Amidst the chaos of the next-gen console war, the Switch forges ahead its own path.
Out of hundreds of titles, here are our picks for the Top 25 Upcoming Nintendo Switch games of 2021.
To see the complete and up-to-date list of all Switch releases,
visit our page of All Upcoming Switch Games.
1. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy The sequel to Gust and Koei Tecmo's RPG.
Set in the Royal Capital, it follows the story of Reisalin Stout and her curious companion in
their quest to uncover the mysteries of the world. It seems like a much more urban title
compared to other fantasy-based JRPGS and it's releasing on January 26, 2021.
2. Little Nightmares II Tarsier Studios adds a new
chapter to their horrific puzzle adventure. Six is certainly making a return, but this time,
only as a guide to the true star, Mono. With Six slowly fading from the world,
it's up to Mono to save her from her dark fate. There's less of the gruesome monsters of the Maw,
but it seems no less eerie and disturbing than the last. It's coming on February 11th.
3. Bravely Default II Confusingly the third entry
to the popular JRPG series. With this installment, fans will be treated to a brand new storyline that
features four protagonists, each guided by the crystals and powered with unique skills. REVO will
also back the world with a fresh soundtrack once more. The devs have been remarkably responsive
with feedback from the recent Demo and we’re looking forward to seeing it on February 26th.
4. Monster Hunter: Rise It'll be hard to beat the
groundbreaking success of Monster Hunter: World but we'll see CAPCOM make their attempt in this
new entry to the series. In Rise, we'll see a more refined monster hunting experience.
Along with its seamless exploration, we'll also have a whole lot more mobility to traverse it.
All together with the return of 4 player co-op. It's set to release on March 26th.
5. Subnautica It may not be a new game,
but this game has long been renowned for its open world survival gameplay. Set in the deep
oceans of an alien planet, there's a million things to discover in the world of Subnautica.
Whether breathtaking or scary. And, to finally have that ported into the Switch's portable format
would be a dream for old and new survivalists. The good news is coming out early next year.
6. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster We'll be met with two SMT titles next year and one
of them is this modern revamp of a classic title. 17 years after it first released,
Nocturne will look and feel a whole lot different with new voice-acted cutscenes and adjustments to
its infamous difficulty. This will hopefully enable more players to enjoy the captivating
story while earning all of their many endings. Coming out sometime in the first half of 2021.
7. Chained Echoes Unlike our previous games,
this is a relatively new name in the JRPG genre. It's a labor love by developer Matthias Linda.
And, it packs plenty of the genre's tropes within its story of a group of heroes
and their quest to end the war of Valandis' three kingdoms. You can look forward to 16
bit perfection and turn-based battles when it releases on the fourth quarter of 2021.
8. Spacebase Startopia The reboot to a colorful space
station management sim was supposed to come out this year. But following a recent delay,
it looks like we'll have to wait a bit more to relive the cosmic economic hijinx.
While it may only be an unofficial spiritual successor, recent demos have shown developer
Kalypso's faithfulness to the original. It's set to release in Spring 2021.
9. Gamedec For fans of Cyberpunk dystopia, there's
more where that came from in this isometric RPG from Anshar Studios. It's based on a popular book,
and it's teeming with adaptive RPG mechanics that are reminiscent of the recent indie success,
Disco Elysium. Working side by side with the actual author of the source material, there's
no doubt it'll be quite a narrative experience too. No release date yet but it's due in 2021.
10. Genshin Impact One of the games that took everyone’s
attention this year. This open world action RPG has earned acclaim for its scenic environments.
So much so that it’s garnered comparisons to the latest Pokemon titles. While it does have
some gacha mechanics, all the features it offers in a free to play model definitely outweighs it.
We’ll have to see what form it’ll take when it releases on the Switch sometime in 2021.
11. Apex Legends Another familiar free to play game.
Respawn and EA's game is set to compete with Fortnite on the battle royale fps game on
yet another platform. Praised for its gunplay and unique ping system, it's already earned a
reputation for being one of the best in the genre. But, with this coming arrival on the Switch comes
cross platform play across PCs and other consoles. Play along with friends sometime in 2021.
12. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga The most ambitious LEGO Star Wars title to date.
From a New Hope to the most recent Rise of the Skywalker, all these films and more will
get their own chapters in this blocky parody. Link up with over 500 different characters,
go on up to 45 different missions, and traverse a range of fully explorable planets.
Needing a bit of time in the oven, it's expected to hit stores sometime in 2021.
