We’ve picked out the highlights (and lowlights) with three separate tables below. We begin with the category that has you the most excited…
Most Wanted Switch 2 Launch Games
First up, let’s take a look at the games you’ll be insta-buying, given the chance:
Surprising absolutely nobody, it’s Mario Kart of the Wild which has the most people slamming that ‘Want!’ button. Seems like Nintendo might know what it’s doing with that $80 price tag. DK isn’t far behind, though, and we’re heartened to see such strong interest in the GC games.
BOTW and TOTK are known quantities but naturally popular, though that third-party drop-off with Cyberpunk is interesting to see. And well done to Fast Fusion for holding its own with the big guns – we’re eager to see more of that from Shin’en.
In terms of Nintendo’s post-launch lineup (what’s announced of it, at least), it’s Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (63%), Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World (breathe… 34%), and Kirby Air Riders (34%) that you’re most jazzed about right now.
Most Wait-and-See Switch 2 Launch Games
Then there are the games in the ‘Maybe’ category. Whether they just need to see some more or the games are being pushed out of the wishlist by the bigger dogs, here are the Switch 2 launch games NL readers are on the fence about:
Loads of games scoring the same percentage of ‘Not Sure’s here. Perhaps people are waiting on the technical breakdown for Cyberpunk, still wary of that game’s rocky launch back in 2020 and wondering how Switch 2 can possibly handle it.
Otherwise, there are some distinct ‘waiting for the reviews’ and ‘waiting for my first post-launch payday’ vibes around a lot of these, which is totally understandable, especially for ports of games available elsewhere that you might even have on your current Switch.
Outside of the launch titles, it was Kirby Air Riders (29%), Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (okay, these names are just stupid… 24%), and both Drag x Drive and Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World (23% each) which elicited the most uncertainty from Nintendo’s post-launch day lineup.
Most ‘Unwanted’ Switch 2 Launch Games
Oof. And finally here are the 10 games that our readers are least interested in at the time of writing:
A few surprises there, especially poor Hitman and Riiiidge Racer. Several of these games are already on Switch, so there’s no doubt a ‘known quantity’ factor. Some more niche, genre entries like Nobunaga and Civ have passionate fans but lack the wide appeal of, say, a Mario Kart. You could say the same for Deltarune, so you obviously want to take these with a pinch of salt.
Survival Kids, as intellectually intriguing as a remake of a GBC game might be, probably isn’t the Switch 2 launch title gamers wanted to see from a company with Konami’s catalogue. Elsewhere, the backlash that Welcome Tour isn’t a pack-in seems to be evident here, too. Interesting to see it creep onto the Most Wanted list at the very bottom, though!
And unsurprisingly, it’s Drag x Drive which tops the post-launch list of least loved first-party Switch 2 games. As we said in our preview, it comes across poorly in screenshots, but we really enjoyed our time with it. If a game ever needed a free eShop demo, it’s that one!
Aaand that wraps things up. Many thanks to everyone who responded and contributed to the stats! Any surprises in the data there? Let us know in the usual place.
