Timeline
TodayMon, 29th Dec 2025
"It's a homage to my mum and my childhood"
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in August. Enjoy! Everyone remembers the first animated movie that scared them. For me, it was The Fox and the Hound — probably not the...
Opinion Strange Antiquities Is A True Treasure In A Puzzle Game-Filled Year
Antiquities, the Greek God of Old Vases
If you think more games should be about giving cursed skulls to weird strangers, then I'm here to tell you that you're fine, you're normal, you're right, and you should play Strange Antiquities. You may have already played Bad Viking's first game in the 'Strange' series, Strange Horticulture, a...
ICYMI You Need To Check Out The Video Game History Foundation's "Untold Story Of The NES"
"15 years in the making!"
Hopefully, many of you are enjoying an end-of-year break over the holidays, but even if you're back at the coalface before the new year arrives, we recommend making time to check out this fascinating new overview documentary of the NES' US launch from Frank Cifaldi and the folks over at the Video Game History Foundation...
Feature Farewell, Nintendo Switch - It's Finally Time To Bid Our Old Friend 'Adieu'
Don't think twice, it's all right
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in June. Enjoy! It's time to say goodbye. Well, not really. The massively popular Switch will live on in a way few other Nintendo consoles have done...
UK Charts Nintendo Holds 12 Spots In The All-Formats Top 40
Mario Kart cleans up (again) while Metroid drops
The last full week of 2025 UK charts data is in, and for the most part, it's a minor reshuffle of the usual suspects, with EA SPORTS FC 26 sitting pretty at #1 and Mario Kart cleaning up twice over and first-party Nintendo (published) games taking up more than a quarter of entries in the all-formats...
Talking Point Our 2026 Nintendo And Switch 2 Predictions
What's in store?
Well, folks, it seems like only yesterday we were looking ahead at Nintendo's 2025 with a sense of unwavering optimism, and now here we are – it's certainly been a year. The Switch 2 finally arrived, bringing with it a plethora of goodwill and controversy alike, ushering in a new generation that, if initial sales are anything to...
Feature "The Yoyo Was Special" - Finding The GBA Magic In 'Pipistrello And The Cursed Yoyo'
Scoot over, Ness
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in May. Enjoy! We've had our eyes on this long-lost GBA-looking adventure ever since we first discovered it at Gamescom back in 2024. The c
News Pikmin 3 Deluxe Nintendo Switch 2 Rating Pops Up Online
Could an upgrade be on the way?
Since the Switch 2 generation got underway, many Nintendo fans have been hoping for the Pikmin titles to receive a next-generation upgrade. Now, in an interesting development, a Switch 2 rating has surfaced on the European age rating board PEGI for Pikmin 3 Deluxe. This rating was apparently filed by 'Nintendo of...
YesterdaySun, 28th Dec 2025
Opinion Not Enough People Are Talking About This Early GOTY Contender
Centennial masterpiece
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in May. Enjoy! Warning: This article delves into spoiler territory for The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy. If you've yet to play the game and want to go in...
Editorial Gamers, Support The People And Sites You Love, Before It's Too Late
Forever
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in May. We should note that the Giant Bomb story had a happy ending, with the staff buying GB from Fandom and going independent. Yes! Nevertheless, in another turbulent year for...
Opinion I Finally Finished Ring Fit Adventure, And It Might Be Peak Nintendo?
I might just be tired
I must have some kind of record for Ring Fit, if not internationally (see: here), then at least for the West Midlands. I played 10 hours over the weekend, which probably sounds like a lot. I can confirm it was. You know those charity fundraisers of dancing for 24 hours or whatever? It wasn't that. All I raised was my knees (a...
Opinion Cult Classic 'Tokimeki Memorial' Hits Switch - But 30 Years On, It's Still Out Of Reach
Forever with you; never with us
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in April. Enjoy! True love lasts forever – and so do some games. Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with You, the legendary dating sim from 1995, is hooking up...
"If you do exclusives you can push every lever to 11 in that platform"
We find ourselves in an unusual position when it comes to console exclusives these days. Once upon a time, titles like Halo, Forza, Death Stranding, and
News Square Enix Teases More For Dragon Quest, NieR and Final Fantasy In 2026
But try not to get “too excited”
Next year marks even more anniversaries, and one other big one coming up is for Dragon Quest. This classic role-playing series will hit its 40th birthday, and in the same end-of-year wrap with 4Gamer.net (via Gematsu), Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito mentions how the company is looking forward to everyone...
