Upcoming 2020 Games

2020 has certainly been an unusual year. Along with juggernaut releases like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we've seen big announcements like Paper Mario: The Origami King, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity dropped just a few short weeks or months before their release date. Conventional wisdom suggests that it's been a quiet year for Nintendo, but we think that come New Year's Eve people will be surprised to look back at the number of great Switch games that dropped throughout 2020.

With that in mind, we've rounded up a selection of the biggest physical releases coming to Switch throughout the rest of the year and beyond. This doesn't include all the brilliant Switch eShop titles lined up for release soon, or smaller indie releases. Add it all together, and there's plenty to look forward to before we bid 2020 adieu, or good riddance, if you prefer!

So, let's take a look at what's in store for Nintendo Switch for the rest of 2020, and beyond...

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Immortals Fenyx Rising (Switch)

Any game that channels the art style and feeling of Breath of the Wild and Kid Icarus is all right by us, and Ubisoft's Immortals: Fenyx Rising (formerly known as Gods & Monsters) looks like a beauty, despite the most generic video game name we've seen in some time. Seriously, it's an 'Origins' away from a parody.

Terrible title aside, we've got high hopes for this one. Rumours suggested that we'd see it in 2020, and that was confirmed in September's Ubisoft Forward presentation - it's coming on 3rd December.

Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise (Switch)

A sequel to the boxercise rhythm game Fitness Boxing, this new game will add a host of new modes (including a two-player mode), three new instructors (joining the original six) and various other tweaks over the original game - a surprise hit for Nintendo and developers Imagineer when it released nearly two years ago. If you've got the original, you can carry your save data over to the new game, too.

It's coming to Switch on 4th December.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (Switch)

A surprise announcement, we're massive fans of the original titanic puzzle crossover, and we're fascinated to see the new features Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 will bring to the table, including Co-op Boss Raids and Skill Battles. The game is coming on 8th December.

DOOM Eternal (Switch eShop)

Originally scheduled for 2019, this slipped into 2020 and launched on other consoles back in March. id Software said we'd get more news 'soon' back in July, and we now finally know when the Doom Slayer is returning to Switch: we'll ready and waiting for DOOM Eternal on 8th December.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy (Switch)

Koei Tecmo Europe and developer Gust Studios' direct sequel to Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout is Switch-bound at the start of 2021 in the West. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy sees Ryza return as the protagonist, the first character in the history of the long-running RPG Atelier franchise to take on the hero role in two successive titles. You'll be able to get your hands on this on 26th January 2021.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

The Wii U port we've all been waiting for, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury will offer a tweaked experience that expands on the original game with new content. There's a dual pack of Cat Mario and Cat Peach amiibo incoming on the same day, so expect an overflow of cuteness when this arrives on 12th February 2021.

Bravely Default II (Switch)

Unfortunately, this slipped from its original release date into 2021, but Square Enix's Bravely Default II is one to watch for fans of the 3DS originals, or anyone with a taste for traditional-style JRPG gameplay and turn-based combat. There's a demo available on the Switch eShop to whet your appetite for when the final game appears on 26th February 2021. Fingers crossed it doesn't slip.

Monster Hunter Rise (Switch)

Monster Hunter Rise has been described as "a brand new take on the Monster Hunter experience". Up to four players can team up and save Kamura village from the impending 'Rampage', harnessing the new Wirebug hunting tool and enlisting the help of Palicoes, and Palamutes, along the way. The 'Rise' in the title is apparently a reference to this entry's verticality, with the ability to traverse and climb rock faces and other terrain which will make the hunt all the more interesting. The game launches on Switch on 26th March 2021.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Switch)

Pushed from 2020 into next year, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will give you the opportunity to play through all nine sci-fi stories in rejigged, reimagined, and decidedly blocky fashion with modern spit-polish. Expect more controllable minifigs than you'll know what to do with. We'll be calling dibs on General Grievous sometime in Spring 2021.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (Switch)

The latest entry in Nihon Falcom's action-RPG series was announced for Switch in the West back in June. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox will get its English-language debut on PS4 in February, but it'll be coming to Switch in Summer 2021.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (Switch)

Monster Hunter Rise isn't the only new entry in Capcom's series coming to Switch in 2021. Nope, portable spin-off Monster Hunter Stories is getting a Switch-based sequel named Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin, too.

