Nintendo Switch Sports Resort

Genre: Compilation / Sports (Various)

Players: 1-4 (Local), 2-16 (Online)

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Review:

Wii Sports being such a success on Wii seems like it has ended up being something of a double-edged sword for Nintendo. On the one hand, it makes it a great choice to turn into a franchise because so many people already love it. On the other hand, people are going to look at each subsequent game with the thought, “but I got the first one for free with the console” in the back of their head.

The 2009 Wii follow-up, Wii Sports Resort, avoided this somewhat by not only focusing on an mostly new set of sports, but also infusing the game with more personality via the Wuhu Island location, something of a character unto itself. But Wii Sports Club on Wii U was certainly a victim of this, as many of its included games were the same as the ones in Wii Sports, even if the Wii U gamepad put a different spin on them and the odd a la carte sales scheme was… well, interesting at least. But many players looked at Wii Sports Club and said “I can already play these games on my Wii U via backwards-compatibility with the original Wii Sports, so why should I bother buying this?

At the very least, when Nintendo Switch Sports released in 2022, the fact that you couldn’t play any Wii Sports game on Nintendo Switch put that complaint to rest. However, for many players, the formula had started to wear a bit thin. The various Sports games were enjoyable and accessible, but not especially deep. There wasn’t any overarching goal to work toward, other than winning more costume pieces for the “Sportsmate” characters that many players found less-preferable than the iconic Mii characters (which were still thankfully present). And the game was extremely multiplayer-focused, to the detriment of single-player play.

Now in 2026, we’ve gotten a sequel to Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on Nintendo Switch 2, and it feels like this game has a lot to prove. Does it address the issues some players had with the previous game? Does it justify being a Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive? Is it worth buying if “we have Wii Sports already” or “we have Nintendo Switch Sports already”? Let’s have a look.

Like the prior games in this series, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort (they really should have put a “2” in there to highlight the jump in platform) is a Compilation of various sport and sport-themed games, though at least a few of these are a bit liberal in their definition of “sports”. Is flying a plane a sport? Anyway, all of these games are played exclusively with Joy-Con 2 using the controller’s gyroscopic motion-control in various ways to imitate the sport in question, whether that’s mimicking the motion of your character on-screen like swinging a tennis racket, or using a gesture based on the activity in question, like holding your controller like a paper plane to fly the prop plane.

In many ways, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is to Nintendo Switch Sports as Wii Sports Resort was to Wii Sports – it features a collection of multiple games that weren’t in Nintendo Switch Sports, as well as some new games (including some Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games that weren’t included in Nintendo Switch Sports). And of course, Wuhu Island making a return is sure to draw direct comparisons.

Anyway, let’s take a look at the actual sports here, and what I thought of them. And right off the bat we can see one improvement: This game has 5-6 games more than Nintendo Switch Sports had, even taking into account post-release content added to that game, for a total of 12-13 (depending on if you count Jump Rope as a full game on its own). Hopefully that’s a good sign…

