In 2022, Nintendo attempted to revive the fun and charm of the motion-controlled Wii Sports era, but it fell short of that lofty goal. Now in 2026, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort takes the next step in that same difficult feat with a clear focus on “more.” More sports, more outfits, more fashions and more collectibles. This doesn’t always translate into a better package, with Sports Resort often feeling like a vast ocean rather than a deep diving pool, but it more than makes up for it with a wide range of games ready to burst out at the next big party. So while it doesn’t clear the high bar set by the original Wii Sports in 2006, it still brings out the same childlike joy.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a collection of 12 different sports mini-games, ranging from highly competitive head-to-head table tennis to a leisurely cruise in a propeller plane around Wuhu Island, where they all take place. The quality of each game varies greatly. Archery stands out thanks to its unique use of Joy-Con controllers, while a returning sport like basketball is largely untouched and still feels too choreographed – once again lacking the freedom of movement and control I so desperately want from a potential party release.
New sports can also be hit or miss. Power Cruising uses two Joy-Cons held as if you’re pulling the handlebars to simulate racing a jet ski, but these clunky controls don’t always work well, so it feels more like a gimmick than a fun sport. On the other hand (literally), Thumb Wrestling helps bring some fantasy to the package. It’s extremely silly, but it actually makes for competitive matches – during my online sessions, I was pleasantly surprised at how much the strategy and tactics changed from match to match. Watching players develop new ways to trick and bait their opponents into falling into their trap was fun, and I found myself determined to never let anyone get the better of me.
Archery is by far the best sport offered at the Sports Resort. With four different courses spread around Wuhu Island, this is the one that seems the most well thought out. I stretched my arms out in front of me, holding both Joy-Cons perpendicular to the ground, then clicked the ZL button with my left hand and brought it back to my chest as if I were shooting a real bow. Using my right Joy-Con to aim at a distant target felt satisfying every time I hit my target. Tougher courses and hidden targets to find help flesh out archery as a whole, meaning it provided hours of fun for my friends and me unlike many of the finer options.
Passionate rivalries
As you might expect, playing Sports Resort alone proved a bit lackluster, as it lacks the competitive spirit so intrinsic to the games it recreates. Island Crown, a new mode that lets you climb the ranks in nine of the 12 sports, kept me moving forward with a bit of structure and challenge, but even then I found my enthusiasm flagging before too long.
Its free-form story has you defeating challengers in order to eventually face the island champion, who – depending on the sport – will either taunt or cheer you on after each victory. By defeating one of the island’s champions, you will unlock a few additional objectives in the given sport. Sometimes it’s an island legend looking for a fight, other times it’s a challenge from challengers who must be defeated without losing. It’s a decent distraction for those looking to casually work out while your friends and family aren’t around to party, and that’s it.
But when they’re around, Sports Resort is easily the game I want to have a blast in. Much of the joy of these games is heightened when people in the room are clapping, screaming, and going at it, so you have to remind everyone to keep the Joy-Con wristband on. This has always been the spirit of Nintendo Sports games, and Sports Resort is one of the best versions of it when you have the crew to play.
Recruiting my roommates to play sports on a Sunday afternoon was an eye-opening experience. Games like volleyball – which I found incredibly boring during my time with Island Crown and casual single-player – became electric exchanges that lit up the room. Exhausted cheers, disappointing sighs and questionable calls made even some of the most mundane sports like golf exhilarating. And quick, snappy menus also allow for switching between sports, which kept everyone from concentrating between rounds.
Even recreational sports like skateboarding quickly became heated competitions as we slammed our Joy-Con on the table in mouse mode, ready to race. Skateboarding is the only game in Sports Resort that takes advantage of this control scheme, effectively turning the Joy-Con into a mini Tech Deck. Intuitive controls, like moving your hand left or right, performed 360 pop shuv-its and quickly raised the front of the table to produce an ollie. With multiple race courses, we each competed against each other trying to outdo each other, constantly striving for faster times as our rivalry grew.
My only real complaint about local multiplayer is that games like Boxing and Power Cruising require participants to have two Joy-Cons each, meaning you can’t play those sports at all if you only have the single pair that comes with the Switch 2. So if you’re planning to invite people over to box or Jet Ski, ask them to bring extra controllers.
Serving the looks
When we needed to cool down, we switched to Sightseeing Tour mode, which lets you zoom around Wuhu Island looking for points of interest marked by giant floating cameras. Collecting a camera marks it on your tour log and gives you a little insight into this part of the island. It’s an interesting way to get a sense of how all the sports fit together contextually in this space and allows you to visit with other islanders as they compete on the tennis courts, archery ranges and more.
Between rounds of archery or Thumb Wrestling matches, I would regularly board my propeller plane to fly over the island in search of more tourist papers. The five-minute timer makes this a great bite-sized adventure that rewards you for exploring a different part of the island each time you go out. Getting off the beaten track proved fruitful each time, with many secrets for the curious to discover.
It would be very easy for Sports Resort to be nothing more than a series of menus as you move from one sport to the next, with no guidelines to follow. Sightseeing Tour gives everything a sense of place and reinforces the originality found on the outskirts of everything. Airships fly high in the sky, speedboats race in the distance, and many characters can be found hanging in parts of the island that you would never see by just playing basic sports. Leisure Sports also offers a free roam mode that allows you to explore at your leisure.
That said, sports like tennis, basketball, thumb wrestling, and a few others each only have one set location, which gets old. I wish there was more variety in where they could be played on Wuhu Island, as it became unexciting seeing the same background for my 30th Thumb Wrestling match – even if the Miis in the background were different from the previous match.
If your friends are further away, Sports Resort offers online gaming with casual and professional league options. Casual uses a lobby system that allows multiple people to party and play games together. If a two-player game is selected, you can even form multiple groups in the same lobby, playing separate sports at the same time. However, there is no way to watch someone else’s match, which is a bit disappointing. I would love to be able to watch friends play tennis or take out their aggression in a Thumb Wrestling match.
Each sport also offers special modes that change the gameplay just enough to be a little new, but I didn’t find any of them exciting enough to come back to again and again. Bowling adds its classic obstacles to the track, which require more creative strategies and fancy footwork, while archery has four people competing for points on the same target, trying to avoid an opponent’s section while you hit your own. These modes make for a fun break, but don’t go much further.
Everything you do in Sports Resort also earns your Spocco Points, which can be spent at a rotating store. The store sells themed items in a set, and 1,000 Spocco will net you a random item from that set. You won’t receive duplicates, but it’s strange that you can’t just choose the items you want. Being forced to roll randomly feels like it artificially inflates the amount of Spocco needed to get what you want.
The customization is at least rather robust, not lacking in fancy outfits, business card titles, face paints and much more. You’ll also unlock a ton of different options while playing Island Crown, ranging from studded leather gloves for Thumb Wrestling to a unique volleyball outfit. I was constantly earning Spocco, and while it was a bit tedious to frequently remember to visit the store while I earned points for various things like shaking the Joy-Con 1,000 times, at least the rewards for doing so were nice.
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