While many fans of Edward Kenway were hoping to see him sail onto the Switch 2 this July, there was no sign of a Nintendo release during yesterday’s showcase for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Despite this, many fans remain optimistic, noting how the remake is already targeting certain other platforms.
A post from the official game account on Steam has highlighted how Black Flag Resynced (powered by the latest version of the Anvil engine) will be ready for Valve’s portable Steam Deck when the game launches on 9th July 2026 (thanks for the heads up, Nintendo Life user ‘Rice’). It’s also been pointed out how Black Flag Resynced is obviously en route to Xbox’s less powerful ‘Series S’ model.
All of this has seemingly given fans hope that Ubisoft still has something planned for Nintendo’s new hardware. Of course, optimisation for select platforms and things like Steam Deck verification doesn’t automatically translate to a Nintendo version.
So, what are your thoughts? Is it just a matter of time before Ubisoft lifts the lid on Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced for Switch 2, or do you think the ship has already sailed? Vote in our poll and leave a comment below.
Do you think Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will come to Switch 2? (1,033 votes)
The roguelike brawler Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, which we described as a fun and approachable ‘Hades-like’ when it arrived on the Switch in 2024, has this week hit a new sales milestone.
In an announcement on social media, the developer Super Evil Megacorp has revealed the game has now surpassed a combined total of one million sales worldwide. This includes not only the Switch version, but also sales of the enhanced Switch 2 version.
At the end of the message, the developer also notes how “there’s more to come”:
Super Evil Megacorp: “THANK YOU for running, brawlin’, and getting back up for one more run with us. Drop a slice of pizza if you’re part of the million. Cowabunga, there’s more to come!”
This title has already received countless updates since it arrived on the Switch, including new character updates, new content and also some paid DLC. It also got a Gold Edition in March of this year.
If you haven’t already tried it out on the Switch or the Switch 2, it’s currently 90% off its regular price on the eShop in the US and UK. There’s also a Switch 2 upgrade for existing owners. And if you want to know more about this game, check out our review:
Have you tried out this game on the Switch or Switch 2 yet? Are there any updates you would like to see? Let us know in the comments.
According to Ubisoft Singapore and Black Flag Resynced creative director Paul Fu, the new version of the swashbuckling adventure is a “2026 take on the original legend”, meaning the existing versions of Black Flag across various digital platforms won’t be going anywhere.
This was revealed alongside the news that Resynced would not include multiplayer or the DLC:
Paul Fu: “With Resynced we made a clear choice, it is a pure story driven adventure and we are fully focused on Edward’s adventures in the Carribean. As a result of this focus, we have elected to not have the multiplayer and not have the DLC. However, Resynced is built from the ground up, with new story, new content and news sytems, but we’re staying true to his action-adventure roots. Resynced is a 2026 take on the original legend, and for those of us who are curious, the original will still be available.”
So, there you go, Black Flag fans – if you still want to pick up the original pirate-themed experience in the future on a select digital store, you shouldn’t have to worry about it being delisted.
Switch and Switch 2 owners can currently access the original Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag title via the Rebel Collection, which was released in 2019. Here’s what we had to say about it at the time:
“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag looks and plays phenomenally well on Switch, and is the complete package with all DLC included…Black Flag is a revelation in portable mode and looks and performs almost flawlessly as you blast your way around the Caribbean on Edward Kenway’s captivating pirate adventures.”
Have you played the original Black Flag game on the Switch? Glad to hear it will still be available when Resynced arrives this July? Let us know in the comments.
Nintendo’s latest life sim has got off to a staggering start, shifting a sweet 565,405 copies in its debut week. That leaves this week’s silver medallist, Pragmata, with quite the distance to make up — the PS5 version sold 36,470 copies, while the S2 edition didn’t make it to the top ten.
