Nintendo Switch Sports Resort: Which Sports and Features Are Included Compared to Wii Sports Resort

Quick start: learn all 12 sports and modes in 7 steps

The fastest way to get oriented is to work through the sports, then the modes, then the extras. Follow these steps:

• Start with Jump Rope, which the game positions as a warm-up for the other sports.
• Try the court and combat sports: Boxing, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball.
• Move to the precision sports: Archery, Bowling, Golf, Thumb Wrestling.
• Ride the island sports: Skateboarding, Power Cruising, Prop Plane.
• Play Island Crown offline to climb ranks and challenge Island Champions.
• Explore the island freely in Skateboarding, Power Cruising, or Prop Plane and hunt for Spocco Photos.
• Spend your Spocco Points at the Item Center, then take your skills online in the Pro League or Casual Online Play.

What you need to play Nintendo Switch Sports Resort

You need a Nintendo Switch 2 system, because the game is exclusive to that console. It releases October 22nd, and pre-orders are available now on the Nintendo eShop.

Controls rely on motion and the Joy-Con 2 controller. Examples of what you’ll do with it:

• Twist the controller to add spin to a bowling throw.
• Twist the controller to trigger an instant speed boost in Power Cruising.
• Tilt the controller to fly in Prop Plane.
• Use mouse controls to ride the course in Skateboarding.
• Steer with handles in Power Cruising.

Optional but helpful: A second Joy-Con 2 controller lets you pass one to a friend for local team-ups or head-to-head matches.

How the 12 sports are split across land, sea, and sky

The 12 sports are spread across Wuhu Island’s land, sea, and sky, which is how the resort frames them. Wuhu Island is an ocean resort where tourist attractions and sports facilities sit side by side.

Think of the lineup in three loose groups. Court and ring sports include Boxing, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, and Basketball. Target and precision sports include Archery, Bowling, Golf, and Thumb Wrestling. Island-roaming sports include Skateboarding, Power Cruising, and Prop Plane, which are the three that let you explore freely. Jump Rope sits on its own as a warm-up. (These groupings are an organizing aid, not official categories.)

Every sport in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and what you do in each

Each sport has its own core action, listed here so you can pick where to start.

Boxing: mix your punches to land a knockout

Boxing is a heated fist fight where you use different punches to get the knockout.

Table Tennis: keep your opponent guessing, then smash

Table Tennis uses quick, simple shots. Keep your opponent on their toes, then finish with a smash.

Archery: check distance and wind before you shoot

Archery asks you to aim for the target’s center. Check the distance and the wind, then shoot for a high score.

Tennis: play doubles rallies with topspin, backspin, and lobs

Tennis is built around doubles matches. You can hit topspins, backspins, and lobs during rallies.

Volleyball: bump, set, and spike with good timing

Volleyball follows the bump, set, spike sequence. Outmaneuver your opponents with quick spikes and good timing.

Bowling: twist the controller to add spin

Bowling has you get the ball rolling and knock down the pins. Twisting the controller adds spin to your throw.

Basketball: dribble, pass, shoot, and dunk when open

Basketball covers dribbling, passing, and shooting to score. If you’re open, go for a slam dunk.

Golf: stop your swing at the right moment for backspin

Golf is about finishing each hole in the fewest strokes. Your swing changes the ball’s trajectory, and stopping the swing at the right time produces a backspin.

Thumb Wrestling: hold your thumb down to grow stronger

In Thumb Wrestling you hand your opponent a defeat by holding down your thumb to power it up. The bigger it gets, the stronger you are.

Skateboarding: grind rails, slide, and trick in the air

Skateboarding uses mouse controls to ride through the course. You can grind rails, slide around, and perform aerial tricks.

Power Cruising: steer with handles and boost with a twist

Power Cruising has you steer with handles and coast along the waves. Twist the controller for an instant speed boost.

