Our list of the best new Switch games is here to cover the amazing titles you can expect in 2026, so you can learn all about the biggest and best names arriving on the portable console over the coming months. With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, there’s even more to look forward to on both consoles.
While most of the upcoming Switch games only have a vague release window at the moment, we’re sure an absolute truckload of cracking new games will reach the console or its successor by the end of 2026.
Here are the biggest upcoming Nintendo Switch games:
007: First Light – March 27
I’m a James Bond fiend. Whether it’s the underrated Bloodstone or the excellent Nightfire, James Bond games offer a unique kind of escapism I relish. But it’s been a long time since MI6’s greatest spy reared their digital head on our screens. You’ve got the frankly awful 007 Legends to thank for that. But the wait ends in March 2026, thanks to Hitman developer IO Interactive.
007: First Light resurrects James Bond’s gaming cred with an all-new cast, exotic locales, and a fresh take on his stealth endeavors. I’ve been saying since the game’s announcement in 2021 that IO Interactive is a match made in heaven for this IP. But I don’t just know that instinctively, I know it from seeing the game at Gamecom this year. My 007 First Light preview confirms everything you’re hoping to see is there, and then some.
Speaking with art director Rasmus Poulsen and senior producer Theuns Smit doubles down that the game is in excellent hands. There’s some time until the 007: First Light release date lands, but you can be sure I’ll be counting down the days as it approaches my Nintendo Switch 2 dashboard.
Pre-order 007: First Light here
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream – April 16
I can think of few Nintendo games with more of a demand to return than Tomodachi Life, and thankfully, the series will make its grand return in 2026. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, Tomodachi Life is a social simulator about controlling a small population of Miis, each of whom can interact with each other in a number of hilarious and fun ways.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will give us all that surge of nostalgia that we so desperately crave, but it also intends to improve upon the previous entry, including giving us more control over the Miis appearances (including, Heaven forbid, the introduction of ears) and interactions, the latter of which was left to chance in previous iterations.
I’m excited about the tropical island and the chance to create all my real-life friends in the game so that I can feed them all little realistic images of food. I also hope that my Miis will be able to live their best gay lives, a feature that was missing from the prior entry. Only time will tell – I need the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream release date to come quickly, please!
Pre-order Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream here
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book – May 21
Yoshi is back, baby! We got our first look at Yoshi and the Mysterious Book during the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, and now we can’t wait for May to get our hands on it.
Like Yoshi’s Crafted World, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book looks like it’s going to offer some old-school platforming joy, along with some gorgeous visuals, and that’s all we can ask for from the little green dinosaur.
While we don’t know for sure, the Yoshi and the Mysterious Book trailer makes the game look like it might be oriented towards younger Nintendo fans, but that won’t stop us, 20 and 30-year-olds, from catching up with the flutter jumping legend. Bring on Spring.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales – TBC, 2026
I’m an absolute sucker for an action RPG, and I’m similarly enthusiastic about HD-2D games, so when I saw the first teaser for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, I knew it’d be the one for me. The gameplay footage we’ve seen so far looks to me like something you’d get if you threw a classic Zelda game and Octopath Traveler in a blender, and that’s exactly what I’m hoping for from it.
As the name suggests, The Adventures of Elliot stars Elliot, a resident of the Kingdom of Huther, the last bastion for humans on a continent overrun with beasts and creatures. Together with his magical companion, Faie the fairy, our hero discovers the Doorway of Time, embarking on a quest between the past and the present to try and create a new future for humanity. That’s exactly the sort of epic fantasy storytelling I’m here for, and the synopsis reminds me slightly of Chrono Trigger, which can only ever be a good thing.
While we don’t have much to go on outside of the trailers Square Enix has shared so far and some vague plot details, the box art for The Adventures of Elliot gives me serious Studio Ghibli vibes, so I’m hoping for a heartfelt story from the game. We also don’t have an exact release date, but once it arrives, don’t expect to hear from me for three to five business days, depending on how eager I am to replay.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave – TBC, 2026
Fire Emblem fans have had plenty to celebrate in recent years, with both Three Houses and Engage providing hours of engaging strategy battles and nuanced storytelling. Now, it’s time for some more, with the Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave release date window set for 2026.
While we still don’t know all that much about Fortune’s Weave, the trailer points to battling inside a Colleseum-style arena, a new collection of charismatic characters, and a continuation of the strategy mechanics that so many of us know and love.
