It was a strange holiday season here in the deep south, with the unexpectedly springlike weather in my own neighborhood giving rise to more than one impromptu Christmas cookout. Unfortunately, that same oddly vacillating temperature also did a number on my property’s buried water line, causing a breakage that briefly displaced our family during this most wonderful time of the year.
Luckily, our Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 systems were a solid match for this bit of unexpected holiday travel, keeping us occupied on busy interstates and quiet spare bedrooms alike.
Yet even this wasn’t without a certain peculiarity. You see, as much as my family enjoyed revisiting old favorites and diving into our new Christmas games, it was downloadable content that really kept my children, my partner, and me engaged throughout the season.
Exploring Other Dimensions
I’ve made no secret that the members of my clan are all great fans of the Pokémon franchise, and my son, who received his own Nintendo Switch 2 system shortly before Christmas, made quick work of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Unsurprisingly, his primary focus quickly turned to the recently released Mega Dimensions DLC.
Introducing the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa into the game world, this new story content nicely extends Z-A‘s content. It primarily concerns collecting berries to bake the doughnuts Hoopa requires to help Team MZ traverse the dimensional rifts popping up across the city, and then exploring these dangerous anomalies.
In the otherworldly Hyperspace Lumiose, players encounter Pokémon not found in the core title. More importantly, these new creatures sport hyperspace levels beyond the normal level cap of 100, making them formidable foes.
The big selling point, though, is the newly discovered Mega Evolutions, like Mega Chimecho and Mega Baxcalibur.
Since my boy had continued to explore the post-game content in Lumiose while I moved on to other titles, he easily blew past me in Mega Dimensions. Mostly because he had continued to train and level up his preferred Pokémon party while mine sat dormant.
Still, us comparing notes, swapping strategies, and trading Pokémon made for another enjoyable Christmas memory.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension is available now for both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 for $29.99. The base game is also required.
Much-Needed Prep for the New Year
While the ladies in the family are still playing on their original Switch systems, they, too, were firmly focused on DLC during the holidays. Though, in their case, it was for as-yet unreleased content.
In anticipation of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons free version 3.0 update scheduled to release in mid-January, both my daughter and my girlfriend set to work on their long-neglected islands. Eventually, I even jumped back into my own island paradise to reacquaint myself with the lay of the land, reintroduce myself to the other residents, and otherwise tidy up the place.
New Horizons was such a huge deal for my family, especially during the COVID lockdown, and we’ve each put 100+ hours into our respective builds. Getting back into the swing of things, especially after so long, felt great, and it was a nice reminder of how far we’ve all come since the dark days of 2020.
The free 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons arrives on January 15, 2026. A Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrade Pack will also be available, priced at $4.99.
Free Switch 2 Updates
When I wasn’t exploring game worlds with the fam (or, you know, driving), I bided my time in some of my favorite single-player Switch titles. As luck would have it, I discovered that three such releases had free Nintendo Switch 2 updates available.
Skyrim is likely my most-played game of all time, as I have been consistently enjoying it since its original 2011 release across no fewer than five separate platforms. To tell the truth, I was more than happy simply playing my Nintendo Switch version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition on my Switch 2 due to the faster load times alone.
Then, in early December and with little warning, a Switch 2 Upgrade Pack was released. Now I’m experiencing all the Anniversary Edition content (like Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn) along with some great new Creation Club items with improved visuals and optimized performance.
Red Dead Redemption had long been on my wishlist, and I was happy to find a copy tucked into my stocking on Christmas morning. While I was already excited to revisit New Austin on the Nintendo Switch, I was even more enthused when I realized there was a free Switch 2 Upgrade Pack available via the Nintendo eShop.
Now I can play all the bonus content from Red Dead Redemption‘s Game of the Year Edition and Undead Nightmare on the go as a native Switch 2 release.
As 2025 drew to a close, I decided to use some of that sweet, sweet Christmas gift card money to treat myself to another beloved throwback release. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles includes both the Classic and Enhanced versions on a single Nintendo Switch cartridge, and it too can be upgraded to the Nintendo Switch 2 version at no additional cost.
Sure, I could be playing more modern releases, but I was thankful to have my comfort games close at hand when my winter holiday didn’t go exactly as planned.
The free Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrade Packs for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, Red Dead Redemption, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles are all available now. The base games are required.
This post contains affiliate links. A copy of the Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension DLC was provided by Nintendo of America. I can guarantee you that I’ll buy Skyrim again for a sixth system at some point in the future.