ICYMI Stardew Valley - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Is Now Available, Will You Be Getting It?
The new version is now live
In case you missed it, following ConcernedApe’s status update last week, Stardew Valley – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now officially available. This particular version comes loaded with mouse controls, four-player split-screen as well as eight-player online multiplayer. There’s also GameShare support for Switch...
News Arcade Archives Celebrates 500 Retro Releases With Special Commemorative Game
The classic Space Invaders returns
Last year in January, Hamster’s Arcade Archives series for the Switch and multiple other platforms reached 400 releases. Now, in an update at the end of 2025, it’s been officially confirmed that the retro-specialist has now hit 500 releases! Arcade Archives originally began life on 15th May 2014, and more...
News Here Are Japan's Best-Selling Switch and Switch 2 eShop Games For 2025
Mario Kart World and Pokémon top the list
It’s once again that time of year where companies sum up all sorts of things about the year that was, and with this in mind, Nintendo’s Japanese branch has revealed the best-selling games on the Switch and Switch 2 eShop in 2025. This covers January through to December, and everything else in between...
It can’t wait to make “another announcement”
Persona 3 Reload only arrived on the Switch 2 in October, but there’s plenty more to come... Speaking to the Japanese website 4Gamer.net as part of its annual end-of-year developer interview feature recently, Atlus producer and director Kazuhisa Wada (who has worked on Persona 5 Royal and Persona...
Saturday27th Dec 2025
"I hope creators and audiences alike can recognize AI as a tool"
Back in June, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino acknowledged that, like a great many companies working in the games industry, his firm was exploring the use of Generative AI as "a tool for communication and efficiency improvement." Fast forward to the end of the year, and Hino's view of GenAI...
Feature "It's Huge For Us" - Devs Talk Switch 2 Reactions, Dev-Kit Disparity, Future Plans
What devs make of Switch 2
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in April. Enjoy! In case you somehow missed it, Nintendo has officially lifted the lid on Switch 2, cueing all sorts of excitement and apprehension from those...
Talking Point Does Switch 2 Have Nintendo's Best Launch Line-Up Ever?
Let's see how it matches up
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in April. Enjoy! I don't know about you, but I'm already giving my shelf space a worried look as I consider the number of Switch 2 launch titles I want to...
Feature "It's A Perversion Of The Whole Thing" - Jeff Minter On Scam Games, Switch 2, And 'I, Robot'
"There's pride in it for me"
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in March. Enjoy! Jeff Minter is, perhaps quite rightly, referred to as a legend within the gaming industry. His career following the founding of Llamasoft in...
"In this age of diversity, the manufacturer itself has stubbornly refused"
Nintendo may have originated the concept of the cross D-Pad, but the company has practically abandoned this control method on both the Switch and Switch 2 (although thankfully not on the Switch Lite and Pro Controller), leaving some old-school players feeling a little left...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (27th December)
What did Santa bring?
Well folks, that's another Christmas done for the year – we hope you've had a peaceful, relaxing time, whether you celebrate or not. It's been a pretty quiet week, understandably, but Nintendo managed to squeeze in a cheeky update for Donkey Kong Bananza on the Switch 2, so make sure to download that. Nintendo also hit us...
News Square Enix Wants Feedback About The Final Fantasy Series In Its New Survey
Go on, tell 'em
Fans of the long-running RPG Final Fantasy have a chance to tell Square Enix their thoughts about the series in a new online survey. It’s available until 9th January 2026 and features over 30 questions. Unfortunately, there’s no reward at the end of it, so if you do plan on doing this survey, it's mostly to tell Square Enix how...
News My Nintendo Metroid Prime 'Legacy Sweepstakes' Offers A Bounty Of Prizes (North America)
Enter today
If you’re a Metroid fan and happen to be located in the United States or Canada, Nintendo is currently running a Metroid Prime ‘Legacy Sweepstakes’ featuring a “bounty” of prizes. You can enter this sweepstakes via the My Nintendo website for 10 Platinum Points. This gives you a chance to win the official Metroid Prime 1-3: A...
