June 9, 2026|

Filed under: News Coverage

Nintendo Direct June 9, 2026 (and other Nintendo Summer Game News): Information and Reactions

A new Nintendo Direct is usually cause for fun, but this one is especially big. It’s Summer Games Fest 2026, with Nintendo as always at the tail end of a half week’s worth of updates and announcements. What did Nintendo show? Read on to find out!

To be clear, and I cannot stress this enough, this is very long. Buckle up.

News

Rhythm Heaven Groove got an update. Features “over 80” games and different modes. One RPG-esque mode has players use more than one button to cast spells, and another is a party game with “over 30” cooperative and competitive games. Releases July 2; preorders are now available.
Announced at the 2024 Game Awards, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming to Switch September 25, day and date with the other versions; pre-orders are now up. The game allows JoyCon motion controls.
2024 darling and loose Dragon’s Dogma remake Dragon’s Dogma 2 is coming to Switch 2 as the expanded version Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. Features a new setting in the icy kingdom of Norgan, which will be coming to the other versions of the game as DLC. Releases October 9.
Unrelated 2024 action RPG Stellar Blade is coming to Switch 2, complete with a few optional JoyCon motion controls. Releases “this year.”
Orbitals got a show, though no new details were given. Releases September 3; pre-orders now available.
Rayman Legends Retold was shown after being revealed at Sony’s State of Play. It’s a remake of the 2013 Wii U game, the last mainline Rayman game and an eminently playable and polished platformer. To add more… anything, the game features an extra world and new 3D segments, additional music by original composer Christophe Héral and Rare legend Grant Kirkhope, GameShare for one multiplayer mode, and a massive graphical overhaul that replaces the original’s (gorgeous) graphics. At State of Play and other videos, Rayman also has dialogue that is perhaps a bit generic. Releases October 1.
- Although this was only shown at State of Play, to sweeten the pot, the game will also be coming with Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition, which adds 4K resolution and 60fps (and can be purchased separately).
Announced the 2023 Game Awards, a cooperative exploration game Big Walk is coming to Switch. The latest release from Untitled Goose Game developer House House is based around finding unique methods of communication, like using megaphones and flares, to help other players explore. Has crossplay, too. It got its release date, too: August 4.
One Piece: Grand Gourmet, a casual restaurant management sim starring the Straw Hat pirates, was announced as a spectacularly strange-sounding spinoff. Characters’ powers are used to cook foods, build a culinary empire, and attract “over 400” characters from across the Once Piece franchise who have unique kinds of interactions. Releases for Switch and Switch 2 October 23, with mouse controls available for the latter.
Pokémon Pokopia is getting an update that allows players to Dive underwater, a game-changing move that lets you and other residents expand the town underwater. Releases as a free update this August.
- It’s also getting a paid Expansion Pass with three waves, which is now available for purchase. Part 1 features the town of Bubbly Basin, a new ruined town with new (and presumably, at least primarily Water-type) Pokémon to coincide with the Dive update. Part 2 brings “additional new features” later in “late 2026,” and Part 3 adds an “additional new town” in 2027.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave got an update. Set in the Dagdan Empire from Fire Emblem: Three Houses (the home of Shamir and some lore), its story revolves around four characters: Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, and Leda. You pick whichever one as your protagonist and, as in Three Houses, spend time between the major battles of the Heroic Games and personal time that can be spent on relationships, recruitments, optional battles, and exploration outside the capital city of Dagsion. And like in the reveal trailer last year, there’s a character who seems very similar to Three Houses’ Sothis. Releases September 17 alongside the Dagdan Collection that contains art books, cards, and other goods.
Ninjala 2: The Uncharted Planet was announced, six years after the release of Ninjala. Set on an “uncharted planet,” it’s an open world game in which the first game’s gum powers are used for larger exploration. Allows four player multiplayer. The first part—I’m not entirely clear what that means, and Nintendo’s press site doesn’t mention it—launches as a Switch 2 exclusive “next spring.”
Nintendo Switch Online will feature the time-limited DK Challenge, a challenge akin to NES Remix that gives you digital cards as rewards for completing challenges in NSO Donkey Kong games. They seem to range from fairly simple to more complex and hard. Owners of Donkey Kong Bananza can also get access to Balanza-specific challenges.
- DK Challenge goes from June 9 to September 1
- Additionally, Bonanza’s DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC will have Mario-themed outfits and graphical effects as a collaboration with the Super Mario 40th Anniversary. DK and Pauline dress as Mario and Luigi, veins of emerald ore are ? Blocks; stuff like that. It’s also a limited time event in multiple waves.
  - Wave 1: June 9 – June 30
  - Wave 2: July 14 – July 21
  - Wave 3: August 4 – August 11
  - Wave 4: August 25 – September 1
Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton, the latest Vampire Survivors-esque game and crossover from Vampire Survivors developer Poncle Games, was announced. Has “20+” characters from the world of anime Jujutsu Kaisen. Releases on Switch 2 “this year.” The somewhat awkward last word in the title is part of an initiative by Poncle to distinguish their Vampire Survivors-style games; more details on that are below, in the Future Games Show section.
Lords of the Fallen II is coming to Switch 2. I enjoy the fact that this comes days after a trailer that gave the list of consoles as just PS5 and Xbox Series, because these events have weird internal politics about what each show is allowed to say. Releases “this fall,”
Lies of P: Complete Edition announced for Switch 2. This update to the 2022 Pinocchio-based Soulslike includes the prequel expansion Overture. Releases August 6 digitally and October 2 physically; pre-orders now available.
Previously leaked, Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition announced for Switch. Alongside all the characters and 60fps in both handheld and TV move. I’m not sure how this relates to any of the other versions of DMC5, such as the Special Edition. Releases June 23 digitally; pre-orders available today.
Muramasa: Revenant Blades, an updated version to Wii game Muramasa: The Demon Blade and its PS Vita port Muramasa: Rebirth, was announced. This version has expanded language support, an updated localization, and new English voice acting. Releases “Early 2027” alongside a more expensive physical edition.
Nintendo Switch 2 editions of the Xenoblade Chronicles Trilogy were announced. All three have improved graphics and 60fps on both TV and handheld modes, alongside enhanced resolution for cutscenes and new equipment designs.
- Additionally, all three have unique content. Xenoblade: Definitive Edition adds voice acting to the Heart-to-Heart conversations and “high speed vehicle” for faster movement and race challenges, Xenoblade 2 has a mode that lets you control Blades, and Xenoblade 3 has a new Hero and a mode that lets you battle waves of enemies.
  - Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition releases today!, with a physical version releasing July 30.
  - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition releases July 30, and a physical version October 1.
  - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launches digitally and physically December 3.

