Since 2017, we’ve seen a huge number of ports come to Switch, many of which seemed like impossibilities beforehand. Surprises like Doom (2016), which turned up in the system’s launch year, and 2019’s Witcher 3 showed that while clever optimisation was required, Nintendo’s console could deliver perfectly playable and utterly absorbing portable versions of some of the biggest video games around.
As time wore on and Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen platforms launched, the Switch ports kept coming — the excellent Pentiment has been a particular highlight this year. We’ve got our fingers crossed for Ace Combat 7 and Stray, although recent disappointments such as the Batman Arkham Trilogy show that caution is warranted. The Switch is in its eighth year, and the tech within was hardly bleeding edge in 2017.
However, there’s still life in the ol’ hybrid yet, and besides, many of the games we’d still love to see ported could run perfectly on the current console. There’s also the matter of over 140 million systems sold, which means a huge addressable audience for developers considering a Switch port in 2024.
So, as we bask in the summer sun in one hemisphere (and settle down for a cosy winter in the other) with the knowledge of a forthcoming official Switch successor announcement, let’s look back for one last blow-out of a ‘Please, Nintendo, can we have some more?’ — a summer round-up of fantastic games we’d still love to see on Switch that remain Missing-In-Action.
You’ll find a mixture of Wii U ports (yes, there are a few still left), some Wii gems that could use the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD treatment, a bunch of third-party classics, plus some personal favourites we just not ready to give up on. We’ve omitted games that are already playable via Nintendo Switch Online, or anything highly likely to show up there (eg. Diddy Kong Racing).
So, we now present our final Switch port wishlist, in alphabetical order. Which coincidentally means we start with a couple of real pipe dreams…
Alan Wake 2
The first Alan Wake is on Switch in remastered form. It’s an unimpressive port, but it signalled Remedy’s interest in the console and sparked our fever dreams that the GOTY-winning sequel might stand a chance of coming over.
What are the chances?
A Control-style Cloud Version? Perhaps, although who really wants that? As much as it pains us, this and the next game on the list feel like they’ll need more power than the current console can muster if they’re to make the jump to Nintendo hardware without severe compromises.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Another 2023 GOTY. Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 struck a nerve with both fans of the series and newcomers, and with both 1 and 2 already on Switch in Enhanced Edition form, completing the BG set would be a treat.
What are the chances?
Very slim – realistically, it’s another one for the ‘Switch 2’ wishlist. If Nintendo’s next console is, as had been suggested, an iterative update on the current hybrid, and if third-party devs are gearing up to hit the ground running with ports that aren’t tenable on the current model, we could be looking at a launch lineup for the ages! Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves with that hypothetical. Compels us, though.
Generally speaking, almost any game that launches with a new console sells well thanks to the limited pool of options for early adopters (there’s a reason why Ubisoft always gets in early doors with something), so if we were a dev of any size, we’d be considering getting stuck in on day one.
Enough pies in skies. Let’s turn to something that the current Switch could run in its sleep.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Not much more to say, really. It feels odd that it’s never been on a Nintendo console, and odd that we’ve had two (excellent) collections but no Symphony.
What are the chances?
There are question marks around the Requiem compilation of Symphony and Rondo of Blood being a Sony exclusive, but we can’t see anything stopping Konami releasing a standard, standalone port. Or, you know, investing in the series’ most celebrated entry and making it available in sparkling form with extras on all platforms.
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.
Since 2017, we’ve seen a huge number of ports come to Switch, many of which seemed like impossibilities beforehand. Surprises like Doom (2016), which turned up in the system’s launch year, and 2019’s Witcher 3 showed that while clever optimisation was required, Nintendo’s console could deliver perfectly playable and utterly absorbing portable versions of some of the biggest video games around.
As time wore on and Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen platforms launched, the Switch ports kept coming — the excellent Pentiment has been a particular highlight this year. We’ve got our fingers crossed for Ace Combat 7 and Stray, although recent disappointments such as the Batman Arkham Trilogy show that caution is warranted. The Switch is in its eighth year, and the tech within was hardly bleeding edge in 2017.
However, there’s still life in the ol’ hybrid yet, and besides, many of the games we’d still love to see ported could run perfectly on the current console. There’s also the matter of over 140 million systems sold, which means a huge addressable audience for developers considering a Switch port in 2024.
So, as we bask in the summer sun in one hemisphere (and settle down for a cosy winter in the other) with the knowledge of a forthcoming official Switch successor announcement, let’s look back for one last blow-out of a ‘Please, Nintendo, can we have some more?’ — a summer round-up of fantastic games we’d still love to see on Switch that remain Missing-In-Action.
You’ll find a mixture of Wii U ports (yes, there are a few still left), some Wii gems that could use the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD treatment, a bunch of third-party classics, plus some personal favourites we just not ready to give up on. We’ve omitted games that are already playable via Nintendo Switch Online, or anything highly likely to show up there (eg. Diddy Kong Racing).
So, we now present our final Switch port wishlist, in alphabetical order. Which coincidentally means we start with a couple of real pipe dreams…
Alan Wake 2
The first Alan Wake is on Switch in remastered form. It’s an unimpressive port, but it signalled Remedy’s interest in the console and sparked our fever dreams that the GOTY-winning sequel might stand a chance of coming over.
What are the chances?
A Control-style Cloud Version? Perhaps, although who really wants that? As much as it pains us, this and the next game on the list feel like they’ll need more power than the current console can muster if they’re to make the jump to Nintendo hardware without severe compromises.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Another 2023 GOTY. Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 struck a nerve with both fans of the series and newcomers, and with both 1 and 2 already on Switch in Enhanced Edition form, completing the BG set would be a treat.
What are the chances?
Very slim – realistically, it’s another one for the ‘Switch 2’ wishlist. If Nintendo’s next console is, as had been suggested, an iterative update on the current hybrid, and if third-party devs are gearing up to hit the ground running with ports that aren’t tenable on the current model, we could be looking at a launch lineup for the ages! Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves with that hypothetical. Compels us, though.
Generally speaking, almost any game that launches with a new console sells well thanks to the limited pool of options for early adopters (there’s a reason why Ubisoft always gets in early doors with something), so if we were a dev of any size, we’d be considering getting stuck in on day one.
Enough pies in skies. Let’s turn to something that the current Switch could run in its sleep.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Not much more to say, really. It feels odd that it’s never been on a Nintendo console, and odd that we’ve had two (excellent) collections but no Symphony.
What are the chances?
There are question marks around the Requiem compilation of Symphony and Rondo of Blood being a Sony exclusive, but we can’t see anything stopping Konami releasing a standard, standalone port. Or, you know, investing in the series’ most celebrated entry and making it available in sparkling form with extras on all platforms.
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.
