This is an exciting time for Nintendo Switch owners. Just last week, we had very little idea of what games were coming down the pipe for the rest of the year. But after a terrific and informative Nintendo Direct, the company’s 2023 release plans for Switch have come clear. There’s some great stuff heading our way, and most of the games are now available for preorder. Here’s a look at where to preorder the biggest upcoming first-party Nintendo Switch games.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Fans of side-scrolling Mario games, rejoice. It’s been a long time since Nintendo served up a traditional Mario game that has you running left to right toward a flagpole. Super Mario Bros. Wonder lets you play solo or co-op (with Daisy as a playable character, finally). It sports a handsomely refined art style that adds a dose of trippy weirdness when you pick up a Wonder Seed. See our Super Mario Bros. Wonder preorder guide for more info.
Super Mario RPG
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars first released in 1996 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A co-production between Nintendo and Square, it combined the delightful characters and setting of the Mushroom Kingdom with some serious RPG chops. The result was a classic game that spawned both the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series. This remaster of the original brings the classic to a whole new generation of Mario fans. See our Super Mario RPG preorder guide for more information.
Wario Ware: Move It
If you like party games, Wario Ware: Move It looks like a total delight. You and your friends play through a series of micro-games that last just a few seconds, and have you doing things like picking onscreen noses, wiggling your body in silly ways, and generally having a blast. The high level of weirdness in the micro-games means this might not be a game to play with the grandparents, but you and your friends will probably love it.
Pikmin 1 + 2
The Pikmin series of adorable real-time strategy games started life in 2001 on the Nintendo GameCube. Mainline releases have been sporadic since then, but Pikmin 3 Deluxe is available on Switch (see it on Amazon), and Pikmin 4 is coming out on July 21 (Amazon). In an apparent effort to bring the whole series onto Switch, Nintendo surprise-released digital versions of Pikmin and Pikmin 2 on the eShop during the recent Nintendo Direct. Those games are also getting the physical release treatment on September 22. See our Pikmin 4 preorder guide for more info on that quickly approaching game.
Detective Pikachu Returns
As Pokemon spinoff games go, Detective Pikachu (see it on Amazon) is a relatively unsung one. A 3DS game that came out in 2018, it stars a gruff, coffee-chugging Pikachu who goes on a quest to solve a series of mysteries. A movie version released in theaters the following year, alongside the announcement of a sequel. After years of silence, that sequel is finally on its way. Detective Pikachu Returns is an adventure game that’s coming to Switch on October 6. That gives you a brief window of time to finish it before Super Mario Bros. Wonder arrives a few weeks later.
Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed or on Mastodon @chrislreed.
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