Here’s the top ten, so you can see the chart as it stands in full:
Position
Game
Platform
Unit Sales(13th – 19th Apr)
Total Unit Sales
1
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Switch
565,405
NEW
2
Pragmata
PS5
36,470
NEW
3
Pokémon Pokopia
Switch 2
19,096
910,005
4
Mario Kart World
Switch 2
5,130
2,900,842
5
Minecraft
Switch
3,550
4,190,151
6
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Switch
3,538
8,423,202
7
Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story
Switch
3,299
NEW
8
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Switch 2
3,067
104,917
9
Nintendo Switch Sports
Switch
2,459
1,720,506
10
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (Download Card)
Switch
2,169
20,218
Just in case you thought all of those Tomodachi Life sales were coming from pre-existing Switch 1 owners, the hardware sales suggest otherwise. With the launch of a hot new S1 game, both the Switch Lite and OLED models have seen a bump in sales this week. It’s not enough to come remotely close to the Switch 2, of course, but it’s not bad going.
This means that the three Switch models combine for 31,496 sales this week, while the PS5 options remain much lower at 10,730.
The Alien series has had a surprisingly decent streak on consoles since the release of Isolation back in 2014. I can only imagine the sheer disaster of Colonial Marines gave the higher-ups at 20th Century Studios the kick up the bum they sorely needed, but fans have been treated to some pretty enjoyable titles recently. Fireteam Elite? Good! Dark Descent? Even better! Rogue Incursion…? Yeah, pretty good, but it’s got some issues.
Originally released as a VR title, Rogue Incursion was quickly altered to work as a more traditional first-person shooter, breaking free from its VR shackles and thus gaining the ‘Evolved Edition’ moniker. It also happens to be the first in a two-part story, the latter of which is supposedly in development as of 2024. As such, Rogue Incursion is a brief jaunt clocking in at around 5-7 hours depending on your choice of difficulty.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
You play as Zula Hendricks, a Colonial Marine who previously appeared in extended universe stories like Defiance and Prototype. She, along with her synthetic buddy Davis 01, arrives on the planet Purdan after receiving a distress signal. When they land at a derelict facility, they find it overrun by Xenomorphs, thus kickstarting a well-paced story of survival.
I enjoyed the narrative a lot, and it certainly benefits from the talents of author Alex White, who’s written two of the more critically acclaimed Alien novels: The Cold Forge and Into Charybdis. That said, I’m also conscious that I live and breathe Alien on a near-daily basis, so if you’re not familiar with the series at large, then you might not enjoy it quite as much. For example, brief mentions of Amanda Ripley will delight fans of Isolation, but those without prior knowledge might wonder who the heck she is.
Gameplay is a mix of exploration, gun combat, and light puzzle solving. It’s nowhere near as stealth-oriented as Isolation, but it’s also not quite as trigger-happy as Fireteam Elite – instead, it nestles itself nicely in between. After a quiet opening in which the tense, oppressing atmosphere really shines, it’s not long until you encounter your first Xenomorph. From here, exploration is punctuated by brief combat encounters, requiring you to clear out any encroaching aliens before you’re able to continue exploring.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Combat feels reasonably slick, giving you access to weapons such as pistols, shotguns, and the iconic pulse rifle, and they all sound wonderfully punchy. I never really felt like I was lacking ammo, so you’re free to just unload into whatever enemies happen to get in your way.
That said, the frequency at which the Xenomorphs show up does diminish their impact. Unless you’re playing on a higher difficulty – during which you’ll need to really pay attention – the Xenomorphs become little more than moving targets to gun down, presenting little threat and often conveniently dropping down right in front of you.
Granted, if you’re facing off against multiple aliens at once, you’ll need to have your wits about you. They can be ludicrously fast, leaping over obstacles or crawling up to the ceiling to get the drop on you. Although ammo is plentiful, you don’t get that much in a single magazine, so if you find yourself having to reload while three Xenos are closing in, then, well… game over, man, game over.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Much like Isolation, you also have a motion tracker at hand to keep an eye out for incoming attacks. It’s not quite as useful in Rogue Incursion, however, since all encounters are signalled by a sudden change in the music. From that point forward, you’re best off just keeping the motion tracker stowed and relying on your own senses to see where the aliens emerge.
Outside of combat, light puzzle-solving is required to progress through the environment. To unlock certain doors, you’ll need to physically rewire terminals to get the electricity flowing properly, moving each wire to the correct socket.
