As of the day this post will go live, the Nintendo Switch 2 is now one year old. Time really does fly when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Like many, I did pick up the Switch 2 on release night, and helped to crash the eShop servers downloading Mario Kart World. I shared my initial impressions after the first few days on this blog, and I did have some doubts about the upcoming releases, with Mario and Zelda being nowhere to be found. I’m pleased to report that my first year with the Switch 2 went down a lot better than I did expect, and I have got around to playing quite a lot of games on it! Join me for a detailed breakdown of how that first year went!
Pik of the Bunch
If you do remember, I did finish off my initial ramblings on the Switch 2 by saying that I was off to play Pikmin 1, and I’m pleased to report that I not only finished it, I also played the second one! A lot of my Switch 2 usage has been playing Switch 1 games that I missed, but on the nice new 1080p screen with Handheld Mode Boost on (even if that did only come out in March 2026). I must say that it is incredibly easy to play Switch 1 games on Switch 2, and I have been having a blast revisiting old titles. I have an entire backlog of Switch 1 titles that I’m going to be playing, the Xenoblade games, Pikmin 3+4, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Bayonetta 2+3, Skyward Sword HD, Hyrule Warriors.
A year on from release, and a lot of my most played titles are Switch 1 titles. The Pikmin games, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario 3D All Stars, all my highlights of 2025. Whilst Pokopia is there, I didn’t personally play this one myself!
Other than the Pikmin 1+2 remasters, the main Switch 1 game that has been taking up a lot of my Switch 2 usage is Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. I do wonder why this game wasn’t given a Switch 2 Edition, as I feel like mouse mode would have been ideal for the creation tools, and a framerate/resolution boost would have been nice. What I will say in its defence is that I didn’t really notice it was a Switch 1 game when I was playing it, so it couldn’t have been that held back. I am impressed with Nintendo’s commitment to supporting the Switch 1 ecosystem on Switch 2, and hope to see more features like Handheld Boost in the future.
Come on now, who is actually shocked at my cast of Mii characters here? No one? Good, you knew my main pop girlies would be on there. Also, shout out Grace Ashcroft!
Kong Kountry
Now, this is where the upbeat, praising nature of this post does take a bit of a turn. I’m going to say it, I didn’t like Donkey Kong Bananza as much as everyone else did. That isn’t to say I thought it was a bad game, far from it to be completely honest, but a Game of The Year contender in 2025? I personally disagree. I was grateful for a 3D platformer so close to launch, but I was disappointed it wasn’t a Mario one. Maybe I let that impact my judgement too much, but I came away from Bananza wondering why it was the platformer Nintendo wanted to launch the Switch 2 with. The Switch 1 had Super Mario Odyssey in its first year, I don’t see it as anywhere near a fair comparison between the two. I settled on a 7.0 rating for Bananza, I thought some of the mechanics were interesting, such as the destructible environments and the Banana system being very similar to Super Mario Odyssey’s Moon system. I just didn’t feel that same connection to Donkey Kong and Pauline that I have with Mario and co. Having said that, I was incredibly disappointed at the technical issues the game had on release too, I had multiple frame drops to the single digits on the last boss, which in a game to showcase your new system? It just isn’t acceptable to be honest.
I’m not sure which was tougher, the actual boss fight or the fight against the framerate.
Between that and the overpriced roguelite DLC, DK Island and Emerald Rush, which was another £17 on top of the asking price, Donkey Kong Bananza left me with a sour taste in my mouth. The Nintendo 64 had Super Mario 64 on launch day, the Gamecube had Super Mario Sunshine in its first year, the Wii had Super Mario Galaxy in its first year, and as mentioned above, the Switch had Odyssey. Even the Wii U had Super Mario 3D World within a year. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait Nintendo.
My honest reaction to having to wait another year for a 3D Mario game. Not entirely convinced on the new Donkey Kong design either to be brutally honest.
They’re on Switch, Too
Right, that’s the negative part of this post out of the way! After my disappointment with Donkey Kong Bananza, my attention quickly turned to another platformer that was getting a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition the following month, and that game was Kirby and the Forgotten Land. I never got round to it on the Switch 1, and the Switch 2 upgrade was the perfect excuse to give it a spin. Nintendo have been doing this upgrade scheme for a lot of their Switch 1 and Switch 2 crossgen releases, and they’re known as the “Nintendo Switch 2 Editions”. They did this on launch with the Zelda games, and those were 60fps upgrades for both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Naturally, if you do own the Switch 1 cart for these games and don’t want to upgrade, the Switch 1 game will play as normal perfectly fine. If you do want to upgrade your Switch 1 titles, you can purchase the upgrade pack on the eShop for either £7.99, or £16.99, depending on if the Switch 2 Edition adds new content or not. These can also be purchased physically as Nintendo Switch 2 games; with the box containing the Switch 1 cartridge and an upgrade pack as one. This does mean that you can use the cartridge in a Switch 1 if you did make a mistake in the store however, which is neat.
