As you’ll doubtless be aware if a friend or relative has suddenly become uncontactable over the last few days, the Switch 2 is out now. As is the case with any new console, that’s got us wondering what the roster of racing games is like.
Since it’s a handheld Nintendo product, don’t expect any serious sim racers for the time being. As before, the Switch 2 is a much more casual affair for pick-up-and-play fun and causing friend and family get-togethers to descend into shouting matches. Here are all the racers available for the platform at launch, plus a few that are on the way further down the line.
Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World screenshot
As is so often the case with a new Nintendo console, one of the big-hitter launch titles for the Switch 2 is a new entry in the Mario Kart franchise.
Mario Kart World delivers much of what we’ve come to know and love from the long-running kart racer series but with a couple of added features. There are new rail grinding and wall-riding mechanics, but more significantly, there’s an open-world free-roam map for the first time. Read more about it here.
Fast Fusion
Fast Fusion screenshot
The third entry in the Fast franchise of futuristic hovership racers in the image of the F-Zero and Wipeout series, Fast Fusion claims to be “the fastest racing game you may have ever experienced.”
That speed is enhanced by a touted 60fps framerate, and the game is also set to feature customisable vehicles with “antigravity hyper jump technology.” We don’t know what that is, but it sounds exciting.
F-Zero GX
F-Zero GX screenshot
If you prefer your hovership racer with a dash of early noughties nostalgia, though, one of the best entries in the F-Zero franchise has had a Switch 2 re-release – 2003’s F-Zero GX, originally released for the GameCube.
It’s part of the classic GameCube library included with the subscription-based Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Graphical enhancements are promised, and it’ll also feature four-player local and online multiplayer.
Ridge Racer
Riiiiiiiiiiidge Racer! Ahem, excuse us. Yep, the original entry in the drifty Ridge Racer franchise, launched as an arcade title in 1993 before getting a PlayStation port in 1994, has had a re-release on the Switch 2.
It comes courtesy of Hamster Corporation’s Arcade Archives 2 series of classic arcade game ports and will bring a couple of new features, including a rewind mechanic and the ability to have multiple saves. Oh, and in case you prefer your consoles bigger and less portable, Ridge Racer has also had a re-release for the PS5, where it even comes with wheel, clutch and H-pattern shifter support.
Kirby Air Riders (coming TBC 2025)
Mario isn’t the only beloved Nintendo character to have had their own power-up-fuelled casual racer. Bulbous pink inhalation enthusiast Kirby got in on the action with 2003’s Kirby Air Ride, which is getting an unexpected sequel for the Switch 2, confusingly titled Kirby Air Riders.
Like the original, it looks like it’s going to deliver a very Mario Kart-ish style of play, but with a slightly more outlandish selection of (mostly hovering) vehicles and a 2025-appropriate graphical makeover. It’ll launch at some point in 2025.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (coming 25 September)
Also muscling in on the friendship-ruining kart racing genre is Sega’s ultra-speedy gold ring junkie, Sonic the Hedgehog. CrossWorlds, the latest instalment in the Sonic Racing series, was first confirmed last year, but now has a release date – 25 September – and a confirmed Switch 2 release.
Its launch on the new Nintendo console joins confirmed releases on PC as well as current- and previous-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and impressively, cross-platform online play will be available across all of them. It’ll also feature characters from a diverse range of other franchises, including Yakuza and Minecraft, and mix things up with its mid-race world-switching mechanic.
Read the full article here