My wish list of every Nintendo Switch game I want to see release during holiday 2020

Nintendo Switch And Ornaments
Nintendo Switch And Ornaments (Image credit: Rebecca Spear / iMore)

This has definitely been a strange year for all of us. Who could have foreseen that so many people would be stuck inside their homes and would be spending more time playing video games? Nintendo specifically has done well for itself selling over 22.40 million copies of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the game's first four months after its release and selling over 8.81 million Nintendo Switch consoles so far in 2020. With such a lucrative year more than halfway through, we would have expected Nintendo to announce at least one massive game for holiday 2020. However, so far, the Japanese gaming company has kept mum on the subject.

As we've seen, many tech companies have been affected by the pandemic. Games have been delayed and console supply has run low during various points in 2020. Nintendo has barely been able to squeeze out a few random mini Directs without much warning instead of giving us our huge E3 style announcements. It's possible that Nintendo has been so negatively impacted by these events that we won't be seeing any major releases at the end of the year, aside from the Pikmin 3 port. Or maybe, Nintendo is just biding its time before making some big reveal.

This, of course, has lead to wild speculation about any games that might get released at the end of the year. I don't claim to have any knowledge of possible fall or winter releases. However, there are several Nintendo Switch games that I'd love to get my hands on. Here's my wish list of every Nintendo Switch game I'd want to see with a holiday 2020 release date.

7. Classic Mario games

Classic Mario

Classic Mario (Image credit: Nintendo)

There's been a lot of rumors going around that classic Mario games like Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and others will be getting a Switch port, or maybe even a remaster. Typically, I try not to get my hopes up after hearing rumors, but it's hard when I get excited. I absolutely love these older games and spent many hours of my youth playing them. Many people believe that Nintendo's recent posts on Twitter are teasers backing up the existance of these classic ports. So, who knows? I'd definitely love to see them come to the Nintendo Switch by the end of the year.

6. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Of all the games on our list, this one is the most likely to actually get a holiday 2020 release date. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga already has a pre-order page on Amazon and has already been expected with a 2020 launch. Unless the game gets delayed like so many others this year, we'll likely get this hilarious brick rendition of our favorite Jedi and Sith stories by the end of the year.

5. DOOM Eternal

This summer, Doom Eternal released on PS4 and Xbox One. In an interview with id Software's Marty Stratton, it was revealed that the Switch port wasn't ready yet, because Panic Button was putting "refinements into the Switch version." However, he also said that "it's not going to be a huge delay." It's been about four months since the game released on other platforms, but we still haven't seen any indication that it will be coming to Nintendo Switch any time soon. Maybe if we're lucky, the game will be ready to go come this December. I know I'm definitely ready to kick some alien butt with Doomguy's brawny help.

4. Bayonetta 3

During the 2017 Game Awards, we got a glimpse of Bayonetta 3's crazy teaser trailer. It's definitely been long enough for a large game like Bayonetta to be near ready for release, but as we mentioned before, 2020's events have lead to lots of delays. But who knows? Maybe Platinum Games is just waiting for the right moment to reveal that the third title in the Bayonetta series is finally coming to Nintendo Switch this year. We'll just have to wait and see.

3. Metroid Prime Trilogy

Metroid: Samus Returns

Metroid: Samus Returns (Image credit: Nintendo)

It's impossible to think that Metroid Prime 4 will be ready for release any time soon given that Nintendo announced that Retro Studios would be "restarting development from the beginning" in early 2019. However, it could be possible for us to get a port of Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3 on the hybrid gaming console. I'd totally be down for exploring space and fighting Dark Samus on my Switch.

2. New Pokémon Snap

This summer, we learned that a sequel to the popular N64 game is finally getting made for Nintendo Switch. The Pokémon Company hasn't yet revealed the release date for New Pokémon Snap, but it is possible it might come out as early as late 2020. I'd love to spend Christmas morning sitting in my PJs, sipping hot cocoa, and snapping pictures of various Pokémon.

Of course, there's no guarantee this is the case, since we have no idea how long this title has been in development. We'll just have to hope and see what happens.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel

It's been over a year since we got our first taste of the Breath of the Wild sequel during the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct. The swirling green mist, Zelda's haircut, and the undead villain shown in the video have lead to some wild speculation. It's safe to say that this game won't be ready for another year or two, given that it usually takes between three and five years for a large scale game to be created. Not enough time has passed for this to be the case, even if Nintendo is using the same models and engine as Breath of the Wild. But we can still dream. This game would definitely be at the top of my holiday wish list if it were to release in 2020.

We can dream

At the moment, it doesn't seem likely that Nintendo will have much going on during the holiday season. However, there's still time for the Japanese gaming company to surprise us with some huge reveal. Maybe we'll get lucky, and one or more of the games on my wish list will receive a holiday 2020 release. Admittedly, it's not likely, but I can dream.

Rebecca Spear
Gaming Editor

Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend.