More than six years after its release, the Nintendo Switch is still dutifully chugging along, and still without the long-rumoured Switch Pro. Compared to its supercomputer competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5, it’s by no means the most powerful place to play games today. But it’s still the most versatile, allowing you to play console-quality games from almost anywhere, from your couch to the bus. If you’re just now hopping on the Switch train—it’s still regularly one of the best-selling machines on the market—here are the best games to start with.
To help narrow things down, we’ve pinpointed the 21 best games to play on the Nintendo Switch in 2023.
This article has been updated since its original publication.
The best games for the Nintendo Switch
Metroid Prime Remastered
Revisiting Samus Aran’s GameCube debut on Switch is delightful because it shows just how timeless the original Metroid Prime was when it launched in 2002. The modern tweaks added in the Switch remaster do a lot to modernize the control schemes of the first-person action-adventure game, but beyond those and some visual polish, much of Metroid Prime Remastered remains the same.
Even with its 21st anniversary coming up, Metroid Prime shines with its excellent design and atmosphere, and now that it controls more like a modern action game, it feels better than ever to play this classic adventure on your Switch.
A Good Match For: Anyone who wants an atmospheric, sci-fi adventure game with light horror elements.
Not A Good Match For: Side scroller purists.
Read Kotaku’s review.
Get some tips before jumping into the game.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Big W | Kogan
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Because of their extremely buggy nature, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are a contentious duo of RPGs. Even so, Pokémon’s ninth-generation games are full of ambition and feature some of the series’ best writing in the franchise’s 27 years. The premise of finding your own bliss in the Pokémon world feels like a childhood dream fully realized, especially when you can travel around the Paldea region with your friends and little restriction.
On top of an unprecedented amount of freedom and community, Scarlet and Violet’s character writing is the strongest the series has seen, up there alongside Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Its different routes deal with grief and a nuanced take on a schoolyard bullying narrative, and these stories all culminate in one of the darkest, most mind-bending endgames the series has ever served up. They’ve got problems, even beyond the bugs, but Scarlet and Violet take some admirably big swings in between the framerate drops and occasional crashes.
A Good Match For: Anyone who wants to see Pokémon reach its narrative potential.
Not A Good Match For: Those with little patience for bugs.
Read Kotaku’s review.
Learn more about the games’ upcoming DLC.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia (Scarlet / Violet) | Big W (Scarlet / Violet)| Catch (Scarlet / Violet)| Kogan (Scarlet / Violet)
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Arceus isn’t your typical Pokémon game. Set way in the past—right around when pokécitizens started creating pokécities, before the first pokédex even existed – Legends: Arceus is technically a distant prequel to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but that’s the only real overlap it has with the mainline iterations. The game is built around a hub-and-spoke structure for missions, à la Monster Hunter. The battle system, too, is less strictly structured than in previous games, with stats dictating which pokémon get to move first, and how many times they can attack in a row. Also, pokémon can mess you up. Beware!
A Good Match For: Pokémon diehards. Fans of Monster Hunter.
Not A Good Match For: Anyone craving a more traditional, mainline entry. Folks hoping for top-tier visuals.
Study our tips for the game.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Splatoon 3
If Splatoon 3 doesn’t win you over to Nintendo’s take on the world of competitive shooters, nothing will. This third game in the ink-splattering sequel has something for everyone, from an endearing single-player campaign to raucous showdowns against giant enemy salmon. It improves or expands on just about everything from the previous game without getting too overwhelming or losing its soul in the process, still focused on two teams trying to coat a location in their colour of ink.
The online connectivity can still be a mess, but the amount of character customization and player self-expression takes the social shooter to a whole new level. There’s even an in-universe collectible card game. It’s Splatoon 3’s world, we’re just living in it.
A Good Match For: People who like squirting goo and marvelling at internet-pilled billboard art.
Not A Good Match For: Anyone who hates fun or getting disconnected in the middle of an online match.
Read about how it feels good to be a ninja.
Find out why everyone cares.
Study our tips for the game.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Live A Live
Originally released in 1994 for the Nintendo Famicom, Live A Live’s 2022 remake was quite the surprise. It came about after original designer Takashi Tokita worked on Octopath Traveler, and realized that game’s HD-2D tech would be the ideal way to re-realize his first project. Live A Live now lives in our heads rent-free as one of the best games of 2022. Its seemingly disparate seven chapters never overstayed their welcome and its turn-based action was equal parts challenging and fulfilling. Plus, its colourful cast of characters let loose a cavalcade of swears and witty clapbacks that made the whole experience a rare pleasure.
A Good Match For: Players who giggle whenever foul-mouthed characters “say a swear” on their family-friendly Nintendo Switch.
Not A Good Match For: Players who don’t want to sink hundreds of hours anime AF storylines.
Read Kotaku’s review.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Neon White
First-person shooter, dating simulator, puzzle game, platformer-thing Neon White is a beautiful monster, who crawled out of some portal of golden light and 4chan jokes. Indie developer Ben Esposito’s game is crude at times (the dating sim dialogue can be too corny to sit through) but you’ll never get tired of its primary gameplay’s whip-fast pace.
