The Nintendo Switch isn’t going out quietly

This was supposed to be the year the Nintendo Switch rode off peacefully into the sunset. After a packed 2023 that included hit Legend of Zelda and Super Mario games, the Switch had little on the calendar this year and the prospect of a successor looming. And yet, here we are after a hectic few weeks of gaming news, and Nintendo might just have the most exciting lineup for the rest of the year, besting the likes of Xbox and PlayStation.

In terms of quantity, Nintendo’s lineup is comparable to its competitors over the same period. (I’ll have to reserve judgment when it comes to quality.) Xbox Game Studios has a new Flight Simulator, a pair of strategy games, Obsidian’s latest RPG, a Starfield expansion, and likely Indiana Jones capping things off, along with multiplatform Call of Duty. Sony Interactive Entertainment, meanwhile, has the adorable Astro Bot, a multiplayer shooter called Concord, a PC port of God of War Ragnarök, and Lego Horizon Adventures (which is coming to the Switch in addition to PC and PS5).

The difference is that the Switch has been out three years longer than the most recent Xbox and PlayStation, and Nintendo is clearly gearing up for its successor. It’s not usually this way: the latter years of a console’s lifespan are typically muted, while the company focuses on the next generation. It’s not the time when you get a much-anticipated twist on the Zelda formula. Nintendo even has major Switch games going into next year.

Similarly impressive, even the games that don’t necessarily seem that exciting — namely ones that already exist on other platforms — have still been turning out great. Luigi’s Mansion 2 is a remake of a portable game that debuted more than a decade ago, and yet, it looks, plays, and feels much like its modern predecessor, the excellent slapstick comedy Luigi’s Mansion 3 from 2019. (Even if the new game is lacking Gooigi.) It’s the kind of silly and playful game that few major developers outside of Nintendo have really explored, and it stands out because of it. Its release follows other well-made ports from this year like the Another Code collection and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

The major test for Nintendo will be maintaining this consistency across console generations. The company has often had an uneven success rate with new platforms; the megahit Wii and Switch were preceded by consoles that both underperformed and struggled when it came to a dependable release schedule. It’s hard to gauge the potential for a Switch successor without knowing anything about it, but a steady stream of high-quality Nintendo games will certainly go a long way toward avoiding the dire days of the Wii U.