Switch Ports We'd Love To See
Image: Nintendo Life

As soon as the Switch was revealed, attention swiftly turned to "ooh, do you think this and that game will be on it, I want to play that one while riding in a hot air balloon / sitting in a park / on the loo". Since that day dreams have been fulfilled as some iconic games have been available in portable form, with the most recent announcement (at the time of writing) being Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection.

Over the winter holidays we generally run an annual list of games we'd be ecstatically pleased to (re)play on Switch, and the announcement of Assassin's Creed II — one of our very favourite games in that series — finally coming to Switch had us reminiscing about the games we've dared to dream might get a Switch port in the past. Our hybrid wishlists have been fulfilled from right across the industry, from major triple-A titles like The Witcher 3, Dark Souls and Bioshock: The Collection through to Indie classics beyond count. The little system has even answered the ultimate gamers' question — can it run Crysis? Yes, yes it can.

But, we always want more.

Below we've consolidated a bunch of games we'd still love to see make their way onto Switch in an update to a previous article that collects more titles, old and new, into a single ongoing list that we'll keep updated in the future. There are a few remaining Wii U games that haven't come to Switch which we've excluded from the running, but each and every one below would be gratefully received on Nintendo's console should a publisher deign to make it happen. We're open to adding more — and hopefully subtracting some, too — so feel free to suggest worthy additions in the comments.

Wallets open, money ready. Come on, it's there for the takin'...

Tomb Raider: Survivor Trilogy

That title refers to the recent-ish compilation release of Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the trilogy developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal. They're rather good games (with the original being a real stand-out late in the PS3 / Xbox 360 era) that tell the origin story of the iconic character, and they all have a flair for cinematic action and some occasional tomb raiding. Not all diehard fans of the IP approve of the games, but we reckon they're a fun time.

What are the chances?

Low-ish, we'd say. This is an anniversary year for the franchise and would have been the ideal time, but Square Enix instead announced Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris for Switch, due this year. Still, it's better than nothing.

Inscryption

Inscryption is a deckbuilding roguelike psychological horror puzzler and various other bits thrown into a piece of software that's been the talk of the internet for the last few months and also graced many a multiplatform GOTY list. Even if the word 'roguelike' has you rolling your eyes into infinity, this is one you'll want to put aside your preconceived notions for.

What are the chances?

Devolver Digital like the Switch. The game looks like a perfect fit for the platform. If we had to put our money on any game from this list coming to Switch, it would be this one.

Then again we said Persona 5 was a dead cert years ago. Speaking of which...

Persona 5

We hate to keep harping on... but we're gonna.

Persona 5, a game that — lest we forget — released on PS3 back in 2016, is still not available on a Nintendo system. Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers was pleasant enough, but it's not Persona 5.

What are the chances?

Who can say when Atlus and Sega are concerned. They're leaving a sizeable wad of cash on the table as far as we're concerned, but perhaps Sony has the exclusivity rights tied up for something. If it was going to happen, it surely would have happened by now — but we're optimists at heart. It's never too late, Atlus.

Batman: Arkham Collection

It sometimes feels like the Rocksteady developed 'main' Arkham games have been done a disservice. Not only was the 'Return to Arkham' PS4 / Xbox One collection a technical disappointment, but the newest entry (Arkham Knight) has gone unloved and hasn't had any upgrades for the latest hardware. The trilogy, nevertheless, is comprised of three excellent games (in this scribe's humble opinion) that would be awesome to play on Switch.

What are the chances?

It should be technically possible, though the third entry would be rather demanding to port across. The first two games should be do-able however, and let's not forget that we had Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition and Batman: Arkham Origins on Wii U, and even Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate on 3DS (later in its HD form on Wii U). The precedent is there.

Will it actually happen? Considering the haphazard treatment of the games over the years probably not. Still, you never know...

It Takes Two

GOTY Winner at The Game Awards, It Takes Two relies on co-operation via splitscreen local (or online) play, and seems like it would be a perfect fit for Switch.

What are the chances?

The game was developed by Hazelight Studios and founder Josef Fares' Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is available on Switch. The studios previous game, A Way Out, is only available on other platforms, though, and with EA on publishing duties, it's tough to predict whether or not Nintendo gamers will see this critically acclaimed title, however good a fit it would seem to be. Bringing it over might present an unappealing technical challenge, too.

NieR: Automata / NieR Replicant Ver. 1.224etc...

We've mentioned this one a lot in previous lists, so we might as well do it again — Platinum Games' award-winning NieR: Automata wouldn't be an easy port, but that doesn't mean it would be an impossible one. We now also have NieR Replicant 1.224EtcEtc on the market for other systems, which is an excellent remaster of one version of the original (its release origins, like the lore, are complicated).

What are the chances?

Given the effort that would be needed to make solid Switch ports, we like to think that Platinum and other companies sitting on unwieldy but classic games are just waiting for some new Nintendo hardware — something slightly more powerful that would take the developmental headaches out of ports thanks to extra grunt in the specs department. They're all there, just waiting for news of 'Switch 2' or 'Switch Pro' or whatever, waiting to pump out impressive ports of slightly older classics and give this hypothetical system the greatest launch of any console in video game history.

That's what we like to think, anyway. Or some magicians could get them going on Switch.

Bugsnax

First-person bug-hunter Bugsnax is still something we think would fit nicely on Switch. Nintendo gamers love ensnaring weird little monsters, after all, and we're eager to find out more after hearing strange murmurs over the last year concerning the exact nature of these ominously named entomological morsels.

What are the chances?

Young Horses' game was a PS launch exclusive on consoles, and the developer has said "we’d love to bring the game to other platforms". Performance was choppy on PS4, so a Switch version would be a challenge, but certainly possible.