Palworld 1.0 Showed Me Why Everyone Loves Survival Games

Survival games have been wildly popular for years now. I’ve dabbled here and there to see what the fuss is about, but I’ve always fallen off after a few hours. Usually, I get tangled up in one meagerly explained system after another until I lose track of what I’m supposed to do, and my time with the game peters out.

When Palworld 1.0 came out to rave reviews, I figured I’d give the genre another shot – and I’m glad I did. Palworld’s gradual, newbie-friendly onboarding helped me see what a whole lot of people have loved about survival games all along. Palworld made me a believer.

I’m glad I came in at the 1.0 mark, because I’ve heard Palworld had a much steeper learning curve out of the gate. But now, new players start with a series of missions designed to guide you through the game’s numerous systems. You learn how to punch trees to get wood to create a crafting bench. You learn how to make a club you can use to beat some Pals to death (it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there) to get wool. You then use that wool to make clothes. You set up a camp. You build a house. You activate a teleporter and explore deeper into the game world.

Before long, you’re gliding off cliffs Zelda-style before whomping on every Pal you see to catch them in spheres to put them to work. You can deploy them at your camp, ride them, or have them fight by your side to take on big roaming Pals and towering bosses. It’s a blast. And there’s no way I would have stuck with it if it hadn’t held my hand and eased me into the systems that make up the game.

I still have a long way to go, because I was nowhere near powerful enough to defeat the first boss solo. But those early missions gave me a much-needed handle on what else I can spend my time doing as I level up enough to become a threat. There's a vast world out there I can keep exploring, all while catching Pals and building up my base. I’m having a blast doing it.

Palworld’s 1.0 is available on Steam, Xbox, and PS5. It costs $29.99, but you can save a few bucks on a Steam copy at Fanatical, which is currently running its summer sale.

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 Bluesky.

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Obsession Star Inde Navarrette Wants to Voice a Resident Evil Character

The internet’s favorite final girl says she’s branching into voice acting and would love to play a role in Capcom’s flagship horror franchise, Resident Evil.

Navarrette opened up about this new career path during an interview with Variety's Tiana DeNicola in late July, saying she’s been getting into the Resident Evil games lately.

When asked if she’s been approached to do any voice acting for games, Navarrette confirmed that yes, she has, and she’s starting that journey “soon,” though she didn’t mention any specifics about the projects she’ll be working on.

“I wanna try something smaller to kind of test the waters, and then later, [do something] different, because video games are obviously a big interest of mine,” she revealed. “I love that world, specifically — the Resident Evil world.

“I would die inside,” she continued when DeNicole described the possibility as “perfect” for her before turning the conversation toward a film adaptation of the series.

“I don’t think they’ve made a Resident Evil movie yet, have they?” she asked, prompting DeNicole to bring up Zach Cregger’s upcoming film, which hits theaters this September.

“Okay, I will buy a ticket,” Navarrette said. “That’s exciting!”

Navarrette’s love for video games is well-chronicled at this point, with her Twitch channel going viral (before she scrubbed all of her VODs) after her breakout role in Obsession launched her to international fame.

Speaking with GQ, she said she grew up playing party games on the PlayStation 2 with her mother and older brother before transitioning into narrative-driven titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us. She’s also a massive Call of Duty buff, which prompted one fan to gift her a sealed 2009 copy of Modern Warfare 2 in a wholesome moment that took social media by storm.

Navarrette essentially has carte blanche in terms of roles she’d like to pursue at this point, given the outstanding critical reception to her performance in Obsession. Resident Evil isn’t the only franchise she’s been publicly wishlisting lately; she also mentioned meeting with Jake Schreier, director of the upcoming X-Men film, saying she’d love to play Mystique in a future movie.

For now, news of the actress’s forthcoming roles are still under wraps, but that isn’t stopping fans from bugging Schreier and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige about fitting her in the X-Men universe somehow — and having her play the shape-shifting Mystique doesn’t sound too bad, given the hauntingly convincing way she was able to switch between Wish Nikki and Real Nikki in Obsession.

Image Credits: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures/CAPCOM

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

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Call of Duty: World at War Multiplayer Nearly Had a Much Larger Focus on Vehicles

Dataminers have discovered content that suggests Call of Duty: World at War would've had a much larger focus on vehicle combat in its multiplayer modes.