"We look forward to your support"
We’re now in the final days of 2025 and many development teams are signing off for the year. This includes the talented Japanese developer Monolith Soft, best-known during the Switch generation for its work on the Xenoblade Chronicles series. Now that another year has passed, the company has taken a brief moment...
News Switch Online's 'Missions And Rewards' Brings Back Previous 2025 Icons
Get them while you can!
Nintendo has released all sorts of unique icons for Switch Online subscribers in 2025, and to go out with a bang, it’s once again bringing back select designs that you may have missed. This is a limited-time offer and runs until 11th January 2026, so get them while you can. Each icon will set you back 10 Platinum Points,...
Friday26th Dec 2025
"We resolved to move forward with our original vision"
As you'll know if you've read our review, we adored Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and consider it to be one of the highlights of the Switch 2's library. However, with a Metacritic rating of 79 at the time of writing, it's clear that Samus' latest adventure didn't strike the same chord with many pla
Mini Review Layers Of Fear: Final Masterpiece Edition (Switch 2) - Handsome But Humdrum Horror
Tormented souls
Switch owners already have access to Layers of Fear: Legacy and its sequel, but Bloober Team is back with a new port for Switch 2. Utilising Unreal Engine 5 to achieve some truly impressive visuals, Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition is neither a sequel nor a remake, but rather the definitive vision of the series so far,...
Quiz How Well Do You Remember 2025? Nintendo Life's Gaming Quiz Of The Year
Mo' consoles, mo' questions
Ah, 2025 is almost behind us. That was a pretty quiet year in the world of Nintendo, right? Wrong! 2025 was a jam-packed, bumper year for the House of Mario, with games, apps, movie news, and a little thing called 'Switch 2' to write home about. It was so full of good stuff, in fact, that we thought it only right to...
Feature Nintendo Life's Alternative Awards 2025
Best 'squirrel with a gun' game, most 'Huh?' Nintendo moment, and more!
Hello, well met stranger, and welcome to Jurassic Park! Nintendo Life's Alternative Awards 2025! It's been...well...it's been a year in which we have all existed, that's for sure, and as a result games happened. Loads of them, in fact. Of course, and as is tradition at this...
Feature But The Future Can Change - Chrono Trigger And Learning To Love The World
The Corridors of Time
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in March. Enjoy! Note: If you haven't played Chrono Trigger to completion...what are you playing at? If you're sensitive to spoilers, come back when you're done as...
News Surprise! Stardew Valley - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Is Now Available
A free update for existing Switch players
[Thu 18th Dec, 2025 04:30 GMT]: In September, the Stardew Valley creator Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone lifted the lid on a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of his farming and life sim. During the Nintendo Direct reveal, it was noted how this version would be arriving in "Fall 2025". We're now just weeks out from...
Thursday25th Dec 2025
Feature "I Was Seeing Him In My Dreams" - Nintendo Veteran Just Can't Shake Shigeru Miyamoto
"He got a good laugh out of that"
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in February. Enjoy! There’s no question that Nintendo makes some of the best video games in the world thanks to its incredibly skilled and passionate...
Review Stray Children (Switch) - A Surreal, Captivating, Undertale-Inspired RPG
Don’t talk to strangers
Stray Children launched on the Japanese eShop on 26th December 2024. We weren't able to review it back in October when it arrived in the West, but we've now managed to catch up with Onion Games' latest... Your dad’s missing and some weird “uncle” is at the door, claiming to know you. Stray Children just chucks you...
Opinion My Daughter Made Me Realise That Mario Wonder's Difficulty Options Need Work
Yoshi or Nabbit, make your choice
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in January. Enjoy! I suspect many of my fellow parents can relate to this, but when you have your first child, a whole bevvy of problems that never...
Issue #31 - December 2025
Welcome, one and all. We're back for another festive rifle through the Nintendo Life Mailbox. Yes, it's time for our monthly letters page feature. Got something you want to get off your chest? We're ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings. Each month we’ll highlight a Star Letter, the writer of...
