The Backlog Switch Games That Will Keep Us Company If We Can’t Get a Switch 2 – Feature

New console launches are fraught: when will preorders go live? What if I miss my phone alert? How many scalpers and bots am I competing with? How much are they marking it up? How much stock is there anyways? And of course, can I afford that new hardware, that new game, that new controller, that new accessory? AHHHHH so many things between our hands and those lovely sweet Joycon 2.

So what if real life forces and events conspire against you and you don’t get a Switch 2 this year? Well, a lot of us have Switch 1 gaming backlogs, so maybe some of those games can get us through these trying times. We surveyed the Nintendo World Report staff to find out their Switch 1 backup plans.

Donald:

I had a whole list of games just from 2024 that I still need to put a lot of time into. 2025 has mostly been Xenoblade Chronicles X, but there is the possibility of the Suikoden remake and by the time preorders likely go live, we’ll also have the Lunar remakes.

However, there’s one early Switch announcement that I feel like I need to play at some point that’s also in the RPG realm but is more original – and it’s long enough that it should last until the system comes into stock. Dragon Quest XI was announced a few months after the reveal of the NX – not the Switch, the NX. It’s a great story from what I’ve seen, but when it initially came out I was working my way through Three Houses, then Pokemon Sword came out right as I went into the hospital for a week and a half so… I never got into DQXI.

I missed a lot of the stuff from fall of 2019 because of those games as well: Luigi’s Mansion, Link’s Awakening (though that’s probably going to be an early Switch 2 game), Daemon x Machina ahead of the sequel. But the top priority to let the most air out of my backlog is Dragon Quest XI.

Neal:

The odds are high I’ll still be playing Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition past the Switch 2 launch date no matter what happens with the platform outside of my control. But through that time I’ll be eyeing a lot of other games on the OG Switch that I’ll aspire to play, replay, or go back to.

One of these days I’ll actually fully finish Tears of the Kingdom. At this point, finally rolling credits after slowly amassing all the Shrines and having all but one lightroot will happen when I can play the sweet sweet Switch 2 Edition. I’d also like to finish my replay of Metroid Prime I started when the remaster came out. Rounding out the first-party whims, finishing Luigi’s Mansion 3 and 100%-ing Pikmin 4 are a few other final holdouts I’d like to revisit by June.

Beyond first-party, I have a list of acclaimed indies I barely played, most notably Umurangi Generation, Toem, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and Cobalt Core. I’ve liked what I’ve played in all of them, but they were largely games I spent a hour or so with and then lost track of.

But who am I kidding: if I have more backlog time because something prevents me from getting a Switch 2 at launch, I’m just going to play a bunch of Picross and start my millionth team in Super Mega Baseball 4.

Alex Orona:

Despite having a gaming PC and Steam Deck, the Switch’s form factor still calls to me when it comes to gaming on the go and for that I really should dig deeper into some of those indie games I’ve picked up on super sale, but where do I begin?

Looking at my backlog there are a few stand out indies that I’ve really wanted to dive into, number one being Chicory: A Colorful Tale, about a dog who uses a paint brush to brighten up a black and white world. Cute and cozy with a hint of whimsy? Sign me up! Sticking to that painting motif, what’s this Okami game everyone’s talked about? Might be the next adventure I tackle, especially with that cell shaded art style? Speaking of drop dead gorgeous artwork, Paradise Killer also seems up my alley. A murder mystery whodunit with damn attractive suspects with more abs than I have fingers, this also intrigues me. Ahhh there’s too many choices!

Who am I kidding, I will probably just default to playing more Cook Serve Delicious 2, a game I can never escape for too long. Oh well.

Joel:

I have these gaps in gaming history with Nintendo. While I had opportunities to play the greatest-hits album of retro classics, the Wii was the first system of theirs I bought while it was still being shelved at Target. In that sense I’ve always been looking more what’s behind me than what’s to come with Nintendo’s catalog. Maybe that’s why the announcement of GameCube for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack was one of my highlights, especially with the stellar F- Zero GX being an inaugural title. It’s for that same reason that the Switch owner in me shouldn’t feel left out either – there’s a mountain of legacy games that I can never play through with the time available.

That said, the Wii U is a huge blind spot for an altogether different reason. My oldest was just an infant when we picked up one on launch day, then proceeded to have another young child through the console lifespan. Those days were difficult to get more than an hour of gaming here or there before falling asleep with controller in hand. I’ve got one sitting in our entertainment center thirsty for attention, and this seems like the prime time to go back and finally get my money’s worth with the old box. Maybe while Switch 2 owners play The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker I’ll play the beautiful looking HD remake on Wii U that I’ve put off for so long. That or the Star Fox Zero copy I said I’d get around to for years now.

Alex de Freitas:

It will not be hard for me to find games to play this Summer. Even if the Switch 2 snapped out of existence and all platforms and publishers decided they would no longer release software ever again, I would still have enough games to last me years, if not decades.

I’ve already been picking away at Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe, which has been pleasant enough, but to be honest, it’s just not as fun without friends—or the ability to switch off Kirby and play as King Dedede. I do have unfinished business with Metroid Prime Remastered, the game’s more plodding pacing compared to the snappier 2D Metroids pushed me off the Citizen Kane of games, but maybe the anticipation and excitement for Prime 4 will help it click upon a revisit. There’s also the Fire Emblem Warriors games (both the original and Splatoon 2 and 3 campaigns. When those were first released, my focus was squarely on chasing the competitive high of reaching S-rank in Ranked Battle and grinding out Salmon Run with friends. It’s about time I finally learn what a mammalian is. Oh, and I should throw in the highly regarded Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion, too. Might as well squeeze a little more value out of my NSO Expansion Pack subscription if I’ll be denied access to the upgrade packs for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. I may have plenty to play, but all I truly want is to return to Hyrule, where I can live out the fantasy of being a wildlife photographer and finally fill out the in-game compendiums.

Carmine:

I think I’ll let the primacy effect guide me here. If I had to reach into my Switch backlog for a game to distract me from everyone else having fun in Mario Kart World, my most recent acquisition sitting on the top of the pile next to me is the Suikoden I and II HD Remaster.

I’ve been super curious about this series ever since I read about it in a random 90’s gaming mag. And NWR rated the rerelease a healthy 8.5! Two hefty 90’s JRPgs should tide me over well if I have to go sans Switch 2.

On the other end of the list I figure I should get a game from earlier in the Switch’s lifecycle that I for some reason never played… you know what? Despite Ubisoft trying to get everyone and their grandma to play the game by putting it on perennial sale, and a lot of hub-bub, I never played Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. That game reviewed well too (NWR gave it a 9 and a 9.5 review), and it should be an engaging but light-hearted romp.

How about you, avid gamer? Let us know what gems you’ve got hidden in your original Switch gaming backlog just waiting to get a glow while we’re all in Switch 2 purgatory.