Back in the mid to late 2000s, Call of Duty was defining its formula. It became annualized, with multiple studios alternating between games, ast-paced and class-based PvP multiplayer modes, and a blockbuster campaign. Still, there was a lot to figure out on what exactly those multiplayer experiences would look like. We know it well now, but it seems that Treyarch was playing around with vehicles in the series' earliest multiplayer modes.

Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War's multiplayer modes both featured vehicles that players could freely get into and use. In World at War, it felt like a bit of an afterthought, as only four maps actually had tanks, but it turns out there were much larger plans for them.

As discovered by ForwardLeaks and @TheSpoopatron on X, World at War would've allowed players to call in tanks after obtaining seven kills. These tanks would've been fully customizable with special perks, different weapons, and more. Players would've been able to equip flamethrowers to the tanks, have control over their speed, and much more.

To support all of this, World at War would have had more maps that were specifically designed to accommodate tanks. Unfortunately, all of this got cut (or at least drastically reduced) before launch. It's unclear why Treyarch pulled back on this, but it's possible that it wasn't as fun or didn't work as well as they'd hoped.

World at War also suffered from a fairly rushed development. Despite having a two-year dev cycle, the game underwent massive revisions and changes, which may be another reason why these features and maps were cut.

🚨LOST MEDIA FOUND:

Call of Duty: World at War was initally going to have a much deeper focus on vehicle combat within the game before being scrapped.

After a play reached a 7 kill streak, the player would have the ability to call in a tank. The tank would be able to be fully… pic.twitter.com/6zzWJ6vl9d

— Forward (@ForwardLeaks) August 6, 2026

• Railway (mp_railway)
• Sandtrap (mp_sandtrap)
• Village (mp_village)
• Zoo (mp_zoo)

* indicates map released in WaW pic.twitter.com/hU6jd95Jzi

— Forward (@ForwardLeaks) August 6, 2026

It's interesting to think about what Call of Duty might have looked like, had these features shipped. Would vehicles have played a bigger part in future Call of Duty games? It's hard to say. The recent Modern Warfare games have had vehicles as part of its Ground War mode, seemingly as a way to compete with large-scale multiplayer games like Battlefield. It's a fun addition, but it has yet to rival the more intense 6v6 experiences in the game.

Players also discovered a cut Zombies tower defense mode in the recent Black Ops ports. Those ports are among the best selling games of 2026, as fans have flocked to the older games in droves.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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Hideki Kamiya Reveals Spider-Man 2 Scene That Inspired Key Game Sequence in Okami

Hideki Kamiya revealed that Okami's main planner took inspiration from a scene in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 movie to shape one particular moment in the highly-acclaimed 2006 game.

If you’ve seen the movie and played Okami, you probably know what moment I’m talking about. If you haven’t, this is your warning that spoilers lie ahead (though, to be fair, both of these things are over 20 years old at this point).

In the unlikely event you haven’t seen the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, there’s a scene in the second film where he uses his webs to stop a runaway train at the last second. It’s an iconic moment that has sparked endless tributes and parodies over the years — and it apparently inspired a story beat in Okami, of all things.

In the game, players must find a way to cross a massive, raging river in order to progress to another area. A non-playable character is tasked with repairing the bridge that crosses this river, but in the middle of his chore, a log comes flying downstream at top speeds, prompting a timed gameplay segment where Amaterasu is tasked with slowing the log down using her Vine power before she careens off the side of a waterfall.

As told by Okami director Hideki Kamiya on his official X/Twitter account, this segment was created by planner Hiroshi Shibata, who took direct inspiration from Spider-Man 2.

“This scene was planned by Shibata-san, who served as the main planner, drawing inspiration from the train scene in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2,” Kamiya said matter-of-factly in response to a clip from the moment posted to the official Okami X account.

この場面は、メインプランナーを務めてくれた柴田さんが、サム・ライミ版スパイダーマン2の電車の場面から着想を得て企画しました… https://t.co/O9ZtBYNlLZ

— 神谷英樹🍀 Hideki Kamiya🍀 (@HidekiKamiya_X) August 5, 2026

This is one of several insights that Kamiya has given about his games over the last few months, most recently confirming that Leon S. Kennedy was, indeed, named after the 1994 movie Leon: The Professional. Kamiya famously directed Resident Evil 2, creating one of the series’ most iconic characters whose popularity has stood the test of time. (He’s even getting a life-sized statue in Shibuya later this year to celebrate Resident Evil’s 30th anniversary.)

