The biggest story in Japanese games this year was, of course, the long, long, long-awaited release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Released in 2017, the original Switch changed the landscape, allowing gamers to play the same games at home or on the move, selling 154 million units worldwide and dominating the hardware and software charts in Japan month after month. Meanwhile, 2025 gave rise to a whole new category of high-end handheld game devices, like Valve's Steam Deck.
But after eight years, the relatively underpowered hardware was showing its age. And the appetite for a successor couldn't have been higher.
Switch 2 was officially unveiled in January 2025, looking very much like an upgrade rather than a completely new innovation, but a welcome upgrade nonetheless. And it dominated the news cycle for months. When it eventually launched in June, it was Nintendo's most expensive console ever, at the eye-watering North American price of $450. And yet, Switch 2 enjoyed the biggest launch in game console history. To date, in just six months, it has sold an astonishing 10 million units worldwide.
Somewhat Bold Steps for Nintendo
In Japan, Nintendo took the bold step of releasing a region-locked version for the domestic market priced around $100 less than in the West. That allowed it to continue its dominance of the console market here, and momentum has continued despite a fairly small library of exclusive games.
That said, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the best-selling game on Switch, launching the new console with a brand new game, Mario Kart World, was enough to satisfy most Nintendo fans, with over 90% of Switch 2 owners buying the game.
Meanwhile, Pokémon Legends: Z-A evolved the spinoff Legends series a fair amount, offering a grand and nostalgic adventure and fun characters and side quests, despite some disappointingly plain visuals. It did, of course, sell like hot Pikachus ー 5.8 million copies in its first week, half of them on Switch and half on Switch 2 ー although not quite as well as its predecessor, Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
As a side note, this year marked the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros, the seminal 1985 game that launched arguably gaming's most recognizable mascot. Because of this and the Switch 2's release, I was absolutely certain that a new mainline Mario game would be announced this year. However, at the time of writing, we're still waiting.
Instead, "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," the follow-up to 2023's insanely successful "The Super Mario Bros Movie," was announced alongside a smattering of smaller new games and re-releases. Will we finally get bigger news in 2026?
Sony's Rocky Road
Things were less rosy for Sony. While PlayStation 5 continues to sell well overseas, a steep price increase in Japan in 2024 all but killed momentum for the platform here. So, towards the end of a rough year, in November, Sony mimicked Nintendo's approach and released a Japan-only version of the PS5 at a significantly lower price. The result: an instant uptick in sales.
This was a smart move that seems to be paying off. However, with Nintendo so far ahead and the PC gaming market growing ever larger in Japan, Sony still has a lot of ground to cover here.
Capcom Faces Its Woes
The highly anticipated release of Monster Hunter Wilds in February met with mixed reception. Selling 8 million copies within three days, it became developer Capcom's fastest-selling game to date. It is also the biggest seller on PS5 in Japan so far.
But sales soon slowed down, with the PC version in particular receiving overwhelmingly negative user reviews due to technical issues. That tarnished the reputation of this mighty franchise and contributed to a drop in Capcom's share price. The development team continues to address these issues, and the PC versions' reviews have improved. But this tainted what should have been a huge year for Capcom, and Monster Hunter will have much to prove with future releases.
Hideo Kojima's New Release
After a couple of years of skillful hype-building, revered Japanese creator Hideo Kojima finally released his new game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, in June. The game lived up to expectations, garnering an impressive 89% score on Metacritic and being nominated for multiple year-end awards. In particular, the sequel built on the moment-to-moment gameplay of its predecessor and boasted gorgeous visual design, coupled with another weird but compelling sci-fi story.
Influencing the World of Gaming
Another big hit in Japan this year was Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, bundling lovingly rebuilt versions of the hugely popular 1986 and '87 RPGs. IGN Japan's reviewer gave it a 9 out of 10, writing, "The HD-2D versions of Dragon Quest I & II are masterpieces. … In particular, Dragon Quest I offers a high-quality reconstruction of the exploration, combat and story of the original game."
