We could easily have one of the best Nintendo Switch game lineups yet in 2023, with the six-year-old hybrid console as popular as ever and with a whole host of big releases to look forward to. From family-friendly Kirby remasters and Minecraft Legends to long-awaited sequels like Octopath Traveler 2, Pikmin 4 and (of course) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
We’ve compiled a list of 15 big Nintendo Switch games to look forward to in 2023, so let’s dive in!
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Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden
NSW, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, PC | January 19, 2023
With the popularity of Persona 5 over the past few years, it’s really been a no-brainer for Sega and Atlus to bring new ports of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden to current machines, and what a more appropriate platform for these PSP and PS Vita games! releases than the modern handheld phenomenon Nintendo Switch?
In both games, you slip into the role of a high school student who must immerse himself in the mystical goings-on around his school and town. There are many sides to these games, from the narrative drive that sees you embroiled in Persona battles to the need to stick to the nitty-gritty of high school life and make friends. Persona 3 has many fans, but it’s Persona 4 Golden that was widely regarded as one of the best JRPGs of all time… until it was somewhat superseded by Persona 5.
Engage Fire Emblem
NSW | January 20, 2023
Over the past decade, the Fire Emblem series has grown in strength, building on the breakthrough popularity of Fire Emblem Awakening on 3DS, leading to a resurgence in the popularity of the tactical RPG series. Fire Emblem Engage is the latest iteration of this formula, taking it one step further towards one of the biggest Switch games of 2023, and sure to be one of the biggest.
Mixed in with the returning ideas are new Emblem Ring Summons that can bring heroes like Marth and Celica from previous games into battle by your side as you, the divine dragon, attempt to save the world of Elios from the corrupting influence of defend the fallen dragon.
Read our latest Fire Emblem Engage preview here, and look forward to a full review this week!
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
NSW, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, PC | January 31, 2023
The continued popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants has led to The Cosmic Shake, a brand new game that tears SpongeBob and Patrick out of Bikini Bottom to adventure across a variety of wishful worlds, each with a unique setting and set of rules, to be followed.
Announced back in 2021, it looks like a pleasantly wild and varied adventure, and comes from a studio that has a lot of experience with SpongeBob SquarePants. Most recently, Purple Lamp was seen creating Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, the remake of the PS2-era platformer released in 2020.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key
NSW, PS5, PS4, PC | February 24, 2023
The Atelier Ryza saga continues and our titular heroine is happily living her life on the island of Kurken when suddenly a whole new set of islands appear nearby. Now she embarks on an adventure to save Kurken while delving into the “roots of alchemy” and allying herself with characters old and new along the way.
Atelier Ryza 3 promises to push the world exploration even further than the last game – which was already a huge step forward for the series – as the field now stitches cards together seamlessly and promises a “living” field. Add to that various buttons that can be used to affect every part of the game, and there are some intriguing new ideas for a game that feels like a trilogy endgame.
Octopath Traveler 2
NSW, PS5, PS4, PC | February 24, 2023
Square Enix have now carried the original Octopath Traveler’s HD 2D art style to several different games, but now they’re working on a full sequel to the game that started it all. It’s an engine and visual direction that has matured over the last five years, offering more 3D effects alongside the stand-up pixel art characters, still paired with lush, blooming lighting and a beautiful tilt-shift effect are littered.
Octopath Traveler 2 will take a similar form to the original, with eight short RPG stories, each following a specific character – Throné, for example, seeks her freedom while Osvald seeks revenge. You can choose who you start playing with and the order in which you tackle the stories and quests, including choosing who is in the lead group. It remains an interesting narrative concept, we just hope it feels a little more cohesive with its storytelling than the original.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe
NSW | February 24, 2023
By the way, after Kirby’s first 3D adventure released last year, Kirby and the Forgotten Land was bloody awesome! – Nintendo dug through its archives and pulled out Kirby’s Return to Dream Land for a Nintendo Switch remaster.