13. Shin Megami Tensei V The first Shin Megami Tensei
game in quite a while. And, Atlus is making quite a big impression already.
Known for its dark themes, V is set to go on a whole new level with a story that challenges you
to reject all your gods. While Japan usually takes the first bite at SMT's titles, we'll all get to
see it together with the promise of a simultaneous worldwide release. It's coming out in 2021.
14. Rune Factory 5 We've been waiting for this
entry for a long time too. After reports of the series being dead, it's a sigh of relief to have
an upcoming new installment. Rune Factory is known for putting combat side by side with the relaxing
farm life and joys of romance. We'll see it in full bloom with a new story of a peacekeeping
ranger in a gorgeous fantasy world. No release date yet but it's set to release in 2021.
15. No More Heroes III The rise of comic book heroes
has inspired legendary director Suda51 and we're gonna see his vision play it in this third entry.
Expect massive action scenes in a global setting in a story about fighting an alien
invasion. This will be the first main entry to the series in years. After Travis stint in the
world of mini games, it'll be great to dive into Suda51's more substantial title. Coming in 2021.
16. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Following people's disappointment with the
Pokemon series, this sequel to the Monster Hunter spinoff might just be the answer.
In Stories, players get to play as Riders instead of the series' usual hunters. And with Wings of
Ruin, we witness a title that focuses more on delivering a richer and more emotional storyline.
The trailers show it'll be just as gorgeous as the last and it's set to release in 2021.
17. Temtem Crema's adventure MMO is ready to compete
directly with the long-running Pokemon series. It follows the blueprint that Pokemon created almost
to the dot. The Temtem are just as cute and it hopes to introduce player vs player battles within
a persistent world. It's definitely a welcome spin to the formula. These new features haven’t
been implemented in its current iteration but we hope to see them when Temtem releases in 2021.
18. Pokemon Unite Nintendo has created their own
take on the MOBA using the ever-popular monsters of the Pokemon franchise.
Instead of journeying from gym to gym, trainers will be grouped into teams of five,
catching and evolving pokemon to earn points and win the battle. Putting a strategic,
team-based spin on the series, we'll see how it plays out when it released in 2021.
19. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox In Ys' 9th entry,
we explore a new chapter in Adol's adventures.
We find the red swordsman in the prison city of Balduq. He and his crew are cursed to become
Monstrums and gain an array of supernatural gifts which they use to defeat Grimwald.
It's already released to much acclaim in Japan and we can expect the localization to arrive in 2021.
20. Blood Bowl III Fantasy Football has
never been more fantasy than this bloody death sport set in the Warhammer universe. Blood Bowl
takes cues from American Football and gives it a chaotic and slightly gruesome fantasy twist.
The third installment will come with 12 races that can be played through their campaign and
multiplayer modes. Not much is known about the game yet but it's expected to come out in 2021.
21. Lost in Random Creepy, Burton-esque visuals are
back on the rise with this new adventure from the developers of 2018's Fe. This is a new EA original
title and it explores the many possibilities that a roll of the dice represents. Play as
Even and her sidekick dicey as they try their luck in the dark fantasy world of Random. A little like
a friendlier, storybook version of Tarsier's Little Nightmares, it's coming out in 2021.
22. Sky: Children of the Light We've already witnessed the
beauty of thatgamecompany's free to play adventure on the mobile.
Come 2021, though, the mobile title is expanding its horizons.
Boasting beautiful , minimalist art style, it's already exceeded expectations on the iOS.
With this port though, it opens up the possibility of seeing the game on the big screen.
23. Doom Eternal id Software's action
FPS has already earned its marks on the PC and other current-gen consoles.
Soon enough, we'll see how the high caliber title performs on Nintendo's hybrid console.
Though it was reportedly very close to completion, no release date has yet been posted for the title.
With rumors of a 2021 release, we're left crossing our fingers that they're right.
24. Disco Elysium Another critically acclaimed title has left
Switch players waiting with bated breath. It's one of THE games of 2019 for its inventive and
immersive RPG gameplay. Choose a character to play in the dystopian universe and take your pick from
their dizzying array of choices, skills, stats, and conversation branches. No release date yet.
25. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 If there's one game everyone's waiting for on
the Switch, it's the sequel to their impressive launch title.
First announced last year, we've heard very little about what's happening in development
for the second Breath of the Wild game. This may be a pattern in Nintendo's groundbreaking titles.
But while there's no release date yet, some leaks have speculated a 2021 window.