The Zelda Switch 2 editions are a fantastic way to play these titles, and the upgrade pack being included with Nintendo Switch Online is a lovely way of getting them as a bonus!
In Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s case, the upgrade was £16.99 as the upgrade pack contained a new piece of DLC, the Star-Crossed World. I hadn’t ever played the original game so the DLC wasn’t the main draw for me, it was the 60fps and 1440p upgrade, as I bought the Switch 1 cart a while back. I fully enjoyed my time with Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Switch 2 and don’t regret paying for the upgrade pack, as I got the original game cheap enough. The cost of the cart and the upgrade pack added up to around £40 which I thought was decent value in this case. I gave Kirby and the Forgotten Land an 8.5, I did really enjoy it and thought it was well worth the play.
The other Switch 2 Edition I purchased was a popular one, being Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I actually got this one physically, and I do really love the red colour on the Switch 2 cases, they stand out on the shelf and look brilliant. As mentioned above, the cartridge might be red and say Nintendo Switch 2 on, but you can also use it in a Switch 1. The difference in price was miniscule for this one, at the time the Switch 1 edition was £38.99 and the Switch 2 Edition was around £40.99. At that price, the Switch 2 Edition was a no-brainer, especially considering the upgrade pack was £7.99 on the eShop. I haven’t finished ZA just yet, but I am happy to report that it runs at a locked 60fps, loads incredibly quick and has a crisp 4K upscaled resolution. Well worth the £2 extra if you ask me, especially with the lovely new case on top.
Even though it is *technically* a Switch 1 cartridge, I really do love that red effect on the main menu. Nintendo have always been good at stylistic choices.
I did also pick up the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition, and that was £4.19 on the eShop. To be honest, I didn’t really need to get this one. The main draw is the megaphone, where you can shout at villagers in game using a microphone. Mouse controls are nice I guess, but I’m not much of a designer. The enhanced visuals are cool however, but maybe at that point this one should have been free.
There’s been quite a few Switch 2 Editions I haven’t picked up, such as Super Mario Wonder and Super Mario Party Jamboree’s upgrades. Both of these are quite steep at the £16.99 mark. I really enjoyed Super Mario Wonder when I played through it, but this Switch 2 Edition mainly focuses on multiplayer, with Meetup in Bellabel Park being the main draw. The addition of Rosalina did make it mighty tempting, but I stayed firm and haven’t upgraded on this one yet. In Super Mario Jamboree’s case, the main addition is Jamboree TV which uses the Switch 2 camera to play. I think it might be the only game that uses the Switch 2 camera currently, which is about expected. For me, this just seems like something I’m not interested in, I had an EyeToy about 20 years ago and got my fill of washing windows and seeing my face in the game. I was also a child. There’s also no integration between the TV mode and the original game, which I just find odd.
£16.99 for a gimmick camera expansion is not a good deal in my eyes. That price is on top of the £40 asking price…
Some of the free to play games have received Switch 2 updates as well, such as Warframe and Overwatch, both of which are greatly appreciated and run so much better. Overall, I think the Switch 2 Edition scheme has been a success and to be completely honest, handled better than I was expecting.
Fever Pitch
Finally, it’s time to talk about my favourite Switch 2 exclusive so far. When Mario Tennis Fever was announced, I was disappointed at the fact that the big 40th anniversary Mario game was a sports game. However, as time went on and more previews dropped, I began to see the vision and decided to give the game a shot. I do usually like tennis games, and I like Mario so this just felt like a no brainer. I ended up maxing out all the single player content, the gameplay was fantastic. The Fever Rackets really added a new element to the tactical side of tennis, and some of the shots you can pull off with the Star Racket are devious to say the least. If you read my Feb 2026 blog post, you’ll know much I gushed over Mario Tennis Fever, and I stand by it. The game is fantastic, and if you like tennis in any capacity, give it a shot. The game also looks and sounds wonderful in handheld mode. For me, it stands alongside Mario Kart World as a reason to buy a Switch 2. If we can get a Mario football game in the same style as Fever, I will be incredibly happy.
