The Nintendo Switch 2 games most likely to use mouse controls
GameCentral runs down why the Nintendo Switch 2’s new mouse controllers are a far bigger deal than you may think and the kind of games that could take advantage of them.
GameCentral examines why the Nintendo Switch 2’s new mouse controllers are a far bigger deal than you may think and the kind of games that could take advantage of them.
The official reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 sparked a number of questions among fans, with the most obvious being what new games will come out for it, when the console will be released, and how much will it cost.
One exciting aspect we feel has gone mostly overlooked, though, is the console’s new Joy-Con controllers and how they seem to function like a computer mouse.
Fans discovered this early thanks to leaks and while Nintendo hasn’t confirmed anything, the Switch 2 reveal trailer blatantly teases mouse-like functionality for the controllers.
While it’s unclear what Nintendo itself plans to use them for it has the capacity to be a real game changer, allowing a number of games to work properly on a console when they never have before.
To explain what we mean by this, let’s run down a list of games from various publishers and see what sort of benefits they could gain thanks to the new Joy-Cons.
CivilizationIf you’re an avid strategy game fan, you likely play most of them on PC, with a mouse and keyboard. It’s what they’re typically designed for and while plenty of strategy titles have seen ports to consoles, it’s usually a compromise in some way.
Using a regular controller to survey battlefields and command your troops, particularly in real-time strategy games, just isn’t as intuitive as using a mouse, where you need to be very precise in what you select.
There are wireless keyboards and computer mice compatible with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S to get around this, but no one ever uses them and certainly not on the Switch.
With the Joy-Cons doubling as mice, so many classic strategy games can be ported to the Switch 2, even if some are more obvious than others.
Civilization 7 is already launching the same day for PC and consoles, including Switch, but it seems very likely the Switch 2’s backwards compatibility will allow it to be played with the mouse controllers.
Not to mention, most of the previous games never left PC. Seeing the whole series get Switch 2 re-releases is probably asking too much, but a Civilization 2 special edition for Switch 2 would be great.
Total War and SegaSega alone has a massive backlog of strategy games, particularly the Total War and Company Of Heroes series, that are ripe for a Switch 2 port if the publisher wants to capitalise on the console’s expected popularity.
Sega could even revisit its Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War series, which have also only ever launched for PC.
While developer Relic Entertainment has since split ways with Sega, the publisher re-released the first two games for PC not too long ago, so Switch 2 ports aren’t entirely out of the question.
Some fans actually theorise a Dawn Of War 4 could be in the pipeline, based on screenshots believed to depict terrain seen in the Warhammer 40,000 series that allegedly leaked from a market research survey. So that may be being made with the Switch 2 specifically in mind.
Paradox Interactive grand strategy gamesStrategy games, particularly grand strategy games, are Paradox Interactive’s bread and butter. So, it would make perfect sense for the company to at least port some of its best examples to Switch 2, both to reach a new audience and appease existing fans.
Crusader Kings 3 has already had a surprisingly good console port but Age Of Wonders 4 working on Switch 2 would be great, or maybe the Europa Universalis or Hearts Of Iron series too.
With other prominent strategy titles like Stellaris and Victoria it’s hard to know which titles Paradox might deem most suitable for the Switch 2 – and they’re probably not sure themselves either. It’s just a shame that City: Skylines 2 is indefinitely delayed or that would’ve been an obvious starting point.
Manor LordsManor Lords was a surprise hit when it launched on PC last year, attracting over 96,000 players in its first month. Those numbers have declined since, but it’s still had several thousand people playing it each month and made enough of a splash to get two nominations at The Game Awards 2024, for Best Debut Indie Game and Best Sim/Strategy Game.
Developer Slavic Magic is likely prioritising the planned Xbox console port at the moment, but the Switch 2’s mouse controllers make it a viable platform as well. Especially if cross-progression becomes a thing, allowing PC players to pick up where they left off on Switch 2, if their PC becomes unavailable.
EA’s Command & Conquer and The SimsEA seems as eager to get Command & Conquer up and running again as the fans do, yet it’s fumbled with every attempt so far. We had hoped the series would return to form after the first two games saw fantastic remasters in 2020, but instead EA announced a second crack at a free-to-play mobile game (which is apparently due out this year).
A new traditional entry for Switch 2 would be a huge win in our book, but fans would also happily lap up ports of those aforementioned remasters. Maybe a re-release of Red Alert 3 too, so more people can experience Tim Curry’s iconic performance as Russian ruler Anatoly Cherdenko.
