Jurassic World Evolution 3

The Jurassic World Evolution series of games has been amongst my faves for a good long while now, with each new entry meaningfully adding to the solid core experience. I was concerned a little that part three would be a game too far, but, as it turns out, this is easily the best of the bunch, and a game I'd describe as pushing perfection within the remit of what it's trying to achieve.

Given the genre and the endless time you can pour in, a portable-enabled Switch 2 version that can manage to keep the graphical polish and resolution where it needs to be (we've got to see all those dumb tourists getting eaten, after all) could be a real shades-off-in-shock moment for the console as far as resource management sims go. PJ

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

I didn't have time to check out Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 when it arrived on the beefier consoles earlier in the year, but good god, does it look like the kind of game that would swallow up all of my time.

A knight sim RPG where you have to actually practice skills to get good at them? It might be one of the most attention-intensive gaming experiences out there at the moment, so just imagine it on the go. Hey, the first one worked well enough on Switch! JN

Lumines Arise

Oh man, I love Lumines so much. If I’m out and about and I have my Vita or Switch on me, but I can’t think of anything to play, then I’ll often default to Lumines. It’s just such an immediately satisfying experience and you can make runs last for bloomin’ ages if you’re good enough.

With the team behind Tetris Effect creating this latest entry, I’ve got high hopes that Lumines Arise will be an absolute banger. Frankly, it belongs on the Switch, but you can bet that until that day comes, I’ll be rinsing it on the PS5. OR

Marvel Rivals

Free-to-play hero shooters are a dime a dozen these days, but it takes something special to last more than a couple of months. NetEase found that secret sauce with Marvel Rivals, and the only thing stopping me from playing with every waking moment, for a time, was that I wasn't near my PS5. Let me at it on the go, and those played hours will soon be racking up even more.

Actually, maybe it's best for me if this one doesn't come to Switch 2... JN

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls

So far, it seems Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is destined to be a PS5 and Windows exclusive. Heck, Sony even has a slick new fight stick lined up, which it’s clearly marketing in conjunction with the game.

But still, it looks ridiculously good… If this spells the end for Marvel vs. Capcom, then so be it. Arc System Works is a superb developer, and it’s made some truly spectacular fighting games. I need this on the Switch 2, Sony. Please. OR

Marvel's Midnight Suns

Cancelled on the first Switch, this strategy effort is an absolutely stupendous thing. I know, you think I'm over-egging it with 'stupendous', but I'm not, by Morbius!

This is XCOM 2-levels of good stuff, except this time out you get lots of your favourite superheroes, all looking sexy as heck and packing loads of cool twists and movesets built around their comic book skills.

Another surefire hit in handheld mode, no doubt. Also, can we talk about how awesome Ghost Rider is in this game, please? PJ

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Of all the games I've spoken about here, I think Mass Effect Legendary Edition is one that will defo come to Switch 2, if circumstances at Bioware were better. It's just too important not to have on every system, goddamnit!

I'm sure a lot of folk have played the trilogy already, but it has a special place regardless, it's one of the all-time greats and we need to ensure the children know of the legendary Shepard and his (or her) sexy companions. I shouldn't have mentioned the sexy companions. I'm gonna have to download it again now. Please put it on Switch 2 so I can have it in my lap. PJ

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Atlus and Sega have shown a lot of love for the Switch 2 already, so there’s no way Metaphor: ReFantazio is skipping Nintendo. And in my eyes, this is the best game Atlus has ever made.

Why? Because it’s a distillation of everything Atlus has ever done. There’s Persona and MegaTen aplenty here, but also a heavy dose of Etrian Odyssey and a sprinkling of Catherine. But It’s also a refinement of the push-turn combat with a whole job system on top. Beyond all that, Metaphor actually has something to say and feels like the most poignant, relevant RPG in some time. AH

NHL 27

I absolutely adore the NHL games, and I have done ever since the first time I booted up my copy of that Madden/NHL double-header cart for the Genesis.

With a brand new and very shiny entry due to release (like clockwork) later this year, and given this latest iteration of this series has been on the up and up over its past few entries, now would be a perfect time for the Switch 2 to join the ice party. Come on, it's not like it can't handle some snazzy ice reflections. This baby can do ray tracing. PJ

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...

I'm relatively surprised we haven't already seen NieR Replicant (no, I'm not writing the full title out here) on Switch, so I'd like to think Square Enix will give Yoko Taro even more money by putting this sublime and messy predecessor on Switch 2.

NieR Replicant isn't always fun to play — that's kind of the point — but it is a beautifully, meticulously-crafted story with incredible characters and music. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll freak out, and you'll experience emotional gut punches unmatched in the medium. Plus you get to meet Kainé and Emil, two of the best video game characters ever. AH

Ninja Gaiden 4

Okay, so I don’t know for sure if Ninja Gaiden 4 is going to be worth playing. After all, PlatinumGames' track record hasn't always been perfect and, in my opinion, it dropped the ball somewhat with Bayonetta 3. Regardless, the team has supported the Switch so much over the years, it feels weird to not see Ninja Gaiden 4 on Switch 2 (granted, the decision likely lies solely with Koei Tecmo, but still).

It doesn’t look like the most graphically-intensive game imaginable, so I reckon PlatinumGames could just about make it work on Nintendo’s latest console. Nailing the frame rate would be key, though, so I’m happy to give them all the time in the world to get it right. OR

Psychonauts 2

Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 is one of those properly special and stunning games that comes from, what feels like at least, a truly caring and loving place. You know. Made by people who understand the topic at hand. And it shows.

