Nintendo Switch 2's 2026 Looks Very Different After Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Direct

3 hours ago 9

Published Aug 8, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

The hits keep stacking up

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For the first half of 2026, the Switch 2 was in an unusual position. Just when players anticipated a wave of reliable system–selling hits to pump up the console’s first year, Nintendo went niche. Games like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Rhythm Heaven Groove, and Star Fox weren’t exactly made to sell in Mario Kart numbers or top year-end lists. Instead, they were doing wonders to diversify the Switch 2’s library and set an eclectic precedent for this hardware generation. It looked like Nintendo’s 2026 would be defined by experimentation rather than awards.

That’s about to change. This week, Nintendo shook things up with a tantalizing Direct presentation focused squarely on Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. We already knew that the latest installment of Nintendo’s tactics series would be a tentpole release, but the 20-minute presentation revealed an RPG that’s even bigger and more system-loaded than expected. Suddenly, it’s looking like it could be the standout game in a cramped September that also features Marvel’s Wolverine, Control Resonant, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Stiff competition.

With a likely hit in the wings, the Switch 2’s 2026 is starting to feel very different already. It’s suddenly become Nintendo’s year to lose, as its slow-burn momentum is starting to pick up in unexpected ways.

Fortune’s Weave might be the spark, but the past two weeks have helped to strengthen the Switch 2’s year ahead of that hype train. It started with Splatoon Raiders, which has been something of a surprise hit for Nintendo since launch. The looter shooter has caught on with fans in a big way; it currently has a 9.3 user rating on Metacritic, making it the sixth-best reviewed game of all time on the platform. That inflated number will likely fall down to Earth over time, but it does position it as a fan favorite that could end the year in the top tier of Switch 2 exclusives.

Shellder and Chinchou float underwater in Pokemon Pokopia.

If Splatoon Raiders reaches that point, it will be in good company with Pokémon Pokopia. The cozy spinoff was another pleasant surprise earlier this year, earning rave reviews. At the time, it felt like it probably wouldn’t be a year-end frontrunner for long, but here in August, it remains one of the best reviewed games of 2026 according to Metacritic. (It’s just ahead of Resident Evil Requiem, a game that feels like a shoo-in for Game of the Year nominations come December.) Players got a good reason to return to it this week with Bubbly Basin, an underwater DLC that does a great job of welcoming players back into Pokopia’s delightful life sim hooks.

With Fortune’s Weave looking even better than anticipated, Nintendo could leave September with three killer exclusives capable of rewriting the system’s “niche” narrative. And that’s before considering that a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is slated to launch this year, as is FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, which will get its first network test last this month. That five-game run has the potential to make 2026 a landmark year for Nintendo — something few saw coming back when all we knew was that we’d be getting Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream this year. (The latter has sold nearly 8 million units to date, according to official sales data released this week.)

Even if Grand Theft Auto 6 does consume the zeitgeist and monopolize award season, expect Nintendo to be one of the few publishers that will be able to share air with the open-world behemoth. If Rockstar fumbles the ball right at the end zone, expect Nintendo to be the one to pick it up.

eShop game of the week: Big Walk

At a time when there’s no shortage of great multiplayer games to try with friends, Big Walk stands at the top of the mountain. Created by Untitled Goose Game developer House House, the co-op game is filled with clever puzzles that will put your communication and coordination skills to the test. It’s an utter delight from start to finish, and features some of the best sound design I’ve ever heard in a game, to boot.

Nintendo Classics game of the week: Golden Sun

This past weekend marked the 25th anniversary of Golden Sun’s original release in Japan. Now celebrated as a cult classic, the Game Boy Advance RPG remains one of developer Camelot’s finest works. Its elemental magic and adorable Djinn creatures still make for a memorable RPG that deserves more praise than it gets. I’m still holding out hope that the series will get its due revival one day.

Nintendo Music track of the week: “Storm of Petals” from Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

Following this week’s loaded Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Direct, Nintendo dropped 10 songs from the upcoming RPG on the Nintendo Music app. “Storm of Petals” is an early standout from the bunch. It’s a flurry of lovely strings and acoustic guitars that’s both energetic and dreamy. All the songs are worth listening to, though, just to catch some brilliantly reinterpreted motifs from previous Fire Emblem games. (There's a playlist of all of Switchboard's music picks here.)