Mouse controls on Switch could also allow for ports of EA’s Sims games. The Sims 4, a game so popular that EA has no plans for a sequel, has been on PlayStation and Xbox for years, but there’s an untapped market of potential new players who have stuck to Nintendo’s platforms.
EA has already revived its short-lived MySims spin-off for Switch and accidental leaks reveal they have new ones planned for the Switch 2 – so it’s going to be very interesting to see how they control.
StarCraftWhile there’s been talk of Activision Blizzard revisiting the StarCraft series with a shooter spin-off, we’d much rather see a traditional entry in this increasingly neglected strategy game series.
The franchise has been mostly locked to PC, but if Activision ever gets the urge to tap some StarCraft nostalgia, simply re-releasing the 2017 remaster of the original game or a complete edition of StarCraft 2 on Switch 2 would work.
StarCraft on a Nintendo platform isn’t even that far-fetched, considering the first entry saw a Nintendo 64 port in 2000. This marks the only time the series ever came to console.
DiabloSticking with Activision Blizzard, we’d put good money on a Switch 2 port of Diablo 4 being among the first games announced for the console. The series has gained more of a presence on console over the years, but it’s still primarily a PC franchise and mouse control is the only way to go as far as most veteran fans are concerned.
Diablo 4 already has cross-progression, so PC owners can continue playing on Switch 2 whilst travelling thanks to its portability. Same goes for the Diablo-esque Path Of Exile 2, which happens to be one of Steam’s most played games at the moment.
And if/when Diablo 4 comes to Switch 2, similar games could be tempted to follow suit, such as Last Epoch and the Torchlight series.
Counter-Strike 2The Switch 2 will no doubt see its fair share of first and third person shooters, regardless of its controllers, but we didn’t realise how impactful the mouse functionality could be until we really thought about it.
In competitive shooters, PC players have a major advantage over console players, since mouse controls allow for more precise targeting and movement. This is why the modern Call Of Duty games allow you to disable crossplay and opt out of playing against those using different platforms.
The Switch 2’s own mouse controls, though, could render this a non-issue and help even playing field. For all of Microsoft’s boasting, that it would be the one to bring Call Of Duty to Nintendo consoles, these mouse Joy-Cons may be what actually justifies the decision.
It wouldn’t just apply to Call Of Duty either. All manner of competitive shooters would become viable and, assuming they run well, possibly make the Switch 2 the second-best place for them after PC.
The likes of Fortnite and Apex Legends will undoubtedly get Switch 2 versions and supported mouse controls would make them even more attractive. We’re also thinking of games like Halo (which is already rumoured for Switch 2), Valorant, and Marvel Rivals, the last of which is among the top five most played Steam games at the time of writing.
On the subject of Steam, what if the platform’s most popular game – Counter-Strike 2 – made the jump to Switch 2? Counter-Strike has been on consoles before but the Switch 2 could be the only time it really makes sense.
League Of LegendsLike strategy games, multiplayer online battle arena games (better known as MOBAs) are traditionally a PC thing. That’s not to say they can’t appear on consoles (Nintendo already has one of its own in Pokémon Unite), but porting one from PC to console is not something that often happens.
PC MOBAs are built around the assumption that you’re using a mouse and keyboard (they evolved out of fan mods of real-time strategy games like StarCraft). But if the Switch 2 has a mouse then PC juggernauts League Of Legends and Dota 2 could make their way to the console.
Admittedly, neither game necessarily needs to expand their playerbase (Dota 2 had an average of 400,000+ players every month in the last year) and it’s possible their lack of console ports is due to their respective publishers not being interested.
In the case of League Of Legends, Riot had planned to port the mobile version – League Of Legends: Wild Rift – to consoles but, according to executive producer David Xu, this was abandoned to ‘prioritise mobile investments’ and because of a lack of interest in MOBAs within the console space.
Advance Wars and PikminLet’s wrap things up with pure wish fulfilment. Nintendo wouldn’t incorporate mouse functionality into its Switch 2 controllers if it didn’t intend to make games of its own that use them. Knowing this, we would love to see it used to breathe new life into the Advance Wars series.
The franchise has managed without mouse functionality its whole life, but building a new entry with the Switch 2 controllers in mind would allow for new gameplay opportunities and mechanics. Maybe even some real-time elements, as a nod to the short-lived Battalion Wars spin-off series.
We could also see Nintendo use the mouse controls for a Pikmin sequel, considering the games are technically classed as real-time strategy titles. Or at least they were at first.
Pikmin 4’s streamlined combat and controls took the series in a different direction so it’s probably more likely Nintendo will create a brand new series to make use of the mouse controls – and that’s the most exciting thought of all.
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