Technologies
Biggest Games Coming in 2023: All the Release Dates You Need to Know
All the games delayed in 2021 and 2022 are hitting in 2023. Between The Legend of Zelda, Starfield and Final Fantasy 16 alone, it’s going to be a big one.

The last couple of years have been hard on the games industry. Development teams disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic had to delay big games, Starfield and the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom chief among them. But the losses of 2021 and 2022 are the gains of 2023, because we a lot to look forward to this year. This list of release dates for notable 2023 titles is already packed, but for now we’ve only added games set for launch in the first half of the year. More will be added as the year progresses and we get more concrete dates.
2022 was a pretty solid year for games. We got an open-world Pokemon, the long-awaited sequel to God of War and, of course, the tour de force that was Elden Ring. Only time will determine if the games of 2023 reach those same heights, but the numbers are certainly in our favor. Let’s just hope Zelda doesn’t get delayed again.
Here are all the big PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch games to keep track of in 2023.
Fire Emblem Engage (Switch)
Release date: Jan. 20.
The first big video game of 2023 is a big one, and I do mean big. Fire Emblem games are massive: Engage is a follow up to 2019’s Three Houses, a chunky RPG that players could sink over 100 hours into without seeing everything. Three Houses was loaded with critical acclaim and Engage will hopefully recapture both the scale and the magic of its predecessor. Engage features characters from the series’ long history — which at least means newbies can get properly acquainted with Super Smash Bros. characters like Marth, Corrin and Blyeth.
Forspoken (PS5, PC)
Release date: Jan. 24.
Excitement for Forspoken should straight away come with the asterisk that feedback to the game’s demo was mixed with both compliments and criticisms. But it’s worth paying attention to, even rooting for, because of the simple fact that it’s a new IP from Square Enix. In an industry filled with sequels and spinoffs, that has to count for something.
Forspoken is a fish-out-of-water tale that follows New Yorker Frey Holland, who somehow manages to get plunged into the fantastical land of Athia. Classic stuff. It’s developed by many of the same people who created Final Fantasy 15, something that’s immediately obvious when you see its real-time action in motion. Good luck, Frey, I hope you pull through. Forspoken will launch on PC and PS5, where it’s a console exclusive for at least two years.
Hogwarts Legacy (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: Feb. 10.
Third time’s the charm is the magic rule, so hopefully Hogwart’s Legacy doesn’t break it. Set in the Harry Potter universe, this RPG was first announced in 2020 with a release date set for 2021. It was then delayed to 2022. But that didn’t pan out, and last year Hogwart’s Legacy was delayed once more. Its latest release date is Feb. 10. Set about 100 years before The Boy Who Lived and He Who Shall Not Be Named, Hogwart’s Legacy is a tantalizing concept: A big open-world game set at the most famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Games based on blockbuster franchises can be hit or miss. Hopefully all the delays are a sign that this promising idea has been given the love and nurturing it needs to succeed.
Note: The PS4 and Xbox One versions of Hogwarts Legacy will be released on April 4, with a Switch port coming on July 25.
Horizon Call of the Mountain (PSVR 2)
Release date: Feb. 22.
One of Sony’s goals for 2023 is to make VR happen. To help do that, it’s enlisted Guerilla Games to make Horizon Call of the Mountain, a virtual reality spinoff to Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. You won’t be playing as Aloy, but will rather take up the hunter bow of Ryas, a member of the Shadow Carja tribe that featured prominently in Zero Dawn. Being a VR game, Call of the Mountain looks to feature less open-world roaming, but more exhilerating climbing, exploration and bow-based combat. It launches alongside the PlayStation VR2 headset on Feb. 22.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: March 3.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a new IP with a pedigree: It’s developed by Team Ninja, the gang behind the acclaimed Ninja Gaiden and the even more acclaimed Nioh franchise. Wo Long is set during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history — roughly 220 AD — but features plenty of fantastical (and grotesque) beasts to slay. Like Nioh, this looks to be inspired by Dark Souls, meaning you should be prepared to die. A lot.
Resident Evil 4 Remake (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: March 24.
