The Switch 2 has gotten off to a bit of a weird start.
Although there’s no denying that the console has been a massive commercial success since its launch on 5th June 2025 — officially selling over 10 million units — there’s a niggling, underlying sense of dissatisfaction amongst some fans regarding Nintendo’s first-party lineup (and let’s just save Game-Key Cards for another time, hm?).
It’s not that difficult to see why. Disregarding ‘Switch 2 Editions’, we’ve had a total of five first-party exclusives for the system so far: Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Donkey Kong Bananza, Drag x Drive, and now Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Certainly not a bad start, but I’d argue that out of these, only Bananza has received (almost) universal acclaim. Even Mario Kart World, widely regarded as Switch 2’s ‘killer app’ before launch, has been criticised for its structure and open world.
And although Bananza has been praised far and wide for its satisfying, chaotic gameplay, there’s nevertheless a feeling that this isn’t quite what fans want in the system’s first year. Donkey Kong, as beloved as he is, isn’t Mario.
And that’s the issue, right? Although on the surface, a brand-new Mario Kart game and a 3D Donkey Kong platformer should be slam dunks for Nintendo, they both kind of fall short for some. Compare this to 2017 when the original Switch saw the likes of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 all in the first year, and I can understand the frustration. [ARMS, too!… – Ed.]
I, however, have not felt any of this, and it’s down to one simple reason: third-party games. I can distinctly remember those first few months after the Switch’s launch; outside of Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, I spent the majority of my time playing Thumper and Fast RMX. These were great games and I don’t for one moment regret my time with them, but goodness, they were pretty much my only options for a while.
With the Switch 2, it’s the polar opposite. Third-party support has been absolutely phenomenal right out of the gate, and I’ve already sunk hours into Cyberpunk 2077, Street Fighter 6, Bravely Default, Yakuza 0, Cronos: The New Dawn, Final Fantasy Tactics, Hades II, Yooka-Replaylee, Star Wars Outlaws, Persona 3 Reload, and more. I frankly can’t keep up.
The Switch got good third-party support too, of course, particularly as its sales exploded. But hardware limitations proved to be a significant barrier over time, and for years I’ve been gazing longingly at games on other platforms and thinking, ‘Cool, but I wish this was on Switch.’
We’ve been dreaming of a time when third-party publishers would go above and beyond to support a Nintendo system — the dark days of the Wii U still loom in my mind — and the Switch 2 already feels like a realisation of that dream. No longer does it feel like we’ve been left behind, and we already have publishers planning launches for flagship games day-and-date with other platforms.
Take Resident Evil Requiem. For years, Capcom has leaned almost exclusively on PlayStation for its marketing, but the company appears to have shifted that focus over to Switch 2 for its upcoming release. The original Switch, as capable as it was, couldn’t handle Capcom’s more recent RE games natively, and so they were relegated to ‘Cloud Version’ status. They felt like an afterthought, with Capcom razor-focused on advertising its flagship titles on Sony’s consoles – no real surprise when you consider RE started on PS1.
Not anymore. Now that Switch 2 can fight the other platforms’ fire with fire, Capcom clearly sees enormous potential. Cue the announcement of a special edition themed Pro Controller and a Requiem amiibo, and it’s looking more and more obvious that the Switch 2 is a high priority to accelerate Capcom’s growth.
And let’s be fair, the PlayStation audience know Resident Evil very well at this point; it seems unlikely that this shift will greatly affect Requiem’s performance on Sony’s console.
Has every third-party effort been perfect? No. A few games, like Hitman: World of Assassination and Two Point Museum, prove — at least at launch — that performance can still hit a few snags on Switch 2, while we’ve still yet to receive a firm release date for Borderlands 4 after a last-minute delay.
There are some teething issues, then, but by and large, I think we can expect great things from third parties. Even when the PS6 and whatever the heck Microsoft is cooking up launch, it’s likely that games will remain scalable enough to run on Switch 2 without looking and performing like crap.
We’re very much in an era of diminishing returns regarding raw power, so I feel like pretty much any game launching on Switch 2 will at least look good, if not great. And publishers who perhaps weren’t as invested in the Switch certainly won’t want to make the same mistake twice with the Switch 2. So if they can scale a high-end game down just enough so that it impresses visually yet still performs well, you can bet they’ll be doing it.
So if you’re someone who generally sticks with first-party software, I’d urge you to branch out and see what else is out there. I understand the frustration if you feel these first months have been a bit lacking. As for me? If this level of third-party support holds for the years ahead, I can honestly see Switch 2 becoming my primary console for almost everything bar PS5 exclusives.
It’s just that good.
What do you think, dear reader? What do you think of the third-party support for Switch 2 so far, and what might it look like in the years to come? Share your thoughts with a comment down below.