Image: Nintendo. Notably, we’ve moved past “Chronicles” with Xenoblade Genesis and its crazy world geography.

Three years after Xenoblade 3 wrapped production on its DLC, Xenoblade Genesis was announced. Set at least partially in an academy, it’s more of a fantasy than a science fiction and – at least so far – looks to be a more of a clean break from the original trilogy. It still features mammoth landscapes and a crazy setting: a sort of inside-out world powered by “Anima,” an elemental force whose wielders are called Vesselai. Releases in “2027.”
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort was announced; as with Wii Sports Resort, it brings Switch Sports to Wuhu Island, picturesque Nintendo setting that was ubiquitous across the 2010s. There are twelve sports: Boxing, Table Tennis, Archery, Tennis, Volleyball, Bowling, Basketball, Golf, Thumb Wrestling, Skateboarding, Power Cruising, Prop Plane, Jump Rope. You can create Sportsmates or Miis. Releases October 22; pre-orders begin later today.
After State of Play announced that the game would be coming to consoles after leaving early access, RuneScape: Dragonwilds is coming to Switch 2. Releases September 15 alongside both the PS5 port and the PC release’s 1.0 version.
Hello Kitty Party Land, a new party game was announced. Has “over 40” mini-games and “over 140” Sanrio characters, including Badtz-maru (who I always look for first when writing up a Hello Kitty game). Including Releases on both Switch and Switch 2 October 29.
Star Fox is getting a demo later today! Releases, again, June 25.
Final Fantasy Resonance, the first game in the series to be rendered in HD-2D, was announced. It’s turn-based! Features cameos by popular Final Fantasy characters who act as “visions.” Releases on Switch and Switch 2 October 22.
Pikuniku 2 was announced, quite a long time after Pikuniku’s 2019 release. Like the original, it seems to have an anticapitalist message and conspiracy, but unlike the original, it’s in 3D, not a sidescroller. Releases “2027.”
First shown at the Dragon Quest 40th Anniversary show, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World got a release date for both Switch and Switch 2: December 3. It seems fairly similar at least in the basics, as it involves a protagonist—or “protagonists,” as it stars two girls—both fighting and recruiting monsters.
FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods got its first major update since its reveal back in 2025. It’s getting a closed network test “summer 2026.”
Splatoon Raiders will be getting a Direct on June 30, as well as a bonus JoyCon pair inspired by sidekicks Deep Cut. Additionally, a daily prequel comic will be viewable in Nintendo Today!, and Splatoon 3 will be hosting a special Splatfest from July 10 – 12.
The Splatoon 3 North American Playoffs will also be from June 20 – 21.
Batten down the hatches; Deltarune Chapter 5 releases June 24. Wait, is the chapter italicized? It’s a free update, not a paid purchase.
2024 GOTY candidate Metaphor: ReFantazio is coming to Switch. Releases November 12. I won’t be buying it, but only because I was given a copy in 2024 that I still haven’t even started. I really should rectify that.
Minecraft is getting a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Features nicer visuals and lighting and shadow effects. Unsurprisingly, players’ worlds can be brought over. Releases “this year.”
Sizzle reel: Atelier Karia: The Night Kingdom & The Guide of Memories (Switch 2, “early 2027”), Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Switch 2, “Holiday 2026”), Observer: System Redux (Switch 2, June 18), Dayz (Switch 2, “2026”), Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection vol. 2 (Switch and Switch 2, August 27), Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (Switch 2, announced and released today!), Tales of Eternia Remastered (Switch and Switch 2, October 16), SnowRunner (today!), Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (July 16), Everbloom (Switch 2, “Spring 2027”), Final Fantasy XIV Online (Switch 2, early access August 2026)
The Kingdom Hearts Collection—Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC)—are getting Nintendo Switch 2 Editions, and anyone who bought the terrible Cloud versions can at least transfer their save data and get the price at a discount. Releases October 8; pre-orders now available. A bundle is also
- A demo of Kingdom Hearts III is also available today!
After skipping the rest of SGF, and years after its initial announcement, Kingdom Hearts IV is coming to Switch, day and date with the other versions (not that we know either day or date). The “sign of life” trailer is mostly combat and a show of the modern city in which Sora finds himself. Donald, Goofy, the Darkside monster, and some of the OC characters appear, but
Leaked months ago, the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was announced. After Breath of the Wild’s cel shaded art, it looks far more realistic, and weirdly evocative of the boring fan projects that try to reimagine old Nintendo games in a gritty Unreal Engine filter. Releases “2026,” which is great, except we got no real gameplay footage. Also, the font for the title is gold in a way that reflects the series’ love of using gold for cartridges and covers.
Afterwards, Devon Pritchard, Nintendo of America’s new President and COO made an appearance.