Actually, zooming through Neon White’s pearlescent, circuitous platforms as fast as you can, shooting down pumpkin-shaped monsters with unwavering precision, all while coasting off the bubble high of electronic artist Machine Girl’s independently fantastic score will energize you. The game incentivizes you in all these ways—visually, sonically, through the satisfaction of blowing up your enemies—to complete each of its short, challenging levels better. Faster. Without hesitating.
A Good Match For: Doom fans, speedrunners, Rate Your Music account owners, anyone on a time crunch that needs a tiny game with a big upper swing.
Not A Good Match For: Visual novel aficionados, people that prefer a slow pace and low stakes.
Find out why Neon White is as good as everyone says it is.
Study our tips for the game.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop
Metroid Dread
There’s a reason why “metroid” is in “metroidvania.” Metroid Dread, the first mainline Metroid game in nearly two decades, is the latest to prove why this series earned its spot in the gaming pantheon. You probably know what the genre usually entails: tight platforming, densely-packed levels, lots of upgrades, lots of backtracking. Dread doesn’t lack any of the genre staples, and in fact, packages it all together in a greatest hits of Metroid references. It’s tough but not relentless, confusing but not confounding, and ultimately a satisfying romp through one of Nintendo’s long-untouched series. Metroid’s back, baby, and Switch players are all better for it.
A Good Match For: Fans of platformers, and anyone who missed the heck out of Samus Aran.
Not A Good Match For: Players who aren’t comfortable with the idea of getting lost, and with burning potentially hours on a single conundrum.
Read our review.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
It’s easy to look at this game and think, oh, an XCOM strategy clone with a cuter skin. But that would be wrong! First off, they gave Mario a freakin’ gun. The game also treats the original genre as a jumping-off point, adding a number of original mechanics that make the game stand apart. You can extend your turns in elaborate ways via dashing, jumping on enemies, and travelling through pipes. If you play your cards right, a single character can take a tour around the entire map in one go, causing havoc everywhere.
The game is also a giant love letter to all things Mario, which is why the Rabbids based on the popular Nintendo characters work so well—they’re parodying something that Ubisoft understands deeply. By the end of the game, you might even find yourself kicking out the original Mario characters in exchange for the Rabbids. Coupled with an extensive challenge mode and many a secret hiding about, Rabbids is a surprisingly meaty game. Then, of course, there’s DLC that introduces more characters, like Donkey Kong, more challenging levels, and new mechanics. Have we mentioned that the Luigi Death Stare is an actual move?
A Good Match For: Fans of tactical games like Fire Emblem.
Not A Good Match For: Players looking for a carbon copy of XCOM.
Read our review.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Big W
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Do you love the Halloween season? Do you love spooky stuff? But are you also maybe a bit of a weenie and don’t like all the blood, gore, and fear that comes with popular horror games? If so, you should play Luigi’s Mansion 3, a delightful third-person adventure filled with satisfying combat and fun puzzles. The combat is worth mentioning for its satisfying ghost slamming via Luigi’s vacuum pack. Plus, Luigi’s doppelganger Gooigi is in this game. Enjoy a perfectly paced adventure set in a gorgeous haunted hotel.
A Good Match For: Fans of cute ghosts, silly and spooky games, fun puzzles, Luigi, and Halloween.
Not A Good Match For: People wanting a big, long 80-hour game, folks who dislike any references to ghosts or death, people who hate Luigi or his gooey clone, and those looking for online PVP action.
Read our review.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a fantastic platformer that had one major drawback when it was released on Wii U in 2014: true to the series’ tradition, it was very difficult. It could be hard to appreciate the abundance of verve and creativity jammed into each of the game’s levels when you were constantly dying. Tropical Freeze’s Switch port addresses that problem with a new “Funky Mode” that offers several ways to make things easier, all without losing the colourful playfulness that makes it such an unusually appealing game. There are a lot of good platforming series out there but none quite like Donkey Kong Country. Tropical Freeze is a more than worthy entry in the series.
A Good Match For: Fans of the DKC series, people who like a challenge, and those who love really good music.
Not A Good Match For: Those who hate difficult games. Even on its easiest setting, Tropical Freeze can still be challenging. Expect to die a lot.
Read our review of the Wii U version, and some thoughts on the port.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Ring Fit Adventure
In the early throes of the pandemic, Ring Fit Adventure took the world by storm—and for good reason. Not only did it offer an alternative to IRL exercise (particularly when gyms from coast to coast shuttered their doors), but it also happened to be a genuinely fun game. You perform exercises shown on the screen while wearing a Switch accessory known as a Ring-Con. Doing so allows you to progress along the map, take down enemies, and collect coins. Throw in some role-playing elements and a story that was more compelling than necessary, in which you take down a muscle-bound dragon creature, and you can understand why it was impossible to get a copy of the game for months on end. Though Ring Fit remained sold out for much of the pandemic, the exercise game is more attainable these days. It’s well worth checking out, even if your gym has reopened.
A Good Match For: Time-crunched folks looking for a fun and easy way to get a workout in.
