When it comes to upcoming Switch games still to welcome in 2024, Nintendo's console has plenty of life left in it. While there's no doubt that Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4 were obvious high marks last year, 2024 has its fair share of exciting games from Nintendo itself as well as many others.
Among the new games of 2024, there is still time for (one hopes) Hollow Knight: Silksong among many other high-profile third-party releases. That's on top of the upcoming first-party games like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario & Luigi: Brothership. And that's assuming Nintendo doesn't even announce more titles before the year's through. We've also listed some long-awaited Switch ports and upcoming indie games to get hyped for, if you're not really into any of the best Mario games.
But, before you head to other pages, there's genuinely something for everyone in our roundup of upcoming Switch games down below. Be it platformers, JRPGs, or the newest creature collectors to add to your collection of the best Pokémon games, we've got you covered.
Recent updates
This living list of upcoming Switch games was updated on August 6, 2024, adding all the new confirmed release dates and keeping this list fresh with the latest Nintendo news.
Upcoming Switch games 2024
SteamWorld Heist 2
Release date: August 8, 2024
SteamWorld Heist 2 is on the way from Thunderful Games and the adventure is upon the high seas this time around. Turn-based gunfights and a world map with real-time ship-to-ship combat await anyone with enough oil (Get it? Because robots) to take it on. Did we mention that there's over 150 items/weapons/ship pieces and you can shift your crew around in this new Switch game?
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
Release date: August 29, 2024
While it isn't the full first-party horror game that folks might have first expected when it was teased, Emio - The Smiling Man is a brand-new entry in the Famicom Detective Club series for the first time in 35 years. The first two, The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind, were previously remade for the Nintendo Switch and the apparently did well enough for a new game where players must help solve a string of unsolved murders from nearly two decades ago.
Yars Rising
Release date: September 10, 2024
One of the more shocking announcements to come out of a Nintendo showcase is that WayForward and Atari are releasing a side-scrolling anime Metroidvania that's also a new take on the classic Atari title Yars' Revenge. In the upcoming Switch game, Hacker Emi Kimura must get inside the corporation QoTech for her patron while taking on and taking out robots and aliens in the new game, but there are also retro minigames in it as well.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
Release date: September 24, 2024
Who would have thought that in the land of new Switch games, we'd return to a classic? Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a remake of the iconic title by Purple Lamp. As in the original, Mickey Mouse goes on a dangerous journey through the Wasteland with a magical paintbrush. It's unclear just how much has been changed from the original, but it does seem like Mickey will have new moves and even the ability to sprint.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Release date: September 26, 2024
An all-new Zelda game with the graphical style of the Link's Awakening remake (aka one of the best Zelda games ever made), Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom sees the people of Hyrule -- Link included -- stolen away by odd rifts. Zelda herself teams up with the fairy Tri to create echoes in order to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and generally move forward. That's right! Playable Zelda!
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Release date: October 10, 2024
A new game in the Fantasy Life series is set to come to Switch. The last instalment was one of the best 3DS games of all time, and offered up various different job roles with their own set of quests. Fantasy Life i looks set to build on this by letting you create your own city on a ruined island and once again take up an occupation of your choice. With returning characters and the promise of plenty of mystery, it will be interesting to see how this entry shapes up.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Release date: October 17, 2024
The latest and greatest Mario Party title, Super Mario Party Jamboree is described as the biggest Mario Party yet with over 110 minigames across seven different game boards. And five of those boards are entirely new! Additionally, up to 20 players can play the Koopathlon mode online. So, yeah, needless to say, this is one of the best upcoming Nintendo Switch games on our list.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Release date: November 7, 2024
The Mario and Luigi RPG series is back for a new installment on the Nintendo Switch. In the upcoming Switch game, the two navigate the world of Concordia via Shipshape Island, which is a ship but also an island, with a twist on turn-based combat across a number of different islands.
ANTONBLAST
Release date: November 12, 2024
Action-platformer ANTONBLAST sees Dynamite Anton or Dynamite Annie (with the Mighty Hammer or Massive Mace, respectively) on a hand-drawn pixel art rampage across wacky worlds in order to get your spirit collection back from the devil. The twist? Once you've finished a level, a timer starts that requires players to rush back to the start before everything blows up.
TBC 2024
Europa
Release date: TBC 2024
The Zelda-meets-Ghibli 3D action-platformer Europa has captured our imaginations with every single trailer, and now it's been announced for the Nintendo Switch. Filled with gorgeous environments and puzzles galore, Europa sees an android named Zee looking into a mystery of a fallen civilization later this year. It's adorable and we can't wait to see how it runs on a handheld!
Hollow Knight Silksong
Release date: TBC 2024
We know that it's coming, we just don't know when. The wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong has been brutal, but Team Cherry is finally ready to deliver its sequel to one of the best metroidvania games of all-time. The Hollow Knight sequel was first unveiled in 2019, with development reportedly spiralling out of control as the Silksong idea evolved in scope from DLC to full-fledged experience. Here's hoping we get our hands on Hollow Knight: Silksong sooner rather than later.
Refind Self: The Personality Test Game
Release date: Summer 2024
An android created by a dead doctor looks to figure out who they are and what their creator intended in this adventure game where there is no right or wrong. When all is said and done, the android discovers that they are one of 23 personality types thanks to a variety of different choices in a given playthrough. Refind Self: The Personality Test Game also has a super distinctive look to it as well.
Upcoming Switch games 2025
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Release date: January 16, 2025
Donkey Kong Country Returns is back once again and this time it's in high definition. Join Donkey and Diddy Kong in a new version of the title that first released for the Nintendo Wii. Two-player co-op is available locally across 80 levels, and that includes the extra ones from the Nintendo 3DS version of the video game. But you can also go it on your own, if you wish.
TBC 2025
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Release date: TBC 2025
Metroid Prime 4 has been a long time coming. Announced back in 2017, nothing much was seen of the sequel to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption until June 2024. That's largely because development on the upcoming Switch game was rebooted in 2019, with production shifting to Retro Studios – the team responsible for the original Prime trilogy.
With our first proper look at the game, we now also know that it's Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and is expected to launch for the Nintendo Switch in 2025.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Release date: TBC 2025
While not terribly much is known about Pokemon Legends: Z-A at this point, it has been announced that it will release for the Nintendo Switch in 2025. Additionally, it's known that it will take place entirely within Lumiose City, which is in the Kalos region, during a major urban redevelopment plan to bring together people and Pokemon in the same place. We'll keep you updated on the latest news, but fingers crossed that this Pokemon game will join some its predecessors on our list of the best Switch games of all time.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
Release date: TBC 2025
During the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, we got a very brief tease of a new Professor Layton game, which at long last signalled the return of the series. While we don't know too much about the new entry coming to the Switch, we do know that we're set to experience a fresh story filled with puzzles in the new setting of Steam Bison, which is home to advanced steam engines. A mysterious incident is said to draw Layton and Luke there for a new adventure.
Yokai Watch 4
Release date: TBC
If you're a Pokemon fan, you probably already know about the Yo-Kai Watch series. It follows a similar format in that you collect critters that also function as your companions as a young kid. In terms of new gameplay features, it introduces a brand new item, called the Yokai Ark, which will let players travel between three worlds that are all set in different time periods, and feature their own protagonist. While it released in Japan back in 2019, there's still no concrete word on a Western release date. We still have our fingers crossed for this one.
While we wait for all these new titles, you can head over to our lists of the best two-player Switch games and the best Switch indie games of all time.
