5 Games That Will Make the Nintendo Switch Shortage Much Worse

By now we all know the Nintendo Switch‘s biggest flaw. It’s not that the kickstand kind of sucks, or that it’s not as powerful as a PS4. It’s not that the Joy-Con doesn’t have a true d-pad or the fact that the online functionality still hasn’t fully rolled out. No, the Nintendo’s Switch biggest problem is that it’s getting too popular for it’s own good.

This isn’t a sneak-brag article where we do nothing but sing the praises of the Nintendo Switch. We really mean it. The Switch is doing too well, and it’s still damn near impossible to find one online or in physical retail stores. What’s worse, we’re hearing from several reputable sources that the Nintendo Switch stock issue is very likely going to persist throughout the year. GameStop expects shortages to last all year, and noted that their stock always sells out in hours, not days. The former editor-in-chief of Famitsu also predicted that Switch shortages will last all year.

You know why they’re saying this? These guys know what’s coming. They’re privy to the games that publishers are getting ready to unleash with the Switch, and they understand that with each blockbuster comes a new wave of renewed demand for the Switch, and Nintendo just can’t keep up. We saw it at launch, and the headlines caught fire again with the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

We all know ARMS, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Odyssey are on the way, but there are even more games on the way that are going to make the Switch even harder to find. Games that we don’t know as much about; games that haven’t even been confirmed yet. If you’re waiting for the hype to die down before buying your Switch, then you clearly forgot about these next five games…

Monster Hunter XX

This game was just confirmed by Capcom as coming to the Nintendo Switch, and there was a major shift in global air pressures as fans around the globe broke out in shouts and cheers. We reported that Nintendo’s market value shot up by over $2 billion as a result of the announcement, and that’s an incredible feat. You guys might not be huge Monster Hunter fans yet, but you will be.

Players in the East already know what everyone in the West is about to find out: Monster Hunter is the perfect loot game. You go kill monsters and collect their parts to form weapons and armor that make you stronger so that you can go kill bigger monsters and skin them for parts to craft even cooler armor so you can go face even bigger monsters and… You get it, right? It’s an old loop, but it’s never been executed as well as in these games, and when Monster Hunter XX comes out Japanese gamers are going to launch into a Switch-buying frenzy.

Pokken Tournament

Now before you guys go off and start spreading rumors, just know that we haven’t heard anything official about Pokken Tournament coming to the Switch. This is what we know, though.

We know that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has proven that Wii U remasters are absolutely welcome on the Nintendo Switch, and fans will turn out in droves to gobble them up. We also know that Pokken Tournament is one of the best fighting games of the generation. It was well received by fans and critics in the East and the West; it’s still played in tournaments around the world; it was one of the most popular arcade games in Japan for a long time.

Pokken was a massive success by Wii U standards (which are tough standards), so when this Pokémon fighter shows up with extra characters and enhanced visuals on the Switch new and excited audiences are going to see it as something brand new and wonderful. Spoiler: it is wonderful.

And speaking of Pokémon…

Pokemon Stars

We’re still not giving up on Pokémon Stars. We’re hoping, and wishing on every star, that we get this announcement next month during Nintendo’s E3 presentation. We know that Nintendo only owns about a 10% stake in The Pokémon Company, but TPC and Nintendo are air-tight; they’re great partners, and it’s only a matter of time before a mainline Pokémon game shows up on the Switch.

According to Eurogamer, the time is now, and Pokémon Stars is Switch-bound in 2017. When that announcement comes, it’s all over. Forget about it. You don’t have until this holiday season to pick up your Switch, you have until the announcement of Pokémon Stars, and then you’ll never find one again.

And there’s another series of games that has seen recent huge success on the 3DS that we know will show up on the Switch…

Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is Nintendo’s version of The Sims, except… way better. It’s the perfect life-sim, because there is always an abundance of things to do, time is always just limited enough to make you feel like you need to play on to the next day, and all of the characters and environments are incredibly charming. Animal Crossing: New Leaf has kept countless gamers glued to their 3DSes for untold hours of time, and we’re all waiting for the series to return to its console roots.

This will be the first HD Animal Crossing game (amiibo Festival excepted, that one doesn’t count), and if the online functionality is at all robust, you guys will never see your Animal Crossing-playing friends ever again. Unless you buy a Switch of your own and go visit them in their towns, your friendship is done. Good luck finding that Switch, though. Maybe you can talk them into coming over to your real-world house for a tournament when this next game comes out…

Super Smash Bros.

Out of every game listed in this article, this one should be the most obvious. Nintendo hasn’t said a thing about Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo Switch, but we all know it’s coming. This was one of the very first games that was rumored and leaked as in development for the Switch, and whether that ‘leak’ was based on insider information or common sense doesn’t matter — this is a sure thing.

Again, we cite Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the perfect case study. All Nintendo has to do is re-release the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. with enhanced visuals and performance and all DLC included, and we’re going to happily buy it the first chance we get.

By the way, I’m predicting right here and now that when Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch is announced, Nintendo will also reveal that Super Smash Bros. Melee is also coming to the Switch via the Game Cube virtual console. Minds will be blown, and Switches will never land on store shelves again.

Which one gets you hyped?