Here’s what I thought of each of the games in this compilation:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Archery	Sports (Archery)	1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen), 2 Competitive (Online)	B
tl;dr Excellent motion control in this game really does a great job imitating the feel of pulling taut an arrow and letting it loose, which really helps with how otherwise simple and a tad monotonous this is. The “Special Rules” version of this game has players competing to hit only their portion of the target, which grows or shrinks from round to round based on how well you play. Overall, a solid take on the sport, and I just wish there was a third version with multiple targets or obstructions or something to add in some wackiness. But as a straightforward take on the sport, I don’t think you could ask for more here.
Basketball	Sports (Basketball)	1-4 Competitive / Team Competitive (Local / Online)	C
tl;dr This is a simplified take on the sport that has players taking turns as offense and defense. A mechanic where you can only steal the ball while someone is dribbling to move gives movement as offense a great risk/reward mechanic, but moving to get to a spot to have the ball passed to you just doesn’t work well since you don’t control where you go. In addition, it’s difficult to see how your performance shooting affects your aim to the basket. There are separate game modes where you’re just trying to score 3-pointers without defense, but this only focuses on the weakest part of this take on the sport. Overall, this can still be enjoyable, but mostly it’s a disappointment.
Boxing	Boxing	1-2 Competitive (Local Split-Screen / Online)	D+
tl;dr You can vary your position and aim, and have a stamina meter that drops while punching and refills while refraining from punching. Despite this, it just feels like you’re doing a lot of mindless flailing here.
Bowling	Sports (Bowling)	1-4 Competitive (Local Alternating, Online)	B+
tl;dr Bowling remains one of the starts of the series, and while this version loses the online 16-player tournament, it also sees the return of 100-pin Bowling mode from prior games in the series. On balance, I’d say this results in something about on par with what we saw in Nintendo Switch Sports.
Golf	Sports (Golf)	1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen), 2-4 Competitive (Online)	B+
tl;dr Just as with the version in Nintendo Switch Sports, this is a simple but well-made take on Golf. I will admit that gauging shot strength was difficult for me, but that may just be because I’m not a great golfer. Otherwise, this is a highly-accessible version of golf that still provides good subtle gameplay options for those who want more precision aiming the ball and applying spin, all with motion controls that work pretty well for the game. With a total of 27 courses with some decent variety, this has a good amount more variety than the previous game had too. Overall, this is an excellent game of Golf.
Jump Rope	Exercise / Sports (Misc.)	1	C
tl;dr This isn’t mixed in with the rest of the games, but listed on the bottom of the maim menu screen as “Warm-Up”. It plays pretty much exactly like Nintendo’s free Jump Rope Challenge game, and is a great workout, but doesn’t offer much in the way of gameplay or variety. Good for what it is, but not something you’ll likely return to much unless you specifically want the exercise.
Power Cruising	Watercraft Racing	1-4 Competitive (Local)	B
tl;dr This unbranded JetSki game is one of the more fun games in this collection, but it also feels like one of the biggest missed opportunities. There’s a free roam mode to explore, a mode where you’re trying to find camera icons representing points of interest within a time limit, and a standard race on one of ten courses. In all three, you can’t play against computer-controlled opponents, and can’t play online. They’re still plenty of fun, but this feels like it could have easily been expanded into a fully-fledged Wave Race sequel with its good motion controls, fun racing mechanics, and nice wave physics. Sadly, it feels limited due to being only one part of a package instead of its own game.
Prop Plane	Flight Simulator	1-4 Competitive (Local)	B-
tl;dr This mode suffers from the same problemm as Power Cruising – the lack of computer-controlled opponents and online play really hurts this one. It’s also one of the few games in this collection that feels like it would be better without motion controls. This one has three modes – There’s a free roam mode to explore, a mode where you’re trying to find camera icons representing points of interest within a time limit, and a local multiplayer-only mode where you’re trying to crash into balloons and steal them from other players. Even with the issues this mode has, it’s still fun, but it definitely feels like it could’ve been a whole lot better.
Skateboarding	Racing / Sports (“Xtreme”)	1-4 Competitive (Local)	B-
tl;dr This mode suffers from the same problemm as Power Cruising and Prop Plane – the lack of computer-controlled opponents and online play really hurts this one. It’s also a game that paradoxically feels like it would be better without the gimmicky Mouse Mode controls, but if it had more traditional controls it would only reveal how simple the gameplay is. This one has three modes – There’s a free roam mode to explore, a mode where you’re trying to find camera icons representing points of interest within a time limit, and a racing mode. Even with the issues this mode has, it’s still fun, but it definitely feels like it could’ve spent more time in development to improve it.
Table Tennis	Sports (Table Tennis)	1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen) 2 Competitive (Online)	B-
tl;dr This and Tennis are the only game in this bundle that doesn’t have any sort of tutorial, which is odd because it feels like it could use one here – you have to figure out for yourself that your aim isn’t just based on how you swing your paddle, but your timing. Once you figure this out, this is a fun but simple take on ther sport. This also has an alternate mode, Return Challenge, where players try to aim for cans placed on the table and knock over as many as they can in a time limit. Overall, not bad, though there’s not much here.
Tennis	Sports (Tennis)	1-4 Team Competitive (Local), v2 Competitive (Online)	B-
tl;dr Like in previous Wii Sports games and Nintendo Switch Sports, this iteration of Tennis still doesn’t let you control your player movement, but adds a level of strategy by making every match a doubles match and having solo players control both members of their team. It’s fun, and the controls feel better than they were in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, but I still didn’t feel like the motions of the controller always translated accurately into the gameplay. This version of the game also includes “Laid-Back Match”, where players hit a larger, slower-moving ball, a mode the game specifically says is intended for “newbies and casual players”.
Thumb Wrestling	Sports (Misc.)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B
tl;dr It may be the silliest game in the whole bundle, but it’s also surprisingly fun and engaging, with strategic rules about charging your thumbs. I know some folks out there look at this and say “Why should I bother with this? I can thumb wrestle without this game”, but it’s not quite the same. This is surely the breakout surprise of this collection.
Volleyball	Sports (Volleyball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Online)	B-
tl;dr Just as in Nintendo Switch Resort, this is a surprisingly decent version of the sport, and the variety given to it by having to alternately bump, set, spike, and block the ball keeps things interesting. What’s more, unlike this game’s versions of Tennis and Table Tennis, you can actually move your player… but only some of the time. What’s more, if the motion controls have any influence over aiming here, I’m not seeing it. The result is a game that’s uneven – it does some things right, and other things poorly. However, I give it a bonus because the extra mode, Bump to the Beat, is a really fun Music-Rhythm game that seems like it might have been inspired by Rhythm Heaven. It’s just a shame there’s only one (not great) song, and there’s not more variety here.

In short, this is a surprisingly good lineup, without much junk. Boxing is as bad as it ever was, but I know it’s a fan-favorite from the original Wii Sports, so I’m sure some will be happy to see it return. Basketball is also marred by lack of movement control and shooting controls that don’t really make it clear what you’re doing right or wrong. And Jump Rope is… well, not really a game, but those looking for a bit of exercise will find it a nice addition, I’m sure.

Other than this, it’s pretty much great all-around, though not without some caveats. Power Cruising, Prop Plane, and Skateboarding are all fun, but also feel like they’re really hurt by a lack of online multiplayer and computer-controlled opponents, plus the promising potential of the free-roam modes is let down by the lack of anything interesting to do – even the collectibles present in the respective “Sightseeing Tour” modes of these games are missing in free roam, which seems like a massive missed opportunity.

Likewise, Tennis and Volleyball both have the same flaws I complained about in my Nintendo Switch Sports review, and Table Tennis could have used a better explanation up front (there are guides hidden deep within the game’s menus, but you have to seek them out).

However, while some of these games have some frustrations and irritations, most are great, even despite these problems. Also, Archery was a true delight, Thumb Wrestling is surprisingly great, and… well, it’s no surprise that Golf and Bowling are once again superb, and the stars of the bundle.

Most of the games in this collection were in a prior Wii Sports game or Nintendo Switch Sports, and Jump Rope was pretty much pulled directly from Jump Rope Challenge. This means the only completely original games here are Skateboarding and Thumb Wrestling, but even with this being the case, this package doesn’t feel like a rehash, since it’s been ages since we saw a lot of these games, and not in this form.

Complaints about a lack of single-player content in Nintendo Switch Sports have been addressed in this sequel… somewhat. There’s a new Island Crown mode where you challenge progressively more difficult opponents in nine of the sports (Power Cruising, Prop Plane, and Skateboarding once again get shafted here), and while this does give players more of a goal to aim for, it would be nice if we had some sort of overarching campaign with more varied minigames, some sort of story, or full Open-World exploration of Wuhu Island with rewards for doing so. Make no mistake, this is absolutely an improvement, but it still seems like Nintendo could have gone even further with content here.

Of course, multiplayer mode returns again, but this time it seems a bit underwhelming to me. Every multiplayer game I tried ended up filling up with bot opponents, and there’s no option for GameShare here, which I feel is a huge missed opportunity. Ideally, you’ll want to have friends to play this one with, either locally or online.

Finally, let’s talk about the graphics and performance. Did this game really need to be a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive? Ehh, no. Not really. To be sure, the game looks great, with a nice clean resolution and smooth framerates, and there are some good lighting and water effects too. But this is nothing I think the original Nintendo Switch couldn’t handle, perhaps with a lower resolution. To be fair, the improved gyroscopic motion control certainly helps here, and Mouse Mode is necessary for the Skateboarding game (for better or worse), but otherwise, this could have been a Nintendo Switch game.

I feel like I’ve made a lot of complaints about Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, and believe me when I say that this is absolutely not because I think this is a bad, mediocre, or even significantly flawed game. Quite the opposite – this is not only a great collection of Sports games, but one that I think improves significantly on Nintendo Switch Sports with much more consistent quality in its games, more games overall, more content, more to do in single-player, and a great change in venue to Wuhu Island.

If anything, my complaints are mainly at all the missed opportunities present here – this could have been so much better. I picture how much better this game would be with an open-world that’s not just explorable, but fully-realized… or a campaign that makes a real effort to engage with players… or improvements to some of the issues that older games had with their controls… or not dropping the ball on Power Cruising, Prop Plane, and Skateboarding in so many ways.

Look, I can do the “what if” pondering all day, but even despite all of that, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is an excellent game, and not only a must-have for Sports fans on Nintendo Switch 2, but a great game for families or those who enjoy throwing down in multiplayer. There is absolutely room for improvement here, but this is the best game yet in the Wii Sports/Nintendo Switch Sports series, and one that I think is absolutely worth getting for anyone who has enjoyed this series in the past.

tl;dr – Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a family-friendly Compilation of 12-13 mostly sports-themed motion-controlled games. This game not only improves on Nintendo Switch Sports in numerous ways, but it is the best game yet in the Wii Sports / Nintendo Switch Sports series, despite a lot of missed opportunities this game drops the ball on, and a presentation that really seems like it didn’t need to be a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. However, the selection of games is much more well-rounded and consistently good this time, and there’s a lot more to do here. As a result, this is a must-have for Sports fans on Nintendo Switch 2, as well as fans of family-friendly games and good multiplayer games. This game is just overall a delight, and I absolutely recommend it.

Grade: A-

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