Whether you secured a Nintendo Switch 2 preorder or plan to scour your local retailers on June 5th, the console itself is only part of the equation. The whole reason you’re buying a Switch 2 is to play games on it, and thankfully, there will be plenty to play on day one.
Below, we rounded up every Switch 2 game confirmed to be available when the console arrives on Thursday, June 5th, from Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour to Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, and a few Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games.
Nintendo Switch 2 launch games
While most of the launch lineup for the Switch 2 consists of games that have been out on other consoles for a while, this is the first time Nintendo fans will get to experience them. Then there’s Mario Kart World, which is the only big first-party game coming at launch:
- Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer
- Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster
- Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
- Deltarune
- Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Fast Fusion
- Fortnite
- Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Edition
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Mario Kart World
- Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
- Nobunaga’s Ambition Awakening Complete Edition
- Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
- Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Sonic x Shadow Generations
- Split Fiction
- Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition
- Suikoden I&II HD Remaster for Nintendo Switch 2
- Survival Kids
- Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
UPDATE: Added Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which was recently confirmed to be a Switch 2 launch day game.
In addition to these 24 titles, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members will also have access to select GameCube games as part of the Nintendo Classics service. The first three are F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Soulcalibur II.
Nintendo Switch 2 games coming later in 2025
Switch 2 launch day is shaping up to be relatively quiet, but the rest of the year has some major releases in store for Nintendo’s new console. Here are a few of the most highly anticipated titles launching for the Switch 2 before the end of the year:
- Donkey Kong Bananza | July 17, 2025
- Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | July 24, 2025
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | August 28, 2025
- Star Wars Outlaws | September 4, 2025
- Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion | September 5, 2025
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | October 16, 2025
- Drag x Drive | Summer 2025
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment | Winter 2025
- Elden Ring Tarnished Edition | 2025
- Kirby Air Riders | 2025
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | 2025
UPDATE: Added the release date for Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
As a Kirby Air Ride superfan, I cannot wait to see what director Masahiro Sakurai and his team have in store for the long-awaited sequel to this underrated GameCube classic.
Backwards-compatible Switch games
Thousands of games are available on the original Switch, and Nintendo has confirmed that the vast majority of them will be playable on Switch 2. If you already have a huge library of Switch 1 games, you’ll have plenty to play on launch day, even if you don’t buy a single new game. Plus, some Switch 1 games are getting free upgrades on June 5th.
