Since 2017, we’ve seen a huge number of ports come to the Switch, many of which previously seemed impossible. Surprises like Doom (2016), which appeared in the system’s launch year, and 2019’s The Witcher 3 showed that, although clever optimization was required, Nintendo’s consoles could providing perfectly playable and totally immersive portable versions of some of the biggest video games around.
As time went on and Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen platforms launched, the Switch ports kept coming, with the excellent Pentiment being a particular highlight this year. Fingers crossed for Ace Combat 7 and Stray, though recent disappointments like Batman Arkham Trilogy show that caution is in order. The Switch is now in its eighth year, and technology has hardly slowed down in 2017.
However, there is still life in the old hybrid, and besides, many games that we would still like to see ported could run perfectly on the current console. It’s also over 140 million systems sold, meaning a huge addressable audience for developers considering a Switch port in 2024.
So while we bask in the summer sun in one hemisphere (and settle into cozy winter in the other) with the official announcement of the Switch’s successor about to take place, let’s take a look back at the latest blast “Please Nintendo can we have some more?” — summer summary fantastic games we’d still love to see on Switch which remain Missing-In-Action.
You’ll find a mix of Wii U ports (yes, there are still a few left), some Wii gems that could Donkey Kong Country returns in HD treatments, plenty of third-party classics, and a few personal favorites we just don’t want to give up. We’ve left out games that are already playable via Nintendo Switch Online, or anything that’s likely to appear there (like Diddy Kong Racing).
So now we present our ultimate switch port wishlist in alphabetical order. Which coincidentally means we’ll start with a few real pipe dreams…
Alan Wake 2
The first Alan Wake is on Switch in remastered form. It’s a lackluster port, but it signaled Remedy’s interest in the console and fueled our fever dreams that the GOTY-winning sequel might have a chance to come.
what are the odds
Control style cloud version? Maybe, although who really wants that? As much as it pains us, this and the other games on the list feel like they’re going to need more power than the current console can muster if they’re going to move to Nintendo hardware without serious compromises.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Next GOTY 2023. Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 has hit both fans of the series and newcomers alike, and with both 1 and 2 already on Switch in Enhanced Edition form, completing the BG set would be a treat.
what are the odds
Very thin – realistically it’s next on the ‘Switch 2’ wish list. If Nintendo’s next console is, as suggested, an iterative update of the current hybrid, and if third-party developers are preparing to hit the ground running with ports that can’t be sustained on the current model, could check out the opening line for the ages! Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves with that hypothesis. However, it forces us.
Generally speaking, almost every game that comes out with a new console sells well due to a limited pool of options for early adopters (there’s a reason why Ubisoft always gets in the early door with something), so if we were a developer of any size, we would consider getting stuck on day one.
Enough pies in the sky. Let’s move on to something that the current Switch could run in its sleep.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Not much to say, really. Strange that it was never on a Nintendo console, and strange that we had two (excellent) collections but no Symphony.
what are the odds
There are question marks surrounding the Requiem Symphony and Rondo of Blood compilations as they are Sony exclusives, but we don’t see anything stopping Konami from releasing a standard, standalone port. Or, you know, investing in the most famous entry in the series and making it available in shiny form with extras on all platforms.
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, working his way up the ranks to become an editor. It can currently be found squashed under a Normandy-sized Switch backlog.