Okami is finally getting a sequel game, produced by the newly-formed Clovers, founded by Kamiya after his exit from Platinum Games. In collaboration with Capcom, it is a direct continuation of Okami’s main story, not a spin-off in the vein of Okamiden on the DS.

“I always wanted to create an Ōkami sequel,” Kamiya told us in an exclusive interview in February 2025. “Thinking back to about 19 years ago when I first created the game, you have to remember that the story itself isn't really complete, and I always wanted to complete this game.”

For now, not much else is known about the project, with Clovers saying it will be some time before anything further is shown off publicly. However, we do know that it's being developed in Capcom's RE engine, which gives us a vague idea of what the sequel's visual design might look like off the back of its unique art style in the original game.

Image Credits: Sony Pictures / Capcom

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

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'This Is Unbelievably Scummy' - GTA 6 Fans Are Annoyed By Netflix's Paywalled Extended Look at the Game

Grand Theft Auto 6 fans aren't thrilled with Rockstar's decision to release the next look at the game through Netflix.

Earlier today, Rockstar Games confirmed it will debut an "extended look" at Grand Theft Auto 6 on August 27 at 3pm ET through Netflix. The extended look will also be available at 9pm ET on YouTube, but for six hours, it will essentially be paywalled behind a Netflix subscription. Essentially, Rockstar and Netflix are asking fans to fork over some cash to see the game's next big marketing beat the moment it goes live. Given the high anticipation for this game, there'll certainly be people who sign up for Netflix just to watch this instead of waiting for it to release for free on YouTube later that evening.

As you might imagine, some fans find the entire thing a bit odd and are even upset about the move.

"This is unbelievably scummy," said one fan on X. "Everyone is excited for the extended look of GTA 6, but it's premiering on Netflix first, which will influence people to get a subscription. This needs to be called out, because if any other studio, such as Bethesda, did this, they would be crucified."

"Hiding the first potential gameplay reveal behind a subscription, even if cheap and temporary, is peak Rockstar arrogance," said another.

There are numerous other near-identical messages under Rockstar's social media posts about the announcement, so these aren't isolated comments. Some have questioned why Netflix was even chosen for this event. It's likely Rockstar and Netflix partnered up after the streamer helped release Red Dead Redemption and the remastered GTA trilogy through its service, making the games accessible to millions of people who may not own a console or PC.

There are also fears that Netflix might not be able to handle the demand for the new look at GTA 6. The service is pretty notorious for crashing under pressure, particularly when there's a highly anticipated premiere of a new show like Stranger Things or a live sporting event. Is Netflix prepared to handle millions of people flooding its servers at once to catch a glimpse at GTA 6? We can only hope.

As of right now, we're not quite sure what will be featured in this new look. Will it be raw gameplay? A playthrough of a mission? A very long trailer? Some are hoping that we'll get 15–30 minutes of footage of the game, which seems reasonable for something that is premiering on Netflix. Rockstar released 10 minutes of gameplay for Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its release across two gameplay deep dive videos, so an even deeper look at GTA 6 doesn't feel totally out of the question.

The entire situation has resulted in a second wave of backlash against GTA 6. Although Rockstar is treating the game like an unprecedented event, some fans aren't happy about the ways the company is going about it. In June, Rockstar confirmed that GTA 6 will not release on a disc, saying physical copies would only include a digital code. It's speculated that Rockstar is doing this to prevent the game from leaking through early copies, but physical media fans are frustrated about the game from a preservation perspective. On top of that, the game is also $80 and certain content is locked behind a $100 ultimate edition.

Whether or not any of these annoyances are enough to turn people off to the game remains to be seen. GTA 6 is expected to be a pop culture golliath either way, and will likely be one of the biggest entertainment releases in history.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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Scalping Has Gotten So Bad That The Pokemon Company Is Limiting Certain TCG Packs to Japanese Citizens Only

Bad news for Pokemon TCG players outside of Japan; you’ll need to be a Japanese citizen in order to buy certain decks and expansion packs from its official online store.

