Every Nintendo franchise is still missing from the Switch 2 a year later

We're a year into the life cycle of the Nintendo Switch 2, and while the catalog of games available for it is growing steadily after this long, there are still a handful of pretty iconic Nintendo series that have yet to get a moment in the sun on NSW2.

But with console life cycles lasting several years, there's no reason to fear just yet! Nintendo knows its catalog of games both new and old has leagues of fans all over the world waiting for their next chance to play. Hopefully I'll be grabbing my JoyCon soon with new games in these series.

10

Kid Icarus

While Nintendo is easily the most well-known gaming company out there these days, that doesn't mean that every game they make will have the commercial success of titles like those in the Mario or Zelda series. Smaller titles that are near and dear to gamers' hearts are everywhere throughout Nintendo's history, and one of the greatest of them all has been Kid Icarus.

You've definitely seen the iconic characters like the titular Kid Icarus himself or The Goddess of Light Palutena in other hit Nintendo titles, but the Kid Icarus series has only seen a handful of games so far since its debut in 1986. It's high time Nintendo shed new light on this cult classic.

9

Dr. Mario

Okay, I'll admit that they probably needed to add a little more to the game than just the matching puzzles that we all loved with Dr. Mario, whose medical license we would love to take a look at sometime. But with Dr. Mario on every handheld console Nintendo has launched so far, it's time for a Switch 2 game.

Dr. Mario saw players play a fast-paced Tetris-like game, with capsule pills dropping from the top of the screen for you to match and clear your side of the board. It's a fun, competitive puzzle game that we can see getting a lot of love on the new generation of consoles!

​

8

Super Smash Bros.

Just because the classic arcades of yesteryear are all but gone doesn't mean people's passion for getting intense in fighting games has gone anywhere! The Smash Bros. games have always been competitive, and as one of the first games to enter the mainstream competitive realm, I'd love another chance to battle my friends.

The competitive scene around the Super Smash Bros. titles has always been fierce, and with the console lacking a good fighting title thus far, it's high time for Smash Bros. to return. While I'm not sure where to go from bringing the full roster of fighters from every previous Super Smash Bros. title to date, I'm sure Nintendo will find a way to keep us in the running with the Bros.

7

Paper Mario

If the 2024 remake of the 2004 classic Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door proved one thing, it's that we'll never tire of different ways to experience the worlds of Mario games. Debuting with Paper Mario for the Nintendo64 in 2000 and seemingly coming and going since then, we've been waiting a long time for a new Paper Mario title.

The charming 2D style still has a home on modern consoles, serving as a change of pace from the usual, over-the-top 3D Mario titles that accompanied the rise of console power. There have only been six Paper Mario games so far, but many of us are ready for number seven on Switch 2 one day, hopefully soon.

​

6

WarioWare

Nintendo loves a good spin-off game, and what better character to use as a mascot for a series of fast and crazy mini-games than Wario? If you love the fast pace and silliness of your fast-paced games, then you're probably familiar with these collections, known for their memorably quirky flavor.

You get all sorts of simplistic instructions in these games that fly by faster and faster as the rounds go by, so the replay value in them will never be lost. Plus, now that we have mouse functionality with the Switch 2 JoyCon, who knows what fun new games Nintendo could create?

​

5

Pikmin

Icons from the GameCube era that have earned their staying power over the years between game entries, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want another Pikmin game sooner rather than later. These iconic, colorful little guys are so emblematic of the pure, simple fun of Nintendo gaming.

You spend Pikmin games wandering through lush planets, collecting all kinds of items and solving creative puzzles with the help of your Pikmin, as the different colors all denote different abilities that your little friends have as they interact with the world around them. The last game came out later in the Switch's life cycle, but I'm still waiting for a Switch 2 game anyway.

4

Mario Party

The first Mario Party title on the Nintendo64 took my family by storm when it launched, bringing cartoon party games into my life for the first time, and I've spent the last few decades straining my relationships by challenging the people I love to a 30-round match in the Mario Party thunderdome.

You haven't lived until you've seen the light leave someone's eyes when you steal their star and put them in last place in these games. You don't know the competition until you're in a minigame with someone who needs to win so they can buy a star next turn because they're totally crazy there. We deserve more than just a port in Jamboree, Nintendo!

​

3

Super Mario

Mario is Nintendo's flagship, its mascot and one of the most recognizable fictional characters on the whole. Much of what the brand has become is built on Super Mario games, and we've been waiting a long time for a fun new adventure for everyone's favorite plumber!

Super Mario Odyssey was a lively, charming reimagining where the Super Mario games take on the new generations of console technology, showcasing all kinds of cool features on the first Switch. With the excitement surrounding the Super Mario movies still at a fever pitch, it seems like the perfect time to introduce a new Super Mario game as well.

​

2

A new Mainline Zelda

Nintendo definitely knew it was going to knock the 2026 gaming conference season out of the park, with the last-minute trailer announcing a full Ocarina of Time remake, and while I'm definitely excited about it as a 30-year-old who grew up with the series, I'm also looking forward to the inevitability of a new Zelda timeline.

While not everyone loved the open world style of the modern Zelda games, with an Ocarina of Time remake coming later this year, it would be a good time to announce that there is also a new title in the works for the Switch 2. We've gotten a mainline Zelda game on every home console so far, so it would be weirder for Nintendo not to make one now.

​

1

Animal Crossing

Even if you weren't a fan of the Animal Crossing franchise before the global shutdowns in 2020, I bet you fell in love with this charming animal paradise when Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched and skyrocketed to success, almost immediately becoming Nintendo's second best-selling game of all time (behind only Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which earned the title over two decades).

Eight years passed between the previous game in the series, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which debuted on Nintendo 3DS, and the much-hyped launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch. And with so much love surrounding the games, a new entry in the series on Switch 2 feels more like one when type of message than one If.