Over a year in, the Switch 2's software lineup could scarcely be looking healthier. Although it's still lacking the biggest of big hitters from Nintendo's own stable — there's been no Zelda game or Mario platformer yet — the platform holder has kept up a consistent stream of interesting second-tier titles like Splatoon Raiders, Switch 2 Editions of past classics like the Xenoblade series, and even Nintendo 64 remakes like Star Fox. (There's another one of those coming soon...) That's in addition to stellar third-party support, with almost unanimous buy-in from indies and several big publishers going all-in on porting their biggest titles to Switch 2 — notably Square Enix, with the Final Fantasy 7 series, and Capcom, with Resident Evil, Onimusha, Pragmata, and more coming. Switch 2 players shouldn't forget they also have access to the entire Switch library, playable under backward compatibility on Switch 2.
You can check out our list of the best Switch games for inspiration — but at the foot of this article, we’ve also included a quick list of our recommendations of Switch games that, while not considered full-blown Switch 2 Editions, have received worthwhile free updates on the new console. Our latest update to this list, on Oct. 23, added Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. The Polygon staff plays a lot of video games, and everything in this list comes personally recommended by at least one of us.
We determined what should be on our list of the best Switch 2 games by looking at the quality of each title, but also with an eye for breadth and variety — so you should find something on the list you’ll enjoy, no matter what genres of game you like, how much time you have, or what vibe you are after. Recent entries in Intelligent Systems' long-running, much-loved tactical RPG series have struggled to find the balance between strong storytelling and exciting strategy-game design. Fortune's Weave finally unites the houses in an epic of astonishing length and breadth, stuffed with a cast of adorable anime weirdos pursuing their own agendas.
There's well over 100 hours of game here, even if you don't follow every branch. But it's the depth and reward of both the storytelling and systems that really shine. —Oli Welsh Read Josh Broadwell's full review of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. Nintendo's motion-control sports series, which began with the era-defining Wii Sports, returns with a new compilation of 12 minigames.
But that description doesn't really cover this triumphant expansion of everything Nintendo sports can be, with expansive free-roam leisure sports, such as the brilliant skateboarding, that let you take in the whole island in a kind of open-world platform-game format. There's also a great new single-player progression track for every sport, in the form of Island Crown, and a ton of customization options and achievements to work toward. It's the perfect casual game. —OW Read Oli Welsh's full review of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort.
Splatoon Raiders first seemed to be a minor co-op spinoff of Nintendo's winning competitive paintball series, like an extended take on Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion campaign. And Raiders is that, but it's also so much more: Improbably, it's Nintendo's first full-blown looter shooter, an ebullient action-RPG of surprising depth that can hold its own alongside Borderlands and Diablo. What begins as a simple level-based action game turns into a wildly escalating war of attrition, especially once you clock the campaign and get stuck into the massive and murderously hard endgame. —OW Read Giovanni Colantonio's full review of Splatoon Raiders.
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