Biggest Nintendo Switch And 3DS Games Of E3 2018: Pokemon, Smash Bros, And More

There's a lot of excitement for Nintendo's upcoming Direct at E3 2018. The company has achieved massive success since the Switch's launch thanks to its hybrid functionality and amazing roster of first-party and third-party games. And with highly-anticipated games in its upcoming lineup, like Pokemon, Metroid Prime 4, and Super Smash Bros., many are clamoring for more details and announcements. In addition to Switch, Nintendo also continues to support the 3DS, consistently announcing new games for the seven-year old handheld.

For both platforms, it's fair to say the focus is going to be on gameplay and trailers for many of the games we already know are releasing this holiday, as well as a slate of new and unannounced games. Here are some of the biggest Switch and 3DS games we're certain are going to appear at E3.

Many of these games have been announced, but others are ones we believe will show up based on the list of companies on the official E3 homepage. The first potential look we'll get at most of these games will be during the press conferences before E3 begins. To make sure you're up to date with the times as well as the location for our E3 video streams, we have a hub rounding up all of that info as well.

The following games are only a small sampling of all the exciting titles that will likely come out of E3, and be sure to check out our editor's picks for the games we're most anticipating. What games do you hope to learn more about at the show? Let us know in the comments below.

Bayonetta 3 is the latest entry in the critically acclaimed character-action game series by developer Platinum Games. Revealed at The Game Awards 2017, little has been said about the game since. In the years before its reveal, series creator Hideki Kamiya had often discussed the possibility of a third game. Both Kamiya and Bayonetta 2 director Yusuke Hashimoto expressed interest in a new entry and stated that they still had ideas they'd love to pursue in future games.

Bayonetta 3 will be a Switch exclusive, as Nintendo is funding its development--similar to Bayonetta 2 for Wii U. With so little known about Bayonetta 3, there's still so much to learn, and we're hoping that E3 2018 will be the platform that both Nintendo and Platinum Games uses to discuss it.

Renowned Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi is almost ready to launch his first project after striking out from Konami, and if you're familiar with his past, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. This side-scrolling action game is set in an anime-tinged gothic world built on top of a sprawling map, with plenty of puzzles, boss battles, and upgrades to uncover.

Originally pitched on Kickstarter back in 2015 (a campaign that was fully funded in a single day), Bloodstained is currently set to launch on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC sometime in 2018. Igarashi and his co-developers from Inti Creates might as well take advantage of E3 to keep spreading the word, but a recent surprise announcement has already captured the attention of fans of old-school side-scrollers. A few weeks before E3, an original 8-bit Castlevania-esque game was given to backers and put up on most digital storefronts for about $10.

Anyone interested in Bloodstained's ongoing development can follow the latest announcements over at the game's Kickstarter page. Be sure to keep an eye on the date next to the posts! Igarashi and co pulled a fast one when they announced that Bloodstained would passively mine digital currencies. Thankfully, this one was just an April fool's joke.

Nintendo announced in March that underrated Wii U game Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker would be coming to both Switch and 3DS. The charming platformer stars Captain Toad, who can’t jump; instead, you rotate the map to find clever ways around obstacles. The updated version adds new content, including a New Donk City-themed level based on last year’s Super Mario Odyssey (in which Captain Toad had a cameo).

The Switch version will have two-player local multiplayer where each player uses a Joy-Con, one controlling Toad and the other providing support. The 3DS version features 3D support and touch controls. Both versions launch in July.

Nintendo announced the Switch version of Dark Souls Remastered during a Direct presentation in January. It said the the Switch version would come with the Artorias of the Abyss DLC and display the game at 1080p resolution with 30 FPS when played in TV mode.

That sounds pretty good, but it was supposed to release on May 24, the same day it came out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. But publisher Bandai Namco announced in April that the Switch version--along with the Solaire of Astora Amiibo--had been delayed to this summer.

The big question is why. Is it having trouble getting it to run smoothly on the Switch hardware? Did it decide to prioritize ironing bugs out of the other versions instead of launching the Switch version on time? We don't know.

Let's hope all of the promises about Dark Souls Remastered running smoothly on Switch remain true when it finally launches this summer.

