Nintendo Direct (2023): dates, games, rumors

The Nintendo Direct is always a great moment for Nintendo Switch video game players where lots of games can be announced. Here you will find a list of releases you will be able to discover in 2023.

What is Nintendo Direct?

Nintendo Direct is a series of special live shows produced by Nintendo, where the Japanese video game company showcases its upcoming games, hardware innovations, and anything related to the brand. A Nintendo Direct presentation typically lasts around 40 minutes. Besides general Nintendo Direct editions, there may also be presentations with particular topics. For instance, during the 2022 Nintendo Direct season, there were exclusive shows for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Splatoon 3. Nintendo Direct events are broadcast on the Nintendo YouTube channel.

When Nintendo Direct events take place in 2023?

In 2023, Nintendo will delight its fans with plenty of new games to get excited about. Several Nintendo Direct events have already taken place this year. On February 8, Nintendo revealed the most anticipated games of the year, including а new version of Metroid Prime, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Professor Layton and the New World of Steam (read more about these games below).

On March 9, the next event took place, which was exclusively dedicated to the Super Mario Bros. Movie. Produced by Universal Pictures, Illumination and Nintendo, this new animated film will be shown exclusively in cinemas from April 5th. According to unofficial information, it is possible that the film will to arrive to streaming platforms in the fall of 2023. As you can see from the trailer, the plot of the film is not based on any game in the series. Mario and his brother Luigi end up in the Mushroom Kingdom, where Bowser captures Luigi and Mario meets Princess Peach; she teaches him so he can successfully fight Bowser.

The date of the next Nintendo Direct event has not yet been officially announced, but we will follow the news and update this article. Nintendo usually announces its Nintendo Direct presentations as little as one or two days before the event takes place, so we also recommend you follow the company's official Twitter account to ensure you don't miss out on anything. Below we list the most interesting of the games that will be released for Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2023:

Fire Emblem Engage

The new Fire Emblem Engage will finally be out in 2023. You are called to become a Divine Dragon and, together with new characters, fight the forces of Evil and save the Elyos continent! The sequel will feature the return of Marth from Fire Emblem 1, a new fusion mode using a powerful ring, and turn-based combat. 

 

Game release date: January 20, 2023.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

The new rhythm game Theatrhythm Final Bar Line for Nintendo Switch will have 104 playable characters, 385 playable songs, and several modes. 

 

Game release date: February 16, 2023.

Octopath Traveler II

The second part of the JRPG game Octopath Traveler will be a separate game introducing eight new heroes. The story takes place in the world "Solistia" during the industrial revolution when steamships fell across the seas. The game will also be released available on PC and PS4, PS5.

 

Game release date: February 24, 2023.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

Kirby, a funny creature able to float and gain the power of objects and creatures through their inhalation, has become a hero of more than 40 games. Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a remake of the 2011 game, one of the Kirby series developed by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. You will plunge into the adventures of Kirby and his friends Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee on the Popstar planet. They will have to battle with the alien Magolor to destroy the Crown of the Master.

 

Game release date: February 24, 2023.

 

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Bayonetta, the action-adventure saga developed by Platinum Games for the Nintendo Switch, is getting a prequel in 2023. In Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, you will play the main character in her younger years, when she must gain experience and skills as an angel hunter in the forbidden Avalon Forest. Together with her demon Cheshire, she will have to fight faeries and solve puzzles. In addition to the gameplay that is different from previous games in the franchise, this edition stands out for the beauty and originality of its graphics, created in a watercolor style.

 

Game release date: March 17, 2023.

Storyteller

Storyteller is a puzzle game about building stories with a variety of themes and plots. At the start of the game, you are given a story theme (like silt) as well as characters and settings that you must arrange in the puzzle cells to create a cohesive story.

 

Game release date: March 23, 2023.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The adventures of Link and Zelda continue in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It is a new sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), an adventure open-world video game developed by Nintendo. The protagonists again have to confront the main villain, Calamity Ganon. Players will get new powers and elements, such as floating islands. 

 

Game release date: May 12, 2023.

Minecraft: Legends

Minecraft Legends is another series from the universe of games created by Mojang. It will be a real time action strategy game with epic battles. In addition to the Nintendo Switch, the game will of course be released on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

 

Game release date: April 18, 2023.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a remake of Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, and the fifth game in the cult saga.  In this turn-based strategy game, you will control the tactical advisor of the Orange Star Army in the Blue Moon War, Yellow Comet and Green Earth. In addition to the stories of the previous games, it will also include the Versus mode that supports both local and online multiplayer, and a map maker. 

 

Game release date: April 21, 2023.

Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4 is the upcoming fourth part of the real-time strategy/puzzle video game created by Shigeru Miyamoto and published by Nintendo. You control plant-like creatures called Pikmin who go through obstacles, collect items and fight enemies. According to its creators, a ground perspective has been added in the sequel, and game controls have been made easier, allowing players to focus more on strategic planning.

 

Game release date: July 21, 2023. 

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is a new game from a series of adventure puzzles dedicated to the professor of archeology Herschel Leighton. The last episode of the series, Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy, was released for Switch  in 2019. It is not yet known if the professor's companion and student, Luke Triton, and the previous protagonist, Katrielle Layton, will be in the new game. But we can already tell, judging by the trailer, that the graphics and stories promise to be exciting.

 

Game release date: TBA.