Nintendo Switch Sports Resort launches October 22, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, just ahead of Wii Sports' 20th anniversary, and the reviews are in. It's the fifth game in the Wii Sports and Switch Sports series and takes the action back to Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort, this time as an open map you can fly, skate and jet ski around. There are 12 sports: classics like Tennis, Bowling, Golf and Boxing, plus the new Thumb Wrestling and Skateboarding. Critics like it a lot. It holds a 79 Metascore from 32 reviews, and OpenCritic's early Top Critic Average is 84.
Reviewers agree it's the most complete entry in the series. The motion controls are the best they've been, there's real single-player content in the Island Crown mode, and it's a great party game. The complaints: some favorites like Chambara are missing, a few sports are weaker than the rest, and overall it doesn't bring many surprises.
Aggregate Scores
- Metacritic: 79 Metascore (32 critic reviews; 83% positive, 17% mixed) – metacritic.com
- OpenCritic: 84 Top Critic Average, 91% of critics recommend (early, from about 12 reviews) – opencritic.com
What the Critics Are Saying
- Polygon (unscored): Polygon calls it "a masterpiece" that "explodes the possibilities of casual gaming," with Wuhu Island turned into a real place to explore. – Polygon
- Nintendo Life (9/10): "This just might be the Nintendo Sports series at its best," with better classics and "a surprising amount of single-player content." – Nintendo Life
- GameSpot (9/10): "The best entry in the series." It's "hard to imagine even the most calloused-hearted person not having fun with the game." – GameSpot
- CGMagazine (9/10): "Even more reason to make the Switch to the new system." – CGMagazine
- VGC (4/5): "The fifth and finest iteration of the series to date," and "rammed with content" whether you play solo, locally or online. – VGC
- Eurogamer (4/5): The series' "most refined outing yet; charming, wonderfully considered," and fun without a room full of friends. – Eurogamer
- Game Informer (8/10): "There's not a loser in the bunch," and it could become "a cherished inclusion in the rotation of party mainstays." – Game Informer
- TechRadar (4/5): "A considerable improvement over its predecessor," though sports like Football and Chambara are missing at launch. – TechRadar
- Shacknews (8/10): "Not every sport is a hit," but it's a great sports game for online and offline play. – Shacknews
- TheSixthAxis (8/10): "A slam-dunk" for families, but "largely more of the same." – TheSixthAxis
- Wccftech (7.5/10): "A solid greatest-hits package" that "doesn't deliver much that's truly new or innovative." – Wccftech
- IGN (7/10): "The quality of its sports varies drastically," but it "shines as the party game it's meant to be." – IGN
- Metro GameCentral (7/10): "The best motion controls the series has ever seen, but disappointingly few surprises." – Metro GameCentral
- TheGamer (3.5/5): It won't recreate the feeling Wii Sports gave you, but it's "everything that a Wii Sports successor on the Switch 2 needs to be." – TheGamer
- Radio Times (3/5): The sports "run well" and people will have fun, but "I just wish they could've done more." – Radio Times
The consensus: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is the series' most complete package yet. It has sharp Joy-Con 2 motion controls, a fun mix of sports old and new, Wuhu Island to explore, and enough single-player content to keep going after the party ends. It doesn't reinvent anything, and a few sports and missing favorites hold it back, but if you want a family or party game for Switch 2 this holiday, critics say this is it. It's out October 22 on Switch 2.
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