In an apparent effort to discourage scalpers, The Pokemon Company is implementing its first-ever ID-guarded protections for specific items on its online store. Those items are listed below:

• Pokémon Card Game Mega Expansion Pack 30th Celebration Box: 7,200 Yen (~$46 USD)
• Pokémon Card Game Mega 30th Celebration Futuristic Box: 27,500 Yen (~$174 USD)
  • The most expensive of the lot, this includes two Pikachu EX promo cards, shields, a deck case, a display case, play mat, and other goodies.
• Pokémon Card Game Mega 30th Celebration Espeon and Umbreon Premium Deck Set: 6,200 yen (~$39 USD)
• Pokémon Card Game Mega 30th Celebration Card Set: 10,800 Yen (~$68 USD)

To snag these packs, you’ll have to be a Japanese citizen with an ID card issued by the Japanese government. If you don’t have one, you’re simply outta luck.

First announced in July, buyers will need to use the Digital Identification App to make these purchases, which is a free, secure online tool that allows citizens to sign documents and verify their identities online. It’s used alongside the My Number Card, a plastic IC-chip card for residents that acts both as an official photo ID and a digital tool to more easily access government services.

It’s a super secure, citizens-only process that severely limits who’s able to get these card packs, but given the sheer amount of scalping that’s taken place within the Pokemon space specifically, it makes sense that these protections are being implemented.

This is the latest measure the Pokemon Company has taken to discourage TCG scalpers after enacting facial recognition scans at select card stores within Japan, affecting adults and children above elementary school age to “provide a safe and secure shopping environment for all customers, to prevent crime, and to ensure compliance with appropriate entry and purchase rules.”

These policies aren’t a total surprise; Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa announced that My Number IDs would be necessary for certain purchases in order to combat scalping in the Pokemon TCG space in early July.

“Nintendo also communicates with The Pokémon Company as needed to discuss appropriate ways to deliver products to consumers," Furukawa said. "We believe that The Pokémon Company will continue to take measures to respond to this issue."

It doesn’t seem like scalping as a practice within the trading card community has shown any signs of stopping, though. Recently, Disney theme parks and stores in both the United States and Europe were overwhelmed after customers lined up in droves to purchase new Princess-themed Lorcana packs, forcing one location to temporarily close its doors to prevent chaos that had started unfolding outside among overeager players and scalpers.

It’s not just cards that are suffering from this treatment; merchandise for high-profile IPs in general are suffering from the scalping epidemic, with the One Piece x Popeye’s exclusive bento boxes getting resold on eBay for hundreds, while limited-edition Pokemon Pop-Tarts were also listed online for as high as $50.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

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Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games: Release Dates for 2026 and Beyond

We now have our hands on the Nintendo Switch 2, a new console from one of the biggest names in gaming. Alas, a new console is only as valuable as the library of games you can build on it.

Thankfully, Nintendo hasn't been shy about planned releases over the next year. In the second half of 2026, we'll be getting our hands on a mix of Switch 2 exclusives, third-party releases, and the benefit of backward compatibility with any games still launching on the original Switch. Without further ado, here are all of the new Switch 2 games we can look forward to in 2026 and beyond.

All Upcoming Switch 2 Games With Release Dates

* indicates a Switch 2 exclusive

Lies of P: Complete Edition (August 6, 2026)

One of the most beloved Souls-likes is getting a new ‘Complete Edition’ to accompany its launch on Switch 2. This new edition will include the Overture expansion as well as some quality of life improvements unique to the Nintendo console. It will be available to purchase digitally starting August 6, with a physical edition releasing later in October.

The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered (August 11, 2026)

Oblivion Remastered wasn't necessarily Bethesda's best-kept secret, but the day it 'shadow-dropped' was still one of the cooler Xbox moments in recent history. IGN's 8/10 review calls the full remake “a fantastic modernization” while acknowledging some "jank," including flubs left in for nostalgia's sake.

In a somewhat active statement against the ongoing trend of digitization, Bethesda and Nintendo have confirmed that the Switch 2 edition of the Oblivion remake will be coming on a cartridge, which has already been selling out as a preorder.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters (August 27, 2026)

Now this is soccer. Or football. Whatever you want to call it, this game lets you pick from 22 national teams with over 110 playable characters to play it. The Captain Tsubasa sequel will include a singleplayer mode following the rise of the ‘king of sports anime’ (with tons of cut scenes) as well as online multiplayer modes.

