No matter how powerful or sleek a new video game console is, it doesn’t matter if there are no good games to play on it. When the Switch 2 was revealed, we learned that it would feature backwards compatibility with the best Switch games to automatically give the library a head start. However, most of us have already played those games and are looking for a shiny new title to make the purchase feel justified. We know of a ton of upcoming Switch 2 games for the rest of 2025 and beyond, but what are the hot new games you have to pick from at launch? Nintendo launch titles are traditionally very good, so let’s take a look at every launch title you can play on the Switch 2 and see how it compares.
Each game is sold separately, but you can preorder the Switch 2 in a bundle with Mario Kart World to save a little bit of money.
The Switch 2 launch lineup is quite impressive, featuring both Nintendo first-party games, third-party titles, and some older ports or remasters never seen on a Nintendo console before. There are also some Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games of existing Switch games that improve the visuals, frame rates, and sometimes even add more content.
These are all the games launching with the Switch 2 on June 5.
A major point of confusion about the Switch 2 launch lineup is the price of games. The first misconception we have to clear up is the fact that, no, there are no $90 Switch 2 games. The highest price for a game, not counting any special editions, is $80. There are only a handful of games at that price right now, and several for below even $70. Here is how much all the Switch 2 launch games cost that we know of so far from most to least expensive:
You may have heard Nintendo talking about Game-Key Cards in addition to the regular game cartridges and had no idea what the differences are. After reading through it, it isn’t all that complicated, but we understand how the names don’t make it totally clear.
Game-Key Cards are physical cartridges that you insert into your Switch 2 just like a normal game, only it doesn’t actually hold the entire game on the card. Instead, this card acts as a key that allows you to download the game via the internet. Once you’ve downloaded the game for the first time, you won’t be required to be online to play going forward, but do still need to insert that same Game-Key Card to play.
So, if you don’t have internet access when inserting a Game-Key Card for the first time, you won’t be able to play that game. You can check to see if a game you’re buying is a regular game cartridge, which doesn’t require an internet connection at all, or a Game-Key Card by looking at the back of the box for a key icon and the term “Game-Key Card” printed on it.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.