The Direct (and Nintendo Treehouse Live):

Individual trailers:

Of course, Nintendo appeared at the summer games season plenty, even outside the Direct. Due to our general focus on the Nintendo ecosystem (and, frankly, because I am one man, and this is a lot of work as it is), we won’t be covering the entirety of the summer games cycle, but all Nintendo-related announcements are here.

However, and as I’ve said in previous writeups, some of these games will come to Switch or Switch 2 in the future. Many of them, particularly those at shows like Day of the Devs and the Wholesome Direct, simply don’t have explicit console names because they’re too small to build a simultaneous launch across more platforms than Steam. Others can but are far enough from release to comfortably confirm consoles. And several simply announced that their games will be coming to “consoles,” which most likely includes PS5 but may or may not include Switch. It’s hard to imagine, say, Apple Crumble, the next mystery game from Duck Detective’s Happy Broccoli Games not being multiplatform.

Summer Game Fest (June 5)

Long rumored and the most natural remake target for Resident Evil, Resident Evil Veronica announced. This remake of Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which pitted Chris and Claire Redfield against zombies in France and Antarctica back in 2000, is planned for “2027.”
Alongside the news that a new, hand-animated Cuphead project is in development, Studio MDHR announced Mighty Cuphead Adventure. In the vein of fan “demake” projects, it reimagines the characters and world of Cuphead as an 8-bit game; it was even programmed in Assembly and will be getting a physical release for the Sega Master System. It’s not confirmed for the Switch family of systems specifically, just “modern consoles,” but this is an example of one whose Switch release is fairly likely.
First confirmed back in 2024, Alien Isolation 2 got its first trailer. The most intriguing element is its setting: an outpost on a planet and its surrounding wilds, instead of the cramped space station of the first game.
Fortnite got an update for its Runners season.
Hours before the show, the Among Us TV adaptation by Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis got shadowdropped on Paramount+. Yvette Nicole Brown and Liv Hewson made an appearance to reveal it.
- Innersloth also revealed Among Us Story: On Guard, a story driven Among Us spinoff. It was only announced for Steam, but only in the sense that the game’s Steam page is up for people to wishlist, and I suspect it’ll come to console eventually.
007 First Light, out now on other platforms but without a clear Switch 2 release date, will get a new story mission featuring Bwama, Lenny Kravitz’ character.
Monster Hunter Wilds will be getting Ascendence, a massive story expansion. This would not be relevant to this article had Capcom not announced production on a Switch 2 port of the somewhat contentious 2025 sequel soon after.
After being leaked earlier that day, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush was announced. Releases September 24.
Sonic the Hedgehog announced several very goofy crossovers for its 35th Anniversary, the most prominent being Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion-themed additions to Sonic Racing CrossWorlds.
Hitman: World of Assassination, as it likes to do for SGF, released its latest celebrity Elusive Target: Wiz Khalifa.
“Year Four” of Street Fighter IV will feature newcomers Yasmine and Arjun, Bosch from Street Fighter VI’s World Tour mode, and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII. Tifa, who’s been a popular request for the Tekken series for years, will apparently have a unique moveset meant to incorporate FF7’s Materia mechanic.
Attack on Titan 3, a Koei Tecmo Musou game adaptation of the vaguely fascist-coded anime juggernaut, will be coming to Switch 2.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation was announced, along with a massive open world. Releases “spring 2027,” with the Switch 2 release planned as day and date with the other versions.
- As a fun side note, due to scheduling conflicts, Sephiroth actor Tyler Hoechlin has been replaced by Fullmetal Alchemist and Critical Role star Travis Willingham in the English dub. I’m only mentioning this because it continues the delightful trend of Sephiroth being played by Superman actors.
The event also had small montages by Nintendo of Switch 2 third party games. I’m not covering what was in them, as they’re not news.