Adopting the same cut art style seen in the 3DS original, Monster Hunter Stories 2 will feature a strong narrative focus, and will presumably retain the simple RPG mechanics the sub-series is known for. The protagonist, Monster Rider, befriends monsters from the series rather than slaying them to make a tail feather cap, so it'll offer a different flavour of Monster Hunter-y goodness alongside the more traditional entries on Switch when it launches in Summer 2021.

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny (Switch)

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny is a Switch exclusive in the West (in Japan it'll be getting a PS4 release, too) and will be the first entry in the offbeat turn-based strategy series to use 3D models. It certainly won't be losing any of its personality, with its trademark irreverent humour, lovably madcap characters and levelling and damage numbers that go up to eleventy-stupid.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a classic dose of Disgaea goodness from developer Nippon Ichi Software, and it'll be available on your Switch in Summer 2021.

No More Heroes III (Switch)

Originally 'TBC 2020', the reveal of No More Heroes 3 was exactly what fans of Travis Touchdown's original Wii games wanted to hear, and this sequel looks set to deliver the full porcelain-throned, laser-sworded Touchdown experience. It was still scheduled for a 2020 release, although we hadn't heard any news in a while and had a feeling it might slip into 2021. And then Suda51 confirmed just that.

Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch)

Confirmed for a simultaneous global launch on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2021, this is a Switch exclusive from Atlus. First announced way back in 2017, an exact release date is still 'TBC' but Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster has a slightly more solid 'Spring 2021', so hopefully that'll tide fans over until the new game hits. There'll certainly be no shortage of SMT action next year on Switch.

Rune Factory 5 (Switch)

The latest game in the sword-filled life sim RPG series (the first release was literally subtitled 'A Fantasy Harvest Moon', Rune Factory 5 was originally scheduled for 2020, but as with so many games it has slipped into next year. The gameplay trailer broadcast as part of the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase in September shows off the wholesome farming and fiend-flaying gameplay the series is known for. Rune Factory 5 is scheduled for release somewhen in 2021.

Bayonetta 3 (Switch)

The Umbra Witch has been a conspicuous absentee over the last couple of years, despite repeated reassurances that her third series entry is coming along just fine. To be fair, we did get Platinum Games' excellent Astral Chain last year - one of the best Switch surprises of 2019 - but the lady with the magical hair has been uncharacteristically quiet for too long and it's about time we get a serious dose of Bayonetta's trademark sass and sizzle. We've got our fingers crossed for a Paper Mario / Age of Calamity-style "it's-coming-in-two-months" drop.

Metroid Prime 4 (Switch)

Having been scrapped and restarted at the beginning of 2019, with veteran Metroid Prime team Retro Studios now steering the ship, there's still a ways to go with this one - the fact that Retro was still looking for a Lead Producer as of August 2020 should clue you in that Metroid Prime 4 needs plenty more time in the oven. Still, there's an outside chance it could be a Holiday 2021 game. We've got our fingers, legs and everything else crossed.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)

In a similar vein to Metroid Prime 4, work is continuing on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, and while there were desperate hopes that it might sneak out in 2020, the existence of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity suggests that this one won't be coming until mid-2021 at the earliest. That said, it's building on the framework and tech already laid out by its predecessor, and it has been in development for some time now. We'd say there's more of a chance we'll see this in 2021 than Metroid Prime 4.


More games on the horizon this winter than you imagined? Let us know if you'll be picking up any of the above (given the chance, of course) and which ones you're most looking forward to below.