After the roaring success of the Resident Evil 2 Remake, Capcom is at it again. Originally released in 2005 as a GameCube exclusive (imagine that) Resident Evil 4 is the most acclaimed title in the illustrious franchise. Because of its fanfare, Capcom has ported and remastered Resident Evil 4 over and over again. Hopefully you don’t have RE4 fatigue, because it’s now getting proper remake treatment.
If you’ve never played Resident Evil 4, and if Capcom can do for it what it did for Resident Evil 2, this is sure to be a must-play.
Crime Boss: Rockay City (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
Release date: March 28.
We know Rockstar is developing Grand Theft Auto 6, but it’s still yonks away. Crime Boss: Rockay City, by 505 Games, is clearly inspired by GTA, and may help fill the GTA-shaped hole in your heart while you wait for the next big open-world crime bonanza.
Crime Boss: Rockay City is a first-person game about 90’s Florida turf wars, and it’s designed to be played alone or with friends. The most attention-grabbing feature of the game is its celeb-heavy cast. Kill Bill’s Michael Madson stars as the protagonist, Travis Barker, and the supporting cast features Kim Basinger, Danny Trejo, Chuck Norris and Vanilla Ice.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
Release date: May 12.
Not much needs to be said here. The Legend of Zelda is one of gaming’s most renowned franchises, and 2017’s Breath of the Wild is incontestably one of the greatest games ever. Nintendo has a habit of delaying Zelda games — Tears of the Kingdom has already been delayed once — so hopefully the May 12 date sticks.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: May 26.
Last year’s Gotham Knights was unable to step out of Batman’s Arkham City-sized shadow, so now the Suicide Squad has a perfect opportunity to upstage the good guys… and then kill them.
Though Gotham Knights was a sequel of sorts to Batman’s Arkham series, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is its true spiritual successor. It’s developed by Rocksteady, the same studio that developed the Arkham trilogy. The game lets you play as four members of the Suicide Squad — Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark — and includes Kevin Conroy’s last recorded performance as Batman.
Street Fighter 6 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: June 2.
Street Fighter 6 is the first major new game in the franchise since 2016. As you can imagine, it’s expected to have dramatically improved visuals. There will also be five new characters, with more to potentially be announced. Other new additions include a single-player adventure mode and in-game commentary, a welcome feature for esports fans. But as nice as those extras are, the Street Fighter series is all about its rock-solid fighting system, which is simple enough for beginners to have fun but deep enough that dedicated fighters will spend years to mastering it. As long as that still works, this should be a banger.
Diablo 4 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: June 6.
Last year we got an updated version of Overwatch, now it’s Diablo’s turn to get supercharged. Diablo 4, the latest major installation in Activision Blizzard’s long-running action RPG franchise, couldn’t come sooner. Fans have been awaiting Diablo 4’s arrival since its announcement in 2019, a whole pandemic ago.
Final Fantasy 16 (PS5)
Release date: June 22.
I’m going to be honest with you, I’ve watched various Final Fantasy 16 trailers several times and I still have no clue what this game is about. There’s a fight going on between six different countries, and somehow giant summons like Ifrit are involved. I’m not super sure, but the fact that Final Fantasy is coming to a new console generation is reason enough for this game to turn into a massive cultural event. (It’ll be a PS5 exclusive until the end of the year.) It may also be the first of two big Final Fantasy releases this year, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s sequel potentially — but probably not — hitting during the holiday season.
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: First half of 2023.
Hollow Knight, launched in 2017, was praised for being one of the best Metroidvania games without the words «Metroid» or «Vania» in its title. In 2023, indie developer Team Cherry wants to do it all again. You’ll play as a different character — a boss you fought in the original game — but the core gameplay here is the same. Explore, fight a bunch of dudes, get lost, explore some more, repeat a few times and ultimately succeed. I, for one, am ready.
Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced on June 12, 2022, and Microsoft said it would launch within a year of that date.
Redfall (PC, Xbox Series X|S)
Release date: First half of 2023.
Redfall looks like a mix of Deathloop and The Last of Us. It takes place in Redfall, a fictional Massachusetts town that was flowing along swimmingly until a swarm of vampires took it over and cut it off from the outside world. Like in The Last of Us, you’ll explore a town brimming with remnants of the before times, but the game looks to have a less serious, more quirky attitude about it, similar to Deathloop. That makes sense, as Redfall is developed by Arkane Austin, a sister studio to Deathloop creators Arkane Lyon.
