The Nintendo Switch 2 has already had an eventful launch year for fans that managed to pick up the console. New games hitting the market have kept Nintendo fans busy with fun adventures, including a few major games from classic Nintendo mascots like Donkey Kong and Mario. But as 2025 begins to wind down over the course of the fourth quarter of the year, the holiday season will bring more games to Nintendo’s latest console for everyone. And some titles are going to make a bigger splash than others to end off the year on a high note.
But which games should Switch 2 owners keep an eye on to add to their holiday lists? The most recent Nintendo Direct presentation for September 2025 had many upcoming games slated for 2026, but that doesn’t mean the back part of 2025 will be devoid of new releases. Those wanting to pick up something new for their Nintendo Switch 2 will have something to look forward to as the launch year of the new console comes to a close. Here are three games for the Nintendo Switch 2 that are going to be major releases for the 2025 holidays, and why you’ll want to get them.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Battling legions of foes in Hyrule
Set in a time before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment shows the events from the Imprisoning War. Princess Zelda finds herself thrown back in time to these and has to work together with various allies to stop the evil demon king Ganondorf from invading ancient Hyrule. For many fans of Tears of the Kingdom, it will be fun seeing and playing through some of the events that the game detailed about what the Imprisoning War was, but from the perspective of Zelda herself in an interesting way. The game will have multiple playable heroes, each with their own styles of combat and special abilities, to bring down legions of Ganondorf’s foes.
Much like the Dynasty Warriors series, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will throw waves of enemies onto the battlefield for players to cut through, as well as big boss battles that up the tension. The game will also have local co-op to have two players fight in all the big battles during the story. This Hyrule Warriors game will also have amiibo support, where players can scan different figures and obtain bonus items during gameplay, which was similar to the previous Hyrule Warriors that was compatible with all The Legend of Zelda series amiibo figures. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is set to release for the Nintendo Switch 2 on November 6, 2025.
Kirby Air Riders
Racing again with Kirby
Mario Kart World soon won’t be the only Nintendo-themed racing game for everyone. Towards the later part of November 2025, Switch 2 owners will have another highly anticipated title to dive into. Kirby Air Riders is the second Kirby racing game from Nintendo since the release of Kirby Air Ride on the Nintendo GameCube back in 2003. Developed by Bandai Namco and Sora for the Switch 2, Kirby Air Riders will have players riding Warp Stars on colorful tracks with many of the goofy and charming characters from throughout the Kirby’s Dream Land series, including new faces from some of the more recent entries.
Like before, the game will be very easy to play with its very simple control scheme, but a lot more challenging to master against other players. As a whole, Kirby Air Riders offers a very different style of racing compared to Mario Kart World, which will be appealing to everyone who owns a Nintendo Switch 2. It may not have the open-world or competitive modes of Mario Kart for the Switch 2, but this Kirby racing game has a whole different charm that Nintendo fans have been wanting to see again for a long time.
What makes Kirby Air Riders different from its predecessor is the larger roster of playable characters, as well as new abilities that are available to each of them. There are 12 riders to pick from, and multiple Warp Stars to pair up with for races. Each character also has their own variations of copy abilities that can be used during a race to hinder opponents on the track, or give themselves a nice boost. As a bonus for fans, the game will have new amiibo figures that are compatible with the game, which are a bit different from other amiibos. The figures and the Warp Stars can be swapped to make different combinations of racers that could be scanned into the game. Kirby Air Riders is set to release for the Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20, 2025.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Primed for big success
Nintendo fans have been waiting patiently for Metroid Prime 4 to release on consoles for years. And after a long period of uncertainty, which was plagued with delays, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally set to release for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025. The new footage of the game from the September 2025 Nintendo Direct revealed new surprises to come in Samus Aran’s upcoming adventure, as well as more peeks at the combat and exploration that players can expect when diving into the planet Viewros.
But Samus won’t just be using her famous suit upgrades to explore this new planet. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond introduces elements of psychic powers that Samus will have to come to understand and utilize as she gets around obstacles and overcomes new challenges. Manipulating mechanisms and objects with the new powers may open up new pathways or hidden areas as she traverses the planet. The Direct presentation also revealed Samus Aran using a motorcycle called the Vi-0-La, which will help her travel great distances on the planet. Very little else is known about the motorcycle or the context of its appearance, but Metroid fans can definitely expect to see some clever applications of this new tool for Samus to use.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will also have plenty of what fans have loved from previous games. Various creatures and vicious foes lurk around the planet of Viewros for Samus to fight, including some big boss fights that will block her path. She will also clash with a rival bounty hunter named Sylux, a foe that not only appears to hate the Galactic Federation, but has a mysterious grudge against Samus herself. Sylux first appeared in Metroid Prime Hunters for the Nintendo DS back in 2006, but any plot details or specific connections for the character are still unknown. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will also have new amiibo figures for fans to pick up with the game for the Switch 2, including figures of Samus riding the Vi-0-La motorcycle, Sylux, and Samus Aran. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was revealed to be coming out on December 4, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Holiday fun with Nintendo Switch 2