We won’t lie, 2019 marked an extremely exciting year for the House of Mario. Not only did we see the return of staple Nintendo franchises like Pokémon, Super Mario Maker and Luigi’s Mansion, but we also witnessed the introduction of totally new platform exclusives likes Astral Chain. You wouldn’t know this heading into the year, with the majority of these not being shown until halfway through 2019. However, such a circumstance won’t stop us from taking a look at the best 9 upcoming Nintendo games arriving in 2020.
It’s worth stating that what follows isn’t a complete list of games coming to Nintendo Switch throughout the year, but rather a collated collection of titles we think are worth keeping an eye on most. As already mentioned, there’s sure to be Nintendo Switch games coming in 2020 we’re yet to even know about, which is exciting after you consider what’s already in store over the coming months. 2020 marks a great time to be a Nintendo Switch player, as you might imagine. Here’s why…
Persona 5 Scramble – February 20, 2020
While Persona has every so often graced a Nintendo console, the celebrated JRPG franchise has become most synonymous with PlayStation. However, the series will be once again arriving on Nintendo shores this February by way of a spin-off entitled Persona 5 Scramble, which, the more we see of it, the more it looks to be a meaty new instalment rather than a throwaway side story. Persona 5 Scramble thankfully launches early in the year so players can have ample time to finish it. You only need upwards of 100 hours…
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX – March 6, 2020
You’d think that Nintendo Switch fans would have had their fill of Pokémon after Let’s Go’s launch in 2018, then Sword and Shield’s arrival just a year later. However, the truth is that you can never have enough Pokémon and proving this once again is the return of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon this March 6th. This remastered collection boasts an entirely fresh art style than the one seen with the original DS and GBA games, bringing together the content and features of both to make dungeon crawling with collectible critters all the more fun and alluring.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – March 20, 2020
Nintendo Switch players have been crying out (rather loudly) for the next true instalment of Animal Crossing since the platform first launched in 2017. We originally thought we’d be getting it in late 2019, but alas, a slight delay has meant that it will now be arriving on March 20th. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a creature-based life simulator that will see the introduction of all-new ways to customise your character and home, including a robust crafting system that lets you create furniture from any materials you gather. It’s colourful, it’s cute, it’s HD Animal Crossing in all its glory.
No More Heroes III – TBC 2020
Having made a name for itself on the Nintendo Wii with both the first No More Heroes and its sequel, it’s heartening to see the series come home with the third full entry. No More Heroes III comes to Nintendo Switch some time in 2020, tasking series protagonist Travis Touchdown to this time go toe-to-toe with aliens looking to take over. It’ll feature the same anarchic hack-and-slash melee combat veteran fans love, except now the stakes have never been raised higher.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – TBC 2020
If you thought J.J. Abram’s had a tough task in tying up the nine-film Star Wars saga with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, imagine how the fine folks over at Telltale Games must feel when creating a game that let’s you play through them all. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is no upscaled remaster or HD-ified collection, but rather an entirely new LEGO game built from the ground up to let you experience all nine mainline Star Wars films in a totally new way. Coming to Nintendo Switch some time in 2020, it’s sure to be a treat for all the family.
Little Nightmares 2 – TBC 2020
The first Little Nightmares game surprised everyone with its creepy atmosphere and distinctly dark narrative. It was a 2D puzzlue-platformer that didn’t punt for a pixel art aesthetic, instead setting you off as a small yellow-coated figure tasking with making your way through an oversized unsettling world. The sequel, arriving on Nintendo Switch in 2020, opts for a similar setup, this time taking place soon after the events of this first game. The difference this time, however, is that Six meets a new character in Mono that lets players co-op through the Black Tower together.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise – TBC 2020
You never know what you’re going to witness when settling down to watch a Nintendo Direct, the perfect example of this being the news that Nintendo Switch wouldn’t just be getting a port of the cult classic director thriller Deadly premonition, but that it would also be getting a sequel. Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise launches on Switch some time in 2020, seeing you investigate a series of murders while jumping between 2005 and 2019 to crack the case. Will it be just as schlocky as the original game? We don’t have to wait long to find out.
Doom Eternal – TBC 2020
Another game originally planned to release in 2019, Doom Eternal eventually suffered a delay that pushed it well into 2020. We know that the PS4 and Xbox One versions of this Hellish sequel to Bethesda’s 2016 hit is now coming in March, but there’s still no official hard lock as to when the Nintendo Switch port will join them. Still, 2020 is something to look forward to given its eventual arrival, where it will reintroduce the same push-forward gunplay pioneered by the original, all while containing new Demon types and challenges to destroy.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – TBC 2020
One of the few Nintendo Switch exclusive to arrive around launch was the second instalment into the sprawling world of Xenoblade Chronicles. However, if you’re someone that enjoyed your time with that game but feel like you missed out on the original, you can rest comfortably knowing that a definitive version of it is set to land in 2020. It originally released simultaneously on Wii and 3DS, so expect a substantial overhaul in the graphical department.
The Outer Worlds – TBC 2020
Obsidian Entertainment, much like everyone else, had been extremely disappointed with the direction that the once great Fallout series has recently taken. We know this because in The Outer Worlds they went ahead and made their own version of the Western open-world RPG template, though it was one set within a pulpy vision of 1960s sci-fi. It first released in late 2019 on PS4 and Xbox One where it received critical acclaim, but a portable Nintendo Switch version is set to arrive in 2020.
