Switch 2 officially has 5 must-play new games releasing in August 2026

Published Jul 31, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT No Nintendo releases this month, but some massive remasters 5 most-anticipated new Switch 2 games to play in August Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment Sign in to your Polygon.com account Somebody finally persuaded Nintendo to take a summer vacation. After the company released two new games and two Switch 2 Editions in July, August is the rare month with no first-party releases for either the Switch or the Switch 2. It's a fairly quiet month all round in terms of brand-new releases, with the exception of one hotly anticipated indie Game of the Year contender. But that doesn't mean Switch 2 owners will be short of stuff to play — far from it. There's a glut of ports and remasters of genuinely massive games in August that includes some of the greatest games ever made, offering hundreds of hours of entertainment between them. 1 Big Walk Release date: Aug. 4 From House House, the studio that made Untitled Goose Game, comes this extremely charming-looking multiplayer exploration that some are calling (well, I'm calling) "elevated friendslop." Apparently, I'm wrong, though: Giovanni Colantonio (who has actually played it) reckons it's a totally new type of multiplayer game. It's a chill, co-op, puzzle-solving adventure shot through with irreverent slapstick and it looks great. 2 Lies of P: Complete Edition Release date: Aug. 5 Lies of P is one of the best-received Soulslikes not actually made by FromSoftware, and it makes its Nintendo debut this month on Switch 2 in a Complete Edition that includes 2025 expansion Overture. From Korean developer Neowiz, it improbably tells the story of Pinocchio with gothic drama and razor-sharp swordfighting combat. Release date: Aug. 11 Bethesda's epoch-making 2006 fantasy RPG — the game that paved the way for Skyrim — returned in an excellent remaster on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox in 2025. It makes its Switch 2 debut in August. The main storyline is about thwarting a cult that wants to open portals to a demon world, but as ever with The Elder Scrolls, the game is actually about its amazing side quests, and how much cheese you can collect. Release date: Aug. 27 This remaster collection is actually a pretty significant moment. For the past 18 years, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has never been reissued, and has only ever been available to play on PS3. That ends in August. The package also includes the PSP game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker; both games are also available to buy separately. Like all Hideo Kojima joints, they're bizarre, occasionally pompous or silly, and, in the end, undeniably brilliant. 5 Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Release date: Aug. 28 This is the big one. The 2022 open-world action-RPG by FromSoftware is the triumphant culmination of director Hidetaka Miyazaki's work through Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, and is regarded as a modern classic. It has taken a while to get this Switch 2 version running as it should but recent previews have been positive. This edition also includes the 2024 expansion Shadow of the Erdtree.