This is emotional and complex stuff, as well as being exactly the right sort of oddball, screwy, completely unpredictable caper than fans of the first game were crying out for. Honestly, it's so well made, so well written, and so well designed that the fact the puzzles, platforming, and action are also top-notch just feels like gravy. PJ

Red Dead Redemption 2

This surely has to be happening, right? Red Dead Redemption 2, as much as it can feel like a chore at times, is also just one of the bonafide bangers of our time. Even just for the hunting I'm in for the long haul, never mind the epic, sprawling, and almost relentlessly emotional western saga that sits alongside all the shooting chipmunks for their lustrous pelts.

Stick this one on Switch 2, in a decent port, which seems like something that should be more than feasible at this point in the game's life (there's even been rumours), and we're looking at one of the great handheld experiences out there. PJ

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Bloober Team has experienced a lot of fluctuating appraisals over the years, but it’s safe to say that its remake of Team Silent and Konami’s Silent Hill 2 was pretty exceptional. It got almost everything right, from the story to the atmosphere, and even the gameplay was pretty solid too, minus some frustrating moments of repetition.

So yes, take all the time you need, Bloober Team, but let’s get Silent Hill 2 running on the Switch 2, please. Add in some gyro aiming, maybe some spooky HD Rumble effects, and you’re onto a winner. OR

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Yes, I'd prefer to go with the sequel here, all things considered, but sometimes it's best to start at the beginning to get the full picture.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a banging game, we all know that, but it's also one with a couple of flaws, mostly in terms of jankiness and the sometimes-meandering flow of the campaign - all stuff its stellar sequel went on to sort out very nicely indeed.

However, given it's such a personal story, and given that this first part has got a whole lot of top Soulslike shedding of Stormtroopers (how can you not get excited, really?) to enjoy, I say they should drop Fallen Order first, then give us Survivor. Actually, scrap that, I want a bundle deal and I want them both remastered. Cheers, lads! Don't keep me waiting now. PJ

Tekken 8

People seem, well, some people seem, to be a little disappointed with Tekken 8, but in my humble opinion, it's a tight and addictive fighter that's returned a lot of the style and slickness to a series which I personally felt had lost it a little over the course of entries 6 and 7.

Anyway, regardless of which Tekken you're most into, this is a monster of a game and a genuinely great alternative (or accompaniment!) to Street Fighter 6. Which we've already got. So get it sorted or I'll show you how badly it goes when a middle-aged Irishman tries to take you down with King's exploder dropkick (Spoiler: I'll need to borrow your ambulance). PJ

The Séance of Blake Manor

There's been a whole load of cracking indie games in a sort of folksy horror, off-kilter vibe in the past few years. I'm talking about properly amazing stuff like Return of the Obra Dinn, The Case of the Golden Idol and so on. Here, though, is perhaps my favourite of recent offerings in this general vein, and not just because I love me some point and click.

No, pals. The Séance of Blake Manor is a tremendous slice of Irish horror that sets players in a creepy turn-of-the-19th-century hotel wherein smart puzzles, genuine surprises and some excellent use of a really quite creepy setting combine to make for one of the very best games of 2025.

It's easily top three of that year for me, in fact, and given it's rather low-risk in terms of performance issues (or at least I, Mr Never Made A Game, assume) it'd make for something I'd replay multiple times on Switch 2. Please, do it! PJ

Vanquish

I will try to get Vanquish on every system I can, and I'll mention it in every list they let me, because I like to watch men chain smoke.

I also like to play really great action games, from the best action-game-makers in the biz no less, that let me slide around in a jazzy robot suit whilst blowing ribbons out of loads of crazy big mecha enemies. It's delicious. It's also exactly the sort of game that would have had the Switch 1 spitting flames out its exhaust port. Switch 2, though? It could take it. They could even add extra stuff. Mario-branded cigarettes, anyone?PJ

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

It's a very fancy looking thing on some consoles, no doubt, but there's a certain scalability built into Space Marine 2 (CPU-hogging issues aside), you only have to play it on a weaker PC to see that it's possible to strip back, and so it's surely also possible that a Switch 2 could handle what would be a surefire hit on the console.

Space Marine 2 is a glorious thing to behold, and a damn additive action game, to boot. With close-quarters combat and gibbing aplenty the order of the day, this is the sort of blood-soaked, entrail-laden sci-fi power fantasy that Warhammer fans have lots of dreams about. It'd also be quite the test for the console's online capabilities, and brilliant chance to do some GameChat space swearing as you fall beneath a mob of tyranids in front of your co-op pals. - PJ

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

I’ve watched my husband play a fair number of Yakuza / Like A Dragon games at this point, but I’ve never properly played myself, despite loving Yakuza 0 and enjoying the Dondoko Island aspect of Infinite Wealth.

Truly, I’m waiting for an excuse, and it’s specifically for Yakuza: Like A Dragon (or Yakuza 7… it’s complicated) to come to Switch 2. You know I love turn-based RPGs and a good story, and this is the LaD with both. I just want to spend a good time with my Dragon Quest-loving Yakuza, Ichiban… AH

Honourable Mentions

And before we go, let's bang the gong for a few old favourites that we still carry a flame for...

  • FTL
  • Genshin / Honkai / ZZZ / Infinity Nikki (any of those gacha games)
  • Norco
  • Papers, Please
  • Rare Replay
  • Super Hexagon
  • The Witness
  • ...and about 70 others

Which of these would you most like to see come to Switch 2? Got any others on your wishlist? You know what to do.