12 March 2026

The Nintendo Switch 2 Has More Upcoming True Exclusives Than PS5 and Xbox Series X/S

By newsgame

While the idea of exclusive games has never disappeared, the current console generation has played fast and loose with the idea more than ever, and that shows nowhere more than the Nintendo Switch 2‘s upcoming exclusive line-up compared to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The logic behind exclusive games is simple: If I really want to play X game and it only releases on Y console, then I am more likely to invest in the Y console. The issue here is the emergence of digital libraries during the PS4 and Xbox One generation, which locked in a lot of players to a particular ecosystem, while there are plenty of reasons to own multiple platforms nowadays (PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and so forth).

The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S generation has treated exclusive games completely differently from predecessors. Several high-profile PlayStation games have come to PC in recent years, like Marvel’s Spider-Man and God of War Ragnarok, while basically every Xbox game also releases on PC day one (and Xbox has gone full multiplatform by releasing previous exclusives on PlayStation). What this means is these games have become console exclusive (in the case of PS5 games on PC) or full-blown multiplatform titles (as in the case with some Xbox-published games), and there are fewer true exclusives for PS5 and essentially none for Xbox Series X/S compared to the Nintendo Switch 2.

The Shifting Exclusive Strategies for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo

The PlayStation Strat

Now, as the companies seem to be gearing up for the next generation of consoles, it seems their strategies for exclusivity going forward are also developing. Reports indicate that Sony will stop releasing PlayStation games on PC for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:

PS5 games are not selling as well as expected on PC.
Sony makes more money from sales on PlayStation.
Brand identity + reception of PC users being asked to make PSN accounts
Rumors suggesting that Microsoft’s next Xbox will be able to play PC games (and thus some PlayStation games)

Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

The Microsoft Gaming Solution

Meanwhile, several fans have asked new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma to give the Xbox consoles exclusive games again—in some cases, specifically meaning no longer releasing Xbox games on PlayStation. Microsoft does seem to be tearing down any and all walls between PC and Xbox, however, as the next-gen Xbox console is confirmed to play both PC and Xbox games. Whereas PlayStation is backing off in the PC world, Xbox is doubling down.

Nintendo Gonna Ninten DO

And then there’s Nintendo, which has always done its own thing. The Nintendo Switch 2 is much younger than the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and yet, it has a more consistent stream of exclusive games than either console. Because of PC or multiplatform releases, the Nintendo Switch 2 already has more true exclusive games than the PS5 or Xbox Series X. There doesn’t seem to be a foreseeable world where Nintendo properties launch on its platform, and also Xbox’s, and/or also PlayStation’s, and/or also on PC.

Perhaps more than anything, as the idea of full-blown true exclusives mounts a comeback, this has positioned Nintendo as the most consistent and thereby strongest of the big three. True exclusivity has never left the Big N, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Nintendo Switch 2 competes with the PS5 and Xbox Series X in the long run…as well as the PS6 and Xbox’s Project Helix console. Looking at upcoming exclusives in the vein of true exclusivity, not console exclusivity (meaning there will be a PC version), Nintendo Switch 2 has the strongest line-up for the future.

Nintendo Switch 2 Has 5 Confirmed True Exclusives

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
Splatoon Raiders
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
The Duskbloods
Pokemon Winds and Waves (technically two games but counting as one)

The Nintendo Switch 2 has already released more true exclusive games than the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, having 12 total exclusives with the recent release of Pokemon Pokopia. It seems that Nintendo’s strategy is to release one exclusive game every couple of months, with Mario Tennis Fever released in February, Pokopia in March, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book confirmed for May.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is slated for April (as a Switch 1 exclusive), with theories of a Nintendo Direct happening in June.

All of this is to say Nintendo has had a strong 2026 already, with more exclusives on the immediate horizon, The Duskbloods and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave expected to release this year, Splatoon Raiders still in development, and Pokemon Gen 10 confirmed for 2027. If rumors of a new 3D Mario game for its big holiday exclusive are true, then the Switch 2’s first year or so could be purely generational.

And at the very least, Nintendo Switch 2 hardware owners know that the Big N has already built a solid library and has no intention of slowing down. 5 true exclusives are already confirmed for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026 and beyond.

PS5 Has 4 Confirmed True Exclusives

The PlayStation 5 has received some strong exclusives since launch, even if some of them eventually made their way to PC, but the cadence of releases has been inconsistent. There are a multitude of factors for that, but one that’s worth highlighting is Sony’s gamble on live-service games. At one point, Sony had planned to release at least 10 live-service PlayStation games by 2026, but most of these have been reportedly or outright canceled, including a military shooter from Bend Studio, a live-service God of War game from the now-defunct Bluepoint Games, a live-service Twisted Metal game, a live-service Spider-Man game, and The Last of Us Online. And then there’s the specter of Concord, which was a solid game but was maligned by players and shut down shortly after launch.

All of this is to say, because of resources spent on live-service games among a plethora of other major issues in the industry (ballooning budgets, lagging sales, the affordability crisis, etc.), there are fewer true exclusives for the PS5 than adopters of the generation expected. Some are still slated for PC releases. Fairgame$, Phantom Blade Zero, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, Horizon Hunters Gathering, and Silent Hill: Townfall are PS5-console exclusives, and they will be available on PC as well. When it comes to true exclusivity, the PS5 only has four confirmed titles (with a caveat*).

Marvel’s Wolverine
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Saros
God of War Trilogy Remake

Wolverine looks fantastic, Saros looks fantastic, and Intergalactic looks fantastic, giving fans a small peek at PS5’s upcoming exclusives. The caveat to this list is the God of War Trilogy remake. It was said to be in early development when it was announced, so it’s uncertain if it will bookend the PS5 generation or be an early title for the PS6. Hideo Kojima’s Physint is a PlayStation exclusive title, but it’s early in development and unclear whether or not it will make the PS5 or also be available on PC (at release or a later date).

Xbox Series X/S Has No True Exclusives

As aforementioned, Xbox’s exclusive strategy seems to be tearing down the wall between PC and Xbox. Project Helix playing both is evidence enough of that, so it’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds. That’s not to say there’s not a strong lineup of games in the pipeline from Xbox Game Studios and everything it owns, just that exclusivity is not the goal. Gears of War: E-Day, Clockwork Revolution, State of Decay 3, The Elder Scrolls 6, and more show that Xbox is involved in several potentially great upcoming games—just more as a multiplatform company, not one working on its exclusive lineup anymore.

Exclusivity May Be a Bigger Factor Than Ever

True exclusivity has never left as a talking point, but it seems that it’ll be a bigger factor than ever in the lead-up to the PS6 and Project Helix generation. The latter is doubling down on its multiplatform approach and incorporating PC into that more than ever, while Sony is seemingly returning to true exclusives. Meanwhile, Nintendo has focused on its hardware, and it shows in the exclusives already available or announced for the Nintendo Switch 2.

The competition between the big three has always been a little lopsided, with PlayStation and Xbox being the main competitors while Nintendo does its own stuff in its own space. If anything, it seems Nintendo’s strategy has seen it pull out ahead of the current and next console generation.