On October 2, 2025, the gaming world was abuzz with a wave of announcements and releases that underscored the enduring appeal and innovation of the Nintendo Switch platform. From the anticipated arrival of indie gems to the triumphant return of retro classics and the continued momentum of the newly launched Switch 2, Nintendo’s hybrid consoles are once again at the heart of the gaming conversation.
Abbey Games and Firesquid Games set the tone for the day by revealing that their acclaimed god game, Reus 2, will land on Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch on October 23, 2025. Priced at $24.49, the game will be available at a 20% discount during its first week, making it an enticing proposition for both newcomers and returning fans. Simultaneously, the much-anticipated Ice Age DLC will debut, priced at $7.99 on Xbox and $7.79 on the Nintendo eShop, expanding the game’s universe with a frosty new biome and fresh gameplay twists.
According to Abbey Games, Reus 2 invites players to step into the colossal shoes of mighty giants, wielding the power to sculpt planets and influence the fate of humanity. The game’s core loop centers on experimenting with combinations of flora, fauna, and minerals, all of which shape the evolution of human societies. As players progress, they unlock new skills for their giants, opening up diverse strategies and outcomes. The game’s text is available in nine languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Simplified Chinese, and Russian, ensuring accessibility for a global audience.
The Ice Age DLC, launching in tandem with the console release, introduces a harsh but rewarding new environment. Created by an alternate Frost Giant, the Ice Age biome is teeming with mammoths, sabertooth tigers, permafrost, and geysers. This frozen landscape challenges players to manage resources in creative ways while guiding resilient human civilizations to flourish against the odds. The DLC also brings four new leaders—The General, The Poet, The Villain, and The Painter—each offering unique gameplay styles. Whether you prefer to expand through military might, inspire through art, thrive on chaos, or cultivate creativity, the new leaders add layers of replayability and strategy.
Players can also guide humanity through new historical milestone eras, including the Nuclear Age, Hunter Age, Age of Discovery, and Enlightenment Age. Each era presents distinct challenges and opportunities, inviting players to ponder, "Will humanity master the atom, or destroy itself? Will knowledge shape the future?" The evolution and extinction mechanic, especially in the Ice Age biome, ensures that adversity can lead to unexpected growth, with life evolving into new biotica forms that unlock strategic options. Every playthrough generates a new planet, leaving a legacy in the stars and encouraging players to try new paths and combinations.
But the Switch’s celebration of gaming history didn’t stop there. On the same day, D4 Enterprise released an EGG Console port of the 1986 MSX action RPG Aramo on Nintendo Switch worldwide, including the US, where it retails for $6.49. Originally crafted by Sein Soft for the Japanese MSX computer, Aramo is presented in its original form, with much of the game accessible in English—a boon for international fans. The game is also available on modern Windows PCs via Project EGG in Japan.
Aramo places players in the role of a lone drifter who crash-lands on a planet once home to an ultra-advanced civilization annihilated by nuclear war. The setting is a haunting reminder of technological hubris, with the remnants of a civilization far more advanced than the year 2000 scattered across block-built terrain, labyrinthine dungeons, and towering ruins. The gameplay alternates between a quarter-view perspective for exploration and a top-down view for dungeon crawling, offering a blend of nostalgia and challenge. Combat is handled through a body-check mechanic familiar to action RPG veterans, and players gain experience by defeating enemies, leveling up as their gauge fills. Resting restores health, and careful mapping is recommended to avoid getting lost in the game’s vast, maze-like world.
While indie and retro titles continue to find new audiences on Switch, the spotlight in 2025 shines brightest on the Nintendo Switch 2. Released in June, the console has already surpassed 25 million units sold—a testament to Nintendo’s knack for blending innovation with mass-market appeal. According to Bloomberg, launch-day scenes featured queues snaking through city streets from Tokyo to New York, with eager gamers and even Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser joining the festivities.
No console is complete without a strong library, and Switch 2 has wasted no time in building an impressive roster. As highlighted in a roundup of the system’s most significant releases, players are spoiled for choice. The remastered The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom headline the lineup, each earning a Metacritic score of 95 and drawing praise for their enhanced visuals and seamless performance. Shacknews lauded the remasters, stating, “Lives up to the high expectations created by the success of Breath of the Wild.”
Other standouts include Hollow Knight: Silksong (Metacritic 91), celebrated by VGC as “a staggering achievement in world-building and narrative depth”; Donkey Kong Bananza (91), hailed by Polygon as “a thrilling revival of a Nintendo icon”; and Split Fiction (91), a co-op adventure from Hazelight that PSX Extreme simply called “a perfect game.” Fighting fans can dive into Street Fighter 6 (86), with Eurogamer noting it as “the series’ most cinematic entry yet,” while party enthusiasts can enjoy Super Mario Party Jamboree (76), featuring over 200 mini-games and a 100-player online tournament mode.
Nostalgia also gets its due, with GameCube classics like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (96), Soulcalibur II (93), and F-Zero GX (89) making their way to Switch 2. These re-releases offer newcomers a taste of what made these games cult favorites and give longtime fans a chance to revisit beloved adventures with modern enhancements.
All told, October 2025 marks a high point for Nintendo and its fans. Whether you’re shaping civilizations as a god, surviving the ruins of a lost world, or racing through open-world tracks with Mario and friends, the Switch family continues to deliver variety, innovation, and pure fun. With new releases and classic revivals, there’s never been a better time to pick up a controller—or, perhaps, to dust off an old favorite and see what’s new.
