Nintendo’s latest Joy-Con-focused title, Drag X Drive, has debuted to underwhelming reviews, earning a Metacritic score of 62. This places it firmly in the lower tier of first-party Nintendo releases on the Switch platform. Among Nintendo-developed and published titles for the Switch 2, it is the lowest-rated to date, though it still fares better than Tamagotchi Plaza, which holds a score of 42.
The performance of Drag X Drive has drawn comparisons to earlier motion-control experiments, such as 1-2-Switch, which scored 58, and Everybody 1-2-Switch! with 54. In terms of Nintendo Switch exclusives, the title ties with Go Vacation at 62, ranking fourth from the bottom when considering games that scored 62 or lower. Only Flip Wars, Everybody 1-2-Switch!, and the original 1-2-Switch scored worse.
Within the wider dataset of more than 250 Nintendo titles, Drag X Drive sits in roughly the bottom quarter. The score is noticeably below Nintendo’s typical range of 70 to 74 and 12 points lower than the platform’s highest-rated titles in the current generation. When measured against the past decade of Nintendo releases, it avoids the “poor” category occupied by games such as Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival on Wii U (46) but still marks a disappointing reception for a modern flagship platform exclusive.
Drag X Drive is a sports video game developed by Nintendo for the Switch 2. Its gameplay is similar to wheelchair basketball, featuring 3v3 matches where players compete head-to-head. The game makes use of the Joy-Con 2’s “mouse mode,” which employs motion controls to simulate wheelchair movement.
Released on August 14, 2025, Drag X Drive was designed to showcase the potential of Joy-Con controls in a new racing-inspired format. However, its lukewarm critical reception suggests that Nintendo’s continued reliance on hardware gimmicks may not connect with all audiences.
