Switch 2 will get Xbox games, too

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says he’s “really looking forward to supporting” Nintendo with the company’s Xbox games, a strong indication that more previously exclusive titles from Xbox Game Studios are bound for Nintendo Switch 2.

Spencer’s comments, from a recent episode of the Gamertag Radio podcast, appear to lend further credence to reports that games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are bound for Nintendo’s next-gen console.

During his appearance on Gamertag Radio, Spencer praised Nintendo’s innovation and its success with the original Switch, saying that he believes the Switch 2 will also be successful for the company. And while he didn’t outright announce any Xbox games for Switch 2, Microsoft has already set a precedent that it’s quite comfortable bringing previously Xbox-exclusive software to what are ostensibly rival platforms.

Microsoft already publishes Minecraft on a wide variety of platforms, including Switch, and has released two Ori games, Pentiment and Grounded, for Nintendo’s console. With the more powerful Switch 2 coming in 2025, Microsoft could more easily bring over some of its more technically demanding games, like its Halo collection and games that were previously only released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Of course, Microsoft has already committed to bringing the Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo’s platform. Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard already has some its games (e.g., Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1&2, Diablo 3, Overwatch 2) on Switch, and it’s likely that those titles (or their sequels) could be Switch 2 games. Spencer said to expect Microsoft games “will show up in more and more places,” a strong hint that more of 2025’s Xbox strong lineup might show up on Switch and PlayStation consoles.

But Spencer didn’t announce specifics around Switch 2 support, possibly out of respect for how Nintendo is rolling out news about its next console. Outside of a new, currently untitled Mario Kart game, Nintendo hasn’t officially announced games for Switch 2. That will likely happen in April, when the company plans to hold a Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct presentation. Once Nintendo starts to reveal next-gen games, third parties like Microsoft are sure to follow.

We’re not yet ready to call Switch 2 an Xbox just yet, not in the way that Microsoft is calling phones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and handheld PCs an Xbox. Those platforms are capable of streaming Xbox games from the cloud and supporting Game Pass subscriptions. And while Spencer has expressed a desire to bring Game Pass to platforms made by Nintendo, PlayStation, and every other device that will have it, Microsoft may have to settle for bringing its catalog of IP to non-Xbox consoles for now — potentially exposing Master Chief to an all-new, much bigger audience.