Oh, and there are a couple of familiar faces, which hints at a continuation of the story of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Rhythm Heaven Groove – TBC, 2026
By the time Rhythm Heaven Groove (hopefully) launches in 2026, it will have been ten years since the last game in the series. Technically, because Rhythm Heaven Megamix was a compilation title, we haven’t had a brand-new Rhythm Heaven game since 2011, so I truly cannot overstate my excitement for this new game.
Rhythm Heaven is the game that started my fixation on rhythm games, and it’s pretty hard to find another series that scratches the rhythm itch in quite the same way. We know so little about this new entry other than that it’s more of the same, and yet that still excites me!
We’ve waited far too long to get a Rhythm Heaven game on the Nintendo Switch, so I can’t wait to see how this new title merges the original minigame controls from the DS with the experimental Wii gameplay. I already know that I’m going to sink dozens of hours into this game, going for the All Perfects.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam – TBC, 2026
We still don’t have a concrete Professor Layton and the New World of Steam release date, but thanks to a trailer from Level 5, I’m a lot more confident that this game will finally come out this year, and I can’t wait.
I’m not usually a fan of detective games, but the quaint visuals and quirky puzzles of the Professor Layton series have always been an exception for me. Plus, my partner absolutely adores this series, so we can’t wait to play it together.
This seventh entry into the mainline Professor Layton series takes place in Steam Bison, a bustling steampunk hub of technological innovation. But of course, everything is not as it seems, so Luke and Professor Layton must question the citizens, gather evidence, and solve hundreds of new puzzles to uncover the mystery of the new world of steam.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition – TBC, 2026
Tarnished, it’s time to rise once more, as Elden Ring is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2026, proving to be one of the more surprising announcements from a recent showcase.
This award-winning, action RPG is set in a spooky, dark fantasy world and tasks you with exploring dangerous dungeons and facing difficult bosses. The Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 includes the base game, Shadow of the Erdtree, and even some brand new weapons, armor Torrent skins, and more.
We’ve been praying for an Elden Ring Switch port since the game came out, and now we finally get to experience it, thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2’s beefed-up hardware. You can find everything we know so far about the port in our Elden Ring guide.
Witchbrook – TBC, 2026
I say this every year. I want to play Witchbrook. I’ve wanted to play it since it got announced in March of 2018. It’s been nearly a decade, but we’ve got a release date at last. Well, we had one for 2025, but then it got pushed back to 2026, so let’s hope it actually, finally, comes out.
It’s essentially a little witchy life-sim, with adorable pixel graphics, where you go to school and learn the tricks of the magical trade. It takes place in Mossport, a suitably cutesy name for a village filled with bakeries, furniture stores, and emporiums selling different mystical wares.
We’re still yet to get a good look at the game in action, though there are trailers showing off the day-to-day. For me, this will be a perfect game to play on Nintendo Switch, on the sofa, swaddled in blankets with a hot drink by my side. You know, if it ever actually comes out.
Decapolice – TBC
Since our first glimpse of it, Decapolice has been one of our most anticipated Switch games. Unfortunately, multiple delays have occurred over the last few years, so it almost feels like wishful thinking that we’ll see a Decapolice release date in 2026, but we’re manifesting it, okay?
Level-5’s intriguing detective game sees you play the part of a rookie detective hunting down criminals in an open-world city, traveling back and forth between the physical and virtual worlds as you search for clues to crack the case.
With an original release window of 2023, it’s clear that Level-5 thought Decapolice needed a little more time in the oven (or a lot more time, let’s be honest), but we’re hoping that it’s going to be worth the wait when it finally arrives.
Splatoon Raiders – TBC
Something I didn’t expect with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 was the reveal of a spin-off Splatoon game. I’ve always thought it would be a fun idea, but presumed we’d only ever get DLC or updates that added something new. The reveal of Splatoon Raiders proved me wrong.
Details are a little watery for now, but we know that the upcoming game features the trio of idols from Splatoon 3, alongside a playable protagonist called the Mechanic. Your job, it seems, is to head to the Spirhalite Islands and see what’s going on.
You get a robot that works with you, and presumably more mechanical items, along with your trusty paint gun. I do wonder how the painting side of things will come into it, but either way, I’m excited for a different foray into the world of Inkadia.
There you have it, all of the biggest new Switch and Switch 2 games. If you want to keep the portable good times going, our lists of the best mobile games and new mobile games are here to help.
