The first Nintendo Direct in over a year brought with it a lot of news on upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch. A lot of the announcements focused on games that will be coming out this year, and there were some pleasant surprises for fans of Nintendo's most cherished franchises.

The time period between January and April can often be a pretty dry period when it comes to new releases, as most studios put their focus on big holiday releases. Nintendo has subverted this trend somewhat in 2021, with the recent release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury dominating the month of February. If the company continues this trend and combines it with some heavy hitters later in the year, then 2021 could be another solid year for the Nintendo Switch.

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The month of February brought gamers back to Super Mario 3D World with some new additions, and the new releases won't be stopping there with March on the horizon. One of the biggest releases for the rest of the month is going to be Persona 5 Strikers, a hack-and-slash take on the series that plays similarly to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

• Bravely Default 2 - February 26th
• Hellpoint - February 26th

If the first couple of months of 2021 were relatively slim on new games, then March looks like it plans to make up for it. The most notable releases for this month include the arrival of popular battle royale game Apex Legends on March 9th, as well as a return to the Monster Hunter series when Monster Hunter Rise releases on March 26th.

• Harvest Moon: One World - March 2nd
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - March 12th
• R.B.I. Baseball 21 - March 16th
• Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series - March 23rd
• Balan Wonderworld - March 26th

The big release of April is going to be New Pokemon Snap, but fans of the original N64 Pokemon Snap are going to have to wait until the end of the month until they can get their hands on it. Until then, the next installment in the The Legend of Heroes series will give players something to hold them over when The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV comes out on April 9th.

• Poison Control - April 13th
• Zengeon - April 16th

The month of May is going to be a little slim on new games, but the release of Miitopia on the 21st will give fans of the 3DS game a chance to revisit it on the Switch. The newly announced Knockout City will also be releasing on the 21st, promising energetic multiplayer dodgeball action.

• Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir - May 14th
• World's End Club - May 28th

The start of the summer months looks like it's going to be an exciting time to be a Switch owner. Fans of the Ninja Gaiden series will be able to enjoy three games in one package when Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection releases on June 10th, and Mario Golf: Super Rush is going to bring players back to the world of Mario sports games when it releases on June 25th.

• DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power - June 4th
• Legend of Mana Remastered - June 24th
• Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny - June 30th

As the second half of the year gets started, the slate of Switch games with confirmed release dates starts to get a little barren. The one game that featured during the newest Nintendo Direct was the surprise announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, which is set to come out on July 16th.

August follows a similar trend of little to no official Switch releases, but fans of the No More Heroes series will be able to continue their adventure when No More Heroes 3 comes out on August 27th.

After August, the upcoming Switch games lineup becomes mostly speculation. There are a number of games coming in 2021 that don't have release dates just yet though, and their respective developers have given a general idea of when they will be coming out.

• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Spring 2021
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout - Summer 2021
• Outer Wilds - Summer 2021

As early as it is in the year, Nintendo hasn't had the chance to announce what its holiday lineup of games is going to entail. With rumors surrounding potential Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl remakes circulating, and hype surrounding Breath of the Wild 2 at an all-time high, it'll be interesting to see what the rest of 2021 has in store for the Nintendo Switch.

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