Nintendois set to have one of its biggest years ever in 2025. Not only has it promised the long-awaited announcement of the Switch 2, but there are plenty of dormant franchises that could finally get a sequel or new entry. Fans have more than enough to look forward to in 2025, at least when it comes to Nintendo’s output, but that doesn’t stop them from dreaming about everything Nintendo might announce or reveal.
Naturally, there are all theSwitch 2 third-party launch titlesthat players want, including the likes ofElden RingandCyberpunk 2077. However, those aside, players have a laundry list of other Nintendo announcements they’d like to see.From NSO improvements to ports and much-needed sequels, there is so much Nintendo could and should announcein 2025.
10More Soundtracks Added To Nintendo Music
It’s Looking A Little Empty At The Moment
Nintendo Music launched in 2024 to the surprise of many, with fans having bothpositive and negative reactionsto the service. Largely, people were excited about the prospect of having Nintendo’s plethora of incredible soundtracks available for free - with an NSO subscription - and legally. Nintendo has had a tricky relationship with distributing its music, which makes Nintendo Music all the more exciting. However,while the promise of Nintendo Music is appealing, the final product was a little bit of a letdown.
Notably, Nintendo Music launched with a distinct lack of music, as only a handful of soundtracks from some of Nintendo’s more recent titles were added. Since its launch, there have been a few more added to the service, but it’s missing some of Nintendo’s best soundtracks ever, including the recentTears of the Kingdom.Hopefully 2025 sees Nintendo announce which soundtracks will be joining the serviceand even release some of them before the end of the year.
9A Mario Odyssey Sequel Announcement
Mario Needs A New Mainline 3D Title
Super Mario Odysseyis one of thegreatestMariogamesof all time and served as the perfect launch title for the Nintendo Switch. However,since its release all the way back in 2017, there hasn’t been a brand-new 3D mainlineMariogame. It’s definitely time for Nintendo to rectify that, which is why 2025 will hopefully see it announceSuper Mario Odyssey 2.
The only other 3D mainlineMariogame on the Nintendo Switch isSuper Mario 3D World, which is a remaster of a 2013 game. However, it came with an entirely original expansion,Bowser’s Fury, which technically serves as the Switch’s second and only other original 3DMariogame.
Super Mario Odyssey 2has been a long time coming, and would definitely be the perfect Switch 2 launch title. Getting to experience more of Nintendo’s platforming majesty would be great, especially if the sequel ramped up the difficulty a little and retained all the creative excellence found in its predecessor.Fans would almost definitely be overjoyed if Nintendo announcedSuper Mario Odyssey 2- or really any new 3DMariogame - in 2025.
8The Return Of Home Themes
The Switch 2 Should Have Themes
The Nintendo 3DS had home themes, dynamic wallpapers based on popular video games that usually came with music from that game’s soundtrack. It was a fun and novel way to customize the 3DS as well as celebrate the console’s best games. However, Nintendo, much like its competitors, ditched themes when it released the Nintendo Switch, and the console has been worse off as a result.
Customization is an important part of owning a console as it helps make it feel uniqueand specific to each player. Nintendo announcing that home themes are coming to the Switch 2 - as there is no chance they’ll be randomly added at the end of the Switch’s lifespan - would be incredible news for fans. The Switch 2 could launch with a number of simple themes bundled with it and further options inspired by the console’s launch titles could be made available in the eShop.
7The Next Animal Crossing Is Announced
It Has Been A Long Time Since The Last One
Much like the mainline 3DMariogames,there hasn’t been a newAnimal Crossingin quite a few years.Animal Crossing: New Horizonslaunched in 2020 and received a handful of post-launch updates, but fans have mostly long moved on. Of course, there’s the excellentPocket Camp Completemobile game option, but the series is in great need of a fully-fledged console experience that hopefully Nintendo will announce in 2025.
It’s unlikely that the nextAnimal Crossingwill release in 2025 - although that would be great - but an announcement and potentially even a gameplay trailer would be amazing. There are plenty offeatures the nextAnimal Crossingneeds, and hopefully Nintendo will deliver on these. However,just knowing that anotherAnimal Crossinggame is in the works will suffice.
6Monolith Soft Finally Reveal Its New Game
Xenoblade Chronicles 4 Or A Whole New IP
Monolith Soft, the folks behind theXenoblade Chroniclesseries and one of Nintendo’s best, if not the best, first-party developers, announced it was hiring for its new game all the way back in 2017. At the time, all the developer stated was that it is an action game and not like its other titles, which intrigued fans. However, since then,there has been no news about what Monolith Soft has been creating, and it’s time Nintendo finally unveiled it.
