Back in August, we posed 64 gaming-related questions to Nintendo Life readers in our Switch 2 Summer Survey. Topics included gaming habits, thoughts on Switch 2 and its software lineup, how you buy games in 2026, and other questions covering how you get your daily dose of Nintendo goodness on this here website and beyond.

We did the same in 2024 to get a better idea of the state of all things Nintendo, but having now spent well over a year with Nintendo’s newest hardware, we wanted to get your thoughts on Switch 2 and your hopes for the future.

The survey is now closed, so as we move into autumn (or ‘fall’ as you call it across the pond, or ‘spring’ as you call it south of the equator), it’s time to crunch those numbers and dip into the results.

As a reminder, every question was anonymous and optional (so you could skip anything you didn’t want to answer), with the majority getting between 4,000 and 12,000 unique responses. A huge thank you to everyone who participated!

Let’s crack on, shall we?

You & Your Gaming Habits

Looking at your distribution across the globe, things remain pretty similar to last time, with around 21% of respondees in the UK, just over 45% in the US, and the remaining third residing in other corners of Planet Earth.

Nearly 39% have at least one child living under their roof. Just over 5% are Nintendo-only gamers, but 14% supplement their Switch with a gaming PC. As for other non-Nintendo platforms, PS5 and PS4 were the next most popular (13% and 11% respectively).

36% of respondees complete 1-5 games per year, with 31% managing 6-10, and just under 5% putting 31 or more games to bed every 365 days. Impressive work!

And on the subject of the dreaded gaming backlog, 40% have more than 30 games sitting unplayed, with just 4% of you living your Nintendo life with a clean slate and zero backlog.

You & Switch 2

Moving on to the latest Nintendo console, 91% of respondees have upgraded to Switch 2, with nearly 83% still having a Switch 1 in the house, too. Only 3% of Switch 2 owners never had an original Switch.

Mario Kart World is the most-played game for 17% of you, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza (16%) and Pokémon Pokopia (11%).

As for your favourite first-party-published Switch 2 exclusives, it’s those three games again, with Mario Kart and DK swapping places, followed by Splatoon Raiders in 4th. 7% of respondees said they haven’t played any of Nintendo’s Switch 2 exclusives whatsoever.

When it comes to favourite features on the console, 4K resolution (37%) and GameCube NSO access (20%) are most popular. GameChat is the least-used Switch 2-exclusive feature (55%), followed by Mouse Mode (19%). 47% said they had never used Mouse Mode at all – not once!

42% of respondees play mostly docked, with 28% preferring handheld, and 29% going 50/50. 37% of you manage between 6-10 hours of Switch 2 gaming per week, with 6% cramming in more than 25 hours every seven days.

28% of respondees play single-player games only, with 59% playing “mostly single-player”.

In the realm of extra storage, over a third don’t own a Micro SD Express Card of any size. 256GB is the most popular option (29%), followed by 512GB (20%) – just under 10% have opted for a pricey 1TB card.

Drilling down on the hardware itself, four out of five respondees describe Switch 2’s battery life as “good” or “average” (near-even split), and just under 2% have had to send the console to Nintendo for repair. Motion blur and loose Joy-Con were the biggest issues (just under 3% of respondees cited stick drift as a problem), and almost 87% have experienced no hardware issues so far.

The Switch 2 Pro Controller is your preferred input method (50%), with the standard Joy-Con 2 and the Switch 1 Pro Controller bringing up the rear (29% and 15% respectively).

And on the contentious topic of the eShop, 49% of respondees rate the browsing experience on Switch 2 as “good” (26% =”excellent”, 21% “adequate”).

As for your “worst purchase”, the $80 Mario Kart World — also the most-played game — topped the table, with Welcome Tour and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond close behind. Just 13% don’t subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online in any form, with 37% paying for the highest Expansion Pack. 69% of respondees “agree” or “strongly agree” that NSO represents good value.

Looking to the (then-)future, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (which launched on 17th September – good game!) was the most anticipated title at the time of the survey, with 2027’s Pokémon Winds & Waves and Xenoblade Genesis coming behind.

And when it comes to a hypothetical Switch 2 hardware revision, 29% would want better battery life while 24% would prefer an OLED screen.

You & Nintendo (Life)

Just as it was two years ago, the latest news, reviews, and previews — in that order — are the top three reasons you come to nintendolife.com, with our Features close behind. We didn’t put ‘dynamite taglines’ in the options, unfortunately, but who doesn’t love a pun?

Speaking of our reviews, 24% said that they “Often” influence buying decisions, with 49% opting for “Sometimes”. As with our previous survey, 8% of you are “Never” persuaded one way or the other by our takes, while 3% “always” wait for the NL verdict before splashing cash.

Our friends over at Digital Foundry top the rankings of other sites you frequent under the Hookshot-affiliated umbrella (although Steam Hype has joined the family since the survey went out – check them out if you’re one of those NLifers who’s also rocking a gaming PC or Steam Deck).

When it comes to Nintendo Life’s lovely YouTube channel, 30% of you are website-only, and 21% are video-only (well, except when you’ve kindly come to the site to fill out a survey). Of all our videos, it’s our review adaptations and gameplay footage that grab your attention most.

And heading down to the comments, 46% of you read and write (if only occasionally) comments. Conversely, 27% are read-only, and another 27% channel their finest Don Draper and don’t look at the comments at all.

You, Nintendo, & Buying Games

Moving back to Nintendo in general, here’s your all-time top 10 Nintendo series:

1. Zelda (40%)
2. Super Mario (13%)
3. Pokémon (10%)
4. Xenoblade Chronicles (7%)
5. Metroid (5%)
6. Fire Emblem (5%)
7. Mario Kart (4%)
8. Super Smash Bros. (3%)
9. Animal Crossing (2%)
10. Splatoon (2%)

Aww, no Pikmin love? (Actually, Olimar made it in at #11.) And of nearly 5,000 respondees, a total of 28 intelligent, good-looking connoisseurs of the medium chose Rhythm Heaven. *raises glass*

Kid Icarus won 30% of the vote for series you’d like to see return, followed by Wario Land (24%) and Wave Race (10%).

When it comes to buying Switch games, 52% of you purchase 1-5 full-price (as in not discounted) games every year, with 25% buying 6-10. 5% “always” buy games at launch, compared to 2% who “never” buy games Day One.

The primary factors for determining whether you buy physical versions of Switch games are having a hard copy that can’t be delisted and pricing, and 76% of respondees have pre-ordered Switch 2 games in the past.

And Finally…

And after all that big data, finally, the big question: When will the next 3D Mario platformer arrive?

63% believe that Mario will return in 2027, with 30% hedging their bets on 2028.

At the other end of the spectrum, 2% (well, 1.67% to be precise) proclaimed that any new 3D Mario is in another timeline and “Nintendo will never make another 3D Mario platformer.” Dead series, going nowhere. Shame.