One of the best and most under-appreciated games of 2024, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess has made the successful leap to Switch 2 and is as unique and essential as ever in 2025. Offering a mesmerising combination of action and strategy, it will grab you from the outset. And as you get about your work cleansing a mountain of defilement, you'll be floored by the brilliant enemy designs.

Being a simulator, Star Trucker won't be for everyone; flying through space making deliveries sounds simple, but in actuality there are lots of plates to spin. Those that get on with it will likely find themselves engrossed, however, but it does verge on becoming a little repetitive.

Bundling up the base game along with two years' worth of characters, stages and more, Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition is a must-have for fighting game fans who have picked up a Switch 2. While new modes such as Gyro Battle and Calorie Contest are a bit gimmicky, the only real disappointment here is fights in World Tour playing out at 30fps.

Sonic x Shadow Generations feels right at home on Switch 2. Both Sonic Generations and the new Shadow campaign look fantastic, and performance is solid, making these fast-paced platforming experiences a joy to return to time and time again. It's just a shame there's no upgrade path for those who already own the game on the original Switch.

Throw in the fact that Mario Kart World costs more than your usual release, and while it’s undoubtedly the best entry in the series yet in most regards, it’s hard to call it utterly essential. That might change further down the line, depending on what Nintendo does with the game post-launch, but unless you’re buying it bundled with your Switch 2, you might want to wait for a bit of a discount. For those not all that concerned about splashing the cash for it, though, Mario Kart World offers hours upon hours of thrilling karting action, especially for those who love racing online against other like-minded folk.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is an open-world action RPG that fans of the likes of Skyrim are likely to fall in love with. It has some technical issues and bugs that can annoy, but they're easy to overlook thanks to its enjoyable and rewarding gameplay systems as well as a genuinely interesting story with important choices to be made.

You likely won't have played anything like Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo before. Combining puzzles, combat and adventuring, this game is an utter joy — and using a yoyo as both a weapon and a tool never gets old. Well written and incredibly accessible thanks to its difficulty options, this is a true indie gem.

Copycat is a game that tackles some serious issues, but its characters are hard to warm to and will make you angry at times. Still, being a cat and doing cat things can be fun, despite clunky controls and unspired gameplay.

An adventure game with puzzle, stealth and horror elements, The Midnight Walk isn't all that complex mechanically. Its dark, intriguing world will grab your attention, though, and you'll soon come to love your companion, Potboy, making you want to see your journey through to its end. If you have the required hardware, you can play in VR, too, which is a nice touch.

Paul Raschid has once again cemented himself as the master of FMV games with Hello Stranger. This thriller, which focuses on AI and home tech, has a suitably twisty narrative, and with many branching paths and multiple endings, you'll want to play it multiple times to experience as much of it as possible.

Spray Paint Simulator is rewarding and relaxing in the same way that PowerWash Simulator is, with you bringing new life to a range of objects and locations. Some jobs are better than others, though, and it can be finicky when it comes to completing some smaller part of jobs, but it's still thoroughly enjoyable on the whole.

There's fun to be had with Elden Ring Nightreign, especially if you're a skilled Elden Ring player who loves a challenge or can get a good team together, but it does have a range of issues. The fact that there's only one map means repetition quickly creeps in, for example, and the Relic system simply doesn't feel as impactful as it should. Being a multiplayer-focused game, the lack of cross-play is also egregious.

EA sports F1 25 features the usual iterative improvements when it comes to visuals and physics, and LIDAR technology has been used to make a number of tracks as accurate as can be. But it's the return of Braking Point as well as a substantial overhaul of My Team that really makes this an impressive package, and a must-have for both casual and ardent F1 fans.

Take God of War, Dark Souls and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, put them in a blender along with some new elements such as being able to craft weapons and target specific body parts, and you have Blades of Fire. Its map design can be devious at times, and its enemy placement a little questionable, but overall it's an engaging, and rather epic, adventure.

The Duck Detective is back, and his down-and-out personality is as wonderful as ever. Unfortunately, the mystery on offer here isn't quite as good as last time, but there are still plenty of pleasing puzzles and investigations to get your beak stuck into.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is a bold sequel that adds RPG elements into the mix and has more of an action focus. Awkward fixed camera angles add unwanted frustration to combat, though, and the new weapon switching mechanic is troublesome to use in the heat of battle.

An isometric action game set in a highly destructible world, Deliver At All Costs puts you in the shoes of a courier and tasks you with completing a range of chaotic and often challenging delivery missions. It's good fun, but it doesn't quite fulfill its potential, thanks to annoying loading screens and a range of other issues that spoil the experience to some degree.

It’s been a while since I’ve been so fully engrossed in a point-and-click adventure, and Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer really does stand out as being a fantastic example of the genre. Even if it goes places I’d rather it didn’t, there’s no denying the story here is very well-written, and I’ve lapped up every second of it. If you like a good crime/murder mystery story, if you enjoy gathering evidence and solving puzzles, and especially if you don’t mind a bit of cosmic horror, consider Kathy Rain 2 a must-play.

A futuristic anime-inspired arcade racer featuring both cars and bikes, Neon Apex: Beyond the Limit sure plenty of modes. There's no online multiplayer though, and what's more problematic is that its core racing action has issues that will limit your enjoyment of the package overall.

The combat of Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is enjoyable enough, and it's great that there are three unique playable characters, each with a range of weapons to unlock. A lack of variety when it comes to stages and enemies really hurts the game's longevity, though, as the story at the heart of this adventure isn't enough to carry it.

While Super Racing GT Turbo SPEC promises a fun arcade racing experience with its colour visuals and top-down viewpoint, it ultimately disappoints thanks to providing little excitement and having a serious lack of content and features.

Blue Prince meets Vampire Survivors: that's the best way to describe Into The Restless Ruins, a roguelike deckbuilding game with a twist. You place cards to build your dungeon, then explore it to gain experience. It's perhaps not as challenging as it could be, but it's a great deal of fun nonetheless.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 bundles up another eight classic games from the developer's back catalogue, and while some have aged worse than others, there's still plenty of fun to be had overall. Highlights here include Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 and Power Stone 2, but it's just a shame there's still no crossplay.

If you fancy fighting crime in an open world instead of perpetrating it for a change, The Precinct might just be the game for you. Completing shifts and collecting evidence to progress the story forward can become a little repetitive, but ultimately you're free to take things at your own pace while unlocking new options and equipment to play with.

An underwater survivors-like game with a twist, Ocean Keeper will also have you digging for resources alongside facing off against fearsome enemies. With meaningful upgrades and a fun gameplay loop, it'll keep you coming back for more.

If you have a taste for horror, you'll be right at home with Deck of Haunts. This deckbuilder may be light on story, but how many other games can you say cast you as a haunted house? Its core game loop of dispatching hapless intruders will have you grinning.

The latest entry in the DOOM series effectively turns the Doom Slayer into a tank, mowing down literal hordes of enemies with a varied range of chunky weapons. There's more of an emphasis on melee, too, and combined with a new focus on parrying enemy attacks with a nifty Shield Saw to get the upper hand, it feels entirely unique. Put simply, there's nothing else quite like DOOM: The Dark Ages out there. It's both epic and essential.

A brutal roguelike that sees you trying to escape a high-security prison, KIBORG keeps its players invested by providing numerous meaningful upgrades and some seriously cool augments. It's let down by mediocre visuals and voice acting, but if you're a fan of roguelikes, there's enough here to keep you invested.