Forza Motorsport (Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: Second half of 2023.
Forza Horizon brought the driving franchise’s open-world exploration to the Xbox Series X|S, but in 2023 we go back to Forza’s driving-sim roots. This game will be more similar to Gran Turismo 7, which hit the PS5 last year, trading open roads for closed tracks. A little more finesse, a little more professional. No matter their flavor, Forza games can be relied on to provide some delicious drives — and 2023’s Forza Motorsport should be the prettiest one yet.
Starfield (Xbox Series X|S, PC)
Release date: First half of 2023.
Like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Starfield was one of 2022’s great delays. Originally slated for a Nov. 11 release, it was pushed back to the «first half of 2023.» It’s for the best: Starfield is a game from the same Bethesda studio that made Skyrim and Fallout 4.
If done right, Starfield could be a game that people will be playing for years to come. There are apparently 1,000 planets to explore, so an extra few layers of polish will go a long way. If Tears of the Kingdom is most predicted to be 2023’s best game, Starfield may be its most ambitious.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Luna)
Release date: 2023.
Ubisoft is taking an unusual approach with Assassin’s Creed Mirage. After years of «bigger is better,» Ubisoft is now scaling down and trying the «less is more» approach. In announcing Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the company boasted it to be a «shorter, more narrative-driven game than recent entries in the series.» Sounds good to me. Mirage is set in 9th century Baghdad, a couple decades before Valhalla, and stars Basim, who played a supporting role in that game.
Lies of P (PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Release date: 2023.
Lies of P sounds gnarly as hell: It’s the story of Pinocchio reimagined as a 2023 Dark Souls. Your goal is to find Mr. Geppetto, and a synopsis for the game talks about needing to lie your way through a rough city to do that. That’s all well and good, but from Lies of P’s trailer it looks like combat will be the real star of the show here.
Spider-Man 2 (PS5)
Release date: Fall 2023.
I didn’t like 2018’s Spider-Man as much as I’d hoped to: It was good, but no Batman: Arkham City. Almost everyone else loved it, though: Spider-Man has an 8.7 rating on Metacritic, and beat out Arkham City to become the best-selling superhero game ever. Spider-Man 2 will launch in late 2023 exclusively for the PS5, and will feature both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, who starred in his own 2020 spin-off. The Spider-Men will need to combine their powers in this game, because there’s a wild Venom on the loose.
Technologies
Zelle App Shuts Down. Here’s How to Still Digitally Send Money for Free
Zelle killed off its free mobile app, but many banks still support its digital money transfers.

There are tons of digital payment apps for sending money to friends, family or for paying for services, but if you’ve been using the Zelle mobile app, you’ll need to find something new. The service decided to shutter its free app on April 1.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use Zelle altogether. Zelle has only discontinued its standalone app, so you can still send money using Zelle if your bank belongs to the Zelle network. You’ll just need to do it through your bank’s app or website. You also have other services to choose from. Here’s what you need to know about this change and your options moving forward.
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Why the Zelle app is shutting down
When Zelle launched in 2017, only about 60 US financial institutions offered the service by the end of that year. Today, that number exceeds 2,200. As a result, less than 2% of Zelle transactions occur through the standalone app. Zelle has been phasing out the ability to make transactions on its mobile app since October 2024.
«Today, the vast majority of people using Zelle to send money use it through their financial institution’s mobile app or online banking experience, and we believe this is the best place for Zelle transactions to occur,» Zelle said in an October 2024 press release.
In December, Zelle was in the spotlight when the Consumer Financial Protected Bureau sued the company and three of the largest US banks for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud on the peer-to-peer payment network. The lawsuit has since been dropped.
Other ways to send money digitally
You can still use Zelle through your bank’s app or website if it belongs to the Zelle network, which includes Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, TD Bank, PNC Bank and Citi.
