Timeline
Friday9th Jan 2026
Mini Review Stardew Valley: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Almost The Cream Of The Crop
A farm where you'll want a mouse
Note. At the time of publication, the Switch 2 update is not yet live on European eShops. However, it is accessible from the North American eShop if you have a Nintendo Account from that territory. I’ve spent close to 300 hours with Stardew Valley since it landed on Switch in 2018. That feels like rookie...
News Alex Turns Heel As 'The Man With No Allies' In Street Fighter 6 Trailer
"Shut up!"
Capcom has released a new teaser trailer for Alex, the latest addition in the Year 3 Character/Ultimate Pass for Street Fighter 6. There's no raw gameplay here, but if you ever wanted to see Final Fight's Andore (Hugo) get beaten to a pulp, this trailer has you covered. Alex fully turns heel for this one, becoming 'The Man With No...
Featuring FPS and visual enhancements, mouse controls & more
The Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP - Switch 2 Edition got a last-minute delay in November 2025, but we've now got an update...at least for Japan. According to the latest Dragami Games press release, it will be launching in this location on 26th March 2026 (this includes a physical release)...
News Mario Tennis Fever Officially Reveals amiibo Functionality And Every amiibo Supported
Here's what they unlock
Yesterday, Nintendo released a new trailer for Mario Tennis Fever, and in case you missed it, it highlighted amiibo support. In a brief segment at the very end of the video, Nintendo detailed how exactly this new entry would be compatible with its line of NFC figures. When you tap one of the following amiibo listed below,...
News Nintendo Music Adds A Fire Emblem Soundtrack In First Update Of 2026
Here's every song included
Alongside the release of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on the Nintendo Classics - GameCube library this week, Nintendo Music has added the game's soundtrack. This is the first update for the music app in 2026 and it includes 64 songs, with a total run time of 3 hours and 18 minutes. It features tracks such as Ike's...
News Nintendo Expands Switch 2's GameCube Library With Another Game
Fire Emblem is the first release of 2026
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was originally teased for the Switch Online + Expansion Pack's GameCube library last year, and it's now been added to the service in the first update of 2026. This tactical role-playing game was originally released on the GameCube in 2005. We'll have a new review up soon on...
Poll Will You Be Getting The New Joy-Con 2 Set?
Now available in light purple and light green
In case you missed it, Nintendo is bringing back pastel colours with a new Joy-Con 2 set for the Switch 2. The new controllers, including all the usual features, have now got "light purple" and "light green" highlights. You can see this on the magnetic strip as well as underneath both analog sticks...
Thursday8th Jan 2026
News Falcom Reiterates Support For Switch 2, Currently Working On New Port
Further horizons
Nihon Falcom has reiterated its support for the Nintendo Switch 2 today, and it plans to self-publish more major titles on the newest Nintendo console in the coming years. That's according to a report from GameBiz (translated by Automaton Media), where the creator of the Ys and Trails
Poll Which Call Of Duty Do You Want To See On Switch 2?
"What the hell kind of name is 'Soap'?"
With rumours of the never-ending Call of Duty franchise's imminent appearance on Switch 2 once again doing the rounds — following a 10-year agreement to bring the series to Nintendo platforms as part of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, no less — we've been busy pondering just which
Nintendo Download 8th January (North America)
Tomba! Suika Game Planet! Temirana!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch 2 eShop - New Releases: Arcade Archives 2 SPACE INVADERS...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Legends Z-A Surpasses 1 Million Sales On Switch 2
But Switch still dominates
Famitsu has published the latest boxed charts data from Japan, and it's once again another success story for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World. Both headline the hardware and software charts respectively, with Mario Kart World shifting another 94,645 units to total 2,668,381 lifetime sales. Meanwhile, Pokémon Legends:...
Anniversary The First Handheld 'Contra' Is 35 Years Old Today
Konami-coded
Back in the 1980s, and more specifically 1987, Contra in its original coin-op form was a game so awe-inspiring in its action, its graphics, and its weapons (you never forget you first spreader) that everyone who was anyone — which meant I was out from the get-go-- was to be found down their local arcade pumping coins into the bleeding...
News Switch 2 Sales Reportedly Struggled Over The Christmas Period
Nintendo hits its first hurdle
A few weeks back, we covered news that the US suffered its worst November since 1995 in terms of console hardware sales. Well, as reported by The Game Business, the Switch 2 wasn't immune, with sales down by 35% in the US compared to what the original Switch delivered in the same period during 2017. Things are...