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition (August 28, 2026)

While we wait for more news about FromSoftware’s next game, The Duskbloods (which will be a Switch 2 exclusive), we finally know when the GOTY-winning masterpiece that is Elden Ring will be coming to the Nintendo console. The Tarnished Edition will include two new starting classes as well as new armor sets, all of which will also be available as an upgrade for folks who already own the game on PC or other consoles.

Orbitals (September 3, 2026)*

This one caught my attention from its first teaser, in large part because of the particularly clean retro anime art style. Orbitals is an intergalactic adventure built for co-op play in a seemingly similar vein to Hazelight Studios games like Split Fiction and It Takes Two. We were big fans in our hands-on preview!

NBA 2K27 (September 4, 2026)

It’s a classic. This year’s iteration of NBA 2K will launch on the Switch 2 at the same time it becomes playable on PC and other consoles. Each version of the game features a different cover athlete, either Victor Wembanyama (Standard), Derrick Rose (Ultra), and, for the first time ever, a WNBA player, Caitlin Clark (Deluxe).

RuneScape: Dragonwilds (September 15, 2026)

RuneScape got a bit of a makeover with this new open world crafting and survival game that was initially released last year, and is finally coming to Switch 2 this fall.

Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave (September 17, 2026)*

We finally have a release date for the next game in the Fire Emblem series, which already happens to be available to preorder. Here’s a snippet of what to expect from the official Nintendo listing: “Worthy fighters from all over the land have come to Dagsion, the capital city of the Dagdan Empire, to compete in the Heroic Games for the chance to win one wish. Among the combatants are four heroes tied to the fate of the world.”

Another Eden Begins (September 17, 2026)

From Masato Kato, the writer behind Chrono Trigger, comes Another Eden Begins, a completely fresh RPG that takes you on a journey across the past, present, and future. Recruit companions from a roster of 18 characters to help you take down the Beast King and find your sister. This one’s got a whopping 10 endings on the menu, though I’m sure some of those are reserved for New Game+.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (September 18, 2026)

The latest LEGO game finally has a Switch 2 release date. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is truly next level. It blends and parodies classic Batman moments from across all iterations of the caped crusader while also offering a pretty massive plastic version of Arkham to play around in. Even the combat is pretty elaborate, with inspiration from the Arkham games courtesy of development support from Rocksteady Studios.

SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance (September 24, 2026)

SEGA brought back its Shinobi series with the action platformer Art of Vengeance in 2025. We called the new release “a genuinely engaging 2D action platformer that’s beautiful to behold and even better to play” in our review, and it’ll be getting a Switch 2 port later this year.

Minecraft Dungeons II (September 29, 2026)

We called the first Minecraft Dungeons game a “fun dungeon crawler with a simple but tried-and-true set of systems.” The sequel, developed by Mojang and published by Xbox, will be launching across platforms, including Switch 2, this September. Like the first game, the block-based dungeon crawler will support both local and online multiplayer.

007 First Light (September 30, 2026)

Yet another massive multi-platform release, IO Interactive's take on James Bond is launching on Switch 2 several months after its initial release on PC, PS5, and Xbox in late May. The game lets you play out Bond's initial recruitment and rise in the MI6 ranks, featuring Patrick Gibson as the titular spy and Lenny Kravitz as the villain Bawma.

Rayman Legends Retold (October 1, 2026)

Remakes truly are all the rage right now. This one is a 3D reimagining of 2013’s Rayman Legends, which we called a “work of platforming genius” in our original 9.5/10 review.

Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] (October 8, 2026)

The Switch 2 will be getting fresh editions of existing Kingdom Hearts games, which will replace the existing ‘Cloud streaming’ versions that were available on the Switch. Those Cloud versions were notoriously… not great, so here’s to hoping this gives everyone a better shot at the series ahead of Kingdom Hearts 4. The three collections will be available individually or as one big bundle.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen (October 9, 2026)

Capcom’s RPG sequel is getting a new ‘Dark Arisen’ edition with fresh content and QOL improvements as it launches on the Switch 2. Jarrett Green reviewed the game for IGN when it was first released on PC, saying that it’s more than anything “a retelling and reimplementation of… wonderful ideas from the 2012 cult-classic.”

