Nintendo rarely disappoints with its Directs, especially the summer ones. So, to the surprise of absolutely no one, we got a ton of major announcements during the June 2026 Nintendo Direct, hot off the heels of the Summer Game Fest presentation and the Xbox Games Showcase. Let’s get into the major announcements of the show.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword (Sept. 25)
Capcom has been on a roll for the past few years, and they’re showing no signs of stopping. We already got Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata this year, and Capcom will be dropping Onimusha: Way of the Sword later this year too.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen (Oct. 9)
Dragon’s Dogma 2 was one of my GOTY contenders a couple years back, when I was still with The Escapist. This expansion looks rad as hell, taking players to a new expansion while also introducing two new Vocations to play around with. Yeah, I’m gonna lose a ton of hours to this game again, huh?
Orbitals (Sept. 3)
Orbitals has been shown off pretty extensively in the last couple Nintendo Directs, and we finally have a release date. This adorable, 90s anime aesthetic co-op game is due out Sept. 3, 2026.
Pokopia Expansion
Pokemon Pokopia was a massive hit when it launched for the Switch 2 earlier this year. Of course Nintendo would have a ton of content planned for it. First, a free update allows you to explore underwater and even expand your towns there. The free update is due Aug. 2026, and there’s also paid DLC available today, introducing a new region.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (Sept. 17)
GTA VI who? Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is the game I want to spend my entire life on this year. We got a more extensive look at the world and characters in the Nintendo Direct, and more importantly, a release date.
Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton (2026)
Poncle is making a Jujutsu Kaisen Survivors-like game. This was definitely not on my bingo list, but look, this is almost certainly going to be the best Jujutsu Kaisen video game ever. It features mechanics from Vampire Survivors, while also introducing battle royale elements with other players.
Final Fantasy Resonance (Oct. 22)
I don’t know why I didn’t think Square Enix would ever make a Final Fantasy game in the HD-2D style. It just makes too much sense! Anyway, this is Final Fantasy Resonance, which seems to take some of its cues from the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, featuring the return of characters like Rain and Laswell. In all honesty, the sprite work looks good, but there’s something about the fonts that really bugs me. It’s not quite as classic fantasy as something like Octopath Traveler and I really hope that gets addressed.
The Duskbloods
It still blows my mind that The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive. I also still have no idea what this game is about, aside from the fact that it’ll have PvPvE elements. I’m not so psyched about this after falling off Nightreign, but I’ll be keeping an eye on it.
Splatoon Raiders
Splatoon is making a return, though not quite in the way you were probably expecting. Splatoon Raiders is an exploration game where you get to check out a bunch of abandoned islands, fight all sorts of cool enemies, and take the loot back to your base. There are plenty of gadgets and robots to play around with too, and I’m excited to see this more PvE-centric take on Splatoon.
Deltarune (June 24)
Deltarune has been a long time in the making, and we finally got an update on the next chapter. Chapter 5 will be due out on June 24 as a free update.
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Nov. 12)
I’m surprised this took so long, but hey, better late than never. Metaphor: ReFantazio will come to the Switch 2 at the end of this year, and it’s one I’m very excited to jump back into again. I reviewed it for The Escapist back when it first released, but I’d love to revisit it on a handheld device, and without having to crunch for a deadline.
Kingdom Hearts IV
Oh, Square Enix showed off a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV at the Nintendo Direct. I feel absolutely nothing for this series at this point, which is a bit sad considering that the first game was such a formative part of my childhood. Maybe I’ve outgrown it, but given the fact that this still doesn’t have a release window of any sort, Kingdom Hearts IV does not exist to me. Looks cool, though?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time is one of my major video game blind spots and I am eager to fix that post-haste. Nintendo unveiled the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is due out later this year.
There’s a bunch of other things I neglected to mention, such as a new Xenoblade game, Runescape, Pikuniku, Muramasa Revenant Blades, Switch Sports Resort, and more. Talk about stacked. Damn.
