Nintendo fans who spent countless hours in front of their consoles last year finally have the chance to see their efforts tallied, celebrated, and maybe even scrutinized. On January 13, 2026, Nintendo officially released its long-awaited 2025 Year in Review, a personalized digital scrapbook that captures every gaming milestone from both the original Nintendo Switch and the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2. The annual tradition, usually unveiled in December, arrived a month late this time—but with a silver lining: for the first time, it includes December’s play hours, making the recap more comprehensive than ever before.
According to MeriStation USA, accessing the Nintendo Year in Review is as simple as visiting the official website and logging in with your Nintendo Account. Within seconds, users are greeted with a breakdown of their 2025 gaming activity, beginning with the very first title played on either the Switch or Switch 2. The recap doesn’t stop there—it tallies the total number of games played, the total hours sunk into both consoles, and highlights the titles that dominated your playtime. For those who like to compare and compete, the review even provides a month-by-month breakdown, showing which month saw the most action and offering detailed statistics for each game and every month throughout the year.
But Nintendo’s Year in Review isn’t just about numbers. It also offers a peek into your "gaming style," categorizing the genres you gravitated toward in 2025. Whether you’re a platformer fanatic, a puzzle master, or a role-playing devotee, the recap paints a vivid picture of your gaming preferences. And for the social butterflies, there’s an option to download a shareable summary—perfect for posting on social media or sending to friends and family. As The Outerhaven notes, users who acquired a Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025 are greeted with a congratulatory message, adding a personal touch to the experience.
One of the standout features this year is the ability to select your favorite game of 2025. As Nintendo Life and Siliconera both report, after reviewing your stats, you can pick the title that defined your year and share your gaming story with the world via the #NintendoSwitch2025 hashtag. This encourages a sense of community, as players compare their most-played games, top genres, and even quirky gaming habits. Some users, as Siliconera points out, have noticed nuances in how hours are counted between Switch and Switch 2 versions of the same game, but the overall experience remains a fun trip down memory lane.
The 2025 Year in Review comes at a pivotal time for Nintendo. As GameSpot highlights, 2025 was the year the Nintendo Switch 2 made its grand debut, launching in June to massive sales success. The new console quickly became a centerpiece in many households, despite its relatively limited game library at launch. Early highlights included Nintendo-published titles like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Indie darlings such as Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2 also joined the roster, as did major third-party releases like Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws. According to MeriStation USA, these monthly releases, starting in April, showcased the possibilities of the Switch 2—even if the full potential of the console is still on the horizon.
The Year in Review doesn’t just focus on the present. As Nintendo itself explains, users can dive deep into their entire Nintendo Switch history, stretching all the way back to the console’s original launch in 2017. For the data-obsessed, this means not only reviewing 2025’s stats but also reliving memories from past years. If you’re patient enough to scroll through the years, Nintendo’s website even allows you to download a video that visually displays your gaming journey—a feature sure to delight longtime fans.
What about those who want to see what’s next? The Year in Review ends with a teaser for the future, offering a free 2026 calendar for users to download and print. And Nintendo isn’t slowing down. As GameSpot reports, upcoming titles for the Switch 2 include Mario Tennis Fever, The Duskbloods, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, and third-party offerings like Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light. There’s even mention of a potential return to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with a new, affordable upgrade—tempting news for anyone who spent hundreds of hours on their virtual island during the pandemic years.
For users in Europe and North America, the 2025 Year in Review is available now, though some have experienced slow loading times due to high demand. As Nintendo Life notes, logging in is straightforward, but patience may be required during peak hours. Once inside, the recap greets users with a colorful interface and a wealth of information, making it easy to see not only how much time was spent gaming but also which moments mattered most.
What’s the appeal of these year-end recaps? Part nostalgia, part bragging rights, and part genuine curiosity. As MeriStation USA muses, year-in-review features often arrive before the year is truly done, missing out on December’s activity. This year’s delayed release, however, means every hour—right up to New Year’s Eve—counts. For those who squeezed in marathon sessions of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond or finally finished that epic indie adventure, it’s a welcome change.
And Nintendo isn’t just looking backward. The company’s messaging is clear: celebrate your gaming journey, then get ready for what comes next. As the Year in Review puts it, "We hope you enjoy the lookback as you look forward to even more fun in the future! Thanks for playing!"
So, whether you’re surprised by your stats, eager to see what others have been playing, or simply want to relive the highlights of a game-packed year, Nintendo’s 2025 Year in Review offers a snapshot of how games connect us, entertain us, and—sometimes—take up just a little more of our time than we’d like to admit. With the Switch 2’s strong start and an enticing slate of games on the horizon, 2026 could be an even bigger year for Nintendo fans everywhere.