You can also switch to another digital payment app, such as:
- Apple Wallet
- Cash App
- PayPal
- Venmo
Take some basic precautions when using Zelle or any other digital payment service. These apps are a frequent target for scammers, and Chase Bank has started blocking some Zelle payments it believes could be fraudulent. Only send money to people you know and trust, and watch for red flags like an urgent message claiming to be from your bank or an online ad for concert tickets that seem impossibly cheap.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, April 8
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 8.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword was a tough one for me. I guess I need to brush up on my edible rocks and 10-legged sea creatures. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Only rock that humans regularly eat
Answer: SALT
5A clue: Ten-legged sea creature
Answer: CRAB
6A clue: Ones who might be «cheesed off» (annoyed) or «chuffed to bits» (happy)
Answer: BRITS
7A clue: Right-E?
Answer: EAST
8A clue: Fencing sword
Answer: EPEE
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Throw in the trash
Answer: SCRAP
2D clue: Come up
Answer: ARISE
3D clue: Caffè ___ (espresso drink)
Answer: LATTE
4D clue: Cable channel that airs March Madness games
Answer: TBS
6D clue: Busy buzzer
Answer: BEE
How to play more Mini Crosswords
The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
Technologies
Hands On With Nintendo Switch 2: I Played All the Games and Wonder if It’s Worth It
Nintendo’s $450 Switch 2 is almost here, and I spent a day playing the new games. Here’s what I think about the second-gen console.

When I say I got plenty of hands-on time with the new Nintendo Switch 2, I don’t mean that I got to just check out the slightly-larger unit and play demos of a few games. I worked gaming muscles I didn’t know I had.
Pushing my hands around a fabric-covered table while holding two mouse controllers is surprisingly tiring. I was playing Drag x Drive, a new wheelchair sports game coming for the Nintendo Switch 2 that uses one of the console’s new features: Joy-Cons that work like computer mice. I felt vibrations under my hands as though I was spinning my wheels. But I wondered: Who will play the Switch 2 while seated at a table? I realized later that you can also rub them on your pants legs to make them work. So I did that, too. It was a little less tiring.
This was just one weird part of a long day playing the Nintendo Switch 2, the $450 sequel to one of Nintendo’s most popular game consoles ever, arriving June 5, with preorders opening soon. I’ve loved playing games on the Switch, just like many people. However, the Switch 2, while being a new console, feels a lot like an updated version of a system many people already own.
Much like the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X, it’s betting that playing games that look a little better matters enough to upgrade. But Nintendo’s also laying down some side bets on new features that could make a difference: in-game voice chat with friends at the press of a button, a plug-in camera that can work with wacky party games and, yeah, new controllers that double as mice.
So here’s the question: Is this more fun than the existing Switch and its games? I’d say the Switch 2 is a better piece of hardware, no doubt, but the upgrade proposition feels pretty uncertain until Nintendo shows many more games that make it worth it.
That being said, the Switch 2, as a bigger, better version of the existing Switch, could make a lot of sense for those who can afford it, especially since there’s still nothing quite like it out there. At $450 (£395, AU$699), plus $70 or $80 for its two biggest launch-window games, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, this is an expensive proposition for any family right now. A CNET survey recently found that affordability is the top concern for US gamers considering making the purchase. Then again, as a handheld game console with its own included dock that can also play games in 4K on a TV, it’s actually competitively priced versus the Steam Deck and Windows gaming handhelds.
I played Mario Kart World. I played Donkey Kong Bananza. I played remastered versions of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. I played Cyberpunk 2077 and Split Fiction. And I played Mario Party Jamboree with new mouse-Joy-Con and camera-optional modes that projected me onto the TV. It was all fun, and the Switch 2 is the handheld I’d prefer to play my library of Switch games on. But I don’t think it’s a necessary upgrade for anyone right now. That said, your kids will probably ask for Mario Kart World and a Switch 2.
Hands-on with the handheld: Nice screen, larger feel, similar buttons
The Switch 2 is big, and feels dense. It’s not that much bigger than the Switch OLED, to me, but that larger 7.9-inch screen feels welcome. I play on a large Steam Deck a lot lately, and the Switch 2 feels sort of like that, but actually thinner. It’s about the same thickness as the Switch in casual holding-and-looking comparisons.
