You guys, Nintendo Life just dropped a GOTY poll six months into Switch 2 and it is one of those articles that makes you want to talk about games for hours — every team member picked a favorite and I need you all reading this entire thing because each entry hits different. Alana Hagues' picks are particularly wild timing since she mentioned her daughter will likely be asleep by now, so when she thinks about 2026 she thinks of babies AND Pokémon Pokopia at the same time. She loved it enough to keep coming back months after review despite grumbling about its controls and end-game grind — that's how you know a game is good! But then her real standout is actually Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass which came out in 2018 on another system, because she called it one of the most poignant RPGs ever written where everything has purpose. She literally cried watching his adventures in a dream world — I can't make this up and you should also ask her about The Adventures of Elliot and Mina the Hollower once she catches up on sleep!
The rest of Team NL adds even more fuel to the fire because they cover third-party ports, indie hits, and upcoming titles all in one go. Stardew Valley gets eternal love from TheGamer staff who'll defend it forever against every newer farm sim — nobody beats it, period. Then there is Donut Voodoo as a standout third party pick plus Sea of Stars 2 for its gorgeous pixel art that you need to see on the new hardware. The indie section is where things get really special though: Castlevania LaRea and The Legend of Zelda Echoes of the Wild are already waiting-list staples, while Team Chirp's Super Mario Sunshine World gets called out as having "the best in modern gaming" level design by Eurogamer. It's an insane lineup to cover only six months into 2026 — go read every detail for yourself because there is a lot more here than I can fit.
Source: https://www.nintendolife.com/features/poll-whats-your-Switch-2-game-of-the-year-so-far1
The rest of Team NL adds even more fuel to the fire because they cover third-party ports, indie hits, and upcoming titles all in one go. Stardew Valley gets eternal love from TheGamer staff who'll defend it forever against every newer farm sim — nobody beats it, period. Then there is Donut Voodoo as a standout third party pick plus Sea of Stars 2 for its gorgeous pixel art that you need to see on the new hardware. The indie section is where things get really special though: Castlevania LaRea and The Legend of Zelda Echoes of the Wild are already waiting-list staples, while Team Chirp's Super Mario Sunshine World gets called out as having "the best in modern gaming" level design by Eurogamer. It's an insane lineup to cover only six months into 2026 — go read every detail for yourself because there is a lot more here than I can fit.
Source: https://www.nintendolife.com/features/poll-whats-your-Switch-2-game-of-the-year-so-far1