The Witch’s Bakery (October 14, 2026)

For the cozy gamers, The Witch’s Bakery places you in control of Lunne, a young witch who’s opening a new bakery in Paris. In the vein of something like Dave the Diver, each in-game day is split into multiple phases of managing your bakery and exploring the town while also using your magic to help your friends.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (October 15, 2026)

The first 2D Castlevania game in almost 20 years narratively follows Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, taking place a little over decade after that one’s story (which also serves as inspiration for the animated Netflix series). Mitchell Saltzman got the chance to preview the game for IGN, with particular praise for the combat, saying there’s “plenty of room to carve out your own personal playstyle thanks to the variety of weapons, Arcana, and relics.”

Nintendo Switch Sports: Resort (October 22, 2026)*

In the tradition of what I consider some all-time greats, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, Nintendo recently announced Nintendo Switch Sports: Resort. The Switch 2 exclusive will feature 12 sports, a mix of classics like bowling and tennis as well as new sports like thumb wrestling, that use a combination of the Switch 2’s motion and mouse controls.

Final Fantasy Resonance (October 22, 2026)

This new Final Fantasy game technically adapts the FF mobile game Brave Exvius that was discontinued in 2025. More notably, however, it’s the first Final Fantasy game to embrace the new HD-2D graphics system popularized by modern classics like Octopath Traveler.

IGN’s own Michael Higham got the chance to check out the first couple of hours of gameplay, so you can learn more about how this one blends new and old Final Fantasy traditions in our hands-on preview.

One Piece: Grand Gourmet (October 23, 2026)

Yep, it’s a One Piece cooking game. This one feels like a real throwback to the glory days of Flash games, which I deeply appreciate. The management sim puts you in charge of a restaurant, going on expeditions to acquire new ingredients and recipes while encountering over 400 characters from one of the greatest manga (and anime) series of all time.

ANOMALITH (October 28, 2026)

This third-person action shooter puts you in control of 17-year-old Reona Minazuki, a professional ‘Diver’ that explores deadly ‘Anomaly Zones’ for the government while searching for her lost friend. The Steam listing offers the rather interesting description that the game is “steeped in the atmosphere of liminal spaces and Showa-era retro aesthetics.”

Hello Kitty Party Land (October 29, 2026)

Not too long after we got our hands on Hello Kitty Island Adventure, the iconic Sanrio character is returning for yet another cute and cozy game. This one is a party game in the tradition of classics like Mario Party, featuring more than 40 minigames and over 140 Sanrio characters.

Metaphor Re:Fantazio (November 12, 2026)

This new IP from Atlus, best known for the SMT and Persona series, features similar mechanics around turn-based combat and social links. Instead of playing as a high schooler, though, you take on the role of Will, a young man who seeks to bring justice to a fantasy world facing its first version of an election. We gave the game a solid 9/10 when it first dropped on PC, and it even landed as our top RPG of 2024.

Barbie Rewind (November 12, 2026)

This collection will come with 16 classic Barbie games that were originally released between 1991 and 2007, as well as one unreleased game, Barbie: Vacation Adventure. Funnily enough, this happens to be one of the only games daring enough to announce a release date in the November crossfires of GTA 6.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (December 3, 2026)

In the lead-up to Xenoblade Genesis, an entirely new game in DADSS’s iconic RPG series, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is getting the Switch 2 edition treatment. The port will also be available as a digital upgrade pack for anyone who already owns the game. IGN’s reviewer tackled the 150-hour campaign, which he considered worth the time for “great characters and addictive tactical combat.”

Upcoming Switch 2 Games With Unknown Release Dates

There are plenty more Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 games in development that don’t have a solid release date yet. Here are some more games we know are on the way, including the highly-anticipated 10th generation of Pokémon:

• Turok Origins - Fall 2026
• The Eternal Life of Goldman - 2026
• Witchbrook - 2026
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam – 2026
• Danganronpa 2x2 - 2026
• The Duskbloods- 2026
• Valheim - 2026
• Stellar Blade - 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Remake) - 2026
• Pokémon Winds - 2027
• Pokémon Waves - 2027
• Final Fantasy VII Revelation - Spring 2027
• Xenoblade Genesis - 2027
• Haunted Chocolatier - TBA
• Kingdom Hearts IV - TBA

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

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