It’s looking like a good year for Nintendo! While rumors of a new console launching this year continue to bubble onwards, all we know so far is that more Switch exclusive games will continue to release for the time being.
Even though 2024 is no doubt a quieter year for the console than 2023, there are still plenty of first-party titles on the horizon. Let’s take a look at all Nintendo Switch exclusives releasing in 2024!
Another Code: Recollection
Release Date: January 19, 2024
The first Switch exclusive of 2024 is Another Code: Recollection. This is a set of two remakes from the Another Code adventure game series. It collates revamped versions of the first two entries in the franchise, Another Code: Two Memories and Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories.
Most excitingly of all, this collection marks the first time that the latter game releases in North America. As such, this is a huge deal for fans of the series.
The first game originally released on Nintendo DS back in 2005. It’s a point-and-click adventure harnessing the dual screen format, as you use the touch-screen to solve puzzles while the main character, Ashley, investigates her missing father.
If you’ve never played Another Code before, this polished new collection is the ideal starting point. Boasting brand-new voice acting, visuals, and even more puzzles than in the original versions, this is the definitive way to experience both Another Code games.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Release Date: February 16, 2024
Just a few months after the staggering highs of Super Mario Bros. Wonder the plumber returns, albeit in a lesser role, in Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
This is a remake of the 2004 Game Boy Advance title. You play through side-scrolling platforming levels in Mario’s toy factory, which has been overrun by Donkey Kong.
It’s an incredibly faithful remake to boot, retaining the original game’s puzzle focus. In some levels you’ll need to find a hidden key before you can complete it. In others, doors will be locked until you collect a fixed number of items, or bypass environmental puzzles. It’s bound to be somewhat more challenging than Wonder, even if it doesn’t boast as varied a range of abilities.
Even more significantly, Mario vs. Donkey Kong could well be the final mainline Mario game to release on the Switch, outside of RPGs. If that’s the case, then the game will take on a legacy entirely separate from its source material: harkening back to the simplistic platforming mechanics but endearing charm that make the character so beloved.
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Release Date: March 22, 2024
The next Nintendo Switch exclusive releasing this year is, as it stands, the final brand-new first party game slated for the console. Even more significantly, it’s the first time the beloved Princess Peach has had her own game since Super Princess Peach in 2005.
We still don’t know loads about Princess Peach: Showtime! other than it being a side-scrolling platform where a plethora of new abilities formulate the gameplay loop. In the reveal trailer we saw Peach casting spells to banish bushes blocking her way, wielding a sword, and transforming into an old-timey detective.
If Super Mario Bros. Wonder gave Mario a whole new host of abilities, then Princess Peach: Showtime! looks set to do exactly the same thing. If you’ve been yearning for a new solo Peach game for the past two decades, it isn’t too long until your prayers will be answered!
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
Release Window: Summer 2024
Announced in the Nintendo Direct from September 2023, this full-fledged remake of the 3DS Luigi’s Mansion game is the first time we’ve seen Mario’s brother in a solo release since the third entry of the Mansion franchise back in 2019.
The teaser trailer shown was incredibly brief. That said, did show a much more polished graphical style that revamps the 3DS visuals for the Switch. The spooky atmosphere is still here, alongside Luigi’s reliable ghost-busting tool, the Poltergust.
If you first sampled the Luigi’s Mansion series with the third game, this is a great chance to head back in time to see how we got to this stage. Even better, it brings back the four-player co-op mode. You can put an end to these paranormal pests with friends!
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Release Window: 2024
The last officially confirmed Switch exclusive for 2024 is a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This is the second entry in the series of turn-based Paper Mario RPGs. That means a total of three games from that sub-franchise are now playable on Switch.
It’s one of the most coveted remakes ever from Nintendo. The original GameCube game is not only inaccessible on modern hardware, but hugely expensive to buy used. It’s hard to see how Nintendo can make the game look any more polished due to its timeless 2D visual design, but with new animations promised, we’re excited to see how it turns out.
Metroid Prime 4
Release Window: TBA
The last entry on our list is a bit of a speculative one, and a game that all Nintendo fans have hoped would release with the turn of each year. We first heard about Metroid Prime 4 way back in 2017 following the Switch’s launch, but it has been little more than an urban legend in the years since.
If 2024 is the final year of major support for the Switch, it would be fitting for Metroid Prime 4 to act as its last hurrah: the final tentpole exclusive before the successor console releases. There’s some precedent for it, too, with the Metroid Prime remaster landing in 2023 to widespread acclaim.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Metroid Prime 4 goes down the Breath of the Wild route, releasing on both the Switch and whichever console succeeds it. Either way, we hope 2024 is finally the year where this long-shelved game finally sees the light of day.
Those are all the Nintendo Switch exclusives confirmed (or rumored) to launch in 2024. If any upcoming Nintendo Direct presentations add even more titles to this list, we’re sure to be in for an incredible final year for the Switch!