Prop Plane: tilt to fly, roll, and shoot balloons

Prop Plane lets you tilt the controller and fly around freely. You can speed up, roll in the air, and even fire at balloons.

Jump Rope: the warm-up before everything else

Jump Rope is the warm-up sport, meant to get you ready for the others. It makes a good first stop if you want a low-pressure feel for the motion controls.

Island Crown mode: how to climb ranks and face Island Champions

Island Crown is a brand-new offline mode where you defeat increasingly harder opponents to raise your rank. Some sports have top-ranked opponents known as Island Champions.

Keep winning and you earn the chance to challenge those Island Champions. You might even square off against Island Legends. Because the mode plays offline, it’s the best way to build skill without matchmaking pressure. Expect the difficulty to ramp as your rank rises.

Extra minigames and match types beyond the main sports

Beyond the 12 core sports, the game includes several minigames and alternate match styles with different rules. Named examples:

• Return Challenge: Hit a ball back at empty cans.
• Laid-back Match: Play at a slower, more relaxed pace.
• 100-Pin Game: Try knocking all of the pins down.

There are plenty of other minigames with different rules too, though only the ones above are named.

Free-roam exploration on Wuhu Island and how to find Spocco Photos

You can freely explore the island inside Skateboarding, Power Cruising, and Prop Plane. Ride along the coast, chase dolphins across the vast ocean, and soar through the sky toward distant islands.

You can explore at different times of day for a leisurely outing. While roaming, look for Spocco Photos scattered across the island. Each one gives info on a sightseeing spot. Named locations include Wavelet Bridge (a bridge with arched roofing sections and a wooden deck), Windchill Cave, and Lava Monument. There may be something new to discover each time you play.

Spocco Points and the Item Center: what you can unlock and customize

After playing sports you earn Spocco Points, which you can exchange at the Item Center for cosmetics and gear. Items include outfits, hairstyles, face paint, and sports equipment.

What you receive is a surprise, and rare items can appear. You can use these items to customize your appearance and build looks of your own.

Local and online multiplayer: Pro League, Casual Online Play, and room play

Multiplayer covers local play, private online rooms, a ranked Pro League, and a rank-free Casual Online Play mode.

• Local play: Pass a Joy-Con 2 controller to team up with a friend, or battle friends and family.
• Online rooms: Create a room to play with friends far away.
• Pro League: Challenge players around the world. More wins mean a higher league rank.
• Casual Online Play: Play random sports from the ones you’ve selected. Your rank won’t change, so you can test your skills freely.

Is it different from Wii Sports Resort? What can and can’t be confirmed

The material for this game doesn’t compare it to Wii Sports Resort, so you can’t make a direct sport-by-sport comparison from it. What can be confirmed is the current game’s full feature set as laid out above.

If you’re weighing the two, use this guide’s lists as your checklist for what Nintendo Switch Sports Resort offers: 12 sports, Island Crown, free-roam exploration, Spocco Points customization, and ranked and casual online play. Compare those against your memory or a separate source for the older game. Any claim about which sports carried over would be an assumption and should be treated that way.

5 mistakes to avoid when starting Nintendo Switch Sports Resort

• Skipping the warm-up: Jump Rope exists to get you ready. Fix: Play it first to settle into the motion controls.
• Ignoring wind and distance in Archery: Both affect your shot. Fix: Check them before you release.
• Swinging through Golf without stopping: You miss the backspin. Fix: Stop your swing at the right moment.
• Spending only on cosmetics you can’t plan: Item results are random. Fix: Treat Spocco Points as a fun gamble rather than a guaranteed purchase.
• Jumping into Pro League unprepared: Wins and losses move your rank. Fix: Practice in Island Crown or Casual Online Play first.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Nintendo Switch Sports vs. Wii Sports Resort: which sports and features are included FAQ

Source & credit

This guide draws on the excellent video walkthrough by Nintendo of America — watch it for the full visual run-through, and give the creator your view: