Red Desert Didn’t Make the List? Don’t Overhype the Switch 2 Myth

When I saw the claim that “Switch 2 can play all 2026 GOTY contenders,” my first reaction wasn’t excitement, but a sense that something felt off. Because making that kind of judgment is like writing the ending for a character before they’ve even reached the finish line—the emotions are dialed all the way up, but the evidence hasn’t caught up. Of course a platform can be loved, but once the discussion escalates into absolute terms like “the only one” or “the best,” it becomes easy for the conversation to lose its accuracy.

According to current information, a blogger recently posted lavish praise for the Switch 2, calling it the only platform at present where players can experience all of 2026’s Game of the Year contenders, and even further claiming that the Switch 2 is the best platform for gaming. For players, that kind of rhetoric is undeniably provocative—like a friend passionately recommending a must-watch masterpiece and opening with, “You’ll regret it if you don’t see it.” The problem is that the so-called list of contenders he provided already contains obvious omissions.

The list mentions titles such as Resident Evil 9: Requiem, Existence of Consciousness, Pokémon Pokopia, and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twin Dragons of Destiny. Judging by these names alone, they certainly have buzz and potential competitive strength, so it’s not strange to include them in a discussion about “possible award contenders.” But what really broke the immersion for me was that the highly anticipated Crimson Desert was completely absent from the list. That gap is far too conspicuous—like a major character who should have carried real weight in the story suddenly being written out. Naturally, people are going to ask: why?

When it comes to player sentiment, I can absolutely understand why people are willing to place their hopes on the Switch 2. If a platform can support more new releases, that means more choices, and it means players with different tastes can all find their own emotional point of entry—like friends with different personalities sitting around the same table chatting together. But that is also exactly where the issue lies: a platform having advantages is not the same thing as “sweeping all GOTY contenders,” and a vision cannot be treated as a conclusion. Especially when a popular title like Crimson Desert is excluded, outsiders will naturally wonder whether the list is incomplete, or whether the blogger simply doesn’t believe it’s even qualified to be considered.

What struck me most is that behind this kind of controversy lies an old problem within the player community: we love picking sides too early. The moment a new platform starts generating buzz, people rush to put it on a pedestal; the moment a hot title shows signs of fluctuation, people rush to write it off. But discussions about GOTY should leave some room for uncertainty. After all, the competitive landscape for 2026 has not truly taken shape yet. To declare “all contenders” at this stage is not only likely to be contradicted by reality, but also turns rational discussion into an emotional tug-of-war.

If you’re currently considering whether to pay attention to the Switch 2 because of claims like these, my advice is actually very simple: first look at whether you care about the games it has already clearly been confirmed to run at this stage, rather than letting the phrase “best platform” push you along. If you already want to play titles like Resident Evil 9: Requiem and you also enjoy Nintendo’s ecosystem, then it is certainly worth continuing to watch; but if what you care more about is whether it will cover every major blockbuster release in the future, it’s still too early to draw conclusions. There’s nothing wrong with liking a platform, but before writing it as the undisputed protagonist, it’s best to finish the script first.