This year was an incredible one for Nintendo. A new OLED console release along with some smash hits such as Mario Party Superstars and the critically-acclaimed Metroid Dread made 2021 a year that seemed difficult to beat in terms of game releases. But 2022 is shaping up to be even more of a success for the publisher.
With releases catering to all genres and audiences already announced, Nintendo fans are also in for a few surprises and rumored Nintendo plans that still haven’t been made official. Just by taking into account the releases that have been officially confirmed, though, it’s safe to assume 2022 could be an even bigger year than 2021 for Nintendo fans.
These are the best upcoming Nintendo Switch games in 2022.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an action RPG that maintains the gameplay of previous installments in the series. It’s set in a past era of the familiar Sinnoh region, but under a different name: Hisui. The events that unravel in the game take place long before those in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, as well as their respective remakes. The objective of the game is to create the region’s first Pokédex, a mission the Legendary Pokémon Arceus will play a major role in.
Dying Light 2
The much-awaited sequel to Dying Light is finally coming in 2022. Techland’s Dying Light 2: Stay Human is a survival/horror RPG that stars a new protagonist, Aiden Caldwell. Players control Aiden, who, thanks to his parkour skills, gives players the chance to climb, slide, and leap off edges as well as wall-running to get through the city as fast as possible.
Over 3,000 parkour animations have been confirmed and include tools such as a grappling hook and a paraglider that also play a role in exploring the city. The in-game combat will mostly be melee-based, with weapons that will degrade as they are used over time. Ranged weapons, such as a crossbow or shotgun, will also be available and can be upgraded with different components players can find by breaking other weapons for craft parts. Due to the infection, Aiden will also have a Superhuman Skill that he will be able to use in combat.
Just as in the first title, Dying Light 2: Stay Human will be set in a massive urban open world that players can explore freely. The map is four times bigger than the first game, and it’s divided into seven different regions, each with its own landmarks. Decision-making will also play an important role in the game, as players encounter different settlements and factions in the City. These choices will change and meld the game’s world and how Aiden is regarded by other characters in the story.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human is set to be released on Feb. 4, 2022, and will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Marvel’s next gaming project is a tactical RPG developed by Fireaxis Games. Numerous comic characters will appear, including the Avengers, the X-Men, and as the game title implies, the Midnight Sons.
In Marvel’s Midnight Suns, players will be able to create their own superhero and choose from over 40 different powers and abilities. The playable roster will include some of the most popular Marvel superheroes, including Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel.
The game will feature a turn-based combat similar to the one in the XCOM series, and players will be managing their base of operations, The Abbey, between missions, a mechanic similar to that found in Marvel’s Avengers. There will also be several role-playing elements such as hero interactions that influence the gameplay and ability cards.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an upcoming 3D platformer in the Kirby series announced in September during a Nintendo Direct.
The game will start when Kirby awakens on a beach in an unknown world where civilization and nature have melded into one. The main enemy will be the Beast Corps, a group of beast-like enemies. Kirby goes on a mission to save several Waddle Dees that have been kidnapped by the Beast Corps, and these become Kirby’s main foe. The gameplay controls will be similar to other Kirby 3D titles, but unlike its predecessors, this game will include fully functional Copy Abilities for Kirby.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is planned to release in the spring of 2022.
Bear and Breakfast
This “Stardew-Valley-meets-Animal-Crossing” new title is a cozy management adventure game where you get to play as Hank, a kind bear trying to run a bed and breakfast deep in the woods.
Players get to customize an inn with dozens of rooms as well as bring guests and tend to their needs. Maintaining a positive reputation will be paramount, and players will also get to complete storylines and quests to collect new perks and additions for the inn.
Bear and Breakfast was originally planned for a 2021 release but was delayed to the first half of 2022.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
This new turn-based tactics RPG is one of the most anticipated crossovers between Nintendo and Ubisoft in 2022.
The new title developed by Ubisoft Milan is a sequel to the 2017 Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Players will be able to build a roster of characters with nine to choose from, which include Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and their Rabbid counterparts, as well as a new character: Rabbid Rosalina.
Compared with its predecessor, the combat mechanic in this game will feature a new system that is more closely aligned to what players would have found in Divinity: Original Sin. While the first game was more linear and grid-based, this new title will also feature encounters out of turn-based combat.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is set to release at some point in 2022.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel
A sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was released in 2017, has been announced and is currently planned for a 2022 release.
Although an official title for the sequel is yet to be announced, Nintendo unveiled that the game was in development in 2019 during a February Nintendo Direct. In E3 2021, Nintendo fans got a first gameplay-revealing trailer with details about the story and the official announcement of a 2022 release.
We know the developers were inspired by some “leftovers” from the development of the previous Zelda title and will be using the original game’s world with an added story and some new gameplay mechanics and elements.
The sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild remains untitled but will likely be released at some point in 2022.
Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy has been one of the most hyped announced releases of 2022, and one that will be especially appealing to fans of Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics.
Developed by Square Enix, the game is a turn-based tactical RPG and is scheduled for release in March 2022. Players take turns moving characters across a grid board with the aim to defeat AI opponents. Each character has a different range in movement and a different attack power every turn based on a set of attributes, weapons, and equipped armor.
The game will feature story scenes between the battles that will affect the game, along with the choices players make, which deal with issues such as morality, liberty, and utility.
My Time At Sandrock
My Time At Sandrock is the highly anticipated sequel to My Time At Portia, and it will finally be released in 2022. Just like the previous title, the game will be set in a post-apocalyptic world 300 years after the Day of Calamity, which rid the world of most modern technology.
Initial gameplay will be similar to the one players might remember from My Time At Portia. Upon accepting a job offer as a new builder, the player will have to restore the community with their tools, gather resources, build machines, develop friendships, and defend the city from monsters.
Some of the game’s key features include exploring the world, digging for relics, and transforming a workshop into a decent production facility, and using advanced machines to process materials piece by piece.
Two Point Campus
Two Point Campus is the successor to the famous Two Point Hospital business simulation game developed by Two Point Studios and published by Sega. Two Point Campus will have players manage a university campus, in which they must build rooms, organize events, and deal with campus operations, such as hiring staff and making sure students are taken care of and attending lectures.
The game introduced different student archetypes, graduation ceremonies, and different challenges, like students dropping out or skipping classes if they’re enjoying the nightlife a little too much. The game is set in the same Two Point County that Two Point Hospital took place in, and players are given plots of land to build the campus on. As in any other business simulation, financial management is the core of the game. But the new title includes some fun, light-hearted additional gameplay features, such as the possibility to study ancient literature and become a medieval knight.
Two Point Campus also features a sandbox mode that allows players to give free rein to their creativity and build the university of their dreams.
