Nintendo Switch: Here’s every launch game we know about (so far)
This article originally appeared on TIME.com.
Nintendo’s mobile/handheld Switch game console arrives on March 3. And as that date approaches, we’re seeing new titles step up.
The tally so far is seven, and yes, that’s small by contemporary launch standards. Contrast that figure with Sony’s PlayStation 4, which in the U.S. had 25 games when it debuted on November 15, 2013, or Microsoft’s Xbox One, which had 22 when it rolled out November 22, 2013.
Then again, launch cornucopias are a more recent phenomenon. The Super Nintendo had five games at its U.S. launch in August 1991, while the Nintendo 64 had two — Pilotwings and Super Mario 64 — when it appeared in September 1996. The Xbox 360 had 18 U.S. launch titles in November 2005 and the Wii had 21 in November 2006, but the PlayStation 3 had just 14 when it arrived in tandem with Nintendo’s initial tango with motion controls.
More important, when you glance back at most of those games now, you’re struck by just how un-striking they were. Showstoppers like a core Zelda game are all but nonexistent.
Nintendo’s software argument for Switch is going to hinge initially on its loopy haptics and motion control game 1-2-Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The latter exists to lure core gamers who’ve been waiting for a truly open world Zelda for decades, while the former acts as a party game designed to stealth market the system to players beyond Nintendo’s base. The company doubtless believes quality trumps quantity, and so it’s going to be down mostly to these two games to make that case off the block.
The difficulty Switch could get into involves what looks to be a content lull between March and the holidays, though that could change as more games are confirmed or nailed down. On the other hand, and assuming they’re destined for critical acclaim, having completely new and exclusive games like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Snipperclips, Arms and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 available as part of your launch year holiday lineup could prove a much bigger deal than anyone’s yet realized. We’ll see.
Here’s a rundown of the games we know about so far. We’ll keep this list updated as new titles appear or timeframes change. We’ve also included pre-order links where applicable.
March 3 (Launch Titles)
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth†
I Am Setsuna
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
March 2017 (Launch Window Titles)
Has-Been Heroes
Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!
April 2017
Constructor HD (April 28)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (April 28)
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
May 2017
Rime
Q2 2017
Cube Life: Island Survival HD
Disgaea 5 Complete
Graceful Explosion Machine
Q3 2017
TBD 2017
1001 Spikes
Arcade Archives
Cave Story
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Dungeon of Zaar
Farming Simulator 18
Fast RMX
FIFA (untitled, presumably “2017”)
Hollow Knight
Lego Worlds
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
Project Sonic 2017
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
Stardew Valley
Steep
Syberia 3
Tank It!
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
Yooka-Laylee
TBD 2018
Fire Emblem (untitled)
No More Heroes (untitled)
The Sacred Hero