The Switch 2 has an LCD, not OLED, like the last iteration of the Switch, which went on sale in 2021. But honestly, it looked great to me in the hours I tried it. The 1080p resolution, HDR capabilities and refresh rate that can go up to 120Hz, depending on the game, stood out while playing. I’d take this over the Switch OLED display right now.
The larger Joy-Cons now magnetically snap in and out but have little release buttons on the back. They snap in smoothly, and then you eject them with the trigger release and remove them. It’s a smooth action and a lot easier than pressing that small button on the current Switch Joy-Cons. The controllers, though sturdy-feeling, have a surprisingly similar feel. The analog sticks felt like existing Joy-Cons, and the buttons clicked similarly. I’m bummed that there’s no analog rear trigger.
Instead, these triggers click just like the older Switch — something that the Switch 2’s producers and directors, in a round table chat during my New York demo day, said was decided upon because they offer a more immediate response in games. I think it’s a miss since every other console I’ve played has analog triggers, and they work well. Putting analog triggers on a Switch 2 would have made previous Switch games feel different on the Switch 2, though, and maybe that’s where the challenge lay.
The C button on the right Joy-Con launches Game Chat, a new mode that allows four-player audio chats with trusted Switch friends (that can be parent-approved). These chats can also become grainy video chats with an optional plug-in camera that can be used with the Switch when docked. Nintendo sells its own stand-like camera for $50, but you could also use a third-party camera (mileage may vary, according to Nintendo).
I didn’t get to try Game Chat during the demo day, but I’m curious about how good the audio quality and noise cancellation are. Nintendo says it’s good enough to filter around room noise while talking from across the room. The Switch 2 has a microphone, but the Joy-Cons don’t. A new $80 Switch 2 Pro Controller, which feels similar to the previous Switch Pro Controller with two added rear paddle buttons, does have a headphone jack that can be used to connect a microphone-enabled headset, though.
The new Switch 2 dock has its own fan system and looks chunky. It’ll sit near a TV, so you probably won’t mind, but it’s a bigger unit than before and, like several accessories, won’t work with the first-gen Switch. It enables 4K gaming modes on TVs, though, so that’s the reason.
There’s a new Switch 2 kickstand, which tilts at a wider range of angles. But it’s made of plastic and feels a bit flimsier than I expected, although it holds its position well. And there are two USB-C ports now — one on top, one on bottom — but it turns out the top port won’t do video-out. Nintendo’s creative team told me at a developer round table that there are no plans to support plug-in display glasses such as the Xreal One, a trick the Steam Deck and Windows handhelds can pull off.
I like the way the Switch 2 feels, though. It seems like it’ll be easier to travel with than Windows handhelds and the Steam Deck, which have bulky side grips that add to the system’s case size needs. The Switch 2 rides somewhat flat, although it’s bigger and longer.
OK, at this point, you’re probably saying, «Scott, please, just talk about the games.» So, I played each game in roughly 20-minute sessions as we were shuttled around different stations in the New York exhibition space that will host the public Switch 2 Experience. It’ll work similarly at other Switch 2 Experience locations, too.
Mario Kart World: Open-world Mario Kart madness
I have no idea how big Mario Kart World is. I drove around freely for a few minutes before a race mode started, and I madly rambled from a town to a farm to an arena to mountain roads, jumped on train tracks, hopped on a power line and rode it up in the air, knocked down a lot of fences and found some sinister Bowser-ish castle. The newest Mario Kart game, a Switch 2 exclusive and launch title, is clearly the «game to get.» What I love is the sense that this racing game could be as full of surprises as an open-world Mario game.
It’s Grand Theft Mario, or Mario Horizon, or whatever you want to call it: This open expanse game’s real estate makes it far vaster than existing Mario Karts. But I played two races, mostly. I don’t even remember exactly what the course looked like because I was so busy navigating against 23 other players. The 24-player gameplay is new, and combined with wider, more expansive-feeling tracks, it’s a lot to take in. There are lots of new characters to choose from — I picked Luigi with a gondolier outfit and later a hamburger-hatted Toad and Donkey Kong with battle armor. There are bikes, cars and all sorts of other familiar vehicles.
