Be it a new Animal Crossing or Fire Emblem, I can't justify buying a Switch 2 without Nintendo meeting me halfway on this wishlist

Animal Crossing: New Horizons screenshot showing the player character taking a selfie with Brewster in his cafe — (Image credit: Nintendo)

At the moment, my own personal Switch 2 game wishlist is just about the only thing that might convince me to even consider investing in Nintendo's latest console. Not only is the Switch 2 price pretty eye-watering in isolation, but there just simply aren't enough games to tempt me to justify the cost right now. Don't get me wrong, as a longtime Mario Kart fan, I'm dying to try out Mario Kart World, which was easily the biggest Switch 2 launch game. And sure, Donkey Kong Bananza looks like a smashing good time, but those two games alone just aren't going to cut it.

While the current lineup of upcoming Switch 2 games has some other notable additions like Hades 2 and Pokemon Legends Z-A (the latter of which I'm sure will greatly benefit from the upgraded hardware compared to its impending launch for my original Switch), nothing is sealing the deal for me on the new-gen console… yet. But there are definitely new Switch 2 games I've been manifesting for a long time (even before we knew Nintendo's latest console was officially real) that could very well change my mind.

A New Animal Crossing game

Animal Crossing: New Horizons screenshot showing the player character who has pink hair and wears a beanie next to Bea, a brown dog villager — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was my anchor in 2020. I know I'm not alone in being helped by Tom Nook's island getaway during the height of lockdown, but it became something of a routine for me for almost two years straight. With a little over 1000 hours into of playtime, I still miss the comforting escape it brought me, and the villagers who continue to occupy a small corner of my heart.

Unfortunately, Nintendo stopped supporting the game far too soon, and ever since then, I've been eternally craving a new Animal Crossing game. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but five years on from release (how did that happen), we may very well see something get announced in the future… and if it does, my willpower to resist the Switch 2 will rapidly dissolve.

A new Fire Emblem game

Fire Emblem Engage screenshot showing Marth — (Image credit: Nintendo)

I honestly don't expect to see a new Fire Emblem game for some time given that Fire Emblem Engage only released a few years ago in 2023. But hey, this is my place to manifest my deepest desires, and you better believe that if a new-gen Fire Emblem game got announced for the Switch 2, I'd fold faster than Superman on laundry day. After all, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of my favorite games of all time. Period.

Rumors have been circulating for some time that there could be some kind of Fire Emblem project in the works, with the word being that we may see a Genealogy of the Holy War remake of some kind. While I'd be absolutely down for that, given that it hasn't been released outside of Japan, I'm still keen to see what's next for Fire Emblem.

A follow-up to Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby and the Forgotten Land screenshot showing Kirby on the beach — (Image credit: Nintendo)

For me, Kirby Air Riders is easily the most exciting new game coming to the Switch 2 in the future. But if the next big Kirby game to follow-up from 2022's Kirby and the Forgotten Land were announced, that would absolutely push me to pick up the console. The more open platforming adventure was such a big step forward for my favorite pink puffball, with its creative level designs and wonderfully weird Mouthful mode coming together to deliver one of the best Kirby games I've played in a long time.

With Forgotten Land taking the beloved vacuuming blob to new heights, I naturally can't wait to discover what's next for Kirby in the core series, and my lifelong love for the character would make the prospect of a new Kirby adventure made for Switch 2 impossible to resist.

The next Super Mario game

A screenshot from Super Mario Odyssey showing Mario throwing Cappy in New Donk City. — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Donkey Kong Bananza very much feels like the next Super Mario Odyssey, albeit with a DK banana-shaped spin. I mean, heck, it's even made by the same team behind Mario's last big adventure, but I'm very curious to see what's next for the mustachioed plumber.

We've gotten delightfully inventive, multiplayer platforming goodness in 2023's Super Mario Bros. Wonder. But nothing has quite rivalled the scale, creativity, and joy of Super Mario Odyssey, and I think the question on so many minds right now is what will Mario's next big adventure look like? Be it Super Mario Odyssey 2 (which seems a little less likely off the back of Bananza) or something else entirely, a new Mario game would go a long way to selling me on the console.

A New Yoshi game

Yoshi's Crafted World screenshot showing Yoshi jumping in the air, and he has a fuzzy texture — (Image credit: Nintendo)

It feels like an age since we got a new Yoshi game, and a fresh adventure starring my favorite green dinosaur feels very overdue – especially since the last few games were so memorable. Yoshi's Crafted World in 2019 put an incredibly fuzzy Yoshi into a beautifully realized and downright charming platforming adventure with levels made of cardboard cutouts and boxes.

Rewind back a few more years and we got Yoshi's Woolly World in 2015, which was one of the biggest highlights of the Wii U for me (and brought to mind the same kind of joy I got out of Kirby's Epic Yarn). I'm dying to know what might be on the cards for the iconic dinosaur next and how it might come to life on the Switch 2.

See what highlights you can already enjoy on Nintendo's latest console with our pick of the best Switch 2 games.