Will the eleventh core entry in the Dragon Quest saga finally be the one to break through to mainstream western success? The last major DQ game was back in 2010--Sentinels of the Starry Skies on the Nintendo DS--and Nintendo's 3DS handhelds have gotten reissues of the earlier entries in the series since. But outside of the offshoot Dragon Quest Heroes games, this'll be the first entry on home consoles since the PS2 era and the first time the series will be available on PC (in the West) ever.

The alliterative title illustrates Dragon Quest's playful nature, and the colorful enemies and turn-based combat are mainstays of the series. But longtime fans know that Dragon Quest's charm comes from its endearing stories and puns that rival Monster Hunter's loquacious wordplay. And the possibility of yet another great game on Switch makes the wait for DQ11 all the more difficult.

Mario might dabble in a lot of sports, but Tennis seems to be his true passion. Mario Tennis Aces marks the eighth dedicated Mario tennis game, putting it on the same level as the Mario Kart series. And while this version will include the same in-depth playing mechanics as previous entries, it will also incorporate some Wii Sports-like physicality. Players will be able to swing their joy-con like a racket to serve up a more visceral on-the-court experience.

While Aces will include new characters (including a large but surprisingly spry-looking Chain Chomp), the biggest change this time around comes from the outfits. Mario is finally getting rid of the overalls in order to play tennis in shorts and a polo shirt. In every previous game, Mario has retained his trademark plumbers outfit. But this time, he's going for a comfortably sporty look.

Just kidding. The bigger change is the adventure-like RPG mode. There's a story to explore that centers around a mystical racket along with bosses to battle and minigames to conquer. But those outfits are pretty fun too, right?

A new, mainline Fire Emblem game for Switch was announced in January 2017 alongside Fire Emblem Echoes for 3DS and Fire Emblem Warriors. Both Echoes and Warriors have since released, but we haven't heard anything more about the upcoming entry into the main series. It will be the first time since 2007's Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn that a main Fire Emblem game has launched on a Nintendo home console (as opposed to a handheld). Of course, it'll still be portable, too, thanks to Switch.

Last we heard, the game is scheduled to launch in 2018. If that's still true, it's likely we'll hear more about it at E3.

In a Direct back in March, Nintendo announced a 3DS remake of 2001 GameCube game Luigi’s Mansion. It unsurprisingly stars Luigi, who has to investigate a ghost-filled mansion using a vacuum that can suck up the ghosts. The 3DS version features the same story and levels as the original, but it adds a map of the mansion on the bottom screen, improved visuals, and a new Boss Rush mode. It’s slated to launch later this year, though no release date has been confirmed yet.

For several years, it seemed Capcom wouldn't be releasing any more new Mega Man games. Since the character creator Keiji Inafune's departure from Capcom, little had been announced for the fan-favorite blue bomber. However, Capcom has since focused more on supporting Mega Man, having since released several collections of the character's most iconic games on modern platforms. This ultimately paved way for the upcoming Mega Man 11, which was announced late last year to commemorate the character's 30th anniversary.

Unlike past games, Mega Man 11 features 3D polygonal characters and environments. Aside from the new visual style, the game seems to play like classic games in the series. Since its reveal trailer, we've heard little about Mega Man 11. However, if there's any time that Capcom should talk about the game, it's E3. After all, the game is scheduled to release later this year, so we're hoping to that Capcom goes into more detail about the blue bomber's latest adventure.

Beyond the fact that Metroid Prime 4 exists and is coming to Switch at some point in the future, there's very little we can say about the game with absolute certainty. We also know that longtime Prime producer Kensuke Tanabe will lead a new team of talented developers for the project, but what that studio is and who is on the team beyond Tanabe remains a mystery.

With nary an official word from Nintendo following the announcement at E3 2017-- consisting of a teaser video set against a star field, with familiar Metroid music, and the reveal of a logo--we are left to sift through rumors and wonder. The current working theories include: Bandai Namco is co-developing, it is scheduled to launch in 2018, and it may feature the character Sylux, who was confirmed by Tanabe to be in a spaceship featured in the special ending of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

What we know about Sylux is mostly based on lore introduced in Nintendo DS's Metroid Prime: Hunters and, oddly enough, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (in a trophy description). But at the end of 2017's Metroid Prime: Federation Force, we also caught a glimpse of Sylux releasing a metroid from captivity. Is it a hint? Only time will tell.