A new knockout tournament mode has players racing across multiple tracks in a world-spanning rally to win. You’re eliminated if you’re in the bottom four. I thought I came in first and got way too excited, but I was one lap short of the actual end. I came in 16th. Competitiveness in a field full of this many cars reaches total absurdity.
I want to play more. The game looks great and handles like classic Mario Kart, but it’s the extras that make me curious.
Donkey Kong Bananza: Showcase for smashing stuff
Nintendo doesn’t have a new 3D Mario game for the Switch 2 yet, but Donkey Kong Bananza looks like a solid replacement. It’s the first open-world (sensing a theme here?) Donkey Kong game in years. It’s also a Switch 2 exclusive, coming July 17. Nobody saw this game coming (well, almost nobody), and I liked what I tried.
The game’s biggest mechanic is digging and destroying nearly everything. Donkey Kong can burrow through walls or the ground, and, depending on the level, you can burrow far. I started digging into a wall in my first cave-like level, got lost in my tunneling, then burst out again. Some areas have you digging all the way down to new depths, almost like Tears of the Kingdom (but not really). Where does the madness end?
Donkey Kong is full of goofy expressions, and enemies look dynamic in a way that feels almost like Sony’s Ratchet and Clank games. It’s a loud and fun action adventure, but I have no idea how long the game actually is. It did showcase a lot more particles of stuff flying around than the older Switch has pulled off, and the graphics kept a crisp frame rate.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond: A technical showcase for graphics (and the mouse mode)
My 20 minutes or so with Metroid Prime 4 made me realize how good Switch 2 games could look. Running at 1080p and 120Hz on a big TV, it moved extremely smoothly and was as impressive a shooter as I’ve ever seen on a Nintendo console. From landing on a barren planet to firing through waves of creatures, rolling around in ball mode and losing a tough battle against a big ugly boss, it won me over.
I played on TV mode only, using the Joy-Cons in standard controller mode and then a mouse-and-controller mode. You can put one Joy-Con down at any time and make it a mouse for controlling movement, just like on a PC. I loved the fast reaction feel of it, and I also liked that I could just lift my hand up and go back to analog stick controls if I changed my mind midstream.
Switch 2 Welcome Tour: Why isn’t this free?
I was expecting a dose of the weird at Nintendo’s Switch 2 event, but this wasn’t it. Still, the idea of Welcome Tour isn’t bad. Much like Valve’s Aperture Desk Job and the PlayStation 5’s Astro’s Playroom (or several tutorial apps for the Meta Quest), this looks like a guided tour of the Switch 2’s features, complete with insights from Nintendo and minigames. I played a few, some of which were more like glorified demos at best.
I dodged asteroids using a Joy-Con in mouse mode, played the first level of Super Mario Bros. in pixel-accurate mode on a 4K TV setting to show how much screen real estate is available and played a guessing game for what frame rate a bouncing ball was moving at. One «game» showed me HDR on and off while launching fireworks. The problem is, this is a paid digital game, instead of the freebie it clearly should have been. I can’t understand why this probably helpful system tutorial isn’t just included on the Switch 2, and I never will.
Drag x Drive: Nintendo’s wild-card game
Somewhere between Arms and Rocket League, Drag x Drive is a Switch 2 exclusive that uses the Joy-Cons in mouse mode to control wheelchair-using players in an intense hoop-shooting sports game. Moving each wheel requires pushing one Joy-Con forward and backward. It gets intense fast.
The feeling ends up being a bit like rowing, and my arms tired out; you have to keep wheeling around and moving your arms rapidly, pretty much nonstop. One neat thing is you can feel rumbling haptic clicks beneath your controllers as you «wheel,» making it feel more convincing. Racing to the ball, hitting other players, and shooting baskets felt as chaotic as a game of Rocket League. I’m not sure if I’ll ever find this game fun to play because of its seemingly high exertion requirements, but I enjoyed trying it for a while.
Mario Party Jamboree flexes camera, mouse modes
The most wacky stuff I tried were probably the new mini-games for the Switch 2 update of Mario Party Jamboree, which add mini-games that work with the Joy-Cons’ new mouse features and a game mode that uses the optional plug-in camera.
