The Switch 2 is finally within reach, and it already looks like 2025 could be Nintendo's year

Mario Kart World screenshot showing Mario drifting into pole position on a highway corner with Peach, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Toad behind him, all while a giant goomba rushes the pack on foot — (Image credit: Nintendo)

A shadow was hanging over 2025, and if you squinted a bit, it looked a little bit like Florida. Of course, that was the spectre of GTA 6 - initially scheduled to launch later this year, but subsequently shifted into next year with its new release date of May 26, 2026. The year could have been completely dominated by Rockstar's next epic, but the skies have cleared to let another giant release take 2025 as its own - the Nintendo Switch 2.

2025 is Nintendo's to win, and to do that, it would need to make this first year of Switch 2 really matter. Nintendo's new console is now the biggest launch of 2025 by quite a margin, even when you consider the likes of big releases like Death Stranding 2, Elden Ring Nightreign, Borderlands 4, or dare I say it, Hollow Knight: Silksong. But with one major launch game, it's the rest of 2025 that will need to count.

Pole position

Switch 2 launch games: a close-up of Mario and Luigi racing each other during Mario Kart World. — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Here's what's next

Donkey Kong holds his face as his tongue hangs loose and his eyes display banana images in Donkey Kong Bananza - he is obsessed with the yellow fruit — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Here are the upcoming Switch 2 games confirmed so far

Switch 2 is starting strong, launching hand-in-hand with potentially the best ever Mario Kart game yet in Mario Kart World on June 5. Its introduction of open-world exploration, evolution of Grand Prix races, and brand new, brilliantly chaotic Knockout Tours means that it's going to be the game everyone is talking about and sharing across their social media in June. If it's got the staying power that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has had (it's still one of the best-selling games of all time and the best-selling Switch game), the Switch 2 is out the starting gate with a bang.

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But then, before you know it, we're into July where Nintendo has already scheduled our second big release for Switch 2 in Donkey Kong: Bananza. Despite the brain ache it gives me every time trying to get the Bananza spelling right, this is exciting territory for DK. It's the first 3D Donkey Kong game for 26 years (the last being Donkey Kong 64 on the N64) and from what I've played at the Switch 2 preview event, it feels like DK being given the Super Mario Odyssey treatment, to the point that if you switched out the ape for our old plumber pal you could argue it's essentially Super Mario Odyssey 2 in all but name.

While DK's next outing isn't launching day one but on July 17, it is arriving in what we call the launch window for Switch 2, and provides an excellent excitement build just over a month after the console's debut.

That's two big exclusives within as many months for Switch 2. And that's without even noting the big event that's happening between those two dates. Summer Game Fest, the big June gaming industry event that's now emerged victorious from the remains of E3, is running from June 6 - 10, and usually Nintendo takes its usual slot on the Tuesday (this year being June 10) to drop a livestreamed Nintendo Direct. It hasn't announced one yet for this year, but it's also not unlike Nintendo to drop such an event with 24-48 hours' notice.

Closing out the year

A screenshot from the Kirby Air Riders reveal trailer, showing Kirby waving to the camera. — (Image credit: Nintendo)

We have two major, undated Switch 2 exclusives that are due to launch in 2025 that may get release dates during an SGF presentation. Knowing when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A will arrive for Nintendo Switch 2 will outline the agenda for the Switch 2's first year as - hopefully - continued critically-acclaimed exclusives.

There are also titles like Kirby Air Riders, Drag x Drive, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment still to come in 2025 that are also currently dateless and exclusive to Switch 2. Again, they're really bolstering this first year line-up for the Switch 2 and only aiding the idea that this year could well be dominated by Nintendo releases.

With GTA 6 now set to take over 2026, and with console exclusives for Xbox and PlayStation currently being a little scarce beyond the likes of The Outer Worlds 2 and Ghost of Yotei, 2025 really is Nintendo's. From the outline we have already for releases, it already feels like Switch 2 is the console to have in 2025. If Nintendo can keep up with what it's already promised, it's going to be quite the first year for Switch 2.

Stick around - with Nintendo's big day imminent, we're bringing you all Nintendo Switch 2 news as it happens

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.