You can really tell that Rogue Incursion originated as a VR game during these segments, and I imagine it was really cool to move the wires around with your hands. That said, they remain engaging enough with analogue sticks, and you’re never going to come across anything that’s going to completely bamboozle you.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Speaking of controls, the Switch 2 port boasts both gyro aiming and mouse controls. The former can be used in conjunction with the analogue sticks, letting you fine-tune your aiming during intense encounters. This is the method I stuck with for the majority of the game. Mouse controls, meanwhile, are enabled by default, and you simply need to rest the Joy-Con 2 on a flat surface to activate it.
Movement is smooth and you can adjust the sensitivity to your liking, but I just don’t get on with mouse controls in FPS games – on Switch 2, at least. That said, it works wonders whenever you interact with the in-game PC terminals, allowing you to move the cursor around like a proper mouse.
Presentation on Switch 2 is acceptable, but nothing to write home about. Visually, I find it severely lacking in detail, with enemies in particular looking like plastic figurines – hardly the perfect organism. That said, the atmosphere is on point, and you can tell the development team studied the movies closely to nail a similar vibe.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Finally, quality and performance modes are available via the menu if you wish to prioritise smooth frame rates over visuals. I didn’t notice too much of a graphical downgrade in performance mode – maybe some more noticeable aliasing here and there – but the boost up to 60fps makes it more than worthwhile.
Conclusion
I had a good time with Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition. It finds a strong balance between the slower, more stealth-oriented gameplay of Isolation and the frantic action seen in Fireteam Elite, blending classic Alien combat with some light puzzle-solving.
Visually, it lacks a lot of detail for my liking, but the faithful art design just about holds it together. Its biggest sin, however, is that the impact of the Xenomorphs quickly diminishes thanks to the frequency at which they appear. They also just look kinda goofy, I won’t lie. Still, as a fan of the series, the story, atmosphere, and sound design hit the right notes for me.
It’s that time of the month again when The Pokémon Company lifts the lid on the next set of cards coming to the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket app, and it’s finally time for Lucario to take the spotlight.
A new ex card for the fan-favourite Fighting Type (it made it to the top nine in our recent poll) headlines the new ‘Pulsing Aura’ set, which will arrive in the app next week on 28th April at 2am BST / 3am CET / 6pm PDT (27th) / 9pm ET (27th).
Alongside Mega Lucario, there are also new ex cards for Mega Sceptile and Vaporeon, some particularly sweet full arts for Kubfu and Quagsire, and new Trainer cards featuring Korrina and Arena of Antiquity.
The reveal trailer above features all of these cards and more, but here’s a closer look at a handful of the new set’s highlights:
All of this means that you have just a few more days to wrap up your Mega Shine collection before an even newer set joins the ranks. There’s no time to mess around with this app, eh?
Will you be checking out the new expansion next week? Let us know in the comments.
We loved the look of Orbitals when we first locked eyes on it at The Game Awards 2025. We liked it even more when it cropped up at the February 2026 Nintendo Direct. And now, strangely enough, we’re even more hooked on the idea thanks to today’s new gameplay trailer.
The new footage sees Creative Director Marcos Ramos and Game Director Jakob Lundgren (who previously worked with Hazelight on A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction) team up to tackle some of the game’s co-op challenges. There’s a fair amount of It Takes Two-style teamwork going on here, with each character bringing their unique tool abilities to the table — and yep, if even the game devs are arguing over some of those platforming sequences, you know we will be too.
The thing that has impressed us the most so far is the variety of gameplay on display. In this trailer alone, we see a handful of different tool-specific 3D platforming sections, some side-scrolling escapades all about manipulating gravity, and even an order-barking hoverboard sequence. Combine all that with the gorgeous throwback anime visual style, and we reckon this one is onto a winner.
While we still don’t have a specific release date for Orbitals just yet, we do know that the game will arrive exclusively on Switch 2 at some point this Summer.
What do you make of Orbitals’ new gameplay trailer? Let us know in the comments.
We recently had some material drop in our inbox about InterfaceX, a developer-led drive on Steam to bring a whole bunch of games under one genre banner: ‘Fake OS’.
Having struggled ourselves to succinctly categorise games which simulate navigating a computer, phone screen, or another device/workstation as a significant part of their design, ‘Fake OS’ struck us as a handy umbrella for a style of game that’s really taken off in the last decade – and not just on PC.
