7 of the best new Nintendo Switch games out in 2022

By Sara Rigby

Published: Thursday, 28 April 2022 at 12:00 am

From Mario to Pokémon to Kirby, there’s no shortage of incredible series on Nintendo Switch – and it seems like there are more released all the time. And if the classic Nintendo characters aren’t your cup of tea, more recent series like Xenoblade Chronicles and Splatoon are sure to keep you entertained, too.

Yes, we’re disappointed that Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has been pushed back to 2023, but in the meantime, there are more than enough fantastic titles to tide us over until then.

Read on to find out the new Nintendo Switch games that we’re most excited about in 2022.

Best new Nintendo Switch games out in 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

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On sale 28 January 2022

Explore the history of the world of Pokémon in this action RPG. You play as a member of the Galaxy Expedition Team’s Survey Corps, whose job is to create the very first Pokédex. You will explore the Hisui region in a time before Pokémon and humans lived side by side, surveying, catching and researching all the wild species you encounter.

Meanwhile, certain Pokémon in the region are turning frenzied, and you’ll have to work out how to calm them down. Could this have something to do with the mysterious Arceus?

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass

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On sale 18 March 2022

If you’re anything like us, you bought Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and then played it until you practically knew the courses with your eyes closed. Luckily, with the Booster Course Pass, the fun doesn’t have to end.

Nintendo is releasing six waves of extra courses for the game, with eight courses in each wave. All 48 are remastered from previous games – but, of course, with all the features unique to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe added in.

The first wave has been released already, with the remaining five due by the end of 2023.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

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On sale 25 March 2022

In the 30th anniversary year of the series, Nintendo has published Kirby’s first 3D adventure. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the little pink hero is swallowed by a vortex and wakes up far from home, on a world where civilisation has been overtaken by nature. Kirby’s friends, the Waddle Dees, are captured by a gang called the Beast Pack. It’s Kirby’s job to rescue them, with classic Copy Abilities and brand new ones, too.

You can team up with a friend over the course of this adventure in local co-op mode.

Nintendo Switch Sports

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On sale 29 April 2022

The newest edition in the hugely popular Wii Sports series is coming to Nintendo Switch in April. The game features six sports in total, including both familiar and new events, each of which can be played alone or with friends.

Take to the courts with tennis and badminton, swinging your Joy-Con like a racket, or use the Leg Strap Accessory included in physical copies of the game in football. Bowling includes both the classic game and challenge modes with obstacles and ledges. In chambara, called ‘swordplay’ in previous games in the series, wield your Joy-Con like a sword and use it to knock your opponent off the platform and into the water.

Later in 2022, a free software update will introduce golf.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

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On sale 29 July 2022

This new instalment in the Xenoblade Chronicles series takes place far in the future of the previous games, on the world of Aionios, where the nations of Keves and Agnus are at war. Noah and Mio, soldiers from Keves and Agnus respectively, are the protagonists of the story, and are off-seers: those who send off the dead by playing special flutes.

The two off-seers, each accompanied by two of their friends, must travel to the land of Swordmarch to discover the truth of the conflict between their nations.

This RPG brings in new elements and abilities that weren’t in the previous games: characters can change their class to access new abilities; up to seven characters can participate in a battle at once; and pairs of party members can join together to form a powerful being known as an Ouroboros.

Splatoon 3

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On sale 9 September 2022

The aim of Splatoon 3 is simple: make a massive mess. Playing as an Inkling or an Octoling – a humanoid squid or octopus – your job is to cover as much territory as possible in your team’s colour of ink. Splatoon 3 introduces new ink-spreading weapons, including a bow and a scuttling Crab Tank.

You can play in ‘Turf War’ mode in online multiplayer, ‘Salmon Run’ in local co-op and and the story mode, ‘Return of the Mammalians’, in single-player.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

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On sale 2022

The characters from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle are thrown into outer space in this turn-based strategy adventure game. The Sparks, magical creatures formed by fusing a Luma with a Rabbid, are in trouble: a mysterious, evil galactic force known as Cursa wants to consume them. It’s down to Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi and more to protect them. Meanwhile, explore the galaxy and meet the inhabitants of each new planet as you free them from Cursa’s influence.

This game does not yet have a confirmed release date.

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