And we’re back for the latest round of eShop Selects, looking back at last month’s eShop-only releases and picking our top three favourites.
Plenty of games came out in May, although many of them also got day-and-date physical releases, so we only had six games that met our threshold this month (including one that’s only on mobiles). Let’s hop to it, shall we?
Here are the rules: Our writers and contributors vote for their top three eShop games we reviewed (and scored at least a 7/10) that launched in May 2026 on the eShop for Switch 1 and/or Switch 2. We then tally the votes and the three games with the highest number of votes take to the podium.
Honourable Mentions
One digital-only game that may have qualified for this is Kabuto Park, a cute little bug catcher we’re in the process of reviewing, so keep an eye out for our verdict next week.
Behind the obvious front-runner, it was a tight contest this month. But before we get to the top three, here are the three that just missed out (including a mobile game that’s not technically on the eShop, but Nintendo made it):
Taking bronze is the addictive, Geometry Wars-inspired Sektori, which landed on Switch 2 in the middle of May. Ollie gave it a sparkling 9/10 in his review, calling it his “favourite Switch 2 release of 2026 so far.”
Beyond its beautiful, score-chasing, twin-stick shooting, it was heartening to hear that developer Kimmo Lahtinen found success with the port, with sales of the Switch 2 version recouping “a living salary” for the solo dev after years of investment and overheads.
Next up is Beethoven and Dinosaur’s Mixtape, a low-stakes teen journey filled with licensed music, inventive visuals, and ’80s/’90s nostalgia.
Putting all the embarrassing online ‘discourse’ it provoked to the side, it’s undoubtedly a Marmite game that relies on your enjoyment and/or memories of the era it depicts (and you’ll probably want to steer clear if you’re irritated by pretentious teens and coming-of-age drama). But we loved Mixtape.
“This is a thoughtfully curated collection of music, sure,” said Roland in his 9/10 review, “but before that, it’s an exciting, sentimental, funny game.”
And #1 by a wide margin is Yacht Club’s Mina The Hollower. This was delayed out of last year, and we’re so happy that it turned out to be worth the wait.
This dark, top-down affair may look like a Game Boy Color-ful, Zelda-style adventure, but the Shovel Knight devs refuse to hold your hand, and its openness and willingness to leave you to your own devices is a huge part of its charm.
“Mina the Hollower, like Shovel Knight before it, pays careful homage to a beloved genre and visual style, while also blending in modern design sensibilities,” said Ken in his 9/10 review. We’ll surely be discussing this more come GOTY time.
Do you agree with our ranking? Tell us about your favourite eShop releases of last month by voting in our poll and sharing your thoughts in the comments.
What’s your favourite May 2026 eShop game from our picks? (92 votes)
Coffee Talk Tokyo (Switch 2)5%
Mina the Hollower – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)68%
Mixtape (Switch 2)9%
Pictonico! (Mobile)2%
Sektori (Switch 2)14%
TetherGeist (Switch eShop)1%
How we decide our eShop Selects top three: As we reach the end of every month, the Nintendo Life staff vote on their favourite titles from a list of games selected by the editorial team. To qualify for this list, these games must have been released as a digital-only Nintendo Switch eShop title in that particular month, and must have been reviewed on Nintendo Life; we select the qualifying games based on their review scores.
Staff are then asked to vote for three games that they think deserve to sit right at the very top of that list; first choice gets three points, second choice gets two points, and third choice gets one point. These votes are then tallied to create a top-three list, with the overall winner taking that month’s top prize.
Sometimes, when I wind the window down in my car, I think about Mario Kart World. I’m sitting alone in the driver’s seat, radio playing some mid-2000s indie or alt-rock, a breeze blowing through my hair. It might be a quiet morning, the traffic light but the sun bright and warm. I could be admiring the scenery in a country I’m mostly used to, but still always curious to see what I spot. Or maybe I’m thinking about throwing a banana peel at the car ahead of me (I’m not, don’t do that).
I love Mario Kart World; it’s an oxymoron of a racer, the calmest and most chaotic experience you can have with friends or alone. It’s like going on a sightseeing road trip where, every so often, you’ll be thrust onto a motorway where cows and turtles and lightning bolts are being flung around everywhere.
But it also had the unenviable task of being the game to usher in the Switch 2 generation, the first brand new Mario Kart game in over a decade, and the follow-up to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, arguably the Mario Kart game, bursting with almost 100 courses and 50 playable characters, if you include DLC. This shouldn’t be the standard for the series, because it’s unattainable. It’s the Smash Ultimate of Mario Kart.
