15 Nintendo Games That Must Be Remade for Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 just launched, so it is very early in its life cycle. As a result, there haven’t been any major remakes or remasters for the console. That doesn’t mean they’re not coming. So many games got remakes or remasters for the original Switch, including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Pokémon Diamond, Super Mario RPG, Metroid Prime, Pikmin, Super Mario 3D World, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, and so many others.

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Those all occurred during the seven years that the Switch was Nintendo’s top console. Assuming the Switch 2 has a similar lifespan, which seems incredibly likely, there will be tons of remakes and remasters. With the console’s improved power, they could be even better than before. As a result, here are 15 games Nintendo needs to bring back over the next few years on Switch 2.

15. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is considered by so many to be the pinnacle of the Zelda series, but it hasn’t had a proper remake since 2016 on Wii U. While other games are experiencing a longer drought, few have come with as many demands for a new version as this. The community is desperate for a great Zelda game to be made with modern controls and graphics, and that’s a valid request.

14. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

Among 2D platformers, few can rival Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. It has incredible music, level design, story, and bosses. It manages to stand very much on its own in the slew of somewhat similar 2D platformers Nintendo has managed over the years. It’s now 30 years old with one mediocre DS version in the years since its relevance, which is a long way of saying it’s overdue for a remake.

13. Donkey Kong 64

With Donkey Kong Bananza firmly cementing the titular monkey as a character to be reckoned with, much more Donkey Kong is probably on the way. But in lieu of working on a totally new game, one that would probably take a lot of time, Nintendo can just remake one of DK’s original adventures, updating it with modern graphics and better mechanics, two things that would do Donkey Kong 64 some good.

12. Super Mario 64

Is Nintendo ever going to remake Super Mario 64? Probably not. That would undo all the work they did to create scarcity with the limited-time Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection that released a few years ago. Still, it is begging for a remake. It’s one of the first major 3D platformers anyone made, and it totally changed Mario forever. That said, the controls, specifically the camera, are painfully dated, so it could use an overhaul on Switch 2.

11. Animal Crossing

There have been no remakes or remasters for Animal Crossing, which is a surprise. It’s one of Nintendo’s best franchises, and yet they restrict it to a new game every few years. It has been a long time since New Horizons, and it’s unclear what’s on the franchise’s horizon. In order to fill the gap better, Nintendo can easily just remake the original, which so many gamers today probably didn’t get to play. It would open the door for remakes of other good Animal Crossing games, which might be really great for those who enjoy the series. Online gameplay would be largely nonexistent, but that’s only a small loss.

10. Nintendogs

There was something absolutely incredible about giving gamers the chance to do something rather mundane, in taking care of dogs. This is something so many people already do, but it was so much fun on the Nintendo DS. It’s a shame this franchise has gone by the wayside since, but it needs to be brought back. It was such a great game that it doesn’t need to be tweaked, though, so a remaster of the original would be perfect.

9. Super Paper Mario

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was a huge hit for Nintendo at the end of the Switch 1’s shelf life. It is considered easily the best Paper Mario title, and plenty of players loved what the remake brought to the table. It should’ve pushed the series back firmly into the limelight, but it really didn’t. To really fix this, Nintendo can just remake another old game, potentially removing some of the issues and downsides from the Wii version. If two new, good remasters for the series don’t generate enough interest, then it might be best to abandon it, but something tells me it would be enough.

8. Mario Sports Mix

Mario Golf: Super Rush and Mario Strikers: Battle League were two mediocre attempts to revitalize the Mario sports franchise. They just weren’t the same as some of the older games. How can Nintendo recapture that magic? The most straightforward way is just by bringing it to a modern console. Mario Sports Mix has several different sports in one, so it’d be easier than remastering Super Mario Strikers, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario Tennis, and others all individually.

7. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Much like Twilight Princess, fans have been clamoring for a new version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It’s now much more popular than it was in its time (thanks to the somewhat controversial choice to totally redesign the aesthetic). It also had a remake for the Wii U, although it was in 2013. Gamers have been begging for this one, but it’s probably not going to happen since Nintendo dropped it on Switch Online for Switch 2.

6. Duck Hunt

There’s a distinct lack of retro games on the Switch and Switch 2. There are plenty through Nintendo Switch Online, but that style has really gone away. It should come back, and the perfect avenue to do so is through one of the most popular retro games, Duck Hunt. The gameplay was simple but addictive, and Nintendo would have to do very little work to get a new version of this game out in 2025. It would be a bit of a curveball, which might also entice some older gamers to pick one up to revisit the glory days.

5. Punch-Out!!

Similarly, Punch-Out!! is deserving of a remaster. Few fighting games are as iconic as the Mike Tyson-led game, and characters like Little Mac remain popular thanks to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Speaking of, that’s by and large the only real fighting game on Nintendo consoles right now, so it’d be a great idea to revitalize another dormant series by remaking one of the older titles. The original from the late 1980s would be a smash hit, most likely.

4. Star Fox

Star Fox hasn’t been relevant in a long time. The last new game was in 2016, and the franchise has slowly petered out of relevance since then. Nintendo probably has no plans for anything new with the series since there’s not a lot of demand for it, but demand would probably spike if there were a remake. Players would be reminded of how good the series once was, and they’d be filled with nostalgia, two very powerful things. It could work to revive the franchise, but it would easily be a successful remake even if fans didn’t want new titles in the future.

3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Out of all Zelda titles, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds remains one of the most difficult to play. It is currently only available on the Nintendo 3DS, which is not a common console anymore. It’s not on any Switch Online platform, and there’s been no remake. There is a way to currently play almost every single Zelda game, with a few exceptions. A Link Between Worlds is one of them, and it’s arguably the most inaccessible. A remake or remaster would be challenging given the 3DS capabilities compared to the Switch 2, but it would be very much worthwhile.

2. Mario Party 2

As of now, there is not a wholly new Mario Party on the Switch 2. Super Mario Party Jamboree got a Switch 2 upgrade, but that does not count. Neither do the versions available on Switch Online. But since the developers are probably working on something huge for the first real Switch 2 Mario Party, a placeholder could be a remake of an old game. Mario Party Superstars was more or less a remake of some of the old ones, so one specific one could be chosen and remade by itself. Mario Party 2 is a great candidate since really good items and maps, though some of the maps have been reimagined in recent iterations.

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

It is astonishing that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past has not been remade. It stands as arguably the peak of the 2D Zelda games. It is probably responsible for the franchise’s success today. The original was solid, but the sequel was kind of disastrous. Enter A Link to the Past, the 2D game that catapulted the series into the upper echelon and saved it. Why it hasn’t had a remake yet is beyond me, but with the success of the Link’s Awakening remake (and the success of Echoes of Wisdom in the same style), a version of A Link to the Past just like that would be incredibly popular.