Note. We published this revised list of upcoming Switch games over Christmas, but now we’re actually here in 2022, we thought it was worth taking another look at what’s coming over the horizon on Nintendo’s console. Enjoy!
The new year is here, bringing the promise of new video games to one and all. We’ve have seen some fantastic games on Switch in 2021, but it’s also true that several big names slipped into 2022 — for understandable reasons. Add those to the Switch games previously scheduled to arrive in the next 12 months and this year is already shaping up very nicely!
Below we’ve rounded up 30 of the biggest Switch games we’re looking forward to. They run the gamut from AAA first-party offerings to promising-looking indies. Nintendo habit of not announcing games until a couple of months prior to release means there is always a sizeable gap on the calendar after the first few months, but you can be certain there’ll be more first-party surprises on store for 2022. Even without those, there’s already plenty to look forward to.
We had a lot of great titles in 2021 with the likes of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Bravely Default II, Monster Hunter Rise, New Pokémon Snap, Famicom Detective Club, Game Builder Garage, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Tony Hawk’s 1+2, Disgaea 6, Monster Hunter Stories 2, Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, WarioWare: Get It Together!, Metroid Dread, and Mario Party Superstars *breathe* — plus a new Pokémon remake and a huge number of amazing indie titles. 2022 has its work cut out to match the sheer variety of games that came to Switch the previous year, that’s for sure.
So, let’s take a look at our most anticipated Switch games…
Publisher: Dotemu
First shown in 2019 and delayed from its planned launched at the end of 2020, Dotemu’s sequel to the iconic original was reeled back in so the team can polish up various aspects, with a focus on super solid net code. The release slipped once more from 2021 into the first month of 2022 and will finally launch on 20th January.
We’re eager to take to the court and see if we’ve still got what it takes a mind-bending 27 years after Data East’s arcade original.
Confirmed for a 28th January 2022 launch, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set long long ago in the Sinoh region (Gen 4 for the non-Poké Fanatics) and sees you on an adventure to compile the region’s very first Pokédex. We’ve recently revisited that region in the Switch remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but we’ll get to go back in time in this spin-off that looks like it may shake up the tried-and-tested-and-a-little-bit-stale formula of the mainline games.
It promises a different flavour of Pokémon adventure and we’re excited to see how this spin-off can take the Pokéverse in new directions in 2022.
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Publisher: Square Enix Europe / Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment
Originally scheduled for 2021, Life is Strange Remastered Collection was pushed back until 1st Feb 2022. We very much enjoyed the sequel, Life is Strange: True Colors, and we can’t wait to go back and revisit the previous games in the series on our favourite handheld hybrid system.
We’re talking about the Nintendo Switch, by the way. Geez. Kinda obvious, really.
Developer: Roll7
Announced over the summer, this is a very different look for the series after the success of the original two games. Once again you’ll be skateboarding through tricky courses and performing all sorts of neat tricks, but this time it’s in an extremely colourful world with an overhauled visual style. This’ll offer some much-needed warm-weather vibes when it arrives on 8th February 2022.
Developer: HAL Laboratory
A new 3D Kirby action-adventure scheduled for release in Early 2022, it looks like Kirby will be saving kidnapped creatures in this intriguing-looking entry in the Kirby canon. You’ll be blasting enemies and battling bosses in environments that look like they could have been ripped from any number of post-apocalyptic open worlds — a very colourful apocalypse, but an apocalypse all the same!
Publisher: Return Digital / Developer: Nerial
Showcased in the Nintendo Indie World presentation in August 2020, you’ll build up a reliable repertoire of sneaky card tricks to employ at the games tables as you cheat your way to the top of high society as an 18th century French card shark in the appropriately named Card Shark.
It looks to be a stylish little adventure game from developer Nerial and publisher Devolver Digital, and although it was originally slated for a 2021 release, it’s now coming sometime in 2022.
A 22-minute timeloop game that we’ve had our eye on for quite some time on other consoles, Outer Wilds was finally announced as coming to Switch in late 2021… although it obviously missed that window.
Not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, which is already available on Switch, Outer Wilds was one of the games we hoped to see get a Switch port at the start of 2021 so we’re thrilled we’ll soon be able to play it on-the-go — hopefully in the first months of 2022.
Publisher: Sidebar Games / Developer: Sidebar Games
Release Date: TBA
First announced in December 2019 for a mid-2020 release, this Switch-exclusive sequel to early indie hit Golf Story was delayed and after looking out for it throughout 2021, we’re now hoping to see Sidebar Games’ sporty RPG hybrid arrive sometime in 2022. If Sports Story is anything like as fun as the Mario Golf-inspired original, it’ll be more than worth the wait.
Publisher: Obsidian Entertainment / Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity picked up the torch put down by Baldur’s Gate many moons ago, and both of those games are available to play on your favourite Nintendo hybrid handheld. Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire is coming soon and is set five years after the events of the previous game. It’s been available on PS4 and Xbox One since January 2020, although it had its own performance issues on these consoles. Hopefully the extra time taken with the Switch port will iron out any significant issues, assuming all is still well.
This was expected to arrive in Early 2021, although we’re fast approaching Early 2022 and haven’t seen or heard squat. We’ve got our fingers crossed that we’ll see it soon.
Publisher: Return Digital / Developer: Mediatonic
Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a battle royale affair which puts you in control of a colourful creature as you battle up to sixty other players in platforming challenges, races, mini-games and more. It launched on PC and PS4 back in August 2020 and its frantic multiplayer fun became something of a sensation, and players desperate for a silly social outlet in the most serious of years found just the thing in Fall Guys.
The Mediatonic team has since been snapped up into the Epic Games family, but this Switch port was originally scheduled to fall in our laps in “Summer 2021”, but it was since been delayed, and delayed again. Looks like we’ll be seeing it in 2022.
Publisher: HAMSTER / Developer: PlatinumGames
A brand new shmup from PlatinumGames coming to Switch and featuring music from the one-and-only Yuzo Koshiro? Yes, of course we’re looking forward to this one. It was originally scheduled for a 9th December 2021 release until PlatinumGames announced a delay via a Very Sorry Stream. A revised launch date hasn’t been announced yet, so watch this space.
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