On September 13th,Nintendoheld a new Nintendo Direct with around 40 minutes of unique content for its Switch audience to enjoy, stocking 2023 with lots of releases. This includes the title for the sequel toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand a few nostalgic franchises, such asStory of Seasons,receiving new installments.
Many people were speculating that there would be a fair amount of DLC and remastered games announced, but the variety of new information the latestNintendoDirect offered may have been surprising for some. The stream focused mostly on Nintendo Switch games that are coming in the winter, but there were plenty of teaser trailers and clips for titles coming in 2023 that fans have been eagerly awaiting.
RELATED:Two Games Were Noticeably Absent During the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase
Early 2023 Switch Players Are In For a Treat
Following the announcements for all the titles coming to the Nintendo Switch, it appears the company is continuing to favor the Switch, despite rumors thatNintendo may be producing a new console soon. For those looking for titles earlier than 2023,It Takes Twois finally making its way to the console on November 4 of this year, along with an expansion pass forXenoblade Chronicles 3.
Still, the first quarter of next year is looking stacked, and will likely be worth the wait with three extremely popular franchises solidified for new content in the first few months of 2023. Excitingly,Pikmin 4was revealed, after being quoted as being close to completion in 2015. Unfortunately exactly when it will be releasing next year has not yet been shared. AfterPikmincreator and Nintendo mainstay Shigeru Miyamoto hyped Nintendo Direct viewers overPikmin Bloomand teased the idea ofMariofilm footage,Pikmin 4’s teaser trailer was certainly a treat for fans of the adorable series.
The earliest confirmed entry isFire Emblem Engage, a strategy-based game, set to come out on January 20. This game will let players fight alongside classic characters from the past, such as Marth, by summoning these old heroes to assist them.Fire Emblem Engageis no sequel toFire Emblem: Three Houses, but will share similar elements to its predecessor and is going to include a free-roam mode.
Of course, one of the hottest games from the Nintendo Direct is the next installment of theZeldagames,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Little is known about the game so far, as the latest trailer was quite brief and didn’t explore much gameplay. However, the May 12 release date has given fans enough to be delighted over for now, and Nintendo will likely release more information as the launch date inches closer.
The past few years have been great forKirbyfans, and 2023 is looking to be no exception. A remake ofKirby’s Return to Dream Landhas been announced for June 09, 2025 Fans of the iconic round character will be able to play the platformer with up to four players in both the campaign and a variety of minigames, though it’s unclear if online multiplayer is in the cards.
Other games that are coming in early 2023 includeTheatrhythm Final Bar Line,Octopath Traveler 2,Fae Farm,Tales of Symphonia Remastered,Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star, andAtelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & The Secret Key.There’s still quite a bitcoming to Nintendo Switch this fall and winter seasonas well, including Ports, DLCs, and free updates that may make that wait just little more bearable. A comprehensive list of every confirmed game set to come out on Switch in 2023 includes:
It’s nice to see that Nintendo is continuing to expand its game library on the Switch, especially since it recently beganshutting down the Wii U and 3DS eShops. Having all of these recently announced titles on the Switch indicates thatNintendohas no plans of slowing progress with the gaming console.