Summer Game Showcase (June 1, 12 PM ET)

Canvas City, a low fi skateboard RPG which had been announced earlier this year and was confirmed for Switch in May, got a trailer (and would be shown later at Frosty Games Fest). No release date, but it’s reaffirmed its plan to release a demo at least on Steam.
Announced over a week ago, Hands Over is a horror party game whose mini-games right out of something like Saw or Inscryption. So, like, everyone taking turns sticking their hand in a mechanical jaw and seeing who loses an arm. No release date was shown, and I’m not sure if this is new footage, but it is a new game for Switch.
Previously announced in 2025, psychological adventure game Un:Me announced console ports, including Switch 2. The main character has four voices in her head, one of which is her actual soul, and your choices with how to interact with them impact the story and gameplay.
Cooperative horror game Beyond the Dark: Nightwatch was announced as a Switch 2 exclusive. A fully co-op game that appears to not have a single player mode, it uses asymmetric mechanics as two players try to escape a haunted house.
CInematic puzzle platformer Lifted announced its Steam release date of July 22, though its Switch 2 and PS5 versions are still “coming soon.”

Black Voices in Gaming (June 2, 3 PM ET)

Bathory: Heritage of Blood was announced, with a “2027” release date. A 2D Soulslike in which you do battle with Elizabeth Bathory, it features some exceptional pixel art and gnarly violence.

Sony’s State of Play (June 2, 2 PM ET)

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, the Tomb Raider remake announced at the 2025 Game Awards, will be coming to Switch 2. However, it’s been delayed to 2027 off a tentative “2026” release date. It’s also got a disclaimer for AI use, which ain’t great.

Image: Nintendo. It’s very pretty and all, but I can’t help but feel like this Rayman Legends remake is even less vital than the Star Fox 64 remake.

LAGS: Summer Game Fest Edition (June 4, 5 PM ET)

First announced in 2023, previously shown at Summer Games Showcase, and later shown in Day of the Devs, Tenebris Somnia got its first official trailer and a confirmed Switch release. It’s an unorthodox horror game that combines chunky 2D pixel art and live action footage.
Castlebound, a multiplayer roguelike action platformer with some light handcraft aesthetics, was announced via a trailer highlighting its Kickstarter campaign. Switch and Switch 2 are its only known console targets, at least so far.
Announced in March, Play Faster got a new trailer that confirmed a Switch port. Playing as a block, kinda like the character in many 2D prototypes, you dart around in hyperactive levels “built for speedrunners” reminiscent of ultra-hard platformers like Super Meat Boy and VVVVVV. No release date came with it.
Aymara-inspired puzzle adventure game Colorbound, whose Switch port was announced earlier this year, got a trailer announcing a release date in “August.” Its pixel art captures the feel and sloshy painting, which looks very cool and informs the gameplay.
Tempus Vitae, a “time travel / first person shooter / Metroidvania,” was announced. Its time travel mechanic will involve altering the events of the story to change the layout of the game. It’s only release date is “2027.”
Farmageddon, a frenetic roguelike set on a farm overrun by mole, was announced and is planned for Switch.
Fourleaf Fields, a cozy farming sim set in a tiny world, was announced (and would be shown again at the Wholesome Direct). No release date announced.
Multiplayer action roguelike Kernel Hearts, which was announced last year and confirmed a Switch 2 release earlier this year, is releasing in “September.”
Several months after its Kickstart campaign started, super-pretty stealth cat platformer Bruma got a trailer.
Their Story, an exploration and puzzle game about two cyclists in Valparaíso who unknowingly impact each other, was announced.
Toada Brava, a hand-drawn, top-down RPG announced earlier in the year (and which would be shown later at Women-Led Games), got a trailer announcing a Switch release and an upcoming Kickstarter for the game.
Teeko, a tower defense platformer, got a trailer announcing a demo on Steam. Release date is “Q2 2027.”
Kickstarter hack n’ slash game SoulQuest, which launched on Steam back in May, is poised to release on Switch “Q3 2026.”
Shade Protocol, a cyberpunk-ish Metroidvania, announced the launch of its Kickstarter campaign.
Super Tacky Astro Ranger, a 3D action roguelike, was announced with no release date.
Several games that have already come out got trailers either promoting the game or announcing ports on other consoles, including Beat the Champions (May 28), Roadout (May 14), and Blue Fire (February 4).