Octopath Traveler is a gorgeous game. For those who played SNES RPGs back in the '90s, Octopath doesn't just look like those old-school games; it looks the way you remember them. The game is an evolutionary offshoot to a world where game development didn't take a hard turn into more realistic, 3D worlds.

The quirky name refers to the eight different characters and their intersecting stories as well as representing the game's unique mechanics. While E3 will show off a new portion of abilities and gameplay, the Nintendo Switch still has a free demo available for anyone who wants to try out the game early.

At last year's E3, Nintendo announced a new Pokemon game for Nintendo Switch. The tease didn't include a title, logo, key art, or really any details at all--just that series developer Game Freak would be making the game, which will be a "core RPG" that "may not release for over a year." It's been a year now, of course, and although nothing has been confirmed for E3, it would make sense for Nintendo to give more details soon.

Persona 4 and Persona 5 elevated the Japanese RPG series to new heights in the West, but Shin Megami Tensei, the series Persona spun off from, remains a niche product despite having been around for the better part of three decades. With the upcoming release of Shin Megami Tensei V on Nintendo Switch, Atlus has a chance to bring new people into the fold, and while little is known about the game thus far, there's a good chance that Nintendo or Atlus will reveal more at E3.

When SMT V was first announced in 2017, producer Kazuyuki Yamai stated that the game's metropolitan setting and story would invoke contemporary social concerns such as unemployment and the threat of nuclear war to form the basis of its story. Of course, the series is also well known for presenting cities (Tokyo, usually) overrun by demons, and that will be the case once again. Given that this will be the first HD game in the series, Yamai pointed out the 3D modelling process for the many demons in the game (and their combined fused forms) will take three times as long as it did for the previous games. There's currently no firm release date in sight, but according to the official english website, SMT V is "coming soon to the Americas and Europe."

After a bit of a wait, the next Super Smash Bros. game is confirmed for Switch! Details are scarce, but we do know that Splatoon's Inklings will join the roster for the first time, and there are of course characters we expect to return (including Mario and Bowser, judging by the silhouettes in the reveal trailer).

We also know that Nintendo will be holding a Smash Bros. Switch invitational tournament during E3, and it will be playable on the show floor for attendees. As a result, we can expect to get more information about the game--like whether it's a souped-up port of Smash Bros. on Wii U or an entirely new entry from the ground up--very soon.

If you ever wanted an anime-esque tactical RPG in the modern era, you'll want to dive into the Valkyria Chronicles series. It's known for a unique blend of real-time controls within a turn-based strategy framework, but also for how it draws inspiration from World War II and European military history for its fiction. Valkyria Chronicles 4 continues the series' story of the Second Europan War fought on the continent of Europa between Atlantic Federation and the Eastern Imperial Alliance, but it instead focuses on the smaller stories taking place throughout the conflict.

This will be the first mainline Valkyria Chronicles entry for major platforms since the first game, which released in 2008. Valkyria Chronicles 2 and 3 were exclusive to the PlayStation Portable, and the third game never came to North America. An action-RPG spinoff called Valkyria Revolution came out in 2016 but didn't come close to filling that void. Needless to say, we're hoping to see more from Sega about the localized version of Valkyria Chronicles 4 at E3 2018.

The game is currently out in Japan for PS4 but is set to release in worldwide on October 16 for Nintendo Switch and other platforms.

The 3DS is probably near the end of its long, long lifecycle, but the console's not dead yet. And there are few finer series than WarioWare to see the system through its golden years.

The next entry in the fast-paced franchise is a more of a Greatest Hits-type collection, rather than a wholly original creation. As it features 300 new and returning micro-games from previous entries in the franchise, Nintendo is touting this game as the largest in the series to date.

Revealed during Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation, the new Yoshi game for Switch looks as adorable as you'd expect. While we know very little--not even the game's official title--the E3 reveal included a trailer showing off this game's twist on the series' slower-paced platformer gameplay. Levels look sort of like dioramas, and you switch from the front view to a behind-the-scenes look to reveal the stages' secrets. The game will also support two-player local co-op. Since Nintendo has said that this year's E3 presentation will focus on games coming out soon, it's likely we'll hear more about Yoshi then.