The Switch 2 games to own

The best Switch 2 games to buy in the UK are Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Donkey Kong Bananza is the best overall pick and costs £49.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Mario Kart World is the best multiplayer game, and Tears of the Kingdom gives the most hours of play per pound. All three are full physical cartridges, so the whole game is on the card.

Rankings rest on Nintendo and publisher specifications, HowLongToBeat completion averages and Amazon UK prices checked on 23 September 2026. Compare Electronic has not reviewed these games itself. Every pick is a physical edition, and each entry states whether the box holds a full cartridge or a Game-Key Card. Setting up a new console? Our best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories guide covers the microSD Express card that Game-Key Cards depend on.

What are the best Switch 2 games so far?

The best Switch 2 games so far are the Nintendo exclusives Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders, plus the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of Tears of the Kingdom and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The Nintendo Switch 2 launched on 5 June 2025, and Nintendo has released a first-party game roughly every month since, so the library now covers platformers, racers, RPGs and life sims.

Two kinds of game sit in this list, and the difference matters for value:

• Switch 2 exclusives: Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World, Kirby Air Riders and Pokémon Pokopia were built for the Nintendo Switch 2 and do not run on the original Switch.
• Nintendo Switch 2 Editions: Tears of the Kingdom and Pokémon Legends: Z-A are Switch 1 games with Switch 2 upgrades, such as higher resolution and frame rate. Owners of the Switch 1 version can buy an upgrade pack instead of the full game; the Pokémon Legends: Z-A upgrade pack costs £7.99 as a download code on Amazon UK at the time of writing.
• Third-party ports: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is a PS5 and PC game rebuilt for the Nintendo Switch 2 and shipped on a full 64 GB cartridge.

What Switch 2 games are out in the UK?

The Switch 2 games out in the UK span 15 notable releases from the 5 June 2025 launch to Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave on 17 September 2026. Mario Kart World, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition arrived on launch day, and Nintendo has kept up a roughly monthly pace of first-party games since. The table lists UK release dates for the notable Switch 2 games, oldest first.

Seven of these 15 games make the ranked list below. The Switch 2 also plays most original Switch games, so the full library is far larger than the Switch 2 games alone; the backward compatibility section further down explains what works.

1. Donkey Kong Bananza - best overall

Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Switch 2 game for most owners and costs £49.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D platformer from the team behind Super Mario Odyssey, and almost every surface in it can be punched through, dug into or ripped out and thrown, which turns each level into a puzzle about what to break.

HowLongToBeat players report 19 hours for the main story and 30.5 hours with extras, which puts Donkey Kong Bananza at £2.63 per hour of main story. A second player can join in local co-op. The physical card also costs £9.00 less than the £58.99 download code on Amazon UK, which makes the cartridge the better buy.

2. Mario Kart World - best multiplayer

Mario Kart World is the best multiplayer Switch 2 game and costs £59.95 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Mario Kart World raises the grid to 24 racers, joins every track into one open world, and adds Knockout Tour, an elimination mode that runs across several courses in one continuous race. Four players can share one screen, and 24 can race online.

The HowLongToBeat main-story figure of 4 hours says little about a kart racer, because players keep racing long after the cups are done. The main-plus-extras average of 16.5 hours brings the cost down to £3.63 per hour, and multiplayer adds hours no average captures. Nintendo added a free update on 9 September 2026, so the game continues to grow.

3. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Switch 2 Edition - best value

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the best-value Switch 2 game and costs £49.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). HowLongToBeat players average 59.5 hours for the main story, which makes Tears of the Kingdom the cheapest game per hour in this guide at 84p.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition runs at a higher resolution and a smoother frame rate than the 2023 Switch release, adds HDR, and unlocks Zelda Notes in the Nintendo Switch App. Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to Breath of the Wild, so it suits players who have finished the first game. Anyone who already owns the Switch 1 cartridge should buy the upgrade pack from the eShop rather than this full edition.

4. Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Switch 2 Edition - cheapest pick

Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the cheapest game in this guide at £42.95 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an action RPG set in Lumiose City, with real-time battles instead of the series' turn-based fights, and HowLongToBeat players average 28 hours for the main story, or £1.53 per hour.

The Switch 2 Edition runs at a higher resolution and frame rate than the Switch 1 version. Families with an original Switch in the house should note that this red Switch 2 Edition card only works in a Nintendo Switch 2.

5. Kirby Air Riders - best party game

Kirby Air Riders is the best party game on Switch 2 after Mario Kart World and costs £46.44 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Kirby Air Riders is directed by Masahiro Sakurai, the director of Super Smash Bros., and follows the 2003 GameCube game Kirby Air Ride with simple controls and the City Trial mode, in which players build up a machine on an open map before a final event.

HowLongToBeat players average 4 hours for the main story and 14.5 hours with extras, so Kirby Air Riders costs £3.20 per hour on the longer measure. Like Mario Kart World, its value is in repeat multiplayer sessions, and it is £12.55 cheaper than the £58.99 download code on Amazon UK.

6. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition - best third-party game

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is the best third-party Switch 2 game and costs £52.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). CD Projekt Red ships the whole game and the Phantom Liberty expansion on a 64 GB cartridge, so nothing needs downloading before play, which is rare for a large third-party release on Switch 2.