But not all this year's games set in Japan were made in Japan. A reminder of Japan's indelible influence on the world of videogames and pop culture in general, we saw several new games made overseas but with one foot in Japan.
First of all, Konami outsourced the development of two of its key franchises to studios elsewhere in Asia. Silent Hill f was set in 1960s Japan and had a story by renowned Japanese horror writer Ryukishi07. But the core development was handled by NeoBards Entertainment, which is primarily based in Taipei.
Silent Hill f was a strong entry in a series that has been successfully revived by Konami with a string of great new games. It also made a global star of lead actress Konatsu Kato, whose post-release gameplay livestreams were endearingly clumsy and fun to watch, generating millions of views in the process.
Entrusting Overseas Developers
Konami's other huge franchise, Metal Gear Solid, was partly entrusted to Virtuos, a support studio headquartered in Singapore and with teams around the world. Meanwhile, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was a remake of fan-favorite entry MGS3. It was a risky project because fans of the series have been prickly about the idea of new games since the series' visionary creator, Hideo Kojima, parted with Konami on bad terms a decade ago. Delta overcame these hurdles to deliver a reverent remake of the classic game, garnering strong reviews and – who knows – maybe even opening the franchise up to some brand new games eventually.
In a similar vein, Sega entrusted its long-dormant Japan-set ninja-focused Shinobi series to French developer Lizardcube. That resulted in the excellent Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, released in August.
Generating Controversy
Then there was Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Yotei and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows, both of which were set in feudal Japan but made by Western developers.
While Ghost of Yotei was considered a somewhat reverent homage to the period, Shadows caused controversy with its portrayal of Yasuke, a real-life black servant of Oda Nobunaga who may or may not have been a samurai but was depicted in the game as very much so. Despite the extremely toxic discourse around this topic, the game sold pretty much what you'd expect (for better or worse), proving that most people are unaffected by online trolls.
This trend of Western games set in Japan will continue in 2026 with the release of British studio Playground Games' Forza Horizon 6, with races across landscapes including Mount Fuji and Tokyo.
Game of the Year Inspired by Japanese JRPGs
Finally, there was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This megahit was made by a small team based in France, with a fantasy setting inspired by the Belle Époque. So… Why did everyone call it a JRPG (Japanese role-playing game)? Well, the team at developer Sandfall Interactive drew heavy inspiration from classic JRPGs such as Final Fantasy. And the game used a turn-based battle system reminiscent of those games, augmented by action elements influenced by other Japanese games like Dark Souls. Expedition 33 borrowed those elements while offering a more grounded story and succinct playtime than most JRPGs, along with gorgeous, surreal imagery, haunting music, and top-tier voice acting.
When Expedition 33 swept multiple year-end award shows, including taking the top spot in IGN Japan's Game of the Year list, it left hope that this French game might influence RPG makers in Japan as well, setting a refined template for those who come after.
A Year of Great Events
In terms of events, we saw a highly polished Tokyo Game Show in September, with its highest number ever of exhibitors – though strangely, fewer attendees than in 2024, and no clear standout game of the show. Next year TGS 2026 will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a five-day event. So here's hoping for a strong lineup of games to support it.
We also saw an increase in stature for indie game events. BitSummit, the OG for this sort of thing, welcomed a record 58,000 attendees when it was held in Kyoto in July. Also, as someone who has attended every BitSummit since it began in 2013, I can attest this was the best one yet. It was packed with a well-curated selection of games in well-organized areas around the venue. And events like Tokyo Indie Games Summit, Tokyo Game Dungeon, Tokyo Indies, and more, proved that the appetite for smaller games by independent studios is growing in Japan.
As we settle into the year-end break, I hope you'll find some time to catch up on your gaming backlog – which almost certainly includes some games from Japan. See you again in 2026!
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Author: Daniel Robson
Daniel Robson is the Executive Producer of IGN Japan. Follow his series, Gamer's World, and his artist interviews on JAPAN Forward.
