The Nintendo Switch 2 is the most hotly-anticipated gaming launch of 2025, heralding a whole new generation of hybrid handheld-meets-home-console gaming.
While we’re as excited as anyone to tuck into Mario Kart World, and can’t wait to revisit some classic Nintendo GameCube games through the revised Switch Online Library, let’s not overlook the vast library of original Switch games that will be instantly at our disposal.
Indeed, the Switch 2’s enhanced capabilities might make these classic Switch games play better than ever. Nintendo is offering enhancements to several of its key Switch games, often with a small fee attached, but don’t let that limit you.
Speaking at an official Ask The Developer event a couple of months ago, Nintendo Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta confirmed that even with non-enhanced Switch games, load times may improve and general performance may become more stable.
The next evolution of the Nintendo Switch console is here! Experience new, exclusive games like Mario Kart World only on Nintendo Switch 2.
This got us to thinking about all of those hidden gem Switch games that may have gotten overlooked amidst the original Switch console’s vast library, but which now have the chance to enjoy a whole new lease of life on the Switch 2.
Here, we're highlighting eight great, often-overlooked original Switch titles well worth revisiting on the Nintendo Switch 2...
1. Astral Chain
If you hadn’t forgotten all about this one, it’s probably because you had no idea it even existed. This Nintendo-published Switch exclusive was developed by cult Japanese developer PlatinumGames, which made the likes of the Bayonetta series, Nier: Automata, and Star Fox Zero. This is another slick third person action game from the developer, set in a dystopian future, and with appropriately manga-inspired character designs and a novel dual-character combat system. If you missed out on Astral Chain the first time around – and most people did – check it out on the Switch 2’s meatier hardware.
2. The Wonderful 101: Remastered
Here’s another Switch release from Astral Chain developer PlatinumGames. As the name suggests, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is actually a reworking of an old Wii U game, so it wins double points for being a twice-ignored game. It really doesn’t deserve such a fate though, with a beautifully expressive comic book world filled with zany superheroes. You’ll find yourself commanding a bunch of said heroes in way that’s not totally dissimilar to Nintendo’s Pikmin, but with a focus on beat-‘em-up combat and lavish boss set pieces.
3. Cobalt Core
OK, so Cobalt Core doesn’t require any extra Switch 2 juice to run properly. It’s a simple-looking game. However, it is also a brilliant little roguelike deck building game that remains exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, at least within a console context. If you’ve ever enjoyed a run (more likely hundreds of runs) of Slay the Spire or Monster Train, you’ll find plenty to love here. Cobalt Core sees you engaging in tactical turn-based battles using a steadily growing pack of empowered cards, and represented by a crew of anthropomorphic spacefaring animals.
4. Daemon X Machina
Daemon X Machina is the kind of lavish action game that could really benefit from the Switch 2’s extra poke. Think of it as a spiritual successor to the Armored Core series, led by that cult franchise’s producer Kenichiro Tsukuda. It follows a similar formula: kit out your huge walking tank with as many guns as it can hold (a surprisingly tactical process), then head off into vast 3D arenas to blast the heck out of your opponents. The third person combat is weighty and kinetic, and it all takes place in a glorious anime-inflected cel-shaded world.
5. The Touryst
The Touryst was something of a technical showcase for what the original Switch could do, provided enough care and skill is applied. And boy, did developer Shin'en Multimedia apply ladles of both. It’s not the showiest title around, but The Touryst’s chunky 3D world moves at a gloriously slick (and all too rare) 60fps, rarely pauses to load, and throws a number of impressive visual effects at you. It’s also a charming adventure game in its own right, filled with clever puzzles and humorous sight gags.
6. City of Brass
City of Brass is a unique first person roguelike action game filled with challenging melee combat. Set in a rich Arabian Nights-themed world populated by fickle djinns, sadistic skeleton swordsmen, and procedurally generated levels laden with loot, it’s a blast to play. This one actually came to Switch some time after the other console platforms, but it was a remarkably solid port that seemed to fit the console like a glove. It’s well worth revisiting on the Switch 2, if you’re after a stiff challenge and a change of digital scenery.
7. Ape Out
Ape Out was well received and ran well on the Switch, but we suspect that it never sold in the huge numbers it deserved. Ape Out casts you as a furious primate, set loose in an achingly stylish world filled with stark outlines and brash splashes of colour. The goal: to brawl your way through each top-down level, staying out of the way of gunfire before barrelling in close to your human foes to deliver the finishing blow. All of this, and it’s accompanied by a raucously reactive jazz soundtrack the likes of which we haven’t heard in a game before or since.
8. In Other Waters
This gloriously peaceful, deeply immersive game launched as a Switch console exclusive back in 2020, and it remains a distinctively flavoured experience that you should check out on your new Switch 2. You play the part of an AI that must guide an xenobiologist in their investigation of a water-logged alien planet. In Other Waters has a beautifully serene art style, and the kind of stylish UI that a multi-billion-dollar smartphone maker would surely kill to have. This is also that refreshingly rare game that’s completely free of violence, concerned only with the wonder of discovery.
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