So, showing solidarity with developer efforts to make this term an official Steam tag, we thought we’d corral all the games on Switch (and, therefore, Switch 2) which have you opening files or messages or clicking on computers within computers and all that game.
Switch has hosted loads of Fake OS games since launch and this list showcases the best (not all of them, only the ones we’ve reviewed and have rated ‘Good’ or better). So let’s double-click and get going, in alphabetical order…
Bury me, my Love is more an emotionally invested experience than a ‘game’, as it focuses on decision-based gameplay that encourages you to think empathetically. You play as Majd, who is texting his wife Nour as she attempts to escape Syria to Europe and start a new life in Germany. The texts, map, and pictures she sends to your phone are all you ever really see.
Employing an art style that is simultaneously gritty and endearing, the game holds very little back in terms of the atrocities of war and also how horrified, yet desensitised, the main characters are to it. Nour’s journey can be an extremely tough one to undertake, but Bury Me, My Love should be experienced as a lesson in both empathy and wonderful text-based storytelling.
Voyeurism isn’t a theme that’s new to video games, but Do Not Feed The Monkeys puts an even more sinister twist on it. Invited to the mysterious Primate Observation Club, your task is to observe “the monkeys” through a series of cameras, while reporting back on your findings to the Club by responding to their email requests for information.
This isn’t a perfect game, but thankfully, its small interface and design irritations don’t massively undermine what Fictiorama Studios achieved here. Weaving together the “monkeys'” stories is rewarding and satisfying, and there’s an impressive sense of foreboding to the whole thing.
Hypnospace Outlaw really is like nothing else out there; at once an excellent puzzle game, razor-sharp satire, and meticulously crafted slice of early-internet nostalgia that you can spend hours absolutely lost in. It’s frequently hilarious stuff that’s impeccably well-written across the board, managing to successfully bring the crazy, lawless, early rush of creativity that formed the pre-Y2K era of the internet convincingly back to life.
It delivers a truly extraordinary recreation of the GeoCities era of the internet that absolutely nails its ’90s aesthetic to present a living, breathing world that’s a joy to spend time browsing around, soaking up the atmosphere and reliving the anarchic early days of the internet as you slowly untangle the puzzles at the heart of its narrative.
It’s hard to talk about the specifics of Inscryption without diluting some of its magic. However, its ingenuity is mind-boggling, its mood is devilishly haunting, and its presentation is first-rate. As a deckbuilder, it’s stretched about as far as it can go, and by jumping around between concepts, it sometimes asks for a lot from you.
The pay-off, however, is one of the most impressive feats of video game storytelling there is. If you’re new to Daniel Mullins Games, then you’re in for even more of a treat, but existing fans, too, shouldn’t think they have the measure of what awaits on Inscryption’s dusty old floppy disk.
Mainframes is a solid recommendation if you’re after a new precision/puzzle platformer that tries something relatively fresh with its desktop-bending premise.
We would have liked to have seen a few clever nods to real-world software brands to really take advantage of its setup, but with its pleasant pixel-art visuals and gorgeously laid-back soundtrack, it’s a good way to spend a handful of hours. Just watch out for those difficulty spikes.
A short, compelling point-and-click adventure originally developed in 2014, OneShot: World Machine Edition has an endearing, sombre story in which developer Future Cat makes you, the player, a character. The quest of Nico, a cat-like child, is framed as a game installed on a PC that functions as both a menu and narrative device and Niko will frequently break the fourth wall to address you by your Switch profile name as you guide her through a dying world.
Unlike the adventure games of two or three decades ago, none of the puzzles stumped us, yet the dopamine rush hit us all the same when things slid into place. Before we knew it, the credits rolled, and we sat back, pensive from its bittersweet ending. A Very Good Game™.
Stories Untold is a chilling adventure that manages to draw us right into its world through the ingenious use of its UI and perfectly realised lo-fi aesthetic. Through the walls of old technology and complicated machinery, it creates a uniquely strong bond between player and narrative, giving you a real sense of place within its world as it slowly corrupts and twists from the comfortingly familiar to something else entirely.
It’s one of the best interactive horror stories we’ve ever played and a perfect fit for enjoying alone in the dark on Switch.
