Nintendo Switch: Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Hogwarts Legacy… the most anticipated games of 2023

One of Nintendo’s strong licenses is back to kick off the year! The first “homemade” Switch exclusive since Pokémon Scarlet/Purple, the new episodes of Fire Emblem will of course be a tactical RPG similar to the canonical episodes of the series, like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, its predecessor released in July 2019. These 100% brand new components, developed as always by Smart System, takes place on the continent of Elyos, divided between five countries. The avatar you play there will awaken from a thousand year sleep and his goal is to protect the world from the return of Sombron, the fallen dragon. This is without a doubt the title many Switch owners and RPG fans alike have been looking forward to!

• Release date: January 20, 2023

This is definitely one of the most anticipated games of 2023, and Avalanche Software (under the Portkey Games label) is under a lot of pressure… and perhaps even more when it comes to the Switch version of the game! This adaptation of the Harry Potter universe, in the form of an action RPG in which you will play your own wizard created from scratch during his schooling at Hogwarts, is an ambitious title expected for February 2023, and is also supposed to release on Nintendo’s hybrid console. But it will be released on a different date than the other versions which is July 25th, no doubt the time the development team has been working on to perfect this version which is very interesting, especially since it has to be released in cartridge and not in the cloud.

• Release date: July 25, 2023 (in other media, Switch version date has not been communicated)

Kirby is celebrating its 30th birthday with great fanfare this year, including new episodes that are a hit with gamers, and another title has been announced for early 2023! Titled Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, it’s actually a remake of Kirby’s Adventure Wii, released in 2011 on… Wii, of course. This new title is effectively a throwback to cute and colorful 2D platformers in all their glory HAL Laboratory have a secret. Of course, the remake will bring a graphical facelift in high definition, but it will also offer new content, with the addition of new powers and new mini-games. The ideal family title to start the year on Switch!

• Release date: February 24, 2023

The long-awaited sequel to the excellent Octopath Traveler that delighted many old-school RPG fans back in 2018, Octopath Traveler II intends to continue in the same vein. In this “2D-HD” role-playing game, still edited by Square-EnixYou will meet 8 new travelers with very different talents and motivations, which you will embody through their journey in the world of Solistia. This second installment aims to incorporate all of the gameplay achievements (and artistic direction) that made the first episode such a success, and will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated titles for many Switch players at the start of the year, especially the J-side RPG.

• Release date: February 24, 2023

You’ll easily agree: it’s not even worth asking what title 2023 is most looking forward to on Nintendo’s part. In 2019, Nintendo announced at E3 the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most acclaimed video games of all time. Since the much-anticipated second trailer at E3 2021, Nintendo has been screening content snippets regarding this sequel, whose title was finally made known last September. Even if we still know a little about the game mechanics and scenarios, it’s clear that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the most anticipated Nintendo Switch game… if not the most anticipated video game of 2023? Indeed Grand Theft Auto VI should really be announced for this same year for there to be any competition in terms of vigor!

• Release date: May 12, 2023

Officially, according to the announcement made at E3 2022, the long-awaited title developed by Cherry Team should be released no later than one year after the conference Microsoft where the first day of availability on Game Pass was made official. So that means the Hollow Knight sequel will be out no later than June 12, 2023, but it’s unclear whether this information also pertains to the Switch version of the game. The latter however has been made official for the first time by Nintendo, to the point where initially believing in exclusivity (at least temporarily), it appears that Hollow Knight: Silksong will appear simultaneously on several media, including Switch, and this is during the first half of 2023!

• Release date: no later than June 12, 2023

Launched at the last E3, the independent game developed by All Possible Futures became a crowd favorite during the long-awaited conference of renowned publisher Devolver Digital. This action-adventure game alternates between a 3D environment and another 2D environment, set in the pages of a children’s book. His bold artistic direction, mixed with the diversity of his game mechanics which seem to follow one another so coherently, has teased many players eagerly awaiting the final release date of this very promising title, coming to all media (including Switch) in 2023.

This new iteration of the Minecraft license, after the huge success of the original title and certain Minecraft Dungeons, consists this time of an action-strategy game, which will be released on all platforms including Switch. Announced at E3 2021, this new title father should please many fans of the famous franchise, whose famous cubic style doesn’t betray its charm. In case we don’t have a firm release date yet, we won’t have to wait too long before we get news about Minecraft Legends, slated for 2023 and which may appear in the next Nintendo Direct to provide news!

The oldest game on this list was originally announced in September 2015, when only the Wii U was available on the Nintendo home console side (the Switch was still called “NX” at the time). Even better, legendary producer Shigeru Miyamoto stated that development was almost complete. We literally had to wait 6 years to hear it again, during the last Nintendo Direct to date, acclaimed license creators stepped in to confirm its release on Switch in 2023. If we don’t already know the release window, it has a good chance of being confirmed early in the year, and this 4th iteration is one of Nintendo’s most anticipated exclusives of the year.

Well, we cheated a little for once. Announced at E3 2021 for an initial release in December of the same year, this remake of the first two Advance Wars was originally released in game boy advance has been postponed to April 8, 2022. Unfortunately, a month before its release, the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused it to be postponed indefinitely. Bad luck for this doomed series with news: the first episode, which appeared in the United States the day before the World Trade Center attacks, was never released in Japan. However this game is finished, we still hope to see Nintendo publish it quietly, via a “shadowdrop” type announcement (i.e. announcing its availability in dematerialized form after publication, without any tempt previously). Although not announced for 2023, it could happen at any time.

• Release date: unknown

There, we start to really cheat: officially, the title of the HoYoverse event was indeed announced on Switch, and this was even before the game’s first publication in September 2020. This version was later confirmed for 2022, but as you will understand, this promise did not materialize. One of the most cult titles of recent years seems to have been made for Nintendo’s long-awaited hybrid console… but we still don’t know if this version is still planned. We’re still hoping to finally see Genshin Impact come to Switch in 2023, hence its presence in this selection.

• Release date: unknown

What if we really cheated in the end? launched at E3 2017, the greatest Arlesian of the Switch lived on top of all its development restarted from scratch in early 2019, and Nintendo has never again officially communicated about the prematurely announced Metroid Prime 4. If we have absolutely no certainty about the possibility of the game’s release in 2023, but it is not impossible: the manufacturer tends to reveal, in its Nintendo Direct, most games are coming in 6 to 9 months. What if Metroid Prime 4 makes the big comeback it was expecting earlier in the year? Admit that this will definitely make it one of the most anticipated console titles for the coming year!

• Release date: unknown

And you, what are your biggest expectations for the Nintendo Switch for 2023? Let us know in the comments!

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