It’s officially Nintendo Switch 2 month, and the hype is real.
Over 20 games are set to drop at launch, from shiny “Switch 2 Editions” of existing games to brand-new titles built for the upgraded hardware. But let’s be honest—we’ve got our eyes locked on Mario Kart World, the ambitious open-world reimagining of Nintendo’s iconic kart racer.
After years of perfecting the formula, Mario Kart is finally shaking things up in a major way—and we’re more than ready to hit the gas.
But Switch 2 isn’t the only thing dropping in June. This month also delivers two heavy-hitting “walking simulators”—and no, we don’t mean the slow-burn narrative kind.
We’re talking about Death Stranding 2 and Dune: Awakening. One has you trekking across surreal landscapes with a backpack full of oddly shaped cargo and clients who make Amazon look chill.
The other? It’s all about surviving the desert by walking without rhythm—unless you feel like becoming worm food.
Strap on your boots. It’s going to be a long (and weird) walk.
The Nintendo Switch 2
Release Date: June 5
We generally focus on software in this list, but we’re going to make an exception for a Nintendo console launch. The Switch 2 doesn’t feel like quite the revolution that the Switch or the Nintendo Wii were, but it’s surely far from the disaster that the Wii U was.
This is a powerful, well-optimized handheld by all accounts, offering significant improvements in performance and power.
The Joy-Con controllers have undergone significant improvements, featuring a magnetic attachment system that keeps them securely attached to the system, as well as the ability to turn a Joy-Con into a functioning mouse.
The mouse option turns the fact that games like Civilization VII are coming to the system into something to crow about, rather than something to dread.
Onboard, it runs games at 1080p, and when docked, you’re looking at native or upscaled 4K—so couch play is getting a serious upgrade. It also packs eight times the internal storage of the original Switch, which is a huge win for digital collectors.
We’ll need to go hands-on to see if the bump in size and weight is worth the trade-off—and whether the battery life holds up—but for now, we’re locked in on that June 5 release.
Mario Kart World
Release Date: June 5
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Topping our hype list this month is Mario Kart World—the first major Switch 2 release out of the gate. Yes, there are still lap-based tracks, but now they’re all stitched together into a massive open world packed with shortcuts, secrets, and new ways to race.
Fans are already throwing around comparisons to Forza Horizon, and while that’s a bold claim, we’re curious to see how it holds up once we’re behind the wheel.
Honestly, we’ve been waiting for a new Mario Kart almost as long as we’ve been waiting for GTA VI, so if Nintendo’s finally dropping a fresh one, you better believe it’s going to shake things up.
Legend of Zelda Switch 2 editions
Release Date: June 5
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Two of the best Nintendo Switch games, regarded by many as simply two of the best games period, are getting a refresh for the Switch 2.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both getting the deluxe treatment on Switch 2: sharper resolution, smoother frame rates, full HDR support, and—finally—achievements.
They’re also adding support for the new Zelda Notes mobile app, which doubles as a collectible tracker, GPS, and probably your new favorite sidekick. Already own the games? It’ll cost you $10 to upgrade and unlock all the new features.
Cyberpunk 2077: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Release Date: June 5
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
CD Projekt Red’s cyberpunk RPG is legendary both for its disastrous launch and remarkable recovery, of course, but also for how demanding it can be of the hardware it runs on—it was literally unplayable on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
It’s a big, flashy game, and just seeing it running on Switch 2 is a marvel. This is thanks in part to the fact that the Nvidia chip behind the screen can run DLSS, Nvidia’s upscaling technology that allows games to run at higher resolutions without sacrificing visual fidelity.
It might be time to replay Cyberpunk anyway.
Dune Awakening
Release Date: June 10
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Dune Awakening assumes you’re at least passingly familiar with the Dune universe, but asks you to accept one big change: Paul Atreides was never born.
The sleeper never awakened. Jessica Atreides had a daughter as the Bene Gesserit asked her to. Instead of inhabiting the body of a messianic figure in control of millions of soldiers, you’re a bit more humble—a prisoner sent to Arrakis to endure the brutal conditions and search for signs of the missing Fremen.
You can side with the Atreides or Harkonnen houses, and learn the skills of the Fremen, Mentats, Bene Gesserit, and more.
Survival in the dunes isn’t just about avoiding sandworms—it’s about crafting the essentials. You’ll need to build your own Ornithopter, set up personal shelters, and stay sharp while navigating the desert.
Shade is your best friend, and every step counts—walk the wrong way, and you might see the sand ripple before you get swallowed whole.
Stellar Blade comes to PC
Release Date: June 11
Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Stellar Blade was released last year on PlayStation 5 to critical acclaim, with an aggregated score of 81 on Metacritic and zero negative reviews.
It was touted as being a solid, great-looking action game in the vein of games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry. Now it’s hitting the PC.
Whether you’re revisiting it or playing for the first time, it’ll have all the excellent action, but it’ll look better than ever.
Death Stranding 2
Release Date: June 26
Platforms: PlayStation 5
We’re still not quite sure what happened in Death Stranding.
You do a lot of deliveries, you fight some animals and guys made out of oil, and you throw grenades full of blood and human biological waste at them.
There’s a guy named Die-Hardman, and multiple characters have the faces of successful movie directors.
There are hands everywhere, and a place called “The Beach,” and then there’s a real groaner of a pun when Sam Porter Bridges (who is incidentally a porter who builds physical and metaphorical bridges) calls another character “Princess Beach.”
It was a blast to play thanks to Kojima Productions’ compelling gameplay. Now there’s a sequel with improved combat, new ways to deliver packages, more varied environments—not everything looks like Iceland this time around—and we can’t wait to see if the story makes even a little bit more sense than Death Stranding.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
