Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Review: A Worthy Wii Sports Successor

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Is The Best The Series Has Been Since Wii Sports Published Oct 20, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT Josh Coulson is an editor at TheGamer covering breaking news on everything from colorful platformers to the latest Lego sets. Primarily a news writer since 2018, Josh has covered just about every major game from the past decade. Now an editor, their focus has shifted to being the leading affiliate expert at the site, building relationships between TheGamer and global brands including Mattel, Funko, and The Pokemon Company. Wii Sports might be the greatest idea Nintendo has ever had, which is saying something for the studio that created Mario and Zelda. The pack-in title was so impactful that it sparked a whole new series, the latest installment being Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on Switch 2. It doesn’t recapture the magic of Wii Sports, because that’s impossible, but it borrows from it while adding its own spin in ways that might make this the best the series has been since that first entry. There are 12 sports in Switch Sports Resort, a 50% jump from the eight available in Nintendo Switch Sports, so there’s a lot more on offer in its Switch 2 successor. That roster has been reshuffled, ensuring that stalwarts like bowling and tennis remain, while additions like thumb wrestling and skateboarding make sure the new entry feels fresh. Which Switch Sports Hit, And Which Ones Don’t Those old favorites remain highlights, even though we’ve been playing them on Nintendo consoles for years. Bowling is back and better than ever thanks to the return of its 100-pin mode, and Nintendo tennis is as good as it’s always been. I was worried that Table Tennis, a new addition, might feel a little like including the same sport twice - that was the case for badminton in the last game. Not only am I pleased to report that’s not the case at all, but table tennis might be my favorite of the 12 sports available. Hold that thought - second favorite. Archery is back for the first time since 2009’s Wii Sports Resort, and it is vastly improved. The controls feel fantastic, and while it’s easy to pick up and play - key for every sport across this almost-20-year-old series - it’s one that takes practice to really master. Especially when you increase the difficulty by heading to different parts of the island where targets are farther away, and conditions are increasingly treacherous. You get to fire arrows inside a volcano in this one. It’s as awesome as it sounds. With that many sports, there are bound to be some misses. Basketball is one of them. Switch Sports Resort’s take on it is somehow both too simple and too complex. It’s the game's longest tutorial and the only one where I felt like there was too much information to retain as it progressed, but when putting what I learned into practice, it just didn’t feel like there was much to it. The matches feel a little repetitive and formulaic, although that feeling does dissipate when all four players are being controlled by humans. Thumb wrestling was the other sport of the 12 on offer that didn’t leave me wanting more. As was evident from its infamous reveal during a Nintendo Direct, the premise is an amusing one. However, beyond laughing at it the first time I played it, there wasn’t much appeal. Much like the inclusion of chambara in Switch Sports, putting thumb wrestling on this roster feels like Nintendo thinking a little too hard about which sports it should include to help make each new installment feel like a worthwhile investment. Leisure Sports Are What Sets This New Entry Apart Whichever side of the bracket the sports mentioned above fall on, they will ultimately only keep you coming back when you have friends and family over to play them with. It’s the additions of skateboarding, jet skiing, and flying that show Nintendo has really tried to figure out how to keep people playing these games long term, and I think it might have finally cracked that code. All three of the new sports are open-world and let you explore the entire island. Not just to see the sights, but to find collectibles and complete missions. There’s a lot to do in each too. The Prop Plane mode alone has 105 collectibles to find and 58 missions to complete, and where you need to go and what you need to do to complete certain tasks on your checklist isn’t immediately obvious. There’s a volcano in the center of the island, for example, and you have to very carefully fly down into it to complete a mission and secure one of the 105 photos. Between this and Mario Kart World, Nintendo appears to be a little more willing to put achievements in its games on Switch 2. The other big new addition that will keep people coming back is the customization options. More than ever before, and tons to unlock that are bought using currency that you earn for simply playing the game. There are also outfits locked behind completing achievements, and items in the store are changed every week. The themes aren’t fixed either. One week you might have wedding-themed items in your store, while another player has beachwear to unlock. The customization is so extensive that it’s the first time I’ve not missed the original Miis. They are back in this game, though, as I discovered when the Mii I made in the last game jumpscared me from the stands, watching me play volleyball. Exactly how deep those items and the achievements will run isn’t clear. I’ve seen a few storefronts, and I hope that Nintendo continues to add more if it really wants people to play Switch Sports Resort for months rather than weeks. The same goes for the achievements. They’re cool to see, and some of them are pretty difficult to unlock, but there are only a handful attached to each sport. Regardless of whether there are plans to keep adding to Switch Sports Resort post-launch, despite some of its misgivings, it’s already a significant step up from the last entry in the series. Not just because there are more sports, but because some of those additions, along with the store, achievements, and unlockables, are real efforts at making this series more than just a game you dust off when you have family over for the holidays It’s No Wii Sports, But It’s Unfair To Expect It Would Be It’s inevitable that Switch Sports Resort will be compared to Wii Sports - it’s the first thing I did when I started playing, not to mention how I kicked off this review. Nothing that comes after can ever live up to the legacy of that first entry, though. Especially when that first entry was not only revolutionary, but given away for free with one of the most successful consoles of all time. No, Switch Sports Resort isn’t going to successfully recreate that unique feeling Wii Sports gave you. It is a fantastic game, though, and everything that a Wii Sports successor on the Switch 2 needs to be. The selection of sports is wide and varied, and most of them feel fantastic to play, including the likes of bowling and boxing that have been around since the series' inception, yet still feel great to play. It also does a better job of building on that Wii Sports foundation than any other entry in the series to have come since that will hopefully keep players coming back for more, especially if Nintendo has post-launch support planned. Systems Released October 22, 2026 Developer(s) Nintendo Publisher(s) Nintendo Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer Prequel(s) Wii Sports Resort Genre(s) Sports, Party Game Pros & Cons Most of the sports feel great to play, particularly archery and table tennis. New sports? achievements and missions are smart additions to the formula. Surprisingly deep customization options. The sports that don?t hit won?t keep you engaged for long. Achievements are great, but there aren?t many of them.