PAX Aus 2026 Preview - Nintendo Switch Sports Resort

With massive thanks to Nintendo Australia, we were lucky enough to be invited to a private preview of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort at PAX Aus 2026 before its Nintendo Switch 2 launch on October 22.

We got to try out six of the 12 sports that the game offers, including: Archery, Bowling, Power Cruising, Prop Plane, Table Tennis and Thumb Wrestling.

Archery

In terms of required skill, this one would be one of our favourites from what we played. The base version of archery is exactly what you'd expect; score from 1 to 10 from the middle outward, with the board moving further away after each round and the wind conditions changing.

The more exciting mode was where the board was, where the board is split into quadrants and each of the four participants (player or CPU) is designated a quarter and if you hit an opponent's quadrant, you give them additional points. But as the rounds progress, the further behind you are, the larger the quadrant for that player becomes. This creates a Mario Kart style rubber banding system that keeps all players in the game until the end.

Bowling

We played the 100-pin bowling version and it's just as chaotic as you remember it being in Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort! Not much has really changed here; rather, it's been refined with the Joy-Con 2 with much more precision with the ability to do some impressive spinning.

I'm also happy to report that I got the high score on the TV we played the demo on. I didn't get the high score for the day, but we don't talk about that...

Power Cruising

Power Cruising is one of the mini-games that encourages exploration of Wuhu Island. You hold the Joy-Cons like you would hold jet ski handlebars, and you can turn the right Joy-Con as you would the throttle to accelerate. The waves replicant the buoyancy of the water similar to Wave Race, but Nintendo, this doesn't mean we don't want a proper new entry in the series!

It took a while to get used to the turning and handling, but once we figured it out, it came to us intuitively. There also appeared to be some race modes, but we didn't get to try that out.

Prop Plane

This is probably the most relaxing mode we got to play. Essentially, you hold the Joy-Con like you would as you're about to throw a paper plane, and you use the gyro to control its movements. The goal of the game was to shoot the various balloons around Wuhu Island, as well as find camera icons to gain more information about the various landmarks.

We played co-op, and while there was no competitive nature, I'm happy to report that you can absolutely shoot the other player. You know, for fun!

Table Tennis

This was another mini-game that is essentially the same as how it was in Wii Sports Resort, just far more refined thanks to the Switch 2's Joy-Cons. You can do some impressive top and back spins by rotating your wrist, and when your opponent does a weak hit, a purple line will flow from the ball, indicating to the opponent that they can smash the ball right back at them.

Thumb Wrestling

Here it is, the new mini-game we've all been waiting for; the one that Yoshiaki Koizuni insisted on showing us comprehensively.

This one took me a little while to get used to, but when it clicked, it was essentially a mind game. The concept is simple (basic thumb wrestling), but you can rotate your hand from left to right to dodge and aim your strike. And if you can be tactical about it, you can hold your thumb down to charge up your thumb, giving you more strength when you pin your opponent; but be careful, as this is prime time for your opponent to strike.

If you get pinned, you need to shake your Joy-Con as rapidly as possible. Similar to traditional thumb wrestling, you'll lose if you can't break out within the count of three.

After experiencing half of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort's mini-games, we're very bullish on its full release on October 22. We didn't get to play any single-player modes, but other previews have said that they're quite comprehensive, so there should be enough for get-togethers and solo players alike.

Thank you for checking out our Nintendo Switch Sports Resort PAX Aus 2026 preview, thank you to Nintendo for the opportunity and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

• Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out)
• Bel Cubitt
• Jack Caven
• NintenVania Podcast
• RedHero