JuicyTalk
If you can believe it, rumors of another Nintendo Direct happening soon are flying. Now I know what you’re thinking: we’ve already had a February Nintendo Direct. It was a Partner Showcase on February 5 where Hollow Knight‘s Switch 2 version shadow-dropped and Oblivion Remastered was announced for the console, among other reveals.
But you wouldn’t expect rumor merchants to take a week off, would you? So please, join me as I throw out 10 predictions for a potential second February 2026 Nintendo Direct, some quite plausible and others, quite frankly, bordering on delusional.
The Legend Of Zelda Has A New Remake Revealed For Its 40th Anniversary
There has to be something in the oven for The Legend of Zelda‘s 40th anniversary. Right? The original Zelda first landed on the Famicom in Japan on February 21, 1986. That means its birthday this year is on a Saturday, an odd day for a Direct, but that hasn’t stopped Nintendo before (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Direct was on a Sunday last month; it’s not exactly gaming related, but still…).
I think it’s too early for the next mainline Zelda to be unveiled, and I’ve just about given up hope of The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess coming to the Switch 2, but I think another classic game is due for a remake. To me, the most likely candidate is a revamp of A Link to the Past. It’s foundational to the Zelda formula that would persist until Breath of the Wild tore it all down, and Grezzo is on a roll with 2D Zelda games, having remade Link’s Awakening and then co-developed Echoes of Wisdom.
Splatoon Raiders Gets A Second Trailer
I wouldn’t blame you for forgetting about Splatoon Raiders. Nintendo didn’t even give the game’s announcement its own trailer. It was lumped in with the Splatoon 3 Switch 2 update—and has disappeared from the spotlight ever since. The game is set to be a Switch 2 exclusive, so it could potentially help bolster what has so far been a lackluster line-up for the new console.
The first ever Splatoon spin-off, Raiders appears to be a single-player-only experience, featuring a new protagonist whose only defined characteristic is being a mechanic, who becomes stranded on an island chain after crash-landing there with idol pop trio Deep Cut (of Splatoon 3 fame). Splatoon Raiders is a third-person shooter, and seems to have some form of base-building, but that’s about all we know so far.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition Is Revealed
Xenoblade is perhaps the most notable first-party franchise to not yet have a Switch 2 Edition released nor announced. A new Xenoblade Chronicles project was leaked, however, by a voice actor. All the details point to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 being the most likely candidate for a glow-up, and that’s what fans have been expecting.
General sentiment says XBC2 is the most in need of a Switch 2 Edition, which usually means a resolution bump, higher frame rates, and some more involved gameplay touch-ups. XBC2 and its successor, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, were often hailed as veritable technical marvels showing what the original Switch was unexpectedly capable of, and a Switch 2 version could really let the second game shine.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance Gets A Switch 2 Upgrade & A KCD2 Port Is Announced
Look at that: two predictions in one. I’m really giving you some bang for your buck. The first Kingdom Come: Deliverance recently got a next-gen update (over five years into the console generation, but I digress), bringing 60fps to its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions. This is likely not possible for the Switch version, but with work being done on the 2018 title, it’s looking plausible that it will have a Switch 2 upgrade released relatively soon.
Its sequel, seven years in the making, is arguably a bigger get for the Switch 2, though, and I suspect a port is on the way. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was a 2025 Game of the Year contender and took huge strides in smoothing some of its predecessor’s rough edges. It sold five million copies in its first year, and would be a huge third-party addition to Nintendo’s latest hardware.
A New Pokémon Pokopia Trailer Drops Before Its Launch In March
Pokémon Pokopia is the big Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive for March. If there’s another Nintendo Direct in February 2026, another trailer for Pokopia is practically guaranteed. It would be a very easy way to get tons of eyes on the Ditto-centric cozy game, and considering Pokémon‘s high profile, it could potentially be a major attraction for prospective Switch 2 buyers.