News Nintendo Is Bringing The 'My Mario' Line To The West In February
Hello, Mario!, amiibo, and merch incoming
Back in August, Nintendo announced a line of child-friendly products under the 'My Mario' banner, including a free Hello, Mario! app for Switch and mobile, cute sets of wooden block amiibo, and assorted merch aimed at babies and toddlers. It was only a matter of time before it all found its way out of Japan...
Review The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Beyond The Horizon (Switch 2) - A Step Up From Daybreak II
One small step for man
The long-running Trails series needs little introduction, as Falcom has been chipping away at this JRPG narrative for the better part of two decades across a variety of arcs and perspectives spread over more than a dozen interconnected games. While newcomers have traditionally been discouraged by the mountain of homework...
News Nintendo Reveals First New Joy-Con 2 Colours For Switch 2
Pastels are in
Nintendo has given us all a rather lovely surprise this gloomy Thursday: a set of brand new Joy-Con 2 colours coming on 12th February 2026. Coming in Light Purple and Light Green, the new set was officially unveiled on the Nintendo Today app and is the first set of new Joy-Con 2 colours for the Switch 2 since the console's launch...
News Mario Tennis Fever Overview Trailer Serves Up A Host Of Fresh Features
New balls, please
Nintendo has served up a five-minute Mario Tennis Fever overview trailer, giving us our best look yet at the upcoming sports title. The big focus right from the jump is the titular Fever Rackets, which grant special power-ups to your shots or movement. The trailer gives us another look at the Flame Shot and Ice Racket, but there's...
News Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles Dev Considering Future Game Updates
Sales success has motivated the team
Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles recently surpassed one million sales worldwide, and thanks to this success, future updates for the title are now being considered. This information comes from the game's director Kazutoyo Maehiro in a press release (
News Ubisoft Starts The New Year With A Studio Closure, 71 Jobs Affected
Decision apparently unrelated to recent unionisation
Ubisoft has started its new year with the closure of its Canada-based studio Ubisoft Halifax. According to a company spokesperson, more than 70 positions are impacted as part of cost-cutting and restructuring measures. Staff were informed about the closure on Wednesday. Here's the official...
News Wolfenstein 3 Is Reportedly "In The Works" At MachineGames
It's bringing Indiana Jones to Switch 2 this year
The Wolfenstein series could be making a return in the future, according to a new report about "what to expect" from Xbox this year, and beyond". Windows Central's Executive Editor Jez Corden says he's heard Wolfenstein III is "on the cards" to coincide with Amazon's new Wolfenstein television...
Wednesday7th Jan 2026
News The Natural History Museum's Upcoming Pokémon Merch Is All About 'Pokécology'
Opening later this month
After its announcement back in September 2025, The Pokémon Company has today lifted the lid on the theme for its upcoming Natural History Museum pop-up store, and it's all about Pokécology. Don't worry, we had to Google it too. For those wondering, 'Pokécology' is the study of Pokémon based on their assigned habitats...
News Turok 2 Gets Another Update On Switch, Here Are The Patch Notes
Patch 3.0 is now live
Nightdive Studios has announced that a new patch for Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is now live on all relevant platforms, so that includes the Nintendo Switch. We know what you're thinking, and yes, it's not been that long since the last update, but hey, if more improvements are to be made, then we're all for it. This one includes a...
A load of pollocks, or did they krill it?
Cast n Chill is one of those games that, the instant I clapped eyes on it, and even with other people telling me that it's real good, I got the feeling I'd just never get around to it. That's not to say fishing isn't for me or anything. I have fished in real life. Oh yes. My dad used to take me when I was a...
News GameSir And Hyperkin Reveal A Modular Pad With GameCube And N64 Layouts
Fully compatible with Switch and Switch 2
Accessory manufacturers GameSir and Hyperkin have joined forces to produce a fully modular controller that's compatible with the Switch and Switch 2: the GameSir x Hyperkin X5 Alteron. Ignoring the terrible name for a moment, this thing actually looks pretty neat. Utilising an extendable telescopic arm...
News Resident Evil Requiem's Latest Trailer Teases Bustling City Environment
How will it hold up on Switch 2?
Resident Evil Requiem arrives on the Switch 2 and multiple other platforms next month, and ahead of the anticipated release, new footage has surfaced at CES 2026 this week. During Nvidia's PC showcase of the title featuring path tracing and DLSS 4 with multi frame generation, a new setting in the series has...
News Nintendo Switch's Hulu App Will Be Discontinued Next Month
Nintendo confirms
If you've ever used the video streaming app Hulu on the Switch, just so you know - support for it is ending next month. In a notice on Nintendo's American support page, it's been confirmed the app will "no longer be available" on the eShop, and support officially ends on 5th February 2026. Discontinuation of Hulu App on Nintendo...
News Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Demo - Switch And Switch 2 Performance Investigated
Here's what you can expect
Square Enix's Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined demo is now live in select locations around the globe, and we've got some early details about how this game runs. This comes from the YouTube channel SwitchUp, which regularly investigates the performance of Switch and Switch 2 games. Players on Nintendo's original hybrid system...
Poll The Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Demo Is Now Available, What Are Your First Impressions?
Venture forth, hero
Yesterday, Square Enix announced it would be releasing a Switch and Switch 2 demo for Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined. It didn't take long for this demo to actually go live on the eShop in select locations, and now that we've all (hopefully) had some time to try it out, we're curious to know what your first impressions are - how...
News Mario Tennis On Switch 2 Has 38 Playable Characters – "The Most In Series History"
Including Daisy, Peach and 36 others...
Last year, Nintendo lifted the lid on a brand new Mario Tennis game for the Switch 2. It's called Mario Tennis Fever and will be launching next month on 12th February 2026. We've not really seen or heard much about it since then, but now that the new year is officially underway (and the tennis pro tour is...
Tuesday6th Jan 2026
Random Speedrunner Becomes First Person To Complete 'Super Meat Boy' Deathless
A rare feat
Super Meat Boy's reputation precedes it. The notoriously-difficult precision platformer is designed to be extremely challenging, and death on every single screen is basically inevitable. Amazingly, it's taken over 15 years for anyone to fully complete the game — that's get 106% completion — without dying, but it finally happened at...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects (December 2025)
Our picks for the best eShop games on Switch 1 & 2 in December
Hello and welcome to 2026 and the first eShop Selects of the year. You made it! Congrats! Of course, we start the year off by looking at the last month of 2025, December. And boy, what a December we had — probably one of the most-stacked we've ever had, including Metroid Prime 4:...
News London's Pop-Up Pokémon Center Officially Reopens In February 2026
Prepare your wallets
Uh oh, you'd best get your wallets ready folks, because the official Pokémon Center pop-up store is making a return in London this February as part of the 2026 Pokémon Europe International Championships. Open from Thursday, 12th February to Sunday, 15th February 2026, accessing the store will once again require a reservation,...
News Showcase Your Authoritah When South Park And Fortnite Collide This Week
Another crossover, mmkay?
Fortnite is pretty much solely known for its ludicrous crossovers these days, and after the success of the recent events centred around The Simpsons and Kill Bill, the game is gearing up for yet another. Yes, on 9th January 2025 (this Friday), South Park will enter the fray, though no specific details as to what this might...
News Capcom Arcade Stadium Physical Features Five Cover Options, But Which Is Your Favourite?
Pre-orders open this week
Back in its 10th anniversary special presentation, Limited Run Games announced that it was teaming up with Capcom on a line of physical releases. One of the titles falling in this physical line-up was Capcom Arcade Stadium, which had a vague '2026' release date attached. Well, with the new year finally upon us, we've got...
Video 8 Exciting New Games Coming To Switch 1 & 2 In January 2026
Crank up the AC
The new year is finally upon us, and with that comes a whole horde of new games to think about — yipee! 2026 is already looking pretty stacked, and while January is usually one of the quieter months in the release calendar, there are still a handful of big hitters coming our way over the next few weeks. Here to highlight the...
News Suika Game Planet Now Available On US eShop For Switch 1 & 2
Pineapple Express
We reviewed the original Suika Game back when it released on Switch in 2023, giving it a 7/10 and calling it a "ripe little puzzler", and one that you can nab for less than £3. A good thing in this economy, we can all agree. Now, fans of Suika's puzzling charms can dive into the game's equally colourful-looking sequel, Suika Game...
News Shovel Knight Dig Gets Limited Switch Physical Edition From Super Rare Games
Only 4000 copies up for grabs
We love ourselves a bit of Yacht Club Games' stupendously good Shovel Knight series, and 2022's Shovel Knight Dig, a collaboration with the maestros at Nitrome, even managed to swipe a rather excellent 9/10 in our review, where we concluded that the game "positively oozes quality, whether that be the snappy...
News Limited Run Games Kicks Off The New Year With A 'Switch 2 Edition' Shadow Drop
Tomba Raider
Tomba! Special Edition launched on Switch 1 back in 2024, and surprise! Limited Run Games has brought it back again for Nintendo's new hybrid with a host of hot upgrades. As revealed in a post on Bluesky, this Switch 2 Edition packs in increased resolution and "improved performance" — though the frame rate specifics were not given...