Women-Led Games (June 4, 7 PM ET)

Warframe’s story DLC Jade Shadows: Constellation, releasing June 17, got a trailer
Announced back in March and shown off later at the India Games Showcase, cooperative ghost-catching action game Spook-A-Boo got a trailer.
Puppergeist, which was announced back in October, got confirmation of a Switch port and a release date: July 16. It’s a rhythm visual novel about interacting with the spirits of dogs through rhythm mechanics.
Switch games that have already released and were shown off include Black Jacket (May 12) and Schrödinger’s Call (May 27).

Day of the Devs (June 5, 7 PM ET)

N Plus Infinity Times Two, the latest iteration of the endlessly evolving world of N and N++, was announced and is coming “to all consoles.” It mildly diverges from the standards Metanet has built over the past twenty years; while there’s still the super hard “parkour platforming,” it’s a deranged multiplayer game threatening to reimagine concepts of cooperative and competitive gameplay. Releases at some point in 2027.
Screenbound, the long in development platformer in which you jump between first-person exploration and multiple in-universe games you play on your hero’s always onscreen Game Boy, is officially coming to “all platforms.” While previous trailers have shown a Mario-esque sidescroller, this also shows a top-down action game. Releases September 10, with a demo currently up on Steam. I’m excited for this one; it really stuck out to me in 2024, where I believe it was at that year’s Day of the Devs.
One year after Mario Kart World, Sonic CrossWorlds, Kirby Air Riders, and Garfield Kart 2 dramatically oversaturated the “kart racer” subgenre (and a day after it was leaked accidentally), Playtonic has thrown their hat in the ring with Super Yooka-Laylee Kart. Its main gimmick is that it’s graphically drawing back to the pixelated Super Mario Kart, albeit with a very unique take on HD-2D graphics. Super low-fi main characters and sumptuous backgrounds. It also features extensive customization and an interest in strategic depth, but I can’t help but feel like it’s releasing in a terrible climate for what it needs.
Trine 6: Together in Time was revealed by Frozenbyte, three years after the release of Trine 5. Releases for both Switch and Switch 2 (and everything else) September 17.

Southeast Asian Games Showcase (June 6, 11 AM ET)

Gigabash, which released on Switch in 2023, will be getting a crossover DLC featuring Ultraman Zero.
Initially announced in February, Until Then’s DLC Afterimages got a release date: June 18.
Announced in March, Hoa 2 got a trailer, though no update to its “2026” release window.
This was another show that featured already out games, including Table Flip Simulator (May 20).

Wholesome Direct (June 6, 12 PM ET)

Announced in March and set for release on July 7, a demo of Moonlight Peaks has been released for Switch and Switch 2.
Cozy 2025 retail management game Discounty is getting free expansion, People of Profit? It adds a “new final chapter,” multiple new endings and storylines, and a bevy of new items and mechanics. Out now on Steam, it’s planned for release on consoles “this July.”
Is This Seat Taken is getting a PS5 port after its launch on Steam and Switch in 2025.
Announced several years ago, cozy open worlder Lou’s Lagoon got its release date: August 27.
2025 city builder The Wandering Village is getting a new expansion, The Last Leviathan. It’s set on a giant, constantly moving beast.
Deer & Boy, a cinematic platformer announced in 2025, will release on Switch June 23.
Memento, a room decorator game with branching paths that was announced back in March, got its release date: June 30.
Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, the 2024 mobile title and sequel to 2021 life simulator Cozy Grove, is coming to consoles on both Switch and Switch 2. Releases July 15.
Two years after releasing in early access in 2024, zany city builder Go-Go Town! will be reaching its 1.0 version—and it’s coming to Switch and Switch 2. Both versions release July 16.
Named after the 1954 book by Moomins creator Tove Jansson, point and click adventure Moomin: Midsummer Madness was announced for Switch and Switch 2. While based on the Moomins property, it appears unrelated to both Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley and Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, which were made by Hyper Games (this one is by CrossBridge Game Studios). Releases in “2026.”
Initially released in May 21 on Steam, a Switch port of Walk the Frog was announced. Releases “September 2026.”

Story Rich Showcase (June 6, 1 PM ET)

Snipperclips and Crow Country developer SBF Games announced The Mermaid Mask, a sequel to its 2019 mystery Tangle Tower. Releases on Switch and Switch 2 July 16.
ShelfLife: Art School Detective, a detective dating sim announced in May, got a trailer; a Switch port was announced the day of the event.
First announced in 2024 as part of Blumhouse Games as part of its parent company’s expansion into video games and shown off several times since then, farming sim and murder mystery Grave Seasons got a “Summer Update” video explaining the work going into the NPCs and relationships, romantic and otherwise. Its release date, given last month, is August 14.
Stylish 2025 tactics cult game Demonschool will be getting both DLC and a Switch 2 version in “2026.”
Gareth Damian Martin announced that their cult hits Citizen Sleeper and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector will be getting Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. Free upgrade packs will be available for owners of the Switch 1 versions.

Image: Nintendo. Ignoring that we now have two big games with “resonant” and “resonance” in their names, it’s cool that an all-new Final Fantasy is getting the HD-2D treatment first.