Image: Nintendo Life
So I wish people would stop comparing World to 8 Deluxe. The latter is a celebration of all things Mario Kart and a complete blow-out for the series: it’s a complete anomaly, too, being not just the best-selling Mario Kart game of all time, but the best-selling Mario game ever. It’s also a pretty tame sequel: yes, there’s an abundance of content, but what’s really new about MK8? Anti-gravity? Four new items?
Because at the core, Mario Kart World’s pure casual racing isn’t all that different. If I’m sitting down to play with friends and family in a standard race, we’re getting a similar experience to what’s come before. It’s still great, and it looks fabulous on Switch 2, but it’s Mario Kart. What else is there? Pop the hood and you’ll see.
I know people were disappointed by the open world, which some saw as World’s defining feature. And in many ways, it is a little lacklustre, though that’s partially down to expectations. It’s not some Forza-esque world where you need to tick off a checklist; it’s really just a big playground with things you can do, and nothing you have to do.
I spent a lot of time just driving from place to place, checking out every corner of the map, hunting for P Switches and collectibles. But it allowed me to take in the beauty of each environment. The way the lush leaves surrounding Peach Stadium slowly melted from green to gold in Cheep Cheep Falls. I’d drop into the river and let the currents sweep me down to Salty Salty Speedway, where the rust-coloured cobbles would spit me out into the ocean, towards the desecrated ruins of Wario Shipyard.
Image: Nintendo Life
From the rotting fortress next to the ship, I could see the icy lands to the north, the sparkly beach to the south. Never before could my eyes take me this far in Mario Kart. These weren’t just a bunch of courses plucked out of thin air; they all made sense in their order, their placement, and their layout.
The open world is your oyster, and you can do anything in it. Make up pretend races, go find that Donut Plains tribute, take really stupid photos. Where many racing games are a kaleidoscope of colours and a shock to the senses, MKW gives me a moment to breathe. Breath of the Wild did the same: there’s stuff to do in the world, and there is a story, but ultimately, the world is a canvas and I am its paintbrush.
So, when I’m on the courses, when I’m racing others or completing optional challenges, my tools are more expansive than ever. I think Mario Kart is often oversimplified, but World adds a ton of mechanics to the experience that make it the deepest kart racer I’ve ever played.
I’m good at 8 Deluxe because the racing is ultimately pretty simple, and I know the courses well. One match online in Mario Kart World is a complete bloodbath and I’m left in the dust because everyone and their mother is amazing at wall jumping and grinding and skipping swathes of the course, only for them to finish in third behind two racers who are just world-class.
I’m over the moon whenever I do a perfect wall-ride and hop in an alleyway to reach a Peach Medallion, but ask me to replicate that in an online Knockout Tour to hit 16th over 17th and I buckle under the pressure, the sweaty hands, and the barrage of red shells hitting me and slowing my speed. I can’t just pick up coins and aim perfectly and drift at just the right time to win anymore; I actually have to learn how to play the game intimately. I admire that approach.
The amount of tricks and backflips required to shave milliseconds off of a race time is absurd, but watching someone pull off all the tricks in the book successfully really is something to behold.
[embedded content]
Don’t ask me to replicate any of this
Really, all I do whenever I race online (or with friends) is embrace the chaos of those 24-man races. Knockout Tour, to this day, is my favourite aspect of World. It’s a complete mess, where balance and skill can and do matter, but in a Mario Party sense, you sometimes just have to succumb to fate or lack of luck.
The sheer amount of litter on the road is enough to make me both laugh and send me into a fit of panic. Why do we need this many bananas or coins or traps in one spot, let alone the fact I’m trying to avoid triple red shells around my neighbouring competitors (yes, I’m sandwiched between them).
Image: Nintendo Life
When I am good enough to make it to the final four, it makes for an amazing 10-15 minutes of white-knuckle racing, hair-splitting differences, and scrambling to the finish line. Do I care if I win because of luck? Not really! It’s Mario Kart; I’m here to have fun, to embrace the chaos, and then decompress afterwards.
That last part is the key part that makes all the difference, the part that makes this Mario Kart cocktail taste different from the last one. Mario Kart has always been a series I’ve brought out for a few races with friends for an hour or two, and then it just gets tucked away until the next get-together. We’ll chat between races, but now we’re not just leaving it on an idle screen, we’re racing around the savannah or the black volcanic terrain, taking in the sights.