Bridget Carey and I revved little wind-up cars by pulling back on the Joy-Con mouse and releasing it to launch forward, with vibrating haptics to add clicking feedback. We played air hockey by pushing our Mouse-Cons around the table to hit the Koopa shells flying back and forth. And then we screamed and danced and balanced shells on our heads in camera mini-games that made us look like we were transported into Mario Party, popping out of warp pipes.
The camera-based games were flashbacks to the days when the PlayStation had a TV camera, and the Xbox had the Kinect, which both did similar things. It was definitely fun, and it makes Mario Party Jamboree even better, but I don’t know how much I’d feel compelled to play the new modes long-term.
Updated Switch games look better — for a price
I played a handful of games optimized for the Switch 2, which will be sold in Switch 2 Editions at a higher price or existing game owners can buy a digital upgrade. The upgrades can come for free in some cases if you have the Nintendo Switch Online Plus membership, while others will cost you extra, regardless.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the Switch’s two epic Zeldas, both have Switch 2 upgrades I briefly played. For sure, they look better, with better frame rates. I’d prefer to play them this way, but the difference wasn’t massive. The Switch 2 versions also gain compatibility with a new phone app companion called Zelda Notes that we didn’t get to demo.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land has a new story mode and better-looking graphics on Switch 2. I had fun playing a bit of the new storyline, which involved a lot of freezing-up landscapes. Is it worth the upgrade price? Maybe, since it also has some DLC extras.
GameCube Mode… activated!
Nintendo is adding another bonus to the Switch 2 equation with a Nintendo GameCube virtual console library. It’s part of the Switch Online Plus Expansion Pack subscription, but Switch owners cannot play those GameCube games.
There are only a few GameCube games expected at the Switch 2 launch, but I gave a few a quick play to remind myself of when I played them back in my own GameCube days: Wind Waker and F-Zero GX. Wind Waker is a classic Zelda, and I loved F-Zero GX, which was co-developed by Sega. It still feels ridiculously fast. Nintendo’s selling a GameCube wireless controller, which I also tried out. The buttons and sticks feel just like they used to.
Ports of new third-party games: Are they good enough?
Part of the Switch 2’s appeal to other non-Nintendo gamers is its ability to play games that PC, Xbox and PlayStation folks could play but Switch owners couldn’t. Elden Ring, Madden, Cyberpunk 2077 and Split Fiction are some of the biggest newcomers. The performance, from my quick early plays, was a mixed bag. Split Fiction is a hit co-op game that debuted earlier this year, and I love it on the Switch, but the split-screen gameplay I tried had less than stellar frame rates and graphics quality. It was fun, but didn’t look beautiful.
Cyberpunk 2077 shows off sprawling cityscapes, but again, on a big TV, it was clearly not as good as what you could get from a PS5 or Xbox. Madden and Elden Ring weren’t there.
I know what playing games like these feels like on handhelds, though. The Steam Deck already has Elden Ring, Split Fiction and Cyberpunk 2077 support. The Switch 2 looks like a strong competitor to the Steam Deck and current Windows gaming handhelds for a wave of third-party games that’ll finally play decently. Still, I’m not sure how much it’ll convince Steam Deck owners or Windows handheld owners since the whole appeal of those systems is they’ll play PC games you already own.
It shows some promise for the Switch 2 being a step up for playing current-gen games, but Nintendo didn’t share any details on how powerful the Nvidia processor onboard is. It’s capable of ray tracing and can upscale game graphics, but what are the limits?
Verdict for now: The best Switch, but not yet a necessary one
I wanted more from the Switch 2. More surprises, more wow factor. That being said, it looks like easily the best Switch upgrade since 2017. And yet why do I feel like it’s not a must-buy yet? Because the games, as fun as they were, weren’t doing anything totally new. Because Nintendo raised prices for a lot of things, including more expensive games, Switch 2 Edition modes and even that tutorial game. And because, well, the world’s not in a great economic place right now.
I still want one and want to play Nintendo’s new games, though. Nintendo brings joy and unique experiences. In 2025, it’s the biggest thing gaming has. And the improved Steam Deck-ishness of this Switch 2 is slotting right into my recent handheld gaming habits. I can’t wait to try more when it arrives June 5.
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