Twenty years on from the arrival of the Wii and Wii Sports, it’s time to swing, shoot, and bowl again. This time with added thumbs.
Nintendo may have a relatively new console to promote, but it’s not afraid to look back to past glories.
Although Wii Sports has often been unkindly treated as nothing more than a motion-control gimmick, its formula has had surprising longevity. First, it received a Wii MotionPlus-enhanced follow-up, then it was pulled apart for Wii U, and, in 2022, it made a full-fledged return as Nintendo Switch Sports. That release was a compelling package, upgraded in all the right places, but with a few overly fussy sports that didn’t quite hit the mark.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort has mostly gone unremarked upon in a season shadowed by the imminent arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI, with the Ocarina of Time remake as a compelling support act. But the series shouldn’t be underestimated. The 2022 Switch Sports is one of those titles that just got on with doing the business. It was never a social phenomenon, but it has still shipped nearly 20 million copies. It’s no accident that Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is one of this year’s Nintendo Switch 2 pack-ins.
Two decades on from Wii Sports, the core pleasures of the series remain exactly the same. There are improvements, both technical and graphical, but all that really matters is the joy in the room when players pick up their Joy-Cons and start competing. Having fun with your family and friends never gets old and, thankfully, this Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive doesn’t drop the ball.
This time around, we return to Wuhu Island, a familiar setting from games including Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort, and Mario Kart 7. That familiarity extends to the core roster of sports that Nintendo would be crazy to meddle with: tennis, bowling, and golf. These mainstays are just as pleasurable as they were in 2006. The controls are undoubtedly more refined than they were with the original Wii Remote, but their appeal has never truly depended on 1:1 fidelity of movement.
I coerced some family members into helping me judge the game’s lineup of pursuits and their appeal to the young, the old, and those of us somewhere in the middle. So let’s head out…
Returning sports
Archery
One of my favourites from Wii Sports Resort returns in sparkling form. Archery features two modes, offering traditional target shooting and tougher special challenges across a range of Wuhu Island locations. Target distance, wind direction, and wind strength are the main obstacles to success, but there’s also a huge amount of fun to be had seeking out and hitting secret targets. Aiming a bow, then feeling the tension as you pull back and release the string, feels better than ever thanks to HD Rumble 2. It’s intuitive, simple to grasp, and carries the same pick-up-and-play appeal as bowling and tennis.
Basketball
From a control perspective, basketball is quite well done, but the two-on-two matches can get messy. We had the most fun with the contest mode, which blends the simple action of shooting hoops with the pressure of a countdown and the joyful scramble of three other players competing simultaneously.
Bowling
What is there to say about Nintendo’s take on bowling at this point? Between the standard matches for up to four players and the maximalist 100-pin game, the same magic that made Wii Sports such a delight is here again and in good health. The only wrinkle, for me at least, is breaking an old habit. On Wii, you let go of the B button to release the ball, and two decades on, my hand still wants to do that. I keep letting go of ZL when the game doesn’t require it. This change probably saves a few Joy-Cons from becoming airborne, but it still feels slightly counterintuitive.
Bowling is still one of the package’s best games, nonetheless, with appeal across the whole family. It’s precise enough to feel like you’re in control, but unpredictable enough to keep you humble. Just like real bowling, then.
Boxing
Boxing also makes a welcome return, with improved movement thanks to the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Landing hooks and jabs feels as, erm, punchy as ever, and the defensive dodges are much smoother. The on-screen stamina meter also helps prevent the game from becoming an exercise in random flailing. Of all the sports on offer, it’s the most physically demanding and one of the game’s more enjoyable solo activities.
Golf
Why Nintendo hasn’t made a proper, modern, non-Mario golf game is something of a mystery. The motion controls have been refined repeatedly over time, reducing the vagaries of earlier games, and the courses have kept evolving, with this entry offering an expansive mix of returning and new layouts. Golf is also an online highlight, particularly with GameChat, which lets you amble around the courses, idly chatting to a friend as you go. It’s a perfectly delightful way to spend an afternoon with faraway friends.
Power Cruising
Power Cruising is one of three leisure activities that give you the chance to explore the nooks and crannies of Wuhu Island. As you go, you can pick up Spocco Photos highlighting local landmarks. Alternatively, a series of races provides an opportunity to put the game’s sublime controls to the test. Steering and boosting feel entirely natural, with some meaty rumble support bringing home the sensation of bouncing across the waves. Power Cruising is another activity ripe for a full Wave Race-style expansion.