This is a classic 2.5D side-scrolling platform adventure for 1-4 players with classic Kirby copy ability, meaning you can guide the pink puffball and his friends through the game by brandishing whips , attack with swords and float around with a parasol. This was the game where the mecha copy ability made its debut.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
NSW | March 17, 2023
After Bayonetta 3, I doubt anyone expected PlatinumGames to take us back to the origins of the well-loved witch. Cereza and the Lost Demon will tell the story of how she met and bonded with her very first demon, Cheshire, while exploring a treacherous forest of Avalon. There’s a new twist to the action as the left controller moves Cereza and the right moves Cheshire in combat, combining the attacks and abilities of the two.
Compared to the flirtatious tone of the series’ main games, this prequel looks positively PG thanks to the more watercolored art style and narrated plot scenes in illustrated storybook form.
Archives of the Master Detective: Rain Code
NSW | Spring 2023
From the minds behind the twisted high school murder mysteries of Danganronpa, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code promises a whole different kind of adventure… although you’ll still solve a few murders!
In a city where it rains constantly, all manner of master detectives, each with their own unique powers, have come to solve the mysteries that plague this city. You take on the role of amnesiac aspiring detective Yuma Kokohead, haunted by the death god Shinigami as he conducts investigations, from gathering evidence to battling mysterious phantoms in an otherworldly realm. You can definitely see some of Danganronpa’s influence rippling through this game.
Minecraft Legends
NSW, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, PC | Spring 2023
What’s next for Minecraft? Well, in addition to the main game, which remains popular, and the Dungeons Minecraft Dungeons, 2023 will also see the release of Minecraft Legends. It’s sure to be another family-friendly game for Xbox in 2023, mostly because it’ll feature four-player co-op.
Featuring all the familiar blocky graphics of the Minecraft environment, Minecraft Legends will be an action-strategy game that tasks you with saving the world from the Piglins’ invasive Nether corruption. This version of the Minecraft setting has a different perspective and scale, with a player character who can run around quickly, gather resources, craft, and lead cute and cuddly allies into battle.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
NSW | May 12, 2023
By far the most anticipated game of 2023 for Switch owners, Tears of the Kingdom is the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild. Hyrule has been torn apart, and much of the kingdom now hovers high in the sky. While parachuting and gliding around on giant rock birds naturally fit the new locations, there are some funky new abilities Link will have at his disposal, such as: B. the ability to transform into a drop of water, use time reversal abilities and more.
We’ve only seen a few glimpses of what this game will offer, but of course we can’t wait to play later this year.
Story of the Seasons: A Wonderful Life
NSW, PS5, XSX|S, PC | Summer 2023
A remake of the 2004 GameCube game Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, this game promises to be a lot of fun for slice-of-life farming simulation fans. Settle into the Forgotten Valley, follow your father’s farming dream, make friends with the locals and even put down roots to start a family.
More than just a pure remake, it also includes features and improvements from A Wonderful Life Special Edition and Another Wonderful Life, adding the ability to play as a farmer and adding more characters to the romance.
Disney Island of Illusion
NSW | 2023
Join Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy in this new 2D platformer for 1-4 players and experience the stunning visual panache of Mickey Mouse shorts animations. It looks pretty pretty, evokes the style of the classic Rayman Legends, and sure is great for young families looking for new Switch games in 2023.
Disney Speed Storm
NSW, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XBO, PC | 2023
From platforming to combat racing, Disney Speedstorm will be a free-to-play arcade racer featuring a full cast of Disney and Pixar characters.
Coming from Gameloft and the team behind the long-running Asphalt series, some interesting ideas mix into Disney Speedstorm, such as a “crew” of characters that offer racer stat boosts.
Pikmin 4
NSW | 2023
Compared to the previous games on GameCube and Wii U, Pikmin 4 has the best chances of any game in the series to capture the imagination of millions of players and in this sense Nintendo is working to make it more accessible and easier to understand. There will be a lower Pikmin level perspective point and simpler controls allowing for “dandori,” which refers to the ability to plan and place Pikmin more strategically.
As you can see, there’s a wide range of Nintendo Switch games to choose from in 2023, with many already confirmed for the next few months. Stay tuned to TheSixthAxis for all the latest news on these big releases and everything else happening in gaming.