I called Mario Kart World “the perfect introduction” to the new generation of Nintendo, a year ago, and I feel even stronger about that now than I did then. In Donkey Kong Bananza, you can smash things up to your heart’s content. In Pokémon Pokopia, you can rebuild the world however you wish. In Kirby Air Riders, speed and drama is unlimited. All of these games blend familiarity, calmness, chaos, and freedom. And Mario Kart World started it all.
I know it’s not a huge reinvention, but it is a shift. The Switch 2 is capable of so much more than the Switch, and World showed us that from the very first day. Do I want a bit more than 30 courses? Sure, I’d take DLC, but the year of patches have also done a lot to iron out some of the rougher edges.
Before 8 Deluxe, Mario Kart never got DLC. There are ample opportunities in the open-world to make your own fun, and once you let go of the winning mentality, Knockout Tour is a blast.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Mario Kart as we’ve long known it, but World is something a bit different. It isn’t just a soda water with lime, it’s the most-refreshing summer blend of citrus flavours where you can either chill out or have chaotic fun. A defining game for the Switch 2, and worthy of much more love than it gets.
How do you feel about Mario Kart World a year after release? Let us know in the comments.
Walk this Ray, it’s time for another edition of Box Art Brawl.
Last week, we matched up three covers for the GameCube’s excellent WarioWare, Inc: Mega Party Game$!, and you lot were clearly on the same page as us, crowning the North American design the best of the bunch with 76% of the vote. Poor old Europe and Japan had to split the remainder with 12% apiece.
With all of this week’s Rayman news, we’re taking a look at the limbless legend’s last 3D outing in the aptly-titled Rayman 3D. This port of the Dreamcast’s Rayman 2 may not have blown our socks off when it arrived on 3DS back in 2011, but the 3D visuals looked great on the handheld screen, and it was a nice excuse to get all nostalgic for the extra-dimension platforming of yore.
There are just two covers to choose between this week, so let’s dive into a good old battle of NA vs EU.
While Mr. Ray himself might look a little uncanny in the North American cover, there’s no denying that this homage to the Rayman 2 original art has some cool composition at play. The hair overlapping the title? Cool. The splintering walkway? Cool. The giant exploding ship in the background? Cool. Overall, pretty cool.
The European design is… not as cool. Rayman himself looks much better, but all of the action and drama of the NA cover has been replaced by simplicity. We’ve got a plain blue backdrop and a singular Lum. That’s it. Hey, at least the title font is a little cleaner.
Which region got the best Rayman 3D box art? (1,067 votes)
North America76%
Europe24%
Thank you for voting! We’ll see you next week for another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Bloober Team, the Polish horror game specialist behind titles like Cronos: New Dawn, has this week announced Star Trek: Shadow Frontier in partnership with Paramount Games. It will be “Coming Soon” to the Switch 2 and multiple other platforms.
The game is described as a psychological story-driven action-adventure set in third-person, where players take on the role of Ro Laren, who must survive a breathtaking but lethal environment located in the expansive Star Trek universe. Here’s some information via the Steam listing:
“After crashing onto a distant planet overtaken by a strange consciousness, Ro Laren must survive in an environment that is as breathtaking as it is lethal. In true Star Trek fashion, Ro’s mission is driven by duty and purpose. But here, discovery comes at a terrible cost. The more she uncovers, the deeper she is pulled into a corrupted labyrinth where her memories twist and the planet threatens to sever her connection to reality. Only by solving the mysteries of this strange world can Ro hope to make peace with the demons of her past, boldly going into the heart of darkness like never before.”
Image: via Steam / Bloober Team, Paramount Games
Throughout her story, she’ll have to deal with dangerous creatures and surroundings, and choose whether or not to engage in combat or outmaneuver the enemy. The hostile ecosystem also poses a “constant threat”, as it attempts to absorb Ro’s consciousness, “burrowing deep in her mind and plaguing her with haunting visions”.
Bloober also promises to offer a good blend of “exploration, puzzles, combat and cinematic set-pieces” wrapped up in a “gripping” story adventure that rewards “patience, observation and smart decision-making”. According to the content description, you can also expect “intense violence, blood and gore against aliens”.
If this wasn’t enough for one day, Bloober Team has also announced Cronos: Lazarus DLC will be arriving in “Fall 2026“.
“Return to the wastelands of New Dawn as the once-loyal Pathfinder in the process of transforming into the Warden you know and love from the base game. Isolated in the Terminal and severed from the Collective, he devotes every waking moment to awakening a lost Essence he refuses to let fade. Uncover fragments of Warden’s past, teleport, strike, and outrun a relentless hunter.”
