Honourable mentions
It’s been a surprisingly busy January by way of information and releases — Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy VII, two complete Directs on the Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream — however the eShop exclusives have been just a little on the quieter facet on the assessment entrance.
We do have a review-in-progress for I Hate This Place, however there have been loads of different video games we simply have not managed to get round to: They are Billions, Suika Game Planet, Citadelum, Escape from Ever After… these are just some, too!
Still, we now have 4 video games that made the minimize this time round, all scoring 7/10 and above. That leaves one honourable point out, after which the highest three:
Publisher: Feral Interactive / Developer: Codemasters
Release Date: twenty ninth Jan 2026 (USA) / twenty ninth Jan 2026 (UK/EU)
The Switch 2’s more-powerful {hardware} has actually opened the door for all sorts of sports activities and racing video games to make the leap onto Nintendo’s console, and GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition has pulled up on the beginning line to assist get the driving going.
January has been a fairly spectacular month for technical ports, and GRID Legends is among the many best possible. 60fps is the way in which to go right here, however there are a number of completely different graphics settings you may mess around with in each handheld and docked. That’s nonetheless a rarity on Switch 2 proper now, and we hope GRID units the usual for different builders.
Put all of that collectively, together with top-notch racing mechanics, and you have a superb 8/10 racer in your fingers. Just perhaps pull out the GameDice controller for this one.
Publisher: Focus Entertainment / Developer: Douze Dixièmes
Release Date: twentieth Jan 2026 (USA) / twentieth Jan 2026 (UK/EU)
Speaking of great-looking video games on Switch 2, MIO: Memories in Orbit is already one of many most-stunning on the console, with a stupendous spaceship-like vessel adorned in pastels and scribbles and an eerie, ethereal ambiance that helps carry you alongside the journey.
The platforming on this Metroidvania may be tough-as-nails, however whenever you grasp the motion on this sport, it is elegant. The fight would not at all times work for us, however the whole lot else elevates MIO from being ‘simply one other motion platformer’ into a stupendous one that can stick to us.
MIO is our second 8/10 on this prime three, simply beating out GRID within the votes sport by one. Turns out a robotic in house is quicker than a automotive.
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Publisher: AdHoc Studio / Developer: AdHoc Studio
Release Date: twenty eighth Jan 2026 (USA) / twenty eighth Jan 2026 (UK/EU)
If you’ve got been listening to gaming information and releases, then you definitely in all probability noticed this one coming — AdHoc’s Dispatch was the runaway winner this month, and with good purpose: it is improbable, and a real return-to-form for the Telltale-style of gameplay.
Which is smart, as former Telltale devs labored on this superhero comedy caper, that goes all over the place from impolite jokes to specific moments, however even has loads of touching scenes and just a little little bit of romance. The censorship drama is likely to be sucking the air out of issues in the mean time, however take it from us — no matter the place you play Dispatch, you will have a good time.
As each the victor and the highest-scoring sport of the bunch with a 9/10, Dispatch takes the highest spot on the rostrum. Congrats, Robert Robertson and everybody on the Superhero Dispatch Network!
< Nintendo eShop Selects - December 2025
Do you agree with our rating? Tell us about your favorite eShop releases of final month by voting in our ballot and sharing your ideas within the feedback.
What’s your favorite January 2026 eShop sport from our picks? (56 votes)
- Cassette Boy (Switch eShop)
- Dispatch Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
- GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition (Switch 2)
- MIO: Memories in Orbit (Switch 2)
How we determine our eShop Selects prime three: As we attain the top of each month, the Nintendo Life workers vote on their favorite titles from an inventory of video games chosen by the editorial workforce. To qualify for this checklist, these video games will need to have been launched as a digital-only Nintendo Switch eShop title in that individual month, and will need to have been reviewed on Nintendo Life; we choose the qualifying video games based mostly on their assessment scores.
Staff are then requested to vote for 3 video games that they suppose deserve to take a seat proper on the very prime of that checklist; first selection will get three factors, second selection will get two factors, and third selection will get one level. These votes are then tallied to create a top-three checklist, with the general winner taking that month’s prime prize.
Up Next: December 2025
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Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and whereas RPGs are her past love, Nintendo is an in depth second. She enjoys nothing greater than overthinking battle methods, characters, and tales. She additionally needs she was a Sega air pirate.
