What to Expect From Switch Games in 2025

2025 is set to be an exciting year for Nintendo and the Switch, as the company has promised to announce its next console before the end of March. This could greatly inform Switch game releases for the whole year. The Switch has been a major subject of the rumor mill lately, as many are expecting major announcements in honor of the Switch 2’s eventual reveal.

As the wait for Nintendo’s next console continues, the first quarter of the year is already filled with some big releases for the current Switch. There are bound to be more announcements in the coming months, but so far, 2025 is already filled with an impressive roster of Switch games.

2025 Switch Game Release Calendar

January

• Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana (PS5/PS4, Switch) – January 7
• Freedom Wars Remastered (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch) – January 10
• Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) – January 16
• Tales of Graces f Remastered (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC, Xbox One, XSX/S) – January 17
• Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (PC, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) – January 23
• Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (PC, PS4/5, Switch) – January 30
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure (PC, Switch) – January 31

February

• Moon of Darsalon (PC, PS4/5, Switch, XSX/S) – February 6
• Civilization 7 (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch) – February 11
• Date Everything! (PC, PS5, Switch, XSX/S) – February 14
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 (PS5, PS4, PC, Switch) – February 14
• Tomb Raider IV-V-VI Remastered (PC, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) – February 14

March

• Football Manager 25 (PC, PS5, XSX/S, Switch, Mobile) – TBA
• Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (PS4, PS5, PC, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) – March 6
• Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch) – March 20
• Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, Xbox One, XSX/S) – March 21
• Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game (PS5, XSX/S, Switch, PC) – March 25
• Rain World DLC ‘The Watcher’ (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, XSX/S, Xbox One) – March 28

April

• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Switch) – TBA
• Star Overdrive (Switch) – April 10

TBA Releases

• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (PS4, Switch, PC)
• Catly (Switch, PC)
• Carmen Sandiego (Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, XSX/S, Switch, Xbox One) – Early 2025
• Chained Echoes – Ashes of Elrant DLC (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
• Coffee Talk Tokyo (PC, PS5, XSX/S, Switch)
• Dave the Diver – In the Jungle DLC (PC, Switch, PS4/5)
• Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 – (PC, Switch, PS5)
• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles 2 (PS, Xbox, PC, Switch)
• Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (PS5, PC, Switch, XSX/S)
• Little Nightmares 3 (PC, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox)
• Lunar Remastered Collection (PS4, PS5, PC, Switch, Xbox One)
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch)
• Mouse P.I. For Hire (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, XSX/S)
• Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (PC, Switch, PS4/5, XSX/S, Xbox One)
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A (Switch)
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam (Switch)
• Promise Mascot Agency (PC, PS4/5, Xbox One, XSX/S, Switch)
• Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (PC, Switch) – Spring
• Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker (Switch, PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, XSX/S) Spring
• Shadow Labyrinth (PS5, Switch, PC, XSX/S)
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st (Switch)
• Tron: Catalyst (PC, PS5, XSX/S, Switch)

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

The beginning of 2025 kicks off with a nostalgic start, as Donkey Kong Country Returns HD finally makes its way to the Switch. Originally released for the Wii back in 2010, this entry in the Donkey Kong franchise brings another fun platformer to Nintendo’s current console. After Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong’s banana hoard is stolen by the Tiki Tak Tribe, players must explore the island to find the missing bananas.

While there have been plenty of Donkey Kong ports for the Switch, the console has not boasted a single original Donkey Kong game. The arrival of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is exciting, but it will hopefully reignite demand for a brand-new entry. With the Switch 2 on the horizon, there is newfound hope for a fresh Donkey Kong game in the future.

Civilization 7

While Civilization 7 is not a first-party title, it is one of the biggest releases scheduled for the console in 2025. Civilization 7 has been a long time coming, and its impending release has excited many lovers of the strategy franchise. The month of February is filled with a lot of high-profile releases, and Civilization 7 brings a massive name to the Switch on February 11.

Civilization 7 Biggest Features

• A three-age structure that has players progress through Antiquity, Discovery, and Modern ages.
• Crisis events
• Streamlined Tech & Culture trees
• More dynamic terrain and environments
• Players can mix and match leaders and civilizations.

Tales of the Shire

Another non-first-party title that is primed to be a great addition to the Switch is Tales of the Shire. Based on The Lord of the Rings franchise, Tales of the Shire switches up the usual “battle between good and evil” formula of the series and opts for a cozy life simulator based on Hobbit life. Since Hobbit life revolves around leisurely pastimes, parties, and good food, Tolkien’s iconic creatures make for a perfect life sim template. Getting to decorate a Hobbit hole and explore the cozy landscape of the Shire seems like a perfect fit for the Switch. Set for launch in March, Tales of the Shire kicks off spring with a dose of coziness.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

This is the title that’s on many Nintendo fans’ minds. The long-awaited fourth mainline Metroid Prime entry was finally confirmed for a 2025 release earlier this year. Although an official release date has yet to be revealed, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond seems primed to be a title Nintendo will want to push for its impending Switch 2. Of course, this is mere speculation, but the timing surrounding the launch date and Nintendo’s plans to announce the Switch 2 before the end of March feels intentional.

Metroid Prime 4
was originally announced back in 2017. However, the project was scrapped in 2019, as developers opted to start over from scratch.

​​​​​The Switch 2 and Port Rumors

Rumors and leaks have suggested a wide variety of titles could be getting Switch ports in 2025. Games like The Wind Waker, Kirby: Planet Robobot, and Metroid Prime 2 Remastered have been at the forefront of these rumors. With the Switch 2’s confirmed backward compatibility, it would be a perfect time to release such ports, if true. Nintendo fans have been gearing up for the Switch 2’s announcement, and the wait has produced a lot of leaks. Whether these leaks are about the console itself or the games it could feature, the port rumors will likely continue until Nintendo confirms a roster of games to expect at launch.

Switch 2 rumors have made claims of a larger console and magnetic Joy-Cons.

Switch 2 Releases May Be Announced Soon

It’s already been confirmed by some developers that certain games, like My Time at Evershine, are being developed specifically with the Switch 2 in mind. With Nintendo’s set announcement target of March 2025 quickly approaching, it’s possible that the first official round of Switch 2-branded games could be revealed alongside it, or at the very least, soon after.