The year was 2009, and I faced a long summer holiday away from school with nothing much to do and, given that I grew up in a rural part of England, nobody to hang out with. My sister and I had Mario Karted ourselves to death, and there was no fun left to be had with The Sims 2. Then, one day, we discovered what would save the summer and many summers to come: a miraculous game about a wizard who goes to school and must save the universe known as the Spiral. We poured hours into this game, rage-quitting, and spending our parents' money. Now, you can save yourselves, too, as Wizard101 has been announced for the Nintendo Switch.
We don't yet have a release date for Wizard101 on the Switch, but the game will be available on console imminently. That's right - not only is the greatest MMORPG of all time being made portable, but it'll also debut on the PlayStation 4 and 5, and current gen Xbox consoles on October 9. I have to admit that I didn't see this coming, and I'm not the only one. For a game that was very solidly cemented to me as a PC game, and kind of a dying game at that, this is absolutely thrilling news. I'm hoping that, as more people discover this game, the servers will start to fill back up as they once did in the golden era of my childhood.
The game's console versions will support crossplay with other consoles, but won't support crossplay to PC, so if you're like me and have a wizard you've been playing with for upwards of fifteen years on PC, you'll have to start again. It's all part of the fun, though - you can revisit Krokotopia, reminisce on Mooshu, and even, dare I say, relive the fun of Avalon. You also won't be able to play with the same character across consoles, so if you own a Switch and an Xbox, these will be separate accounts. This includes any membership purchases made, so pick wisely as to which console you'd like to play on. For more details on this, head to developer KingsIsle's FAQ page.
The nature of the game's paywall systems necessitates the need to go away and come back. My sister and I returned to the game several times across the years - once in the summer before she left for university, and once during my own university breaks, when we discovered that two of my close friends at uni also remembered the game. Those new to Wizard101 will soon discover the delight of membership. On Switch, it's rumored that the base game will cost $19.99, which gives you access to what fans call "the first arc", which are the worlds from Wizard City to Dragonspyre. After that, you'll have to pay a monthly subscription fee to travel any further. This sucks, straight up, but it's worth at least trying it for a month or two to see if you vibe with Zafaria, Khrysalis, and the rest.
So what is the delight in this game? Well, I think everyone should play it because of its fun card-game combat system, the wizard-class sorting system and strategy elements of the schools (Life wizard forever, by the way), fun voice acting, timeless soundtrack, and, honestly, the story in the first arc is absolutely incredible. This could become one of the best Switch games, I think, so as long as it runs smoothly, I'll be there on launch day, whenever that will be.
While you wait for your world to be rocked by Wizard101, check out similar games in our list of the best ARPGs, and be sure to find more upcoming Switch games. Plus, head over to our list of the best Switch multiplayer games so you can practice your synergy with your new Wizard101 duo.