Now that theXenoblade Chroniclesseries has concluded -Xenoblade Chronicles X’sDefinitive Edition port completes the collection on Switch -it is time for Monolith Soft to move on to new projects. If any developer has the ability to really test the Switch 2 and push it to its limits, it is Monolith Soft. Hopefully, Nintendo will announce its bold new game and showcase some gameplay, although it’s best not to rush a master developer, so it’s unlikely it’ll release until 2026 or beyond.
5Twilight Princess And Wind Waker Come To Switch
It’s The Zelda Ports Everyone Has Been Asking For
Fans have been clamoring forThe Legend of Zeldaports since the Switch originally launched. Surprisingly, so far,there have only been threeZeldaremasters or remakes on the Switch, despite the fact Nintendo bundled together three classicMariogames and remastered a handful more, including spin-offs. These includedLink’s Awakening,Hyrule Warriors, andSkyward Sword, all of which sold well on Nintendo’s hybrid console.
As Nintendo Switch Nears Its End, It’s Clear That Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Was Its Definitive Game From Day One
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an incredible open-world game, but it’s also an indispensable title in the Nintendo Switch’s lineup.
It’s no surprise, then, thatfans have been demanding ports ofWind WakerandTwilight Princess, arguably two of the best and most popular Zelda games of all time. Nintendo’s reluctance to release them on the Switch is a little head-scratching, but hopefully, it was all so that it could announce remasters - or even remakes - of them in 2025. This doesn’t seem like an outlandish thing to wish for in 2025, but time will tell.
4A Mario Kart 9 Teaser Trailer Or Release Date Announcement
Hopefully It’s Launching Soon
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe- despite being a port of a Wii U title - is the number one best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch by around 20 million copies. Around half of Switch users - going by the number of Switches sold - own a copy ofMario Kart 8 Deluxe. So,it would be surprising if Nintendo didn’t attempt to replicate its success on the Switch 2 withMario Kart 9.
With plenty ofpotential tracks to remakeand new ones to conjure up,Mario Kart 9could easily become the definitiveMario Kartexperience, especially if it follows its predecessor’s DLC strategy.It is likely that Nintendo will, at the very least, announceMario Kart 9in 2025and show off some gameplay. However, it is also possible thatMario Kart 9could end up launching alongside the Switch 2.
3Genshin Impact Launch On Switch
It Has Been In The Works For Years
Genshin Impactwas announced for the Nintendo Switch before it initially launchedand yet, all these years later, it has yet to materialize. It has been delayed multiple times, with even the Xbox port released before it in 2024. Early rumors claimed these delays weredue to hardware issues, which could lend credence to the idea that HoYoverse, the developers behindGenshin Impact, is waiting for the Switch 2 to release.
It would be great to see aGenshin ImpactSwitch release date announced in 2025, if only to finally give Nintendo fans the amazing experience that everyone else has been enjoying for years. It is the last platform without the critically acclaimed gacha game, with even mobile users able to play it. Frankly, it would be incredible to get any form of news surrounding the whereabouts ofGenshin Impacton the Nintendo Switch sometime soon.
2GameCube Games Added To NSO
It Would Make The Service Significantly Better
Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is a pretty good service, especially for those who are into classic Nintendo games. It currently allows players to access a range of beloved NES, SNES, Game Boy, N64, GBA, and Sega Genesis games - the last three are only available via the Expansion Pack membership tier - with new games being added to the service all the time. However,a lot of these titles are so well-known and so beloved that they’ve been played ad nauseam, and are, in a lot of cases, available physically for not a lot of money.
GameCube games, on the other hand, are a lot rarer and lesser known, in large part thanks to the console’s surprisingly low sales when it was released. Consideringit’s impossible to buy a lot of the best GameCube games, with many of them simply no longer accessible or far too expensive, it would be great for Nintendo to add them to the NSO service. Not only would it help with game preservation, but it would also give players the opportunity to try some of the greatest games barely anyone has played.
1A Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal
It Finally Has To Happen
Of course,the biggest and most important item at the top of everyone’s Nintendo 2025 wishlist is a Nintendo Switch 2 announcement. While nothing is ever completely guaranteed to happen in the world of video games, a Switch 2 reveal should, by all accounts, happen before July 24, 2025. Nintendo has stated that it will reveal the Switch 2 by that date multiple times, and it typically sticks to its word.
10 First-Party Exclusives The Switch 2 Needs At Launch
The Nintendo Switch 2 will need to launch with several impressive first-party titles, many of which should come from these franchises.
By now, everyone knows the Switch 2 is coming. Most people even believe they’ve seen what it looks like, so it’s only a matter of time before Nintendo finally lets the Switch take a well-deserved rest and the Switch 2 take its place. Ultimately, Nintendo has constantly surprised players throughout the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan, with new games being announced even towards the very end. No matter whatNintendodoes in 2025, it’s certain to delight and surprise fans and that’s an exciting prospect.