HowLongToBeat players average 40 hours for the Ultimate Edition main story and 83.5 hours with extras, which works out at £1.32 and 63p per hour. Cyberpunk 2077 is an adult game with a PEGI 18 rating, so it suits a different buyer from the Nintendo picks.

7. Pokémon Pokopia - best life sim

Pokémon Pokopia is the best life sim on Switch 2 and costs £54.95 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Pokémon Pokopia is a Switch 2 exclusive about rebuilding a world with Pokémon, and HowLongToBeat players average 36.5 hours for the main story, or £1.51 per hour.

Pokémon Pokopia is the one Game-Key Card in this guide. The box contains a card that unlocks a download rather than the game, so buyers need free space on the Nintendo Switch 2's 256 GB of internal storage or a microSD Express card, and the card has to stay in the slot to play. The physical Game-Key Card costs just 4p less than the £54.99 download code, so the main reason to buy it is resale value.

Which Nintendo Switch 2 games give the most hours for the money?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition gives the most hours for the money at 84p per hour of main story. Mario Kart World gives the fewest by this measure, at £14.99 per hour, because a kart racer's value sits in multiplayer rather than a story.

Should you buy a full cartridge or a Game-Key Card?

A full cartridge is the better buy whenever both exist, because the whole game is on the card and it plays without a download. A Game-Key Card holds only a licence: the Nintendo Switch 2 downloads the game to its internal storage or a microSD Express card, and the card must be inserted each time the game starts. Nintendo prints a Game-Key Card notice on the front of the box, so check before ordering.

Game-Key Cards also make storage matter. The Nintendo Switch 2 has 256 GB built in, and only microSD Express cards can hold Switch 2 games, so buyers planning several Game-Key Card or digital purchases should budget for a card. The SanDisk microSD Express 256GB costs £49.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing, as covered in our best Switch 2 accessories guide.

Can you play Switch 1 games on Switch 2?

Yes, the Nintendo Switch 2 plays most original Nintendo Switch games. Nintendo built backward compatibility into the Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo keeps a published list of the small number of Switch 1 titles with known issues on the new console.

• Physical games: Switch 1 cartridges fit the Nintendo Switch 2 game card slot and play as normal.
• Digital games: purchases on a Nintendo Account carry over to the Nintendo Switch 2 through a system transfer or a redownload.
• Free updates: some Switch 1 games have free Nintendo Switch 2 updates that improve performance on the new console.
• Paid Switch 2 Editions: games such as Tears of the Kingdom and Pokémon Legends: Z-A have Switch 2 Editions with bigger upgrades, sold as a full game or as an upgrade pack, such as the £7.99 Pokémon Legends: Z-A upgrade pack on Amazon UK.

Do Switch games work on Switch 2?

Nintendo Switch games work on the Nintendo Switch 2 in almost every case, and they run at least as well as on the original console because the Switch 2 has 12 GB of RAM against the original's 4 GB. Games without a free update or Switch 2 Edition still run in their original Switch mode, so they do not gain a higher resolution target, although games with dynamic resolution or uneven frame rates tend to hold their upper limits more often. The accessories are where compatibility breaks: original Joy-Con pair wirelessly but cannot attach to the Switch 2, and standard microSD cards cannot store Switch 2 games.

Anyone still choosing a console can compare the Nintendo Switch 2 with the Steam Deck OLED and ROG Xbox Ally in our best gaming handheld UK 2026 guide.

Can you play Switch 2 games on Switch 1?

No, Nintendo Switch 2 games do not play on the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite or Switch OLED. Switch 2 game cards are red, and Nintendo states they only work in a Nintendo Switch 2. That rule covers Nintendo Switch 2 Edition cards too: the Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition card will not load on a Switch 1, so a household with both consoles should buy the standard Switch version and add the upgrade pack on the Switch 2.

Which Switch 2 games are coming next?

The next Switch 2 games with confirmed UK dates are The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered on 29 September 2026, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on 22 October 2026 and Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on 12 November 2026. Metroid Ravenous, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and Kirby and the World Beyond are the upcoming Switch 2 games most worth waiting for. Nintendo announced all three as Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives in its 9 September 2026 Nintendo Direct. The dates below come from Nintendo's press release for that Direct; this list only includes games with an official announcement.

Grand Theft Auto VI is not on the list: Rockstar has announced GTA 6 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only. Our best console for GTA 6 guide covers those options. Recent releases worth a look outside the main list include Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (£59.95), Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (£46.99) and Splatoon Raiders (£39.99), all at Amazon UK prices at the time of writing.

Verdict

Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Switch 2 game to buy first, at £49.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). Mario Kart World is the pick for multiplayer, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition gives the most hours for the money at 84p each, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the cheapest pick at £42.95. Buy full cartridges where they exist, and budget for a microSD Express card before buying Game-Key Cards such as Pokémon Pokopia.

Prices on Nintendo games rarely fall far, so the Nintendo Switch 2 Black Friday deals guide tracks which of these games and bundles are worth waiting for. PlayStation owners should read our best PS5 accessories guide. Still need the console? The Nintendo Switch 2 is on Amazon UK.