As expected, the first Nintendo Direct of 2022 is packed with new game footage, trailers, announcements and reveals. The industry giant's pre-recorded presentations are always highly anticipated, and the February 2022 direct delivered exactly what was promised - just about 40 minutes of information on Nintendo Switch games, most of which are slated to launch in the first half of the year.
One of the biggest Nintendo games releasing in 2022 has already launched - Pokémon Legends: Arceus - but there are still plenty of marquee titles expected in the coming months, including Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo's last direct came in September 2022, revealing the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis collections that arrived on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, Monster Hunter Rise's first expansion, Sunbreak, the aforementioned Kirby title, and much more.
The February 2022 Direct's biggest reveals came from the announcement of the long-awaited XenoBlade Chronicles 3, Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings coming to Nintendo Switch Online, and a much-deserved Mario Strikers revival on Nintendo Switch called Mario Strikers Battle League. A successor to the incredibly popular Wii Sports games was also revealed - Nintendo Switch Sports, launching this April.
Every Reveal From Nintendo's February 2022 Direct
The list below contains every game that made an appearance in the February 9, 2022 Nintendo Direct, followed by its launch date or window if one has been announced. Brand new game announcements are listed in bold, and linked text leads to more information as available.
- Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - June 24, 2022
- Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp - April 8, 2022
- No Man's Sky - Summer 2022
- Mario Strikers Battle League - June 10, 2022
- Splatoon 3 - Summer 2022
- Front Mission 1st: Remake - Summer 2022
- Front Mission 2 Remake
- Disney Speedstorm - Summer 2022
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - April 20, 2022
- Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection - February 17, 2022
- SD Gundam Battle Alliance - 2022
- Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition - April 7, 2022
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land - March 25, 2022
- MLB The Show 22 - April 5, 2022
- Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece - February 10, 2022
- KLONOA Phantasy Reverie Series - July 8, 2022
- Portal: Companion Collection - 2022
- Live A Live - July 22, 2022
- Nintendo Switch Sports - April 29, 2022
- Taiko No Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival - 2022
- Triangle Strategy Prologue Demo - February 9, 2022
- Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course - June 30, 2022
- Metroid Dread Dread Mode and Rookie Mode difficulties update - February 9, 2022
- Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings on Nintendo Switch Online - February 9, 2022
- Zombie Army 4: Dead War - April 26, 2022
- GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon - February 9, 2022
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles - June 10, 2022
- LEGO Brawls - June 2022
- Two Point Campus - May 17, 2022
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course - March 18, 2022
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - September 2022
Aside from all the new games announced, Nintendo is continuing its efforts to games post-launch. A Metroid Dread update is bringing two new difficulty levels to the game, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is surprisingly getting 48 new courses through the end of 2023. Breath of the Wild 2 once again failed to show up, but there was plenty in the February 2022 Nintendo Direct for fans to look forward to.
