mode is a boon. Mercifully, there is no shovelware or anything resembling launch day slop either. Mario Kart World is the highlight, reportedly in development since 2017. It’s looking content rich, with wide worlds to explore due to the ability to free roam, and races that see 24 characters on the track. There’s a social element to it as well, with the ability to use Game Chat to chill with friends.
The two mainline Zelda games see inexpensive upgrades with performance improvements, while Hogwarts Legacy gains a native release said to be comparable to the PS4 version. Co-op hit Split Fiction has already proved itself as a GOTY candidate. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition looks set to impress – and is a fully physical release. Yakuza 0 gains a Director’s Cut with an online battle mode. Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition (also on PS4 this week) is content stuffed. Bravely Default HD delivers a dose of Square-Enix role-playing, while Hitman World of Assassination and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII are welcome additions with hours of playtime.
Also heading to retail are Sonic X Shadow Generations, and the new fantasy life RPG Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – also due on the original Switch this week. The Switch 2 version has improved performance and Joy-Con mouse support, available as an upgrade.
Everything mentioned above is launching at retail. Over on the eShop we can expect the conclusion of the anticipated Undertale follow-up DELTARUNE (also out on PC and PS4), strategic battler NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Awakening, enhanced tech demo Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and the spare time sapping Fortnite. Then there’s the visually appealing futuristic racer Fast Fusion – one of the few new releases – Capcom’s underrated Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, last minute addition Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S – with a new 2v2 doubles mode and camera support.
Konami are releasing the RPG bundle Suikoden I&II HD Remaster, and the new unexpected Game Boy Color revival Survival Kids – which has a four player online mode, and a focus on crafting.
Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer is also a launch title – hitting PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series as well – with features including four modes and three difficulty levels. It’s always good to see a Ridge Racer game arrive alongside a new console. It’s just a shame it isn’t a brand new entry.
It isn’t a bad week for multiformat releases either, with more due than anticipated. These include a re-release of Daedalic’s 2013 cartoon-like adventure The Night of the Rabbit, top-down horror Narcissus, the Unreal Engine 5 powered Tour de France 2025, Atomfall’s combat focused Wicked Isle expansion, Kemco’s newest pixel art RPG Covenant of Solitude, stylish visual novel 1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here, and an Xbox Series release of the popular free-to-play RPG Zenless Zone Zero.
New release trailers
Mario Kart World
The Legend of Zelda – Nintendo Switch 2 Editions
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
Split Fiction
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Hogwarts Legacy
Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer
DELTARUNE
Tour de France 2025
Zenless Zone Zero (Xbox)
Section 13
Atomfall – Wicked Isle
The Night of the Rabbit
1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here!
Covenant of Solitude
Missing Banban
New multiformat releases
- Tour de France 2025
- Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer
- Atomfall – Wicked Isle
- Narcissus
- Bunny Cubed
- The Night of the Rabbit
- Inkventure
- Hidden Cat Outlaws
- Carrier Deck
- Amber Alert Director’s cut
- Covenant of Solitude
- Oirbo
New on PSN
- DELTARUNE
- Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition
- Epyka
New on Xbox Store
- Zenless Zone Zero
- Section 13
- 1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here!
- Solitaire Dreamscapes
- Attack At Dawn: North Africa
- Forest Golf Planner
- Sumorbit
- Missing Banban
- AAA Dynamic Scenes
- Bool Capture
- Cyber Love Story
- SpotCat vs The Cheddar Mafia In The Americas
New Switch 1 & 2 retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- Mario Kart World
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Split Fiction
- Street Fighter 6: Year 1-2 Fighters Edition
- Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
- Hitman World of Assassination Signature Edition
- Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
- Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
- Sonic X Shadow Generations
- Doki Doki Literature Club Plus – Nintendo Switch
Next week: MindsEye, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, The Alters, Keeper’s Toll, God of Weapons, Freddy Farmer (Xbox), Y. Village – The Visitors, Musical Vibes RX, Luminaria: Dark Echoes, Alien Hominid HD (PS5), and Among Ashes.