The Nintendo Switch 2 console only has two high-profile original games that you can get right now: Mario Kart World Tour and Donkey Kong Bananza. Although both are great games, Donkey Kong Bananza has staunchly entrenched itself as one of the best games of the year and an absolute must-buy game for any Switch 2 owner.
Donkey Kong Bananza is the Only 10/10 Masterpiece of 2025
Not only did we rate Donkey Kong a 10/10, it’s the only game we’ve given a Masterpiece rating so far this year. Granted there isn’t too much competition in the way of Switch exclusive games for 2025, this has been a fantastic year so far for console gaming in general. We’ve seen some of the best games released in recent history, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Death Stranding 2, and Doom: The Dark Ages, all of which got close to a Masterpiece rating but didn’t quite hit the mark. That’s not to say that Donkey Kong Bananza is necessarily better than those other games since, after all, different people have reviewed each of these games, but it’s a testament to just how outstanding Donkey Kong Bananza is on its own merits to have achieved that score.
Pick it up in under an hour at Best Buy
If you’ve read the reviews and are itching to pick up a copy to play immediately, the surest best is ordering online and picking it up in-store at a nearby retailer like Best Buy, Target, or Walmart. Best Buy, for example, offers pickup in as little as one hour. I find it more convenient to order online ahead of time and then picking it up in-store because you’re pretty much guaranteed that it will be in stock, and you don’t have to wander around the store looking for a copy. If you’re looking for a discount, don’t hold your breath. I haven’t seen any deals this game, and to be honest, I don’t expect any before Black Friday. That’s not to say you can’t find ways to incentivize your purchase. Best Buy, for example, gives you rewards points for every purchase if you sign up for its free membership, and Best Buy cardholders get 5% cashback, similar to Target’s Circle card or Amazon’s Prime card.
Still on the fence over getting the Switch 2 console? Check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review, in which Tom Mark aptly describes the new console as “a vital but unexciting upgrade to a console I already love.”