That said, a major franchise event is coming up—Pokémon Day occurs every year on February 27, and it will be accompanied by a major edition of Pokémon Presents, the franchise’s own livestream series. Pokémon Pokopia is, again, a shoo-in for Pokémon Presents, so there is a chance Nintendo holds a new trailer for that instead.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Comes To Switch 2
Red Dead Redemption received a Switch 2 Edition late last year, so it feels like only a matter of time before its sequel (prequel, narratively speaking) comes to the platform. Red Dead Redemption 2 is still one of the best-looking games out there, but it did initially release on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, so in my completely unqualified technical opinion, it may be able to run quite well on Switch 2.
It’s hard to broadly call any game an absolute must-play—tastes differ so wildly—but RDR2 is perhaps as close as you can get. There’s a lot of ambling involved, and it’s generally a very slow-paced, long game, so it definitely doesn’t hit for everyone, but it’s such a finely crafted experience that everyone should at least give it a look. Switch owners haven’t even had a chance yet.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Has Its Release Date Announced
Fire Emblem has not been out of the limelight for very long; Engage came out in 2023, but we’re rapidly approaching the debut of the next mainline entry, Fortune’s Weave. It was announced during the September 2025 Nintendo Direct and given a release window of 2026. If it’s still set for this year, we’re likely getting close to more information being unveiled.
The first half of Nintendo’s 2026 slate is largely set, so it should be almost time for release dates in the latter half of the year to start cropping up. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave will be the storied tactical RPG series’ Switch 2 debut, and if Three Houses was any indication last gen, developer Intelligent Systems won’t disappoint.
The Duskbloods Gameplay Is Shown Off & Elden Ring Gets A Switch 2 Release Date
We’re closing in on a year since The Duskbloods was revealed at the big Switch 2 coming-out party last April, and it has yet to reappear. A FromSoftware Switch 2 exclusive was met with incredible excitement, which was quickly dashed for some when it was revealed to be a PvPvE game with extraction elements. We have yet to see any gameplay footage, though, and it’s about time we learn what The Duskbloods actually is.
And let’s not forget FromSoftware also promised Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, a Switch 2 port of the 2022 masterpiece. It was supposed to come out last year, but some truly horrendous first impressions of its performance caused the developer to delay its release to 2026. We’re still awaiting a release date for the Tarnished Edition—an unfortunately prophetic name, in hindsight—and if big strides have been made on the technical side, a Direct would be the place to show it off.
Metroid 6 Is Unveiled
Speaking of masterpieces, Metroid Prime 4 was not the one fans were hoping for (I still enjoyed it quite a lot). But the mainline Metroid series has arguably never been in a better place. 2021’s Metroid Dread is incredible, and while it would certainly benefit from a Switch 2 Edition, there is a lot of momentum to be captured by announcing Metroid 6.
Developer MercurySteam is fresh off of 2025’s Blades of Fire, a novel action-adventure title that did some clever things with its combat. The studio’s Metroid pedigree is undeniable, though, having developed the much-lauded Samus Returns, the 3DS remake of Metroid 2, and, of course, the critical darling Dread. Please don’t make me wait another 19 years.
A New 3D Mario Is Finally Announced
Ever since the initial Switch 2 Direct, every Nintendo broadcast has been accompanied by rumors that the next 3D Super Mario is going to be announced. We might as well keep our collective clown makeup on permanently at this point. But in all seriousness, it does have to happen eventually. All five 3D Mario titles (64, Sunshine, Galaxy, Galaxy 2, and Odyssey) have been delightful. They are major highlights of every console generation; Nintendo will not skip one.
There’s also the fact that Mario’s cultural cachet has never been more prominent, owing to the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its upcoming sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Releasing or even revealing a new 3D Super Mario game within a year of what is undoubtedly going to be a massively popular film would see Switch 2 demand skyrocket. If an announcement doesn’t come soon at the rumored February Nintendo Direct, then the most likely place is at Nintendo’s yearly summer showcase.