Green Games Showcase (June 6, 2 PM ET)

Last seen by Nintendo fans at the July 2025 Partner Showcase, the cooperative “mouse exploration” game Hela: Of Mice & Magic got shown, though no update to its “2026” release window.
As with LAGS, several games that are already out on Switch (and other consoles) were shown, including Furi, Haven, LumenTale: Memories of Trey, and Outbound.

Future Games Show (June 6, 3 PM ET)

2016 VR Arizona Sunshine (now known as Arizona Sunshine VR) is getting a third-person, non-VR “flatscreen” remake with the same name. Announced for all consoles, including Switch 2.
The first DLC in Little Nightmares III “Secrets of the Spiral” expansion pass is The Backstage. Releases June 12.
Thatgamecompany’s acclaimed cozy MMO Sky: Children of the Light (which released in 2019 on iOS and 2021 on Switch; I had no idea the Journey studio even made this) will be getting Dear Van Gogh, an apparently free expansion that explores the life, relationships, and art of Vincent van Gogh. Unsurprisingly, it looks gorgeous. Releases July 17.
Realm of Ink, which was released on all platforms in May 26, got a launch trailer.
Duskfade, a nostalgic 3D platformer homaging the sixth generation of gaming that was announced earlier this year (and was shown earlier at Summer Game Showcase), announced a Switch 2 version and release date: August 13. Its main touchstones seem to be Jak & Daxter and Kingdom Hearts, along with an art style that feels lightly reminiscent of NiGHTS and Akira Toriyama.
Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia, a sequel to Marsupilami – Hoobadventure (and both being an adaptation of the Belgian comic book character Marsupilami), was announced.
Blasphemous 2 is getting a new expansion, The Third Sin, and it’s free. And it’s out now!
A segment for Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns revealed that the game, a remake of one of the most influential PC titles of the 1980s, will be coming to Switch. Releases August 13.
BioEden, an upcoming cozy management game about restoring a planet’s ecosystem, will be coming to Switch 2. While its PC release is September 3, the console ports will be “later.”
Vampire Survivors creator Luca Galante announced both a new expansion, Legacy of the Bloodmoon expansion, and a mild retitling for the game as a whole: Vampire Survivors – First Survivaton. “Survivation” is a label for any new projects in the vein of Vampire Survivors as Poncle Games undergoes its current expansion as a publisher and developer.
- As a side note, Vampire Survivors / Vampire Survivors – First Survivaton also announced a “Lycaeum Update,” which adds an underwater level and some fun mechanical additions.
- After the show, a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Vampire Survivors was also announced.
The Road of Dust & Sorrow, a “cozy survival horror adventure” which was revealed in December, will be coming to both Switch and Switch 2. While inspired by Nineties survival horror classics and reminiscent of modern horror games like The Last of Us, it’s actually a sidescroller with unique pixel art. Releases “soon.” A demo is available on Steam and Itchio.

IGN Live (June 6 – 7, starting 3:15 ET). I should note that I cheated with this one by looking through IGN’s announcement page rather than the livestream itself, which was several hours long and mostly filled with material that was often irrelevant to this article and irrelevant in general.

Bloober Team’s next horror game is Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, a third person “psychological thriller” starring The Next Generation Bajoran ensign-turned-terrorist Ro Laren. Ro will be played, as she was in The Next Generation and Picard, by Michelle Forbes. It will be coming to Switch 2 “soon.”
- As for Bloober’s 2025 horror game Cronos: The New Dawn, it’s getting an expansion called Lazarus releasing this “fall.”
After having leaked hours earlier, Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee: Remastered was announced. This reissue of the 2002 cult fighting game by Digital Eclipse adds online play, more single player content, and changes to both the graphics and the unlocking system. Releases November 3 as one of the few games willing to launch in the same month as Grand Theft Auto VI. Releases on Switch 2 November 3.
First announced in February as the first entry in the Backyard Baseball series since Backyard Sports: Baseball 2015, Backyard Baseball got its release date: July 9. Releases on Switch.
As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, Dead by Daylight showed additional footage of Jason Vorhees, its latest horror crossover character.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic, a compilation package of PSVR classics Moss and Moss: Book II that was announced last month, got a gameplay trailer and release date: July 16. Releases on both Switch and Switch 2.
Gnaw, a dinosaur detective Metroidvania set in a pre-apocalypse saurian society that was announced last year and is coming to Switch, got a gameplay trailer.

Frosty Games Fest (June 6, 6 PM ET)

Announced back in 2026, physics-based puzzler Shape Sender Deluxe will be coming to Switch.

