The Nintendo Switchis one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time and a big part of that is the ability to transition seamlessly from handheld to home console gaming in a moment’s notice. The fact that Nintendo has beenthe king of handheld gamingfor a long time has also meant that fans have got the ability to play some of the most popular handheld franchises ever on a big screen for the first time.
Related:The Best Handheld Games Of All Time (According To Metacritic)
There are still plenty of popular handheld franchises that have not made the transition to Nintendo Switch just yet, and some of them are notable absences from the lineup.
10Wario Land
Warioware: Get It Together!was released for Nintendo Switch in 2022 and brought one of the most iconic Nintendo villains to the console along with some ofthe best microgamesthe franchise has ever seen. That isn’t the only series that put the anti-Mario front and center though, asWario Landallowed players to take control of him in a platforming adventure.
TheWario Landseries was popular among players for over a decade, with several entries released across that time. Nothing has been released since 2008 though, and the series is ripe for a new entry.
9Golden Sun
The original pair ofGolden Sungames were iconic RPGs released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and 2002. The use of magic in the game’s overworld was innovative at the time and the use of Djinn to change character classes gave the seriesa great job systemfor fans to tinker with.
A third game in the series was released for Nintendo DS in 2010 and although it wasn’t as well-received as the first two, the franchise still holds a lot of good-will with fans and a fourth entry would no doubt be a success.
8Nintendogs And Cats
Nintendogswas one of themost popular games among dog-lovers, and the sequel that added cats into the mix only broadened the appeal. It was a real-time simulation game where the player looked after a dog (or cat) of their choice. It was first released on Nintendo DS and quickly became known for its innovative use of the console’s features, like the touchscreen and microphone.
Related:Best Dogs From Games
A franchise likeNintendogs And Catscould do very well if the developers made equally good use of all the features available for the Nintendo Switch like the touchscreen, motion controls, and joy-cons.
7Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasyis one of the biggest video game franchises ever andFinal Fantasy Tacticstook the series in a new direction that was very well-received back in 1997. Although it was originally a Playstation game, the series transitioned to handheld gaming withFinal Fantasy Tactics AdvanceandFinal Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire Of The Rift.
With the success of theFire Emblemfranchise and the remake ofTactics Ogrebeing brought to Nintendo Switch,Final Fantasy Tacticsis almost perfectly designed to take advantage of the rise in popularity of tactical RPGs.
6Dr. Mario
Mariois practically synonymous with Nintendo, and the Italian plumber has had a hand in almost every area of gaming. One of the most unusual moments in his long history came when Nintendo decided that he should show off justhow smart he wasby getting a medical degree.
Dr. Mariowas first released in 1990 and although the puzzle-game was available for several consoles, the Game Boy was where it was most popular. It has returned as a minigame in recent times, but theDr. Mariois still popular enough to succeed if brought up to date for Nintendo Switch.
5Mario Hoops 3-On-3
There’s almost too manyMariosports games to count at this stage, and some have proved more popular than others. Kart-racing is the sport that fans can bank onMariobeing involved in forever but Golf, Soccer, and Tennis all seem like safe bets for the future ofMariosports too.
Related:Nintendo: New Sports Mario Should Try
One particularMariogame tried tobring something differentto its sport;Mario Hoops 3-On-3. This was theMariotake on basketball that was released exclusively for Nintendo DS, although it was known asMario Slam Basketballin Europe andMario Basket 3-On-3in Japan.
4F-Zero
TheF-Zerofranchise was once among the most popular racing games available, and it dominated the market in Japan throughout the 90s and early 2000s. One of the main attractions to each of theF-Zerogames was the fact that it was one ofthe hardest racing gamesever, in direct contrast to the casual and carefree attitude ofMario Kart.
A single mistake or a momentary lapse in concentration is often enough to doom players in theF-Zerofranchise and there’s a huge hole in the market for a racing game with that level of difficulty.
3Kid Icarus
TheKid Icarustrilogy was released over a long time, with several years going by without news of the next entry. The original was released for NES in 1986 but the second entry,Kid Icarus: Of Myths And Monsterswas where the series transitioned to being handheld only in 1991.
Kid Icarus: Uprisingwas the final installment released for Nintendo 3DS in 2012 and is known for having one of thebest plot twists in Nintendohistory. While it isn’t the most successful platformer, the series has a lot of fans and many would love to seeKid Icarusreturn.
2Mario Vs. Donkey Kong
Mario and Donkey Kong are separately two of the most popular figures that Nintendo own, and they’ve been linked since the very first time they appeared. It seems obvious then that a crossover between the two is guaranteed to be a success andMario Vs. Donkey Kongwas exactly that.
It was a puzzle-platform game that was first released in 2004 for Game Boy Advance and has since spawned a further five sequels that all involve the popular mini-Marios. The last entry to the franchise,Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Starscame in 2015 and the series has been dormant since.
1Heroes Of Might And Magic
Heroes Of Might And Magicwas a turn-based tactical fantasy series that has been known asMight And Magic Heroesas of 2011. Although the series is much more well-known as a PC game, the first two editions were also released for Game Boy Color.
With the increased power and graphical capabilities of the Nintendo Switch, several popular games likeCivilization 6have successfully transitioned over to handheld gaming. With no games in the franchise since 2015, a new entry past due and could easily be ported to Nintendo Switch just like the first two were to Game Boy Color.
