A Nintendo DS Icon Officially Returns December 2026

Published Sep 18, 2026, 12:30 AM EDT

Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted.

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The Nintendo DS had plenty of iconic games, but many of its biggest hits were continuations of long-running IPs rather than new debuts. When it comes to the mascots of the system, few were truly original, and even Phoenix Wright made his debut on the Game Boy Advance in Japan before introducing himself to Western audiences on the DS.

One huge exception comes from the pre-eminent puzzle series on the Nintendo DS, which brought a new dual-screen star to the scene in fantastic form. The Professor Layton games represent the very best of what the DS has to offer, and the franchise is finally set to make its comeback in just a few months.

Well after its initially planned 2025 launch, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will be coming to Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, and PC on December 10, 2026, as revealed in the September 2026 Nintendo Direct. The game picks back up with Professor Layton's main cast over thirteen years after the release of Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, the final installment in the mainline series that capped off the prequel saga started in Professor Layton and the Last Specter.

In the intervening time, the series took a detour with Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy, which focused on Layton's daughter rather than the man himself. Even that was nearly nine years ago, though, making New World of Steam the first Layton game of any stripe in a very long time.

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will be bringing some big changes to the franchise, abandoning the traditional hand-drawn backgrounds for a world rendered fully in 3D. The leap to PS5 and PC is also huge, as the series has always been exclusive to Nintendo devices and occasionally mobile phones in the past.

Unfortunately, the big changes also include some reasons for long-time fans to be apprehensive. One unavoidable switch-up comes from the fact that Professor Layton's original puzzle master, Akira Tago, passed away in 2016. Layton's Mystery Journey struggled to recreate the quality of his work, but here's hoping that the puzzle group QuizKnock, which has come on board for New World of Steam, will fare better.

The biggest point of concern comes from developer Level-5's recent embrace of generative AI, with criticism coming to a head after some obvious AI foibles in a recent showcase. It remains unclear if or how AI was used in the development of New World of Steam, but for a series built on a very hand-crafted charm, handing off any creative elements to machines could be a big detriment.

At any rate, it'll certainly be interesting to see if Professor Layton can recapture its former glory. The original Nintendo DS classic, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, remains one of my favorite games of all time, so you can bet I'll be investigating Professor Layton and the New World of Steam when it comes out this holiday season.