Nintendo Switch Sports Resort returns to Wuhu Island with a major change: players can finally explore the area surrounding the island’s sports venues. The game still includes familiar activities such as bowling, tennis, volleyball, archery, and boxing, but exploration now gives the setting a much larger role.
“The big change with this release is that the game has returned to Wuhu Island, and for the first time in series history, you can actually explore the surrounding area and check out various points of interest,” said Sam Rutherford.
That exploration is not limited to walking around. Players can travel across Wuhu Island by flying a plane, skateboarding, or power cruising, which means jetskiing around the coastline. The different ways to move give the island several distinct activities beyond the main sports games.
Exploring Wuhu Island
Wuhu Island is surprisingly large. Rutherford spent more than 15 minutes exploring it by plane, board, and jetski, yet felt like he had only scratched the surface. A second island sits in the distance, although time constraints prevented him from reaching it.
Exploration also includes collectibles with a practical purpose. Players can collect Spocco Points to unlock cosmetic customizations for their Mii, while Spocco Photos enable new starting points for future exploration. Those starting points give players another reason to look around the island and discover more of its areas.
Sightseeing missions can take place at different times of day, including morning and night. That gives the exploration activities more than one setting and lets players return to the island for missions at different times.
“I spent more than 15 minutes exploring it via plane, board and jetski, and I felt like I was only scratching the surface,” Rutherford said.
Returning Sports and New Challenges
The sports lineup combines returning games with new additions. Volleyball, archery, and boxing are included, along with mainstays such as bowling and tennis. Boxing stood out as an engaging motion-controlled adaptation of Punch-Out!!, giving one familiar activity a distinct feel.
Bowling also includes modes beyond the standard game, including 100-pin bowling. That mode adds another way to play one of the series’ mainstays without removing the simple appeal of rolling for a strike.
Thumb Wars is one of the new additions. The game involves slamming your thumb down and avoiding growth to gain an advantage. Its unusual rules set it apart from the returning sports and add another type of challenge to the collection.
The vehicle activities offer plenty to explore, but they also reveal one feature the game does not include. Rutherford wished Nintendo had added full-fledged races for the plane, skateboard, and power cruiser. The vehicles can carry players around Wuhu Island, but there are no full races built around them.
That missing feature stands out because the island supports several forms of travel, while the rest of the game already includes dedicated modes for activities such as 100-pin bowling. Still, the combination of exploration, sightseeing missions, collectibles, and returning sports gives Nintendo Switch Sports Resort a broader structure than earlier entries.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is scheduled around a release date listed as October 6, 2026, at 9:00 am EST. Its biggest change is not a single new sport, but the ability to explore Wuhu Island and use its surroundings as part of the experience.
