We’re almost halfway through the year, and it feels like Switch 2 shifted up a gear in the games department.

While Nintendo has been cranking out its first-party offerings at the regular monthly cadence, third parties have been putting out brilliant games, too, including impressive ports and day-and-date cross-platform releases. Capcom, in particular, has had a hell of a 2026, and we’re only six months in.

Now that the year’s loading bar is (almost) at 50%, let’s round up Team NL and find out their standout games so far – and the games they’ve got lined up in their respective catch-up queues in the coming months…

Best Games of 2026 So Far – Nintendo Life

Oh, Jimmy… (Alana Hagues, deputy editor)

By the time you’re reading this, my daughter will be here, (hopefully) fast asleep and dreaming of all things lovely. So when I think about 2026 so far, I think about her, and I think about Pokopia. Everyone loves Pokopia. I’ve kept coming back to it in the months since I reviewed it and I love it a little bit more every time, despite my gripes with the controls and the grind at the end. This will be the game at the top of my playtime this year, I think.

But, in reality, the best game I played in 2026 actually came out in 2018 elsewhere: Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass. A hard recommendation, but one of the most poignant RPGs I’ve ever played, where everything has a purpose. I’ve cried a lot this year, but nothing has made me blub quite like Jimmy’s adventures in his dream world.

Catch-up queue: Psst, ask me about The Adventures of Elliot and Mina the Hollower when I’m less sleep-deprived.