Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Hands-On Preview: Wuhu Island Is Back, Baby

Nintendo is bringing players back to Wuhu Island in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, an upcoming sports simulation title scheduled for release on October 22, 2026, for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game revisits the tropical setting originally introduced in 2009's Wii Sports Resort and will ship with 12 sports available out-of-the-box.

During a demo at San Diego Comic-Con, four of the 12 launch sports were playable: Archery, Bowling, Power Cruising, and Thumb Wrestling. According to IGN's Logan Plant, the new title shows early promise, noting, "I think Resort is already poised to avoid some of the shortcomings of its predecessor."

Gameplay and Joy-Con Mechanics

The title utilizes the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers, incorporating improved gyro aiming over the original Nintendo Switch. Each activity requires distinct control configurations. Plant observed, "Something interesting compared to the Wii Remote and Nunchuck is that every sport in Resort had me holding the Joy-Con 2 in a different way."

The hands-on demo at SDCC showcased specific mechanics across the four playable activities:

• Archery: Features wind mechanics and allows players to draw the arrow back further than in previous iterations.
• Bowling: Features a 100-pin mode.
• Power Cruising: A jet-skiing activity where players hold the Joy-Con controllers like handlebars.
• Thumb Wrestling: A new addition where players use a single Joy-Con to weave their hand and shake the controller to escape pins, a mode previously demonstrated by Nintendo's Yoshiaki Koizumi in a Nintendo Direct.

Avatars and Resort Setting

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort shifts away from Spocco Square—the facility used in 2022's Nintendo Switch Sports—to center on Wuhu Island. In addition to Wii Sports Resort, the location has previously appeared in Nintendo games such as Pilotwings Resort, Mario Kart 7, and Super Smash Bros.

Players will be able to select classic Mii characters as well as the "Sportsmate" avatars that were introduced in Nintendo Switch Sports.

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• IGN Games Hero image: https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/07/23/switchsportsresort-1784837851577.jpg