The Switch 2 just shadow-dropped two of the best indie games of recent years

Today’s Nintendo indie showcase featured several new announcements, with some games already available on Switch 2, though there was one unfortunate omission.

It’s still shocking that we’re three months into 2026 and Nintendo has yet to air a traditional Nintendo Direct, instead dedicating time to its Super Mario Galaxy movie, the new Tomodachi Life, and third-party releases.

We did get a Pokémon Winds & Waves reveal last week but hopefully the sixth time will be the charm, after today’s Indie World Showcase – which was only fifteen minutes long and saw a mix of new announcements and ports.

It was not without some neat reveals, but the biggest takeaway from it is that two of the best indie games in recent memory are now available on Nintendo Switch 2: roguelike puzzle game Blue Prince and Legend Of Zelda/bullet hell hybrid Minishoot’ Adventures.

The former arrived on other consoles and PC last year and was a frontrunner for best indie of 2025, although it unsurprisingly lost to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in both the Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game categories at The Game Awards 2025.

It did win Best Indie Game at The Golden Joystick Awards, though, and it was in our Top 20 Games of 2025 list.

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Minishoot’ Adventures didn’t get as much attention when it launched in 2024, but it was a surprisingly successful blend of Zelda-esque exploration and twin-stick shooter action.

It was also only ever available on PC and mobile, but developer SoulGame has announced that it’s now available not just on Switch 1 and Switch 2, but also PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. So, you no longer have an excuse not to play it.

Other highlights of the showcase include Rotwood, a new beat ‘em-up from Don’t Starve developer Klei (which is also out today) and Blighted, a top-down action game from Guacamelee developer Drinkbox Studios that launches this autumn.

Diorama puzzle game Woodo looks really cute and will make use of the Switch 2’s mouse controls when it launches this summer (it’ll also launch for Switch 1) and roguelike first-person shooter Deadzone: Rogue seems to have some impressive visuals.

Switch 2 versions of other already announced indie games were revealed too, including Denshattack! (which now has a free demo), Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, and Mixtape; all of which are scheduled to launch this year.

One surprising omission, though, was Mina The Hollower, which is supposed to be launching this year, after it was delayed indefinitely last October. As the next game from Yacht Club Games, the developer behind indie darling Shovel Knight, this is one of the bigger name indies on the way so hopefully it isn’t delayed again.

As for when you can expect a first party Nintendo Direct, that covers the company’s own 2026 releases, it’s anyone’s guess. But it is more than possible that there could be one this month.

After Pokémon Pokopia, which launches this Thursday, Nintendo has no major Switch 2 exclusives scheduled for the rest of the year. All that’s left are a new Yoshi platformer, a new Fire Emblem, and The Duskbloods from FromSoftware; none of which have firm release dates.

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