Xbox Show (June 7, 1 PM ET)

Three years after Sega announced an intention to revive several of their classic properties, Crazy Taxi: World Tour was announced. It features music by the Offspring, the return of protagonist Alex, and an unscrupulous admission to the use of generative AI. Releases on Switch 2 “next year.”
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse got a release date: October 15. This notably does not include the Switch version, however. No reason was given.
Spyro: A Realm Beyond, the first all-new Spyro platformer in eighteen years, was announced. The developer is Toys for Bob, the team that made the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and successfully became independent from Microsoft in 2024. Features a greater emphasis on flying. Coming to Switch 2 “spring 2027.”
Team Ninja revealed its newest game: Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember. This sequel to 2023’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, this Han Dynasty-set action game is the series’ debut on Nintendo hardware. Releases on Switch 2 “early 2027.”
Minecraft Dungeons 2 got a release date: September 29.

PC Gaming Show (June 7, 3 PM ET)

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, whose June 11 launch was a known quantity, got a trailer. Coming to Switch 2.
Cassette Beasts 2002, a sequel to the 2023 monster catcher Cassette Beasts, was announced and confirmed for Switch 2. Like the first game, it features monster fusion (and “over 50,000” combinations thereof), and it also has Crush 40’s Johnny Gioeli on the soundtrack. No release date announced.
Nightdive Studios’ latest game is Thief: The Dark Project Remastered, a rerelease of the 1998 classic that helped create the modern stealth genre. Features a number of quality of life improvements standard to most modern remasters, as well as the return of lead actor Stephen Russell as antihero Garrett. If we ignore the spinoff Thief VR from 2025, this marks the first entry in the series since the critically mixed Thief from 2024. Includes all the content from Thief Gold from 1999. Coming “this winter” to both Switch and Switch 2, with the upgrade to the latter being free.
Announced in 2025 and shown at SGF, Parisian demonic roguelike shooter Armatus got its release window shrunken from “2026” to “this winter.”
Dave the Diver’s upcoming In the Jungle expansion got a trailer fleshing out the setting and “fleshing out” the cast by virtue of depicting them in live action. The release date hasn’t changed; it’s still June 18.
Ten years after its initial launch in early access, Valheim’s “1.0” version marking it as a full game has a release date: September 9. Its previously announced Switch 2 version will release the same day, ‘cause Nintendo don’t like having early access games on its platform, as will its “Deep North” update.
Announced back in March, pregnant nun survival horror game Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy got a new trailer. Its “2026” release date has not been updated.

Image: Nintendo. Deltarune, you’ll always be here for me.

India Games Showcase (June 8, 1 PM ET)

Palm Sugar: A Village Story, a pixel art narrative game about romance, daily life, and the shadow of a drug cartel that was announced in 2024, is coming to Switch.

Other news

Long after its rocky showing at last year’s Gamescom and a year after its initial “2025” launch, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition finally has a release date: August 28. It looks quite a bit better.
Over the course of a couple days and alongside Godzilla, Digital Eclipse and Atari revealed two other retro compilations: Toy Story: Retro Roundup! and Barbie Rewind. These retro compilations include:
- Toy Story: Retro Roundup!: Toy Story (1995; Genesis, SNES, Game Boy versions), Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue (1999; PlayStation), Toy Story 2 (1999; Game Boy Color Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000, PlayStation, Game Boy Color), Toy Story Racer (2001; PlayStation, Game Boy Color), and A Bug’s Life (1998; PlayStation, Game Boy Color)
  - In addition, Digital Eclipse is releasing Toy Story 3 Complete Edition. It’ll be packaged in with the Deluxe Edition of Retro Roundup! and features content that had only been in certain ports of the original game.
- Barbie Rewind: Barbie (1991), Barbie Game Girl (1992), Barbie Super Model (1993), Barbie: Race & Ride (1999), Barbie Super Sports (1999), Barbie: Pet Rescue (2001; Game Boy Color), Barbie: Groovy Games (2002), Barbie Horse Adventures: Blue Ribbon Race (2003; Game Boy Advance), Secret Agent Barbie: Royal Jewel Mission (2003), The Barbie Diaries: High School Mystery (2006), and the unreleased Barbie Vacation Adventure in both SNES and Genesis versions. It also includes the new and very Unpacking!-looking Barbie DreamHouse. Releases on both Switch and Switch 2 November 12.
  - Unfortunately, Digital Eclipse’s page is limited about which versions of Barbie are all included, so I don’t know if, for instance, Barbie from ‘91 will include the DOS version as well as the NES version.
Alongside its final update, indie sensation (that I hated, but most people did not) Sea of Stars released its Switch 2 Edition on June 8.
Following the stipulation three years ago that Microsoft put Call of Duty games on Nintendo hardware for a decade, Microsoft revealed the newest entry in the series and the first Nintendo entry in generations: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Its campaign revolves around a North Korean attack on South Korea. Releases October 23.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 will be getting a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, releasing July 23. Given Square Enix’s history of not providing upgrade paths for updated versions, I’m skeptical that it’ll give that option to owners.

As a side note, while I’ve gone through every SGF event, sometimes things slip by; maybe a trailer doesn’t include the Switch logo but was confirmed for Switch previously or somewhere else. I’d like to direct you to our friends at Nintendo Life, who have their own list of announcements, some of which I missed.

