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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Game's Switch 2 Edition Highlights New Character, New Mode in Video
posted on by Anita Tai
Nintendo announced during the Nintendo Direct livestream on Wednesday that the Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 RPG will feature a new Heroes' Vault mode, and a new character Shimmer.
The Heroes' Vault mode includes roguelite gameplay where players unlock new upgrades as they defeat enemies.
The Switch 2 edition launches on December 3 physically and digitally. Players who own the original game on the Nintendo Switch can buy an upgrade pack.
The Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launched digitally along with an upgrade pack on July 30 and will launch physically on October 1.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition's Switch 2 Edition launched digitally alongside an upgrade pack for owners of the Switch version on June 9, and a physical version shipped on July 30. The Switch 2 Edition has new features, including a high-speed vehicle, racing modes, new equipment designs, and voiceover for Heart-to-heart scenes. The game has 4K resolution and full HD in handheld mode, with a framerate of 60fps.
Xenoblade Genesis, a new game in Nintendo's Xenoblade series, will launch for Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.
Nintendo released the original Xenoblade Chronicles for Nintendo Wii in Japan in 2010, Europe in 2011, and North America in 2012. Nintendo released Xenoblade Chronicles 3D for the New Nintendo 3DS in April 2015 in North America and Europe. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the Switch remake of the original game, launched in May 2020.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 shipped for Switch in December 2017. The game got a prequel expansion titled Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country in September 2018. The expansion was available as a separate purchase.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launched for Switch in July 2022, alongside its first expansion pass. The second expansion pass wave debuted in October 2022. Wave 3 — which included a new Challenge Battle mode, a new hero character, new quests, and new outfits — debuted in February 2023. Wave 4 launched in April 2023.
Nintendo's Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, a Switch version of the original 2015 Wii U action open-world role-playing game, launched in March 2025. Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles X "spiritual successor" shipped for the Wii U system in December 2015. The game debuted in April 2015 in Japan as Xenoblade X. The game received a Switch 2 Edition on February 19.
Sources: Nintendo of America's YouTube channel, Nintendo Direct livestream
