Top 10 Switch 2 Games of 2025 - Article

by Evan Norris , posted on 30 January 2026 / 5,600 Views

With Game of the Year season behind us and with Mario Tennis Fever, the first major Switch 2 exclusive of 2026, bearing down on us, this seems like the final opportunity to celebrate the top Switch 2 games from last year.

The purpose of this article is threefold: to celebrate Switch 2's first year on the market; to act as a buying guide of sorts, not just for Nintendo enthusiasts but also other platform holders, as several of these titles are available on PC and will soon be on PlayStation and Xbox; and, selfishly, to keep current on the Switch 2 library. You see, I'm determined not to fall behind on the Switch 2 library as I did with the original Switch, and preparing for this article keeps me honest. If you enjoy this one, I'll plan to write a new installment each subsequent year. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, let's celebrate the top 10 Switch 2 games of 2025. Note: for this list I considered true exclusives, Switch family exclusives, and so-called "console exclusives". Please enjoy.

#10
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

A remake of Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar on Nintendo DS, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar offers the same cozy, comforting gameplay you'd expect, but makes several important changes that elevate the experience. The town of Zephyr is bigger and more alive than ever thanks to a significant visual overhaul, a wider field of view, new characters, an expanded story, and full character voice work — a first for the series.

#9
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond a disappointment? Well, it depends on what you're looking for. If you want a Game of the Year contender like Metroid Dread or the original Metroid Prime, you won't find it here. If, however, you want a rock-solid action-adventure game, you're in luck. Indeed, Beyond gets a lot of things right, including moment-to-moment action, boss battles, art direction, and music.

#8
Majogami

A lot of really good games flew under the radar in 2025, but the most egregious case may be Majogami. It simply deserves more attention. This is one of the best Inti Creates productions in years, thanks to spectacular art direction, passionate voice-acting, moving piano arrangements, intense boss battles, and a deep and flexible combat system. If you enjoy action-platformers, and don't mind a bit of fan service, pick this one up on Switch 2, Steam, or, if you can wait until May, PlayStation 5.

#7
Fast Fusion

The first of three racers on this list, Fast Fusion is yet another gem from Shin'en, the German studio that enhanced previous Nintendo console libraries with games like Fast Racing League, Fast Racing Neo, and Fast RMX. Fast Fusion belongs in the same family, but diverges slightly thanks to some mechanical quirks, including jumping. While relatively light on content, it's one of the speediest, most agile racing games you'll ever play.

#6
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Koei Tecmo finally got over the hump with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. It's the finest game in the Hyrule Warriors sub-series to-date, due to extraordinary music, improved performance and image quality, an epic campaign with dozens of hours' worth of rewarding content, and an extensive tactical combat toolkit that helps the game rise above the limitations of the Musou hack-and-slash genre.

#5
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

With so many amazing RPG experiences in 2025, including the runaway GotY winner, it was hard for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma to shine. It's a shame, really, because it eclipses several of its predecessors. By retaining the foundation of Rune Factory — an artful combination of farm work, combat, and relationship building — and infusing it with addictive town planning and people management aspects, developer Marvelous has unlocked the true potential of the franchise Yoshifumi Hashimoto once called "Harvest Moon where you wield a sword".

#4
Kirby Air Riders

I don't throw around the word "genius" very often, but in the case of developer Masahiro Sakurai, I think it applies. The man who gave us Kirby's Adventure, Meteos, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and the entire Super Smash Bros. series, returned in 2025 with the most unlikely of games: a sequel to 2003's Kirby Air Ride. It's the game almost no one asked for, but everyone should play, thanks to easy-to-learn-impossible-to-master mechanics, a massive treasure trove of content, stunning special effects, and several addictive game modes that will take over your life.

#3
Mario Kart World

A lot of fans were frustrated in 2025 by Mario Kart World, but I am not one of them. I consider it an exceptional racing game, one of the finest entries in the Mario Kart canon (which is saying something), and one of Nintendo's top launch games (which is really saying something). The best part about it? The interconnected open world, which blurs the line between track and adjacent space, allowing for lots of off-road racing, exciting set pieces and scripted events, and even sudden-death, cross-country marathons. But that's not all. To encourage players to explore and experiment in these open spaces, not the mention all the buildings, waterways, and highways within them, the developers at Nintendo added new platforming elements that significantly raise the skill ceiling for the franchise.

#2
Hades II

If you're looking for games that raise the skill ceiling, look no further than Hades II, which builds upon the combat framework of its predecessor, allowing for more varied, complex builds, and greater synergy among its perks. In fact, the sequel improves upon the original Hades in almost every area, apart from story and starting weapons. The world is far bigger, the paths more varied, the currency and material ecosystem more thoroughly thought out, and the ancillary content more interesting and rewarding. And it all looks and sounds as divine as ever.

#1
Donkey Kong Bananza

If there's one studio I would never bet against, it's Nintendo EPD Tokyo. The team that brought the world Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario 3D World, and Super Mario Odyssey, four of the greatest 3D platformers of all time, returned last year with — you guessed it — another one of the greatest 3D platformers of all time. It's Donkey Kong Bananza, a fearless, gleefully experimental game with a huge heart. The platforming and movement controls are flawless, as you'd expect from the wizards at EPD Tokyo, but it's really the freedom to destroy, deform, and denude that makes the game sing. It provides players with exceptional agency in terms of locomotion and problem-solving, and turns the adventure into something akin to a sandbox game, albeit with more structured fun.

And that's my list. What bone-headed decisions did I make? Which gems did I overlook? What, if anything, did I do right? Sound off in the comments section below!

15 Comments

UnderwaterFunktown (on 30 January 2026)

Huh, didn't actually know Hades II skipped PlayStation and Xbox. The more you know.

JWeinCom UnderwaterFunktown (on 31 January 2026)

I believe it is a timed exclusive.

eddy7eddy (on 31 January 2026)

Bananza is that Good!

Mario Kart could have had much higher replay value and longevity if full exploration wasn’t available from the start. Instead, imagine a system where most tracks, cups and areas are locked behind actual racing progress and a light campaign mode. You’d have to complete certain cups, win specific events or beat time trials with designated characters to unlock new zones, vehicles, or even hidden characters, each one coming with unique abilities or kart stats, similar to how Smash Ultimate handles Spirits.

The characterunlocking system in Smash Ultimate is part of what makes the game so charming. Applying something similar to Mario Kart would add that same satisfying grind and sense of progression that keeps players coming back way longer.

curl-6 (on 30 January 2026)

Split Fiction, Cyberpunk 2077, and Kunitsu-gami Path of the Goddess were up were too for me.

Jumpin curl-6 (on 30 January 2026)

I’m really digging Cyberpunk 2077 as well. Most of what I’ve been playing are games that are also on Switch 1. I’m guessing those are DQ’d.

gabe250 curl-6 (on 31 January 2026)

He specifically said in the article that he was only counting games that were not on other consoles except the original Switch, so the none of the games you mentioned were eligible.

curl-6 gabe250 (on 31 January 2026)

Which is a bit of a silly restriction in my opinion. if we were to make a list of best PS5 games, should we restrict to games that aren't also on PC/Xbox?

gabe250 curl-6 (on 02 February 2026)

It's his list. He can make whatever restrictions he likes. 🤷🏿‍♂️

2zosteven (on 31 January 2026)

cyberpunk 2077!!!!!!!!

gabe250 2zosteven (on 31 January 2026)

He specifically said in the article that he was only counting games that were not on other consoles except the original Switch, so Cyberpunk wasn't eligible.