Persona 3 Reload's strengths are in its details. The game's turn-based combat and social aspects should become repetitive, but they build effectively throughout. More importantly, the style, story, and characters are continually compelling, driving to a finish that will stick with you well after the game's finished.
NBA 2K26 should look and perform better on the Switch 2. It should also tone it down with all of the microtransaction noise on top of an already $70 game. But if you're willing to overlook those issues, you'll get a game that's a lot of fun to play and provides many ways to play it.
Rise Eterna 2 doesn't correct the UI issues of the original, but its brisk approach to gameplay and storytelling makes for a compelling and fun turn-based adventure. Fans of classic Fire Emblem games will feel right at home, and-more importantly-will enjoy the strategic elements that make it unique.
Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the previous version it replaces in the eShop. If you have that, you're fine. If you don't, this is a surprisingly deep, highly addictive match-three RPG that's well worth the price.
HYKE: Northern Light(s) places gamers in an attractive world with interesting characters, but doesn't give them enough to do to really hook fans of retro RPGs. It's a game worth playing and finishing, but easy to move on from.
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian is a series callback not just with its familiar characters, but in the simplified exploration, synthesis, and turn-based combat, too. Fans of older Atelier games may welcome the change, but it may have simplified too much for those seeking a challenge worthy of its price tag.
Set aside your notions of how a modern RPG should look and play, and you're going to have a great time with The Nameless: Slay Dragon. Its focus on the characters and story and how your decisions affect them compensates for its more basic approach to how its world is displayed and navigated.
VARLET doesn't do anything wrong as far as JRPGs go, but it also doesn't do enough that's interesting. The game puts its engaging characters in a typical high school setting and gives them the standard tasks to complete with little challenge to interfere. It's an OK game to chill with, but it doesn't leave an impression.
It's been so long since a Madden game has been playable on a Nintendo device that pretty much anything would've satisfied NFL fans. Thankfully, Madden NFL 26 happens to be a good game that offers a massive playbook of depth and content. Just be prepared to spend time on the practice squad while you get up to speed.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion will thrill fans of mech-based combat. There's no shortage of customization options or enemies to pound down with your optimized loadouts. Those looking for a more narrative adventure, however, may eventually tire of the explore, fight, rejuvenate/optimize loop.
Space Adventure Cobra – Awakening combines the style of its early '80s anime source material with the complexity of modern action-platformers to create a game full of…well, style and complexity. It's not without its hardships, but those up for the challenge will be entertained.
Shuten Order is so all over the place that its eShop listing doesn't even provide a genre. But don't take that as a lack of focus; this game knows what it wants to accomplish, and does so effectively. Players seeking a text-heavy adventure with uncomfortable choices to make are in for a wild (albeit occasionally overlong) time.
Shadow Labyrinth moves Pac-Man from his traditional mazes to the caverns of a dying planet, and will likely lose classic arcade fans along the way. But although it makes some gameplay and design mistakes that should have been avoidable, it's weird enough to provide some fun for fans of 2D platformers.
No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is a wonderfully effective mashup of puzzle-based gaming styles held together by fun characters and a chaotic story. A knowledge of the series is useful, but this entry served as my introduction, and I still had a blast.
Flora & Fang: Guardians of the Vampire Garden is the type of game that would've kept my friends and I entertained late into a 1980s Saturday night. Familiar arcade gameplay is supplemented by modern tower defense strategies and upgrades, providing more longevity than first expected.
Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition is still a game that will push strategy fans to (and beyond) their limits. You'll spend more time learning than playing. But the Joy-Con mouse functionality in this Switch 2-only release removes a major obstacle to the long-serving rewards awaiting those able to stick with it.
Klaus Lee – Thunderballs is an engaging homage to the TV and gaming action heroes of the '80s. It's not the deepest or most diverse platformer you'll play on the Switch, but its 100+ levels and built-in level designer provide plenty of staying power.
Although TRON: Catalyst may feel like a paint-by-numbers entry in the Tron series, it's one of the better kits we've had. It stumbles over repetition and some awkward gameplay segments, but the solid story and franchise-familiar elements will carry fans through its somewhat short runtime.
HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition is perhaps thus named because it literally requires your signature to play. Once you're past that and a few other technical and online issues, however, you'll get a ton of content with countless ways to work through it. Make room for the 60GB install file, because you'll want to keep this game around for a very long time.
If you're looking for a game to highlight how different the Switch 2 experience can be, look no further than Kunitsu-Gamin: Path of the Goddess. The unique combination of action and tower-defense strategy-enhanced by the stunning graphics and art direction-make this a game you'll use to show off your new system.