Top 5 Nintendo Switch 2 games ranked and Mario Kart World isn't number 1

announced a during the recent , and most of them were well received.

You had first-party games like Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, as well as premium third-party titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Split Fiction and Street Fighter 6. That's on top of a few indie gems like Hollow Knight Silksong and Hades 2.

For this particular list I'm going to focus on upcoming first-party games, ranking them from worst to best based on what I've played so far.

It's worth noting that I've excluded Switch 2 re-releases of old favourites like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Party Jamboree, as well as upcoming first-party games that aren't playable during Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events, such as Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

5. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Similar to Astro's Playroom for the PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a virtual showcase of the new Nintendo console, using interactive games and experiences to explain how things work and what the console is capable of.

Players literally explore a huge Nintendo Switch 2 console that's split into multiple areas, each based on the system's different components. The Left JoyCon is one part of the map, the dock is another area, and the display is essentially a huge ice rink packed with quizzes, mini-games and fellow explorers to talk to.

Mini games demonstrate the features of the Switch 2, including a maraca experience to showcase the haptic feedback functionality. Your JoyCon will feel like it's full of beads one minute, only to feel like it's housing a couple of rubber balls the next. It's impressive, but not something you'll necessarily keep coming back to.

Another mini game demonstrates the mouse functionality, which you'll use to dodge spikes that are falling from the top of the screen. Then there's a quiz where you try to guess the frame-rate, plus another where you try to work out where on the screen the vibration is strongest.

Completing objectives and bagging high scores will unlock stamps and medals, which can be used to unlock new games and areas to explore.

While the high-score element gives Welcome Tour some replay value, none of the admittedly few games I've played so far would keep me hooked for long. It's also surprisingly dry for a Nintendo game, lacking the charm and personality that you would expect from the company.

In a world where the Switch 2 console costs around £400 and premium first-party games are priced at £75, I also think Nintendo is missing a trick by not giving this one away for free. This is supposed to be a showcase for the console, and something you would potentially show to friends who aren't sure whether or not to invest.

I certainly didn't hate Switch 2 Welcome Tour (I haven't played it for long enough to hate it), but it is the first-party game I'm least looking forward to at the time of writing.

4. Drag X Drive

Of all the games announced during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Drag X Drive was one of the most surprising.

Drag X Drive is a 3v3 wheelchair basketball game that feels like Nintendo's answer to Rocket League. It also feels like a showcase for the Switch 2 mouse controllers, utilising a dual mouse system where you use each JoyCon to control one of the wheels on your wheelchair.

Sliding both at the same time sees you charge forward, sliding one turns your wheelchair left or right, while lifting the JoyCon off the mat and flicking your wrist forward is how you shoot. Performing sharp turns takes a little getting used to, but give it a few minutes and you should get the hang of it. You can even dunk the ball if you ramp up the sides with enough speed, something that could lead to some spectacular highlights.

I enjoyed Drag X Drive and think it could be a hidden gem, even if I don't think Rocket League has too much to worry about.

3. Donkey Kong Bananza

If Mario games are about smooth platforming and the joys of movement, Donkey Kong Bananza is about the thrill of smashing things until they break. Unless it's made of metal, Donkey Kong can almost certainly destroy it with his fists, a skill that is used to discover new areas and find golden bananas.

Three of the four face buttons are used for destructive purposes, and the other to jump. You can also rip up huge rocks and throw them at enemies, or use those same rocks to surf down hills and gather speed. Combining these abilities and mastering Donkey Kong's different skills should lead to a gameplay experience that's maybe not as fluid as Mario, but definitely packs more of a punch.

With the ability to destroy pretty much everything you see, it's the exploration side of the game that has the most potential. The colourful Lagoon Layer stage had so many secrets, from a cave with lots of rewards, to a separate fighting pit where I had to defeat three enemies within a time limit.

If every stage is as big and open as Lagoon Layer, then Donkey Kong Bananza could easily make its way to the top of the Switch 2 rankings.

2. Mario Kart World

With a whopping 96 courses both old and new, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe seemed like it would be a tough game to top. Fortunately given the £74.99 price tag, Mario Kart World might have enough oomph to take pole position.

Mario Kart World takes place across what at first glance appears to be a pretty sizeable map. Freely roaming the map looks like it will be every bit as fun as it is in games like Forza Horizon, especially with the new chat and camera functionality for multiplayer. There's even a bit of a Tony Hawk's influence, with players able to boost up and down makeshift halfpipes and even grind the odd rail.

Traditional Grand Prix races typically see you race from one part of the map to the next, although dynamic weather conditions and new items make for a more unpredictable experience overall.

The highlight, however, is Knockout Tour, which is an elimination-style race featuring 24 players.

Racing non-stop across multiple courses, Knockout Tour begins with 24 racers, and culminates with four players and just one winner. The length of the courses and regular item placement means that despite losing four racers at every checkpoint, the chaos never subsides. You always feel like you're in with a chance of making the cut-off point, even if you find yourself in last place with just a few corners to go.

And the return of the infamous blue shell means that while Knockout Tour isn't always fair, it is always exciting.

1. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

I've always been of the opinion that the original Metroid Prime is a perfect game, which is why I'm so excited to see the series return with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

Out of all the games I played, Metroid Prime 4 is the most impressive from a technical perspective, supporting gameplay of 60 frames-per-second in 4K, or 120 frames-per-second in 1080p. I played the latter, and was blown away by the fast-paced, responsive gameplay.

It was almost too fast for the analogue sticks to keep up, which makes it the perfect showcase for the Switch 2's mouse functionality. A real game-changer, players can instantly enter mouse mode by placing a sideways JoyCon on a flat surface. You don't need to mess around in any menu screens, although you can change the sensitivity (and hopefully the button layout) if you so please.

Memorising the button layout for Samus Aran's suit abilities takes a little getting used to, but with faster, more accurate aiming, the pros fair outweigh the cons.

Taking place at the start of the game before Samus inevitably loses her abilities, the section I played was explosive and action-packed, culminating in an entertaining though somewhat straightforward boss battle involving the use of abilities such as the morph ball and double jumping.

The true test will be when the game opens up and introduces puzzle solving and exploration elements, but so far, so good. As a lover of single-player adventure games and the Metroid series as a whole, I'm really looking forward to this one, probably even more than Mario Kart World.