A year later, every Nintendo franchise is still missing from the Switch 2

We're a year into the Nintendo Switch 2's life cycle, and while the catalog of games available for it continues to grow after so long, there's still a handful of pretty iconic Nintendo series that haven't even seen a moment in the sun on the NSW2.

But with console life cycles lasting years, there's no need to worry just yet! Nintendo knows that its catalog of new and old games has leagues of fans around the world waiting for their next chance to play. I hope to pick up my JoyCon soon with the new games in the series.

10

Baby Icarus

Although Nintendo is easily the most well-known gaming company these days, that doesn't mean that every game they make will be a commercial success like the Mario or Zelda titles. Smaller titles that are near and dear to gamers' hearts are everywhere throughout Nintendo's history, and one of the biggest was Kid Icarus.

Iconic characters such as the titular Kid Icarus himself or the Goddess of Light Palutena have certainly been seen in other successful Nintendo titles, but the Kid Icarus series has only seen a handful of games since its debut in 1986. It's high time Nintendo shines a new light on this cult classic.

9

Dr. Mario

Okay, I'll admit that they probably need to add a little more to the game than just the matching puzzles that we all loved with Dr. Mariem, whose medical license we would like to see sometime. But with Dr. Like every handheld Nintendo has released so far, there's a Switch 2 game waiting for us.

Dr. Mario saw players playing a fast Tetris-like game where pills drop from the top of the screen for you to level and clear your side of the board. It's a fun, competitive puzzle game that's become popular on next-gen consoles!

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8

Super Smash Bros.

Just because the classic arcade games of yesteryear are all but gone doesn't mean people's passion for more intense fighting games has gone anywhere! Smash Bros games have always been competitive, and as one of the first games to enter the mainstream competitive realm, I would love another chance to battle my friends.

The competitive scene around Super Smash Bros. titles has always been fierce, and with the console still lacking a good fighting title, it's high time that Smash Bros. While I'm not sure where to go from bringing the entire roster of fighters from every previous Super Smash Bros title, I'm sure Nintendo will find a way to keep us brawling with the Bros.

7

Paper Mario

If the 2024 remake of the classic Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door proved one thing, it's that we'll never tire of the different ways to experience the worlds of Mario games. They debuted with Paper Mario for the Nintendo64 in 2000 and since then they seem to come and go, we've been waiting a long time for a new Paper Mario title.

The charming 2D style still has a home on modern consoles, serving as a change of pace to the run-of-the-mill, over-the-top 3D Mario titles that came with the leap in console performance. Only six Paper Mario games have been released so far, but a lot of us are ready for number seven on Switch 2 one day, hopefully soon.

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6

WarioWare

Nintendo loves a good spin-off game, and what better character to use as a mascot for a series of fast and crazy mini-games than Wario? If you like fast pace and silliness in your quick games, then you probably know these collections, famous for their unforgettably quirky taste.

In these games, you get all sorts of simplistic instructions that fly faster and faster as the rounds go by, so the replay value is never lost. Plus, now that we have mouse functionality with the Switch 2 JoyCon, who knows what fun new games Nintendo could cook up?

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5

Pikmin

Icons of the GameCube era that have earned their staying power in the years between game entries, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want another Pikmin game sooner rather than later. These iconic, colorful little guys are a symbol of the pure and simple fun of Nintendo games.

Pikmin games are spent roaming lush planets, collecting all sorts of items and solving creative puzzles using your Pikmin, as all the different colors represent different abilities of your little friends when interacting with the world around them. The last game came out later in the Switch's life cycle, but I'll still be waiting for a Switch 2 game.

4

Mario Party

The first Mario Party title back on the Nintendo64 took my family by storm when it launched, first brought cartoon board game fairy tales into my life, and I've spent the last few decades straining my relationships by challenging the people I love to a 30-round match in the Mario Party thunderdome.

You haven't lived until you've seen the light leave someone's eyes when you steal their star and sink them to last place in these games. You don't know competition until you're in a minigame with someone who needs to win in order to buy a star next turn because right down there. We deserve more than a Jamboree port, Nintendo!

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3

Super Mario

Mario is Nintendo's flagship, its mascot and one of the most famous fictional characters ever. Much of what the brand has become has been built on the Super Mario games, and we've been long overdue for a fun new adventure for the popular plumber!

Super Mario Odyssey was a vivid, charming new look at where Super Mario games could go in new generations of console technology, and it showcased all kinds of great features on the first Switch. With the excitement surrounding the Super Mario movies still at its peak, it seems like the perfect time to announce a new Super Mario game as well.

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2

The new main Zelda series

Nintendo definitely knew they were going to knock the 2026 gaming conference season out of the park, as the last-minute trailer was an announcement for a complete Ocarina of Time remake, and while I'm definitely excited as a 30-something who grew up on the series, I'm also looking forward to the inevitability of a new installment in the Zelda timeline.

While not everyone has loved the open-world style of modern Zelda games, with the Ocarina of Time remake on the way later this year, it would be a great time to announce that a new Switch 2 title is also in the works. We've gotten a major Zelda game on every home console so far, so it would be weirder if Nintendo didn't do it now.

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1

Animal Crossing

Even if you weren't a fan of the Animal Crossing series before its global shutdown in 2020, I bet you fell in love with this charming animal paradise when Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out and skyrocketed, almost immediately becoming Nintendo's second best-selling game of all time (behind only Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which lasted two decades and grossed on the home console).

Eight years passed between the previous game in the series, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, debuting on Nintendo 3DS and the much-hyped launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch. And with all the love surrounding the games, the new entry in the series on Switch 2 feels more like a when notification type than an if.