Would you be interested in Bloober’s new Star Trek game? How about the new DLC for Cronos: The New Dawn? Let us know in the comments.
This game will be available for the Switch 1 & 2 on 12th November 2026 and pre-orders for the standard edition ($29.99) and deluxe physical edition ($59.99) are now live. The Deluxe Edition even comes with a Barbie doll featuring an Atari shirt.
Image: Digital Eclipse, Atari
The titles, enhanced for modern platforms, range from 1991 to 2007 and include games such as Barbie Pet Rescue (Game Boy Color), Barbie Horse Adventures: Blue Ribbon Race (Game Boy Advance) and the “never-before-released” Barbie: Vacation Adventure” (Sega Genesis and SNES).
Rewind also intertwines a brand-new BarbieDreamHouse design game. Here’s how it connects to this retro collection:
“A cozy, creative world inspired by Barbie invites players to reimagine the iconic DreamHouse. Style each room with a fabulous collection of furniture, decor, and accessories inspired by real Barbie playsets released over the past 65-plus years. To access many of the playset items, Barbie will challenge players to reach achievements by playing a collection of Barbie video games from the 1990s and 2000s.”
Will you be catching up with Barbie Rewind when it arrives this November? Let us know in the comments.
Apart from the recently revealed “Wet Update“, this week the studio has also announced it’s releasing a Switch 2 version of Vampire Survivors. It will include “better performance” and mouse support. When more details are shared about this version, we’ll let you know.
Alongside this is the reveal of the next expansion, the Legacy of the Bloodmoon. It will be arriving this summer. As noted, it will expand the Legacy of the Moonspell with “additional content” and is permanently reducing the price of this DLC.
“The “evil twin” to the game’s first-ever expansion pack Legacy of the Moonspell and expected this summer across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms, Legacy of the Bloodmoon will include a substantial 10 new characters, more than 16 weapons and evolutions, a new XL stage, and 8 new music tracks. As part of this release, poncle will expand Legacy of the Moonspell with additional content and permanently reduce its price, ensuring both it and Legacy of the Bloodmoon deliver a similarly substantial experience.”
Vampire Survivors is also being renamed to Vampire Survivors – First Survivaton. Below are the details behind the change, and it’s celebrating this “new chapter” with the free 1.15 update. Including “a new stage, new characters, new weapons, and new Darkanas”.
“Survivaton is the name of poncle’s new lineup of Survivors-like projects. Short for “survive a ton,” the label encompasses internally developed games that build on the foundation of the studio’s flagship title, Vampire Survivors, in collaboration with selected content partners. Each project will aim to introduce major gameplay changes, content expansions, or genre twists exploring ideas substantial enough to stand as their own games.
“The Survivaton initiative will serve as poncle’s umbrella for future survivors-like releases, and reflecting its place as the foundation of the series, Vampire Survivors will also be renamed to Vampire Survivors – First Survivaton.”
Poncle is also establishing Poncle Japan, a “dedicated Japanese subsidiary” which will be headed by Sawaki Takeyasu.
“The team will serve as a bridge between poncle’s global operations and Japanese players, creators, and industry partners, ensuring the studio’s games and initiatives resonate with local audiences while helping identify new opportunities for growth and collaboration.”
Will you be trying out Vampire Survivors on Switch 2? Looking forward to Legacy of the Bloodmoon? Let us know in the comments.
Bandai Namco has officially unveiled Little Nightmares III – The Backstage DLC. It will be coming to the Switch 2 next week on 12th June 2026.
It promises to take players to the “darkest part of the Carnevale” and comes loaded with all-new puzzles and challenges. You’ll also meet a new character and face new perils!
“In this adventure, Low will meet Dime, a new child who wears a torch hat, a very helpful tool for finding their way in what lies beneath the curtains of The Carnevale. The two children will have to face new threats and use their light to find a way to save Alone from the hands of the Puppeteer.”
This is Little Nightmares III’s first DLC and will be available as part of the paid Secrets of the Spiral Expansion Pass. This same Expansion Pass will add a second additional chapter in the future.
Will you be revisiting Little Nightmares to try out this new content? Let us know in the comments.
The 2023 Switch release Blasphemous 2 has received a surprise update this week in the form of a new and “free expansion”.
It’s officially titled ‘Blasphemous II: The Third Sin‘ and challenges and takes place within a “huge and foreboding gothic castle that’s a quarter of the size of the entire Blasphemous II and Mea Culpa world maps combined”.