Videos (other events):

Wolfman’s Soapbox: Maybe it’s the stress that comes from writing this thing, or my own cynicism, but I seem to complain about the pageantry and shallowness of Summer Games Fest every year. But this year… I mean, the desperation was palpable, right? Keighley literally started his show with statistics! Statistics! He had graphs explaining new game releases and how many new “IPs” managed to cross a one million sales threshold, which is great, except I can point out that that hasn’t stopped studio closures or skyrocketing prices that are pricing more and more consumers out of the hobby. I don’t think that makes me a “cynic.” And then you have Microsoft playing so hard to the core audience that it’s shelving a working PS5 copy of Gears of War and rebranding Xbox as “XBOX,” even though it’s hardly in a position to be engaging in some dumb console war posturing. Most of their games are going to have to be on PlayStation, and in some cases Switch 2. It’s like it’s an armchair general still bitter over a own war he chose to join.

The specter of AI felt a bit stranger this week. Not necessarily worse or better, but… resigned. Over the past few years, the proliferation and use of AI has been a bugbear for many players (myself included) for more reasons than I have space to list. But now we have a Tomb Raider game and a Crazy Taxi reboot both sticking by it, and it wasn’t only them. The Deutsche Indie Showcase had a lot of great looking titles from the Germanophone countries, but the one I remembered the most, the distractingly boring Ca$h is King, had key art that looked blatantly generated. It’s notable that Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio had to out and out clarify that Tupac won’t be built with gen AI…

…Actually, why is a fake Tupac in Stranger Than Heaven? I get why Snoop Dogg is in it; he’ll be in anything, and he fits the Like a Dragon mold (Stranger than Heaven isn’t officially a Like a Dragon prequel as far as I can tell, but it certainly reads that way). But Tupac was killed years before Yakuza 1 came out. We’re not getting a new song, we’re not going to see his next acting role; it’s just someone else’s portrait drawing of an artist. Like those creepy AI videos of “Frank Sinatra” singing Korn songs, we’re being sold a fake and asked to act like it’s real. It all feels super ghoulish, even before you get into the backstory of the guy who runs his estate.

Image: Nintendo. I mostly spend these shows typing furiously, but I think I actually shouted something like “this is a game-changer!” when I realized we can go underwater now. That really does upend Pokopia in a huge way.

If we want to ride the ghoulishness, I guess we can think of digitally reviving a dead man (again) and swinging for the loudest Xbox devotees as part of a different trend that’s been happening for years: rereleases. The truth is that remakes, remasters, and sequels to long-lost titles have been increasingly key to the industry. Games take longer to make, dramatic swings have higher risks and fewer rewards, and capitalizing on nostalgia is simply a tool. It sucks. It totally does. But it’s also a symptom of a much larger problem, which is that the games industry is very obviously scared. Of hardcore, reactionary fans who can’t be pleased. Of economics that are becoming increasingly unridable. Of new ideas. And for all of the fun that these shows have, that fear is very palpable.

But let’s talk good stuff. I actually did find more interesting games than usual for me at SGF. It was not without its faults—what jackass wanted to hear a dark trailer version of “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” and what jackass agreed to make it?—but starting with Resident Evil, segueing quickly into Alien, and ending on Final Fantasy worked for me. I also found something nice in every show, including the ones that didn’t have anything for me to write up. My favorites were probably the Latin American, Wholesome, and Story-Rich shows. I also appreciate that while it makes my job more taxing, it’s great that we have more shows from more demographics and genres and fields in the industry. For all my dunking on Keighley that I’ve done and will do again, the event has tried to support that in fits and spurts. Maybe we could just try to trim the shows down. SGF will never, ever, ever need to be more than an hour.

And the Nintendo show added to the fun! It’s actually nice having it at the end, where it’s a slick culmination. I’d put it after the three shows I mentioned, but still good. My biggest point of contention is that we’ve known about Ocarina of Time for a while, and they’re claiming it’s coming out in no more than six months, but the trailer really does give us next to nothing. The graphics are a bit disappointing in the sense that it’s Nintendo inching too close to my liking to the boring “Nintendo hire this man” Unreal fan projects that are always boring and bland, but, again, it’s also not nearly enough to go on. But that’ll be for then. For the time being, we’ve got a lot of really nice stuff coming down the pike. I wasn’t planning to replay Xenoblade anytime soon, but maybe I’ll get that Switch 2 upgrade today…

Slink: I am extremely excited to see the announcement of a remake of Ocarina of Time, which remains my favorite game in the series to this day. Given they have billed it as “the Nintendo 64 classic returns for a new generation,” I have confidence it will be a faithful remake of the original game. Some art direction decisions have me puzzled, such as the decision to replace the original designs of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, but I’m willing to accept that, because the graphical style of the game looks gorgeous, and what I’ve wanted from Zelda for the past 20 years. I’m glad to see this franchise embracing its legacy in such an overt way, and I hope that if anyone reading this had issues with the original game, they give this new remake a shot.