Many Nintendo fans are still waiting on a few key additions to the Switch 2 lineup. Given the runaway success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the original Switch, it’s surprising we still haven’t gotten confirmation about the next Animal Crossing game. The lack of a confirmed new 3D Super Mario platform also goes against what you might expect for the new console’s first year on the market.
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Instead of packing its year one Switch 2 lineup with a ton of major new titles, Nintendo seems to be leaning into Switch 2 editions of popular games and nostalgic remakes and rereleases. We’ve got the upcoming Star Fox 64 remake, plus the recent Switch ports of Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green. And the star of the latest Nintendo Direct, for many fans, was the confirmed remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While the strategy might not please fans eager for brand-new titles, the Switch 2’s most-played games prove it might actually be the better move.
Switch 2 Gamers Are Revisiting Retro Titles Nearly As Often as Playing New Releases
Earlier this month, Playtracker released a list of the most-played games on the Nintendo Switch 2 so far. The list went up in honor of the console’s first full year on the market and reflects what early adopters have enjoyed on the Switch 2 so far. The top games aren’t surprising, with Mario Kart World leading the charge, followed by the first major 3D platformer on Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza. After that, though, things get interesting.
Nintendo’s retro classics libraries take up several of the top 10 slots for the Switch 2’s most popular games. Of course, each library offers several different titles, so it’s likely the player count is spread out across quite a few unique games. Even so, the Switch 2 exclusive Nintendo Classics GameCube library ranks at #3 for the console’s most popular title. The Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and SNES make up entries 6, 7, and 8, with the Game Boy Library rounding out the top 10.
To me, this suggests that many Nintendo fans are leaning into nostalgia over playing many of the more recent releases on Switch 2. Of course, the console still has relatively few major first-party exclusives. That no doubt plays somewhat into the popularity of these retro libraries. Even so, those high retro player counts suggest the market is more than ripe for remakes of the classics. We’ll get a test of that theory when the Star Fox 64 remake arrives for Switch 2 on June 25th. But while nostalgia for Star Fox is high, there’s no denying that a Zelda remake is looking like a very smart move for Nintendo.
Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon Lead the Charge for Nintendo Switch 2
Along with proving the hunger for retro games, the most-played titles during the Switch 2’s first year give us a sense of the most popular Nintendo properties. That list isn’t all that surprising. Mario Kart proves Nintendo fans are still here for Mario, and alongside Donkey Kong Bananza, suggests that Nintendo really should hurry up and confirm the next 3D Super Mario platformer. Beyond that, Pokemon has delivered some of the more recent Switch 2 releases with Pokemon Pokopia and Legends: Z-A, earning it top slots as well. And then, we have Animal Crossing: New Horizons at #9 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom at #12 and #14, respectively.
This does reaffirm that Nintendo fans are likely hungry for a new Super Mario and the next Animal Crossing. But with gamers still playing Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom all this time later, plus the popularity of retro gaming libraries, I’m starting to see why they’re betting on an Ocarina of Time remake first. Zelda is one of the biggest properties Nintendo has, outside of Mario. And the N64 classic is arguably one of the most beloved games in the series, leaning perfectly into the nostalgia that Nintendo gamers clearly have for prior consoles.
I still do think it’s a little bit wild that we don’t have at least the initial reveal for a new Animal Crossing or Super Mario platformer. But if Nintendo fans are largely using the Switch 2 to revisit the classics, remaking one of the best ones might feel like the best bet for getting more consoles into Nintendo fans’ hands. Certainly, plenty of Millennial Nintendo fans like myself were thrilled to finally get our first peek at the Ocarina of Time remake. Clearly, Nintendo knows what they’re doing with this one.
If you have a Switch 2, what’s on your list of most-played games so far? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