Here’s some additional PR, and you can check out the trailer above:
“Blasphemous II: The Third Sin challenges players to explore and overcome a part of Cvstodia that once served as a refuge for the nobles, until The Miracle wrought devastation within the castle walls. Set across the fortress’s meandering halls, twisting towers, cavernous library, and dank crypt, the expansion also features a gallery allowing players to replay previous bosses, and introduces a new gameplay experience in the form of three Familiars – magical entities that accompany The Penitent One, supporting them in both combat and exploration.
“Added to the player’s armoury is a new weapon, a blade-tipped whip, enhancing The Penitent One’s move set with a series of standard and special attacks to vanquish foes into dust. Blasphemous II: The Third Sin also includes new prayers, unlockable outfits, *five new achievements/trophies, and an additional six music tracks by series composer Carlos Viola to further immerse players into the castle’s uneasy ambience.”
You can find out more about The Game Kitchen’s dark and gory action-platformer in our review here on Nintendo Life. We gave the title an “excellent” nine out of ten stars when it originally arrived on the eShop.
Will you be checking out this free expansion update? Have you played Blasphemous 2 on Switch yet? Tell us in the comments.
As part of today’s Future Games Show, Fireshine Games has revealed a Switch 2 version of Duskfade, a 3D action-platformer that looks back to the PS2 for inspiration.
The game was revealed with a 2026 release date months ago on other platforms, but it’s now got a 13th August date attached, which includes Switch 2.
With shades of Kingdom Hearts and Jak & Daxter, the team at Spanish developer Weird Beluga are clearly channelling that early-to-mid-2000s era to recapture some of the magic of the PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox; publisher Fireshine is calling it “a love letter to the PS2 classics”.
The new trailer above is worth a watch if the above whets your whistle. As for the story (which you’d hope would be appropriately in-depth and a little cuckoo with Kingdom Hearts as a touchstone), here’s a synopsis from the PR blurb, plus some screens:
After the world has been plunged into an eternal night and his sister trapped in the mysterious Clock Tower at the heart of this mysterious darkness, Duskfade’s leading hero, Zirian, must explore the corrupted lands to uncover the ancient secrets of the Master Clockmakers, in hopes of finding a way to free her from the clutches of Despair. From ethereal forests and underwater realms, to the sunscorched dunes and lands above the clouds, there’s always a new vista begging to be explored. Joined by his mechanical companion Cuckoo, Zirian will learn to slash, grind, jump and grapple through breathtaking environments that call back to the classic platformers of the past. Each stage provides unique challenges that blend precision platforming and action combat, as well as rewarding exploration that encourages uncovering hidden secrets off the beaten path. Duskfade’s coming-of-age journey is layered with emotional depth and heart in every detail. Each enemy and challenge Zirian will face represents a deeper emotional hurdle our hero must overcome to complete his high-stakes quest to save his loved ones and the world.
The developer’s previous game, Clid the Snail, was a top-down shooter released in 2021 on Steam (“Mostly Positive”) and PlayStation (“Mixed or Average” on Metacritic), so fingers crossed for Duskfade, which feels a tad more ambitious. PC and PS5 owners can access a demo from today, so let us know below how it feels if you’ve got access and you’re sufficiently intrigued.
No word on a Switch 2 physical version yet – we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.
Excited for this one? Let us know in the usual place.
We’ve seen enough ‘Nintendo Switch 2 Editions’ now that the promise of a replay doesn’t get us quite as excited as it did a year ago. When it’s one of our absolute favourites from last year, however, with so many branching paths that a replay feels completely warranted, then yes, we’ll get a little excited.
Both Citizen Sleeper – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (try saying that one three times fast) will launch on 25th June, with pre-orders going live on the eShop today. Those who already own the Switch 1 version of either game will be able to upgrade for free on launch, which is always welcome.
These new editions boast improved resolution (4K docked and 1080p in handheld) and a crisp 60fps bump. There’s no word on a Mouse Mode addition just yet, but it feels like a no-brainer.
For those who have missed this duo in the past, the Citizen Sleeper games, inspired by tabletop RPGs, are narrative-driven space adventures, where your key decisions live and die on the roll of the dice. They both contain some of the best writing in recent memory, with wonderfully drawn characters and tense set pieces aplenty.
The dev teased that they will reveal their next game at the upcoming PC Gaming Show, in a swanky ‘World Premiere’. We know nothing about this one so far, but given that all three of their last games have made the jump to Nintendo consoles, we’re hopeful that we’ll see the same with whatever comes next.
Will you be checking out either of the Citizen Sleeper games on Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.
