What to expect from the Switch 2 in 2026: Pokemon and Zelda celebrations, tons of ports, and comfort Nintendo food

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a fantastic console that is already redefining what's possible on portable hardware and enticing all sorts of developers and publishers to port proven winners. As it marches towards its one-year anniversary, I've raised my expectations for Nintendo's first-party releases and all the external projects which might aim higher than expected.

We're still at the console's infant stage where everything seems possible, and with much of 2026 yet to be defined with meaty Direct streams, we're betting on Nintendo saving some surprises for the back half of the year. The absence of certain heavyweight franchises and subseries is suspicious too, and with a number of important anniversaries coming up, the release schedule should get busier in the coming months. Mind you, the list of upcoming Switch 2 games already looks super attractive, but the sky's the limit, and we're just getting started.

A year of big anniversaries

Two massive franchises could define Nintendo and the Switch 2's year as they turn 40 and 30 respectively: The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon. The former just received Age of Imprisonment as its Switch 2 debut game, but surely Nintendo has something ready for this occasion? What about a new Twilight Princess remaster as that game turns 20?

That'd be a good start, but there are more ways to honor the past if we're looking back before moving towards a new mainline 3D entry and the The Legend of Zelda movie, which is set to arrive in 2027. The problem with all-new The Legend of Zelda instalments is that it hasn't been long since the series' last 3D and 2D releases; that's why I'm sticking to remasters (or maybe a new 2D remake) in our predictions. I'd love to be surprised though.

On the other hand, Pokemon seems to be on track to go big in 2026 beyond Pokemon Pokopia, the Animal Crossing & Minecraft-like spinoff developed by Koei Tecmo's Omega Force and coming in March. The competitive side of the community will get unified PvP trainer battles with the free-to-play Pokemon Champions meanwhile, and that could be a warm-up before the next generation of creatures is introduced... Those recent Winds/Waves leaks are juicy, and I'd really like to believe the first bespoke Switch 2 mainline Pokemon game will be here by the end of the year.

Other anniversaries worth considering are Pikmin and Animal Crossing's 25-year celebrations. We know New Horizons is getting a native version update this month (it will ruin our backlog again, yes), but could we get news on the next entry in 2026 too? Six years feels like a long enough wait.

Third-party love

Following the stunning showcases that Switch 2 ports like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, and Assassin's Creed Shadows turned out to be, people are raising their expectations for AAA third-party offerings on Nintendo's second hybrid console moving forward. Thankfully, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is looking like a fantastic way to kick off the year and keep pushing the hardware's capabilities. In January, Dynasty Warriors: Origins will also bring massive battles to the console following a strong launch last year on current-gen machines and PC. Want more?

Things will quickly heat up in February with a full-blown remake of Dragon Quest 7 and Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Tides. By the end of the second month of 2026, Resident Evil 7, Village, and the imminent Resident Evil Requiem will all be running natively on Switch 2 – highlighting that Capcom is fully committed to supporting the console. The publisher will be adding Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection and Pragmata to its library right after.

Even 007: First Light won't be missing a same-day launch on Switch 2. Following the middling launch of 2025's Hitman: World of Assassination port, however, I'm being a bit cautious around this one. Another tricky port of a current-gen behemoth to pull off will be Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but it might signal a bigger push from Xbox into Nintendo's platform.

Amidst all the noise and still-undefined third-party launches set to happen next year, we're also particularly curious about how Elden Ring will make the transition after a much-needed delay. If it turns out to be a winner, we'll have more reasons to be into The Duskbloods, a new Nintendo-exclusive PvP game by FromSoftware. I'll admit I wasn't too sure about its pitch, but Elden Ring Nightreign was low-key one of last year's most refreshing multiplayer experiences, so color me interested.

Getting into a groove

Needless to say, icons like Mario and his friends will stay relevant – even if a new 3D instalment is nowhere to be seen – with spinoffs like Mario Tennis Fever. We're just counting on more mid-sized releases in that vein, as they're nice "calendar fillers" that more often than not also happen to be quite good. Let's just hope Mario Kart World starts getting much-needed new content too. Could the arrival of the first pieces of DLC line up with the Super Mario Galaxy Movie's release?

That's a likely scenario, especially when we consider Super Mario Bros. Wonder is also getting the native Switch 2 version treatment this spring. Plus, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is technically a new Mario franchise game as well. New mainline 3D Mario or not in the console's near future, the Mushroom Kingdom and its allies aren't staying quiet.

Last but not least, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave – which is still probably a ways off despite being marked for 2026 – is looking excellent, and we should be hearing more about it soon. And no, we're not forgetting about the Mii-centric and hilarious-looking Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream; that's an off-beat release that should make a lot of people happy when it arrives this spring.

As for Splatoon Raiders, it's one of Nintendo's biggest wildcard reveals in a good bit, and depending on the scope of the project, it could slip into 2027 – so calm down for now and put more time into Splatoon 3.

So, where does all this leave us? Well, third-party efforts around the Switch 2 have been more significant than anyone initially expected, and will only ramp up in 2026. On the first-party front, the obvious biggies to look out for are clear, but Nintendo likes its surprises with short marketing windows too, so we're counting on the next 12 months being substantially busier than last year. As Sony and Microsoft deal with a number of pressing issues and look to rework their larger plans, expect the Kyoto-headquartered giant to stay on track and play things safe. Right now, that might be exactly what we need.

Nintendo's 2025 has been all about the hardware, but 2026 is going to be its year for games