Coming from Sam Barlow (Her Story, Immortality), on paper, searching a large database of phone-filmed video clips doesn’t sound too exciting, but Telling Lies offers an exhilarating few hours of detective work thanks to clever construction, strong performances and exceptional polish.
Given that the game takes place almost entirely in windows on a virtual desktop computer screen (and would therefore seem ‘at home’ on PC), it survives the transition to Switch entirely intact. While there’s not much incentive to reopen the investigation once it reaches its climax, uncovering Telling Lies’ web of relationships and intrigue is a case definitely worth taking on.
Videoverse is a perfect time capsule of early online communities, never shying away from difficult topics and always approaching them with a smile. Its nostalgic wrapping works wonders for Millennials who grew up with a mouse or console in hand and who have made friends online.
While we wish there were a few more chats with other characters, and the Switch may not be the best place to experience it due to input frustrations, Videoverse is a tonic for the soul that the online world needs now more than ever.
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
FAQs
Before we go, some housekeeping and general question-answering.
Is this genre known by any other name?
The InterfaceX site lists other names these types of games are commonly known as, including “Interface Sims, Interface Dramas, Desktop/Phone Sims, and Found Device games” – all of which do a decent job of describing what’s involved.
And as the site says, those are all legitimate descriptors! We just enjoy how ‘Fake OS’ captures all of the above while still being fairly specific.
Hang on, where’s GAME X?
Remember, this isn’t a list of all fake OS games on Switch – just the ones we’ve reviewed and think are good. You can check out our database of other Switch games that may fit the bill – and let us know in the comments if something is missing that deserves the tag.
You’ll notice some of the games in the list above incorporate other genres, but the OS elements in all of them are fundamental to the gameplay, not just a cute pause screen or side-feature (so, no, GoldenEye 007 isn’t a fake OS game because the menu screen is a watch interface).
For instance, we almost added Superhot above, but its fake OS is a narrative wrapper in the menu rather than something woven into the gameplay itself. It’s neat, but it’s not fundamental.
Isn’t GAME Y on Switch?
We may have missed some – if so, let us know in the comments.
There are many classic fake OS games which never made it to Switch, though. Here’s a small shortlist of some we’d love to see on Nintendo’s console one day, if you’re looking for more games like this elsewhere:
Update []: And just like that, Sektori has been officially confirmed for Switch 2! As detailed in the eShop listings, the game will launch on 14th May 2026.
Original Story: Late last year, a critically-acclaimed arcade game titled Sektori launched on PC and PS5, and now it looks like it’s heading to the Switch.
Developed by an ex-Housemarque employee, Sektori is heavily inspired by Geometry Wars, with a mix of twin-stick gameplay, hordes of colourful enemies, and levels that morph at will. Asian eShop pages list a release date of 14th May 2026 for the Switch (thanks, ResetEra), and we seriously can’t wait to get cracking with this one.
Here’s a look at the key features:
– A five world campaign mode with dynamically changing levels and tons of enemy variation – including epic evolving bosses – Alternate ships and configurable upgrade decks to mold your run with – Three difficulty modes suited for all players, including a “Revolution” campaign mode for maximal challenge – Six alternate game modes, like Classic, Gates and Assault – Varied selection of challenges and medals to reach for
We’re down for this, but what do you think? Will you be picking up Sektori? Let us know with a comment.
We are quickly approaching Nintendo’s next first-party release, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book! We shared our hands-on thoughts yesterday, and today, we’ve got a brand-new overview trailer.
Initially shared on Nintendo Today!, the trailer goes into Yoshi’s central gameplay, explaining the creature discovery mechanics and running through Yoshi’s basic moveset — welcoming the Tail Flick.
While previous trailers introduced us to the bubble-blowing Glubbit, this one is mainly focused on Crazee Daizee, an adorable little flower that comes loaded with an arsenal of special abilities all of its own. Stick around until the end and you’ll even get a closer look at Bowser Jr. and Kamek.
The trailer wraps up with the confirmation that Yoshi amiibo are supported in the game! Tapping one of these will give you bonus tokens, which can be spent on making more creature discoveries.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book launches on Switch 2 on 21st May.
What do you make of this new trailer? Let us know in the comments.
