Nintendo is coming off the back of a pretty good year in 2023 when it comes to exclusives. We had titles early on in the year like Fire Emblem Engage followed later by game of the year contenders like The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder; all titles that were well received and reviewed on Nintendo's versatile flagship console. Looking forward to 2024 we've got a decent few exclusives to come and perhaps this may even be the year we see the Nintendo Switch's successor.
So far in 2024 we've had Princess Peach finally headlining her own title again with Princess Peach Showtime, a revisit to the classic Mario vs Donkey Kong, a nostalgic trip for many and a great new experience for those who never played the original on GameBoy, and for those of you who enjoy the Switch remasters there was Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door also receiving a Switch graphical overhaul. We've still got more great Nintendo Switch games on the way with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and possibly Metroid Prime 4 - Nintendo please give us an update!
There were many mentions of the end of the Nintendo Switch coming last year with the Nintendo Switch being in its twilight years and technologically speaking is miles behind the prowess of the gaming beasts that are the Xbox Series X and PS5 however it still had a great year with some excellent titles. However 2024 does not quite have the same level of scheduled releases as there were in 2023, there are some slated for early in the year as previously mentioned but we're hoping this means 2024 is the year we get some new Nintendo hardware with some 60FPS capabilities at a decent resolution; our fingers are crossed and we are hoping to see Nintendo take some inspiration from the success of the Steam Deck which recently received an OLED model, we can't see Nintendo moving away from the versatile dock/handheld form factor which they have had so much success with.
With all that said let's get into the games releasing exclusively on Switch in 2024!
Best 2024 Nintendo Switch Exclusives in release order (click to jump to a specific title):
If you're looking for other platform exclusive releases for 2024 we've got you covered with these articles:
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Release Date: September 26th 2024
Developer: Grezzo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure
Trailer: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Announcement Trailer - YouTube
Usually Link is the one saving the Princess, but this time the legendary swordsman has been stolen away by the strange rifts that are taking the people of Hyrule. Now Zelda herself must save her kingdom in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
In this new story Zelda teams up with the mysterious fairy, Tri, and uses the Tri Rod to create “echoes” of things you find in the environment. You must then recreate those echoes to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Create echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes—or find your own creative combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even create echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Release Date: October 17th 2024
Developer: NDcube
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Party
Trailer: Super Mario Party Jamboree Announcement Trailer - YouTube
We were surprised this summer with a new entry in the long-running Mario Party series, this time with Super Mario Party Jamboree, and it looks to be a good one. Nintendo are calling Jamboree "the biggest Mario Party to date", and in the reveal it already announced over 110 minigames, seven boards including the Mario's Rainbow Castle and Western Land boards from Mario Party and Mario Party 2, plus an online 20-player "Koopathlon" mode.
If you've been itching to get all your friends over for another chaotic night of Mario Party action, Super Mario Party Jamboree looks to be the best one yet and you've only go to wait until October to try it out.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Release Date: November 7th 2024
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure, RPG
Trailer: Mario & Luigi: Brothership Announcement Trailer - YouTube
Another surprise from the June Nintendo Direct was Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the sixth main installment in the Mario & Luigi series and the first new title since 2015. In Brothership, Mario and Luigi team up for a new adventure on the high seas! Set sail on Shipshape Island, which is part ship, part island, and journey through the vast world of Concordia. Launch out of Shipshape’s cannon to visit, explore, and quest your way through islands that range from tropical rainforests to bustling cities.
You’ll have to rely on Mario and Luigi’s brotherly bond to succeed. While navigating the 3D world you must use Bros. Moves to get past obstacles while you explore, and then harness the powerful Bros. Attacks in some dynamic turn-based combat. Mario & Luigi: Brothership looks an absolute blast to play with another person and a great game to get stuck into over the winter.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Release Date: January 16th 2025
Developer: Forever Entertainment
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer
Trailer: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Announcement Trailer - YouTube
Help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong recover their precious banana hoard from the villainous Tiki Tak Tribe, this time in full HD on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo has teamed up with Forever Entertainment to remaster the Donkey Kong Country Wii game, and you can choose to play the game as it was first designed for, or reduce the difficulty for extra hearts and other goodies to make your journey a little easier. It also comes with the extra levels from the Nintendo 3DS version.
Metroid Prime 4
Release Date: TBA
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: 3D adventure
Trailer: Metroid Prime 4 Trailer
Originally announced during Nintendo’s 2017 E3 press conference with a short logo tease, Metroid Prime 4 has largely been vapourware ever since. It’s not been seen or mentioned in any worthy capacity since the year when the Nintendo Switch originally launched, but we do know that it’s being made by original developer Retro Studios who recently elected to stoke up some excitement through Metroid Prime Remastered, a remake of the original GameCube game.
Metroid Prime 4 is expected to have more of a cinematic focus compared to other games before it, as revealed in job listings and reports from industry insiders. Though very little details about Metroid Prime 4 are still known, Nintendo Switch players should expect to explore a planet’s worth of dungeons, caverns and caves while battling alien critters as main character Samus Aran reacquires her useful powers. The last time we saw a new Metroid Prime game was back on the Wii, so hopes are high that Metroid Prime 4 will take advantage of the Nintendo Switch hardware when it eventually does release.
So there you have our list of some of the much-anticipated games releasing exclusively on Nintendo Switch in 2024. We're sure more games will be released this year and more concrete release date information is available. Let us know below what you're looking forward to playing this year on Nintendo Switch and if there is any titles you think we should add to this list. This is looking like the year of the remaster as it stands with not too many new IPs.
Article Last Updated 18th October 2024
