Everything announced at the March 2025 Nintendo Direct

By Tomas Franzese Published March 27, 2025

With less than a week to go until the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo gave the first Switch one last go-around with a Direct of its own. This Thursday morning Nintendo Direct gave us a clear idea of what to expect from Nintendo Switch throughout the rest of 2025 and even a bit into 2026. Unfortunately, we did not get release dates for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond or Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but we did get in-depth looks at gameplay from both titles.

On top of that, there were plenty of surprise reveals, such as Sony bringing classic Patapon games to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo teasing new Tomodachi Life and Rhythm Heaven games for 2026. To help you keep track of what was part of this showcase, I’ve recapped everything announced during the March 2025 Nintendo Direct. Read through this, and you’ll have a clear idea of what to expect from Nintendo Switch as its successor finally arrives.

In the middle of this Nintendo Direct, Nintendo finally gave us another look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The long-awaited follow-up to one of Nintendo’s most beloved series was confirmed to still be a Nintendo Switch title, not a Switch 2 exclusive, but we still did not get a release date. Gameplay showed us our first look at Planet Viewros, which Samus is unexpectedly transported to, and psychic abilities that Samus can now use. It is a bummer that we still don’t know when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be released this year, though.

After a long time without a new game, Nintendo has finally revealed a new title in the Rhythm Heaven series, which challenges players with tough rhythmic challenges. Most only require single-button presses, but require perfect timing as players look at the pretty animations and listen to the songs in each level. This new game in the series is titled Rhythm Heaven Groove, and it’s going to come to Nintendo Switch sometime in 2026.

Nintendo’s final game announcement of the show was Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, a follow-up to the cult classic 3DS title Tomodachi Life. These games are quirky life sims where players can watch their Mii-like avatars go about their daily lives on an island. Not much was shown about the game outside of a few funny interactions. Like Rhythm Heaven Groove, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream won’t be out until 2026.

To close out the show, Nintendo revealed Nintendo Today!, a new phone app that serves as a daily calendar and source for Nintendo news. Shigeru Miyamoto teased that new information about the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released through the app every day after the Nintendo Direct next month. Fittingly, Nintendo Today! launches today.

Bandai Namco Entertainment showed off more gameplay from its gritty Pac-Man reimagining, Shadow Labyrinth, during today’s Nintendo Direct. The gameplay looks reminiscent of Metroidvania games like Hollow Knight, and there seems to be a lot of depth when it comes to the different abilities at upgrades at the player’s disposal. To cap Shadow Labyrinth’s segment of the showcase off, a July 18 release date was confirmed.

Some classic PlayStation games and franchises are coming to Nintendo Switch in the wake of Lego Horizon Adventures. During the Nintendo Direct, we learned that the PS4 remasters of Patapon and Patapon 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch. They will be part of a single bundle called Patapon 1+2 Replay. It will be released on July 11. Later in the Direct, Nintendo confirmed that a new Everybody’s Golf game, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, is also coming to Nintendo Switch later this year.