Prop Plane
The fan-favourite Prop Plane has the same laid-back appeal, just airborne. Holding the Joy-Con like a paper plane feels oddly right, even though replicating a flight stick would have been the obvious choice. Swooping over, around, and through Wuhu Island to collect Spocco Photos is Nintendo Switch Sports Resort’s most chilled-out experience, channelling the long-dormant Pilotwings series.
Table Tennis
Table tennis was a high point of 2009’s Wii Sports Resort and remains so here. Of all the sports in this package, it’s the one that most accurately replicates the feel of the real thing. If you enjoy real table tennis, you’ll almost certainly enjoy pretend table tennis. No notes.
Tennis
Tennis needs little introduction, and even less explanation once you put a controller in someone’s hand. Swing the racket, return the ball. The action that Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto first demoed on stage way back at E3 2006 is as instinctive and rewarding now as it was then. Tennis takes something we all know and pares it back to the part everyone wants to do. Table tennis might be the closer approximation of its real-world counterpart, but tennis is Nintendo Switch Sports Resort’s best entry point.
Volleyball
Volleyball asks a little more of you, but that’s no criticism of how the sport is implemented. Rather than repeating one action, you have to find the rhythm of bumping, setting, and spiking, while keeping track of your teammate and the opposition. If you can put in the work, the payoff is satisfying, but the extra coordination required was challenging for some players on our review team.
New sports
Jump Rope
Do you recall Nintendo’s little contribution to keeping us moving during lockdown? Jump Rope Challenge arrived in 2020, turning a pair of Joy-Cons into an excuse to get away from the sofa. Jump Rope brings a similar idea to this package as a warm-up activity. It’s a modest diversion compared to the main sports, but a nice callback.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an unexpected treat and completes the leisure activities’ tour of Wuhu Island by land, sea, and air. It uses the Joy-Con 2’s mouse controls to take the series in a different direction, letting you skate around the island, grind rails, and perform tricks at street level.
The controls might be an obstacle for some players, but there’s a rhythm to the movement that goes some way towards replicating, if not the feel, then the flow of skateboarding. Thankfully, it’s much more successful in its use of mouse controls to replicate propulsion than last year’s Drag x Drive.
Thumb Wrestling
Finally, we have Thumb Wrestling, the dubious star of this summer’s Nintendo Direct. Despite the ridicule that its inordinately long demonstration received, it turns out that Nintendo has found a way to make a wildly silly contest out of the smallest playground rivalry.
The aim is to pin your opponent’s thumb for three seconds. Holding your on-screen thumb down makes it grow larger and stronger, adding some strategic risk and reward. It’s a wonderfully daft premise and feels more suited to WarioWare than a sports sim. It was the surprise hit of the package with our review team, adding comedy to the mix of competition and physicality.
Island life
The framework around these sports has also expanded, resulting in a much fuller package.
Island Crown gives solo players a more structured challenge. This offline mode lets you work your way through the ranks towards contests against Island Champions and, eventually, Island Legends. It provides a goal beyond another exhibition match and a reason to spend time improving at individual sports. The nine competitive sports also support online play, with a casual mode for a more easygoing multiplayer experience. Since launch we’ve had no trouble connecting and finding opponents, although organising a room with friends is trickier than expected.
Nintendo’s Sportsmate avatars also return, although those of us who’ve been playing since the Wii days will probably still prefer using Miis. Playing sports across the different modes earns Spocco Points, which you can exchange for cosmetic items to personalise your character. Although there are rotating themed collections (Halloween was live at the time of writing), there are no micro-transactions and everything is unlocked through play and participation.
Some of the sports that didn’t make the cut this time include badminton, chambara, and football. I won’t particularly miss football, but should DLC arrive, I would love to see the return of baseball. There’s still something to be said for the simple act of swinging at a pitch and hoping for a home run.
Every iteration of Nintendo’s sports series is an opportunity for refinement. The best sports on offer here are still the best sports from the Wii era, but they are smoother, more fleshed out, and wonderfully framed by the return of Wuhu Island. The accessibility demonstrated on the E3 stage may no longer be the selling point for an entire platform, but the pleasure of picking up a controller and joining in has not changed a bit.
Game: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 22 October 2026
