The first Nintendo Direct in over a year brought with it a lot of news on upcoming games for theNintendo Switch. A lot of the announcements focused on games that will be coming out this year, and there were some pleasant surprises for fans of Nintendo’s most cherished franchises.
The time period between January and April can often be a pretty dry period when it comes to new releases, as most studios put their focus on big holiday releases. Nintendo has subverted this trend somewhat in 2021, with the recent release ofSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furydominating the month of February. If the company continues this trend and combines it with some heavy hitters later in the year, then 2021 could be another solid year for theNintendo Switch.
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February
The month of February brought gamers back toSuper Mario 3D Worldwith some new additions, and the new releases won’t be stopping there with March on the horizon. One of the biggest releases for the rest of the month is going to bePersona 5 Strikers, a hack-and-slash take on the series that plays similarly toHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.
March
If the first couple of months of 2021 were relatively slim on new games, then March looks like it plans to make up for it. The most notable releases for this month include the arrival ofpopular battle royale gameApex Legendson March 9th, as well as a return to theMonster Hunterseries whenMonster Hunter Risereleases on March 26th.
April
The big release of April is going to beNew Pokemon Snap, but fans ofthe original N64Pokemon Snapare going to have to wait until the end of the month until they can get their hands on it. Until then, the next installment in theThe Legend of Heroesseries will give players something to hold them over whenThe Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IVcomes out on April 9th.
May
The month of May is going to be a little slim on new games, butthe release ofMiitopiaon the 21stwill give fans of the 3DS game a chance to revisit it on the Switch. The newly announcedKnockout Citywill also be releasing on the 21st, promising energetic multiplayer dodgeball action.
June
The start of the summer months looks like it’s going to be an exciting time to be a Switch owner. Fans of theNinja Gaidenseries will be able to enjoy three games in one package whenNinja Gaiden: Master Collectionreleases on June 10th, andMario Golf: Super Rushis going to bring players back tothe world ofMariosports gameswhen it releases on June 25th.
July
As the second half of the year gets started, the slate of Switch games with confirmed release dates starts to get a little barren. The one game that featured during the newest Nintendo Direct was the surpriseannouncement ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, which is set to come out on July 16th.
August
August follows a similar trend of little to no official Switch releases, but fans of theNo More Heroesseries will be able to continue their adventurewhenNo More Heroes 3comes outon August 27th.
Games with Pending Release Dates
After August, the upcoming Switch games lineup becomes mostly speculation. There are a number of games coming in 2021 that don’t have release dates just yet though, and their respective developers have given a general idea of when they will be coming out.
As early as it is in the year, Nintendo hasn’t had the chance to announce what its holiday lineup of games is going to entail. With rumors surroundingpotentialPokemon DiamondandPokemon Pearlremakescirculating, and hype surroundingBreath of the Wild 2at an all-time high, it’ll be interesting to see what the rest of 2021 has in store for the Nintendo Switch.
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