News Pokémon Pokopia Pre-Orders Come With A Free Gift From Pokémon Center
Plushies for all
If you're keen to bag a physical copy of Pokémon Pokopia (despite its Game-Key Card status), then you might want to head to the official Pokémon Center site. All pre-orders via Pokémon Center will come with a Ditto Sitting Cuties Plush which, as indicated on a separate store page, is worth $9.99 and comes in at 4¾ In. The game...
News Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Has Surpassed One Million Sales Worldwide
Cloud Nine
We knew that Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles was off to a good start when it launched on Switch and Switch 2 back at the end of September 2025, but Square Enix has today announced that it has already hit a pretty impressive sales milestone. As revealed in a post from the game's Twitter account, The Ivalice Chronicles has...
News Nintendo Renews Trademarks For 3DS And Wii U Games
Back to business
Nintendo is regularly renewing its video game trademarks, and with this in mind, some trademarks have apparently been spotted for The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. The multiplayer Zelda title originally made its debut on the 3DS in 2015. We found it to be a "mixed bag" compared to its illustrious...
News One Of 2025's Standout Switch Releases Could Get A Switch 2 Edition Upgrade
The Hundred Line team says it will "consider" it
One Switch release we didn't think enough people spoke about in 2025 was The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy. Fortunately, there might be a chance of it returning to the spotlight in the future. In a recent interview with RPG Site, the title's co-director Kazutaka Kodaka mentioned how the team at...
News Lego Is Launching An Evolutionary 2x4 Smart Brick Featuring A Tiny Computer
Rumours suggest it could power new Pokémon sets
Lego has officially announced a new 2x4 "smart brick" at CES 2026 this week. It's apparently the "most significant evolution" in the Lego system since the release of the Minifigure in 1978 and is part of the company's "smart play" initiatives. This brick, which will be featured in new Star Wars sets...
Save data will also carry over
If you're not sold on the upcoming release Dragon Quest VII Reimagined just yet, Square Enix will be releasing a "free demo" for the Switch, Switch 2 and other platforms on 7th January 2026. Like many of its other demos, you'll be able to carry over your progress to the full release when it launches next month on 5th...
Monday5th Jan 2026
News Pac-Man Joins The 'Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds' Roster Later This Week
Eating up the dust
If you thought Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was slowing down anytime soon, think again. Sega has announced that the Pac-Man Pack will be available on 7th January 2026. Alongside the upcoming DLC, which includes the iconic Namco character as a playable racer, PAC-MAN Festival is also kicking off a day later on 8th January from 4pm PT...
News One Of The Best EarthBound-Inspired Indie RPGs Gets Switch Release Date
Update: Plus a brand new trailer
Wed 16th Apr, 2025 19:30 BST: We all know just how influential EarthBound is at this point. Despite initially underselling and putting people off with weird marketing campaigns, the game (and, in turn, series) is one of the most beloved games on the SNES. So it's no wonder that EarthBound-inspired games are a dime a...
News Belkin's New Charging Case Pro For Switch 2 Looks Like A Huge Improvement
Shipping starts this month
Accessory manufacturer Belkin has added a new Switch 2 case to its catalogue, and this one looks like a doozy. The Charging Case Pro retails for $99.99, which certainly sounds like a lot for a case, but you're also getting a lot with this one. The new Pro model comes with an LED indicator so you can quickly see how much...
Guide 35 Upcoming Nintendo Switch 1 & 2 Games To Look Forward To In 2026
The very best Switch 1 & 2 games coming soon
Juggling two consoles is hard work for some, but not for Nintendo. While the Switch 2 is the primary focus for the Big N, don't ever count the Switch 1 out. 2025 was a busy one, with the Switch 2's launch really filling out the roster and finally giving us some long-awaited titlesand big launch-window...
News Final Fantasy IX's Character Designer Has Left Square Enix
"I felt this was the right moment"
Toshiyuki Itahana, an illustrator best known for his work as a character designer on Final Fantasy IX, has left Square Enix. Confirming the news online, Itahana-san said that the decision to leave was made at the end of 2025 once all of his commitments to the 25th Anniversary for Final Fantasy IX were complete. He...
Random Lego Fans Have Apparently Forgotten What Game Boy Cartridges Look Like
Including us..?
The Lego Game Boy has, to be expected, proven to be a smash hit with Nintendo fans, and has no doubt been a blisteringly hot product over the Christmas period. But it seems as though many folks have forgotten what a Game Boy cartridge actually looks like, as photos cropping up online showcase the Lego cartridges with the top panel...
