Nintendo Switch Sports Resort needs to ditch this one thing from the original Switch Sports

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort needs to ditch this one thing from the original Switch Sports

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Ethan in Features, Switch 2

I played a ton of Nintendo Switch Sports when it first released in 2022, and I had something of a love-hate relationship with it. Mostly the latter, if I’m being honest! The game isn’t bad, per se, but it was heavily reliant on online play as its onlyd of crazy for a casual sports game

Indeed, Nintendo Switch Sports had Collections, which were groups of twelve exclusive items that you could only get by playing online. Each week, a new round of items would be added, and if you didn’t get all of the items within three weeks, they’d become unavailable and you’d have to wait an entire year to be able to get them again. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, the game’s sequel, absolutely must stay far away from this system if it wants to succeed.

It’s important to note that Nintendo seems to have changed its mind a bit on its sports releases. During the Switch era, Nintendo sports titles were almost always released with a very small amount of content. Then, if the game sold well enough, it would receive free content updates that each added just a little bit more. We saw this approach with Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Nintendo Switch Sports, and most notoriously, Mario Strikers: Battle League. That game was harshly – and rightfully – criticized because of its free update model. It didn’t even have Daisy as a playable character for the first month of its release, which is absolutely crazy.

The point here is that Nintendo sports games weren’t the best investment on Switch. The company must have noticed, because Mario Tennis Fever released in early 2026 and seems to take a different approach. Its price is still way too high at $70, but it actually released with a sufficient amount of content and a whopping 38 playable characters at launch. That’s highly unusual for a Nintendo sports game – so maybe they’ve heard the criticisms toward the “free update” content model and are going to change things up?

Here’s a bit more info about how Collections worked in Nintendo Switch Sports. As mentioned earlier, each week, a new set of twelve items would be added to the rotation. These items would be available for three weeks, and after that, be removed from the rotation. To earn these items, you had to play online to earn points. Each round played online would earn points – Bowling would earn the most points at around 40, but it also takes a lot longer to get through a Bowling game compared to something like Chambara (which would earn you fewer points). After earning 100 points, you would be rewarded with a random item from the collection. You’d then need to earn an additional 1,100 points to get the rest of the items. You’d have to do that again the next week. And the next week. And the next week. Yes, I did every single one. All 52 collections. And yes, I absolutely regret it.

The problem with that – other than the obvious FOMO – is that Nintendo Switch Sports’ customization options were severely lacking unless you played online. What if the hair you want is part of a collection that isn’t running again for six months? Are you just going to wait until then and mark your calendar? I can’t imagine anyone doing that, and it seems silly to lock these basic features behind timed online play. If I want to play as a sentient hamburger, that option should either be available from the start or unlockable based on the number of total games you play – as in, local games should be counted too. In Nintendo Switch Sports, local games do not earn you a single point towards item customization. Which is ridiculous, because games like these are sort of designed to be played primarily locally, no? The fact that booting up a round of Bowling with family renders you exempt from earning points feels like it clashes with the point of the game in the first place.

At the time of writing, we know that Nintendo Switch Sports Resort includes online play, but we don’t know very much about how it works. On that note, we don’t know much about the customization options either, other than that they exist. I did as much digging as I could and wasn’t able to find anything, so maybe I’m wrong, but perhaps, maybe, possibly there’s a chance that Collections aren’t coming back in the same form? If that’s the case, it would make Nintendo Switch Sports Resort a much more relaxed experience, and a much more enjoyable one overall. No longer will you have to set a reminder to play 20 rounds of Bowling online one night per week – you can just play at your own pace, which would be a huge plus. 

If limited-time item collections are indeed gone, it would also be more evidence that Nintendo is reevaluating its approach to sports games following Mario Tennis Fever in early 2026 – which is a really good sign! Again, though, it’s not confirmed that Nintendo Switch Sports Resort won’t have item collections rewarded through online play, and it’s entirely possible it gets revealed in a few days and renders all this complaining pointless. But I have seen a lot of criticism directed towards Nintendo Switch Sports for its item unlocks, so hopefully Nintendo has listened.

Were you okay with Nintendo Switch Sports’ item unlock system, or were all the items you could get more overwhelming than they were enticing? Let us know in the comments down below.

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