When Nintendo Switch 2 launches in June, it will be accompanied by Mario Kart World. The mustachioed mascot will be front and center when the new system arrives, but those hoping for a new mainline entry in the Mario franchise are out of luck. Many fans have been hoping to see a follow-up to 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey announced, but that doesn’t seem to be part of the plans for 2025. However, it’s a safe bet we’ll be seeing a new Mario game sometime in the near future. In an interview with CNN, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser hinted at announcements to come.
“Stay tuned,” Bowser told CNN. “You know, we have a long, long catalog, and a long list of (intellectual property) that I’m sure will make its way to the platform.”
Following Mario Kart World in June, Donkey Kong Banaza will be released in July. The rest of 2025 will see games such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, Drag x Drive, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Assuming a monthly release schedule, that doesn’t leave room for anything else this year in terms of first-party games. That would mean a mainline Mario game probably won’t be arriving until sometime next year. However, that would line up nicely with the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is slated to arrive on April 3rd, 2026.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder was released about 6 months after the previous Mario movie, so it’s possible we could see something similar happen next year. Nintendo has a tendency to avoid revealing games too far in advance, but with no first-party Switch 2 games confirmed for 2026 yet, it’s possible we could see some announcements throughout the next few months. Nintendo Direct presentations have traditionally been held in June and September. If that stays true this year, that would give Nintendo a chance to share information on currently announced games, as well as some titles coming in the first months of 2026.
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As Bowser mentions, Nintendo has a deep catalog of established franchises, and we can probably expect the company to dive in further throughout the next few years. Mario is hardly alone in that regard; fans are eagerly awaiting news about the next Animal Crossing, Zelda, and Splatoon games. That’s not even mentioning dormant franchises fans have been begging to see return, like Wave Race and Star Fox. For the time being, Nintendo fans are going to have to be patient, but hopefully we’ll see all of these games and more. The new Nintendo era seems to be starting on a strong note, and hopefully that will continue over the next few years.
Do you want to see a new 3D Mario game announced? Or would you prefer to see a new 2D game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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