Feature I Play This One Particular SNES Game Every Xmas As A Personal Tradition
Please help me
It was the Christmas of 1992. Mr Blobby was the funniest thing on television (according to your parents), and Whitney Houston had been tricked into singing a love song about everyone's favourite sentient cardigan, Kevin Costner (I feel like I'm having a war flashback now). And me? Well, I was having a great time despite all of this,...
Guide Got Yourself A New Nintendo Switch 2? Here's What To Do First
Ahh, new hardware smell
If you've recently come into possession of a new Nintendo Switch 2, first of all, congratulations! You're in for a treat, since the Switch 2 not only has a rapidly growing library of games, but you can also play almost every game from the original Switch, too. But what the heck are you supposed to do first? Well, we've got...
Editorial Happy Holidays From Everyone At Nintendo Life
So here it is...
And here we are once more! It's Yule! Navidad! Xmas! Chrimbo! Rudolphtide! Grinchtingle! Erm... Richard Curtistime? Hmm. Merry Christmas, everyone. It's been a big year for Nintendo fans and the wider gaming industry, with new hardware, a load of new games, even more new versions of old games, plus plenty of challenges, with life's...
Wednesday24th Dec 2025
Feature Citizen Sleeper Dev Talks Sequels, Stress & Creating "My Own Take On The Mass Effect Series"
Wake up, Sleeper
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in January. Enjoy! Citizen Sleeper was, coincidentally, one of 2022's sleeper hits. With its combination of top-tier writing and decision-based gameplay, this...
Opinion After A Few Missteps, Story Of Seasons Finally Nailed The Formula With Grand Bazaar
We're so back, baby
If you don't already know about the schism between Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon, read up on it! But TL;DR, Story of Seasons is the OG – the original farming game series that sparked thousands of copycats hoping to carve out a slice of that cosy game pie. And who can blame them? The farming game genre is a fantastic,...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch 1 & 2 Games Of 2025
Get your Switch GOTYs here
2025 was filled with brilliant games, large and small, launching every single month. It's the year that both Switch 2 and Silksong finally came out. Wowzers. The quality has been exceptionally high for both the original Switch and the newer console. Below we present the top 50 best games of the year for Switch 1 and 2...
News Fantasy Life i's Big Free DLC Is Out Now, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Welcome to Snoozaland
At last, after assuring fan's that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time's free DLC would be out "around Christmas", Level-5 has delivered the goods right on time. Version 2.0.0 is available to download now on Switch 1 & 2 and i
Review The Rogue Prince Of Persia (Switch 2) - A Worthy, Approachable Follow-Up To Dead Cells
PoP it like it's hot
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been the better part of a decade since the launch of Dead Cells, though its absurdly long stretch of post-launch DLC expansions and updates certainly helped to keep it in the average player’s consciousness. The original Dead Cells developer, Motion Twin, actually passed the buck in...
News The Danganronpa Series Has Now Sold Over 10 Million Copies
With a new entry due in 2026
Publisher Spike Chunsoft has announced that the Danganronpa series has now shipped over 10 million copies worldwide. Beginning on 25th November, 2010 with the Japanese release of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc on the PSP, the series has since spawned three mainline entries on multiple platforms (including localised...
News Kirby Air Riders New Event Starts This Week, Includes Kirby Santa Hat Reward
After a bug almost cancelled Christmas!
Although it seems to be the end of the road for the development of Kirby Air Riders, in-game events will still be taking place over the next year. In case you missed it, the event that was previously scheduled had to be suspended due to a bug. Thankfully, just in time for Christmas, the updated event has now...
Rumour Call Of Duty's Nintendo Release Is Apparently On Target For 2026
"The first CoD Switch version is nearly done"
Following a rumour last week about Bethesda's Starfield coming to the Switch 2 next year, there's now been a supposed update about the Nintendo version of Call of Duty. According to Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden, the "first" Call of Duty Switch release is "nearly done" and could be...
News Switch Online App On Switch And Switch 2 Adds "Happy Holidays" Theme
Nintendo is feeling jolly
When the Switch 2 was announced, many Nintendo fans were already calling for themes to be added to the HOME Menu. While there have been no developments on this front, there is something else that some fans are excited about. From the system HOME Menu, if you navigate to the 'Nintendo Switch Online' icon, you'll be...