I used this screenshot in the Feb post but honestly, it is my fave from Mario Tennis Fever so I’m using it again. Sue me if you want.
Looking Ahead
That’s my first year with the Switch 2 in the books. The only other notable games I really played on mine this year were Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the first time. However, considering one is a game from nearly 30 years ago, and the other is a Wii game from 16 years ago, it didn’t really feel necessary to highlight here. I guess I could include Pikmin 1+2 in that but, yeah no actually I have no defence for that one. Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 still hold up.
With the first year out of the way, what’s next for the Switch 2? To be perfectly honest, not a whole lot in my case. The Duskbloods is meant to be launching this year, and I do have half an eye on it due to FromSoftware’s reputation, but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m running up the walls with excitement. Earlier this month, Nintendo unveiled a new Star Fox game, and I’m being generous with the use of new. It is another remake of Star Fox 64 (better known as Lylat Wars over here in the UK). Which I guess is nice for Star Fox fans, but I can’t say it moves the needle either way for someone like me who’s never played the series. Fire Emblem is the big exclusive that people are waiting on details for, and again it’s another where I can’t say I’m too interested. The big rumour going around at the moment is that Winter 2026’s flagship Switch 2 title is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’m in two minds about this, if it is true. I am getting pretty sick of remakes in general, but also, I do appreciate that Ocarina is nearly 30 years old, and that it may need a new lick of paint. Coming from someone that’s never played the game before, I would probably pick it up and have a go. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were both incredible games, and whilst I understand that Ocarina isn’t in that vein, those games showed me that I do owe it to Ocarina to give it a fair shake.
Apart from those, the only Switch 2 game that’s been confirmed is Pokémon Wind and Waves, which has been confirmed for a 2027 release date. Whether this is because Nintendo felt the game needed more time, or if they felt they did not want to compete with Grand Theft Auto VI, we don’t know. Games like Pokopia and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book have popped up throughout the year so far, and honestly, I haven’t had much interest in either. I’m still waiting for that killer Nintendo exclusive. As far as the rest of 2026 goes for my Switch 2, a lot of it again will be playing Switch 1 games I missed, which is more than fine. The third-party stuff doesn’t really draw me in, but I’m not the target audience, I own both current generation consoles so I play most of those there.
If you were to ask me which Switch console had the better first year, there’s no contest for me. Both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild blow any first year Switch 2 release out of the water, but those are two special games. What I would say though, is that the Switch 2 has had a better first year than both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S did, which is a good accomplishment for Nintendo. This year’s lineup doesn’t appear to be overly strong, but maybe it doesn’t have to be. With the Switch 1 having such a strong library across the years it was out, there’s already thousands of games to pick up and play. Pokopia’s release showed there is a huge demand for casual games still, and it moved a lot of Switch 2 units. Having said that, I do think 2027 does need a heavy hitter. It would have been 10 years since Super Mario Odyssey, 4 years since Tears of the Kingdom, 9 years since Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Sooner or later, we are going to need to see one of the heavy hitter franchises, and I do hope that they use the power of the Switch 2 to bring out the absolute best.
One final point I’d like to clarify is that I said in my initial ramblings piece that I believed modern games would still struggle on the Switch 2 hardware. Now, I haven’t played any third-party games myself on the machine, but by all accounts, titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil: requiem and Indiana Jones & The Great Circle are running well on the console. From the images I’ve seen, it does manage to hold up and the games are more than playable. It isn’t a case where they look and perform better than the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 versions, but it’s a testament to the hardware that they’re able to get so much out of a portable device. I don’t think it will ever be my go-to device to play third party games, but I appreciate the fact it is an option for others that may not have the other consoles or don’t want to play them there. I’m happy to take the loss on this one and say I was wrong in hindsight.
That’s pretty much my year in review for the Switch 2, and I can safely say I’ve had a good, albeit safe, year with the console. I still don’t have any buyer’s remorse for the console, and am very glad I made the decision to upgrade. I’ve even invested in a second (third-party) dock for my partner’s house as I can’t be bothered carrying the official one around, and a lovely Pro Controller to play on the TV with.
Thanks for reading this far, I know this was a long one, and I do really appreciate you all sticking with me throughout this novel. See you next year where I’ll probably complain about no new 3D Mario game again. Unless.
Love,
Squashy <3 xo