Nintendo as a publisher and platform has been rather quiet of late when it comes to new releases. Fans are enjoying the seasonal updates to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it’s unclear specifically what 2021 has in store for the beloved Japanese gaming powerhouse.
With some games having loose 2021 dates and others having no dates at all, it’s hard to pin down what’s happening in 2021. Here’s a list of 10 Nintendo game sequels coming out in 2021 ranging from dating games to those assumed to release sometime relatively soon.
10 Bravely Default 2
Japanese video games have a reputation for having some of the industry’s weirdest naming conventions and the Bravely series is no different. By the title, someone might assume that Bravely Default 2 would be the second game in the franchise. However, it happens to be the third.
The game is currently dated for a February 26th, 2021 release, and will follow in the footsteps of Bravely Default and Bravely Second. The former received a Metacritic score of 85 and the latter obtained a score of 81. With a new developer in charge, it’s unclear where the third entry will land with critics.
9 Windjammers 2
Very rarely does the gaming world see a direct sequel to a game come out 26 years after the original. But Windjammers 2 is simply a special case as the original Windjammers was released in 1994 in arcades. A modern port was most recently released in 2017 and 2018 on the PS4, PS Vita, and Nintendo Switch.
This Frisbee throwing arcade sports title sequel is set to release in 2021 with Dotemu both developing and publishing the game for PC, Google Stadia, and the Nintendo Switch. It was originally slated for a 2020 release but slipped to 2021.
8 Pikmin 4
Imagine hearing that a game was in development and very close to completion in 2015, only for it to be 2021 and there’s no sign of the game coming out. That’s the legacy Pikmin 4 currently has and fans are wondering what happened in the months and years that followed Shigeru Miyamoto’s now-infamous comments on the project all those years ago.
Pikmin 4 releasing in 2021 could easily be a long-shot to come out, but with Nintendo’s release slate looking empty, there’s room to speculate on the unknown.
7 Axiom Verge 2
Axiom Verge is a game that was developed by a single developer named Thomas Happ. When the Metroidvania title was released in 2015, it was met with solid critical praise. In the years since, it has been ported to a variety of platforms with its Nintendo Switch port scoring an 87 on Metacritic.
The sequel, Axiom Verge 2, was slated to release on the Nintendo Switch in late 2020, but Happ announced in October of 2020 that the game was now on track to release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2021.
6 Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Rise may not sound like a sequel, but it’s the 6th mainline entry in the Monster Hunter series. It’s following in the footsteps of the success of Monster Hunter World, but, unlike the 2018 title, Monster Hunter Rise will only be releasing on the Nintendo Switch.
It’s set to release on March 26th, 2021, and demo impressions from critics are quite glowing on the title. The RE Engine made famous by the recent Resident Evil remakes was what the game was built and developed in, making it even more promising. The game is also more akin to a monster taming game than the sweeping battles of MHW.
5 No More Heroes III
Grasshopper Manufacture is a game developer that may not be a household name in the West, but people who know about their games often love them. The third entry in the action-adventure hack and slash franchise is slated to release in 2021.
The game will serve as both a sequel to No More Heroes II and a prequel to No More Heroes, as it will have narrative beats involving both periods. It was developed on Unreal Engine 4 and will be coming at launch exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.
4 Bayonetta 3
Some people may not remember this, but Bayonetta 3 was revealed in 2017 at The Game Awards. The third entry in the beloved hack and slash franchise from PlatinumGames is being published by Nintendo and is meant to be a premier title on the Nintendo Switch.
With it being 3 years since the title’s reveal and PlatinumGames’ last new game release coming in 2019, it seems like 2021 is a good call. Bayonetta’s lead designer, Hideki Kamiya, recently stated he hopes they can show more of the third entry in the series in 2021.
3 New Pokemon Snap
A sequel 21 years in the making, New Pokemon Snap is a game Pokemon fans have yearned over for more than two decades at this point. The brand new photographic adventure is set to release on April 30th, 2021 and that date can’t come soon enough for the Pokemon fandom.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the franchise, so it’s no surprise that this game is finally coming out. It’s unclear what the game’s price and length will be, but there’s no denying the amount of happiness it will bring to millions of people across the globe.
2 Hollow Knight: Silksong
Silksong was originally meant to be a content-rich expansion to the original Hollow Knight game. But Team Cherry got carried away and it became a sequel in and of itself. Hollow Knight is, of course, the critically acclaimed 2D platformer with Metroidvania elements built with a stellar art style and direction.
The game did a great job at world-building and introducing lore and, as a result, a side character was bestowed with their own game. Indie games are volatile in terms of delays and release dates, but 2021 seems like the year gamers finally get this sequel.
1 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
Most industry insiders believe that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is almost certainly coming out in 2021 for several reasons. Those who believe that the Nintendo Switch Pro is a real thing think that this sequel title will be the launch game that pushes units.
Others think that Nintendo is lacking a major title to compete currently with the release of Xbox and PlayStation’s next-generation consoles. With no date attached, it’s still an outside chance that gamers see the follow up to the 2017 critical darling.
NEXT: 10 Iconic Nintendo Franchises (Still) MIA On Switch