Not A Good Match For: Bodybuilders (the Ring-Con is, like, less than a pound).
Read our review.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
At first glance, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury might look like something you’ve played a thousand times, and you may have even played this 2.5D Mario platformer when it first came out on the WiiU. It’s fun enough alone, but the main draw is the local co-op, which allows up to four people to play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Toad, each of whom have different advantages (Peach can float, Toad’s fast as hell, Luigi isn’t Mario, etc.). And then there’s Bowser’s Fury.
Unlike Super Mario 3D World, Bowser’s Fury is entirely new. You’re dropped in a small open world neatly divided into regions (the ice area, the invisible walls area, and so on) and tasked with completing platforming puzzles to collect golden whatsits called Cat Shines. In the centre, you’ll see a Kaiju-sized Bowser. Collect enough Cat Shines, and you’ll be able to supersize yourself to take on Bowser in increasingly challenging boss fights. It’s not as long as a “full” Mario game—like Super Mario Odyssey—but it’s an effective showcase for what an open-world Mario game might look like.
A Good Fit For: Mario fans. Anyone hungry for an engaging, accessible local co-op game.
Not A Good Fit For: People who played Super Mario 3D World to death when it first came out. Bowser’s Fury, while terrific, isn’t a full-sized game.
Read our review and our deeper thoughts of Bowser’s Fury here.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch
Hades
There are roguelikes, and then there’s Hades. The latest from Supergiant Games has many of the trappings of a traditional roguelike—tight action, randomized battles, a never-ending cycle of failure and incremental progress—but distinguishes itself by being a narrative tour de force. Set in the underworld of ancient Greece, you play as Zagreus, the obstinate son of Hades. All of your favourites, from all-powerful Olympians like Zeus and Athena to human legends like Achilles and Eurydice, show up in some way or another. Supergiant cleverly reimagined these millennia-old characters in modern fashion, fully fleshing out dozens of characters as if they existed in an extremely dark rom-com. Every death pushes the story forward, but not linearly. The story is told in how you slowly get to know members of the Greek mytheme a bit more with every bloody, brutal Sisyphean failure. Also, everyone’s hot as hell.
A Good Fit For: People who love roguelikes. Fans of Supergiant’s previous hits (Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre)
Not A Good Fit For: People who love roguelikes, because Hades will tarnish the rest of the genre for you. Anyone who needs their narratives ordered in a neat, three-act structure. The easily frustrated (Hades will kill you a lot).
Read our review.
Study our tips for the game, and for the post-game.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a monumental artistic achievement, a video game so creative and full of surprises that we’ll be talking about it for years to come. It’s also unlike any Zelda game before it. Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game to date, and it accomplishes that simply by saying yes.
A Good Match For: Anyone who likes games that let you explore and make your own fun; horse lovers.
Not A Good Match For: Anyone who preferred the strict structure of other recent Zelda games.
Read our review.
Study our tips for the game.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Big W | Catch
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate perfects the long-beloved Super Smash Bros. formula for both the button-mashing seven-year-old and the single-minded competitive gamer. It’s the old platform fighter we’ve been obsessed with since 1999, but this time, with a leviathan roster of 76 fighters. Mastering one could eat up a year, but it’s more fun to sample them all. Smash Ultimate is a museum of Nintendo celebrities, a gaming fandom WrestleMania. Everything is customisable: the rulesets, fighter balancing, stage hazards. With all that stuff and so many ways to manipulate it, Smash Ultimate is a crowd-pleaser that doesn’t discriminate between a middle school birthday party and a stadium of screaming pros.
A Good Match For: Anyone with a competitive bone in their body, people who have at any point loved Nintendo, anyone who hosts parties or fans of any of the previous Smash games.
Not A Good Match For: People who hate conflict or primarily enjoy gaming alone.
Read our review.
Watch it in action.
Study our tips for playing the game.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a tiny epic that jams an extraordinary amount of secrets, challenges, and rewards into its sprawling subterranean kingdom. It’s a little bit Castlevania and a little bit Metroid, with a roomy map and remote regions you can only access after unlocking one of many character upgrades. It’s a little bit Dark Souls, with its forsaken kingdom, tough bosses, shortcut-strewn maps, and threat of losing progress upon death. And it shares platforming DNA with games like Ori and the Blind Forest and Super Meat Boy, all wall-slides and air-dashes. It bakes up those ingredients before frosting on a layer of its own distinct vibe, and those who choose to brave the buried insect realm of Hallownest will be rewarded with one of gaming’s great spelunking expeditions. Surprising, challenging, rewarding, and unexpectedly funny, Hollow Knight is absolutely worth your time and works particularly well on the Switch.
A Good Match For: Those who like a challenge, Metroidvania fans, anyone looking for a deep, rewarding game to really sink their teeth into.
Not A Good Match For: The easily frustrated. Hollow Knight can be a brutal, unforgiving game, and it throws players into the deep end early. It contains bosses and platforming challenges that may have you tearing your hair out.
Read our review.
Study our tips for playing the game.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Ah, the blue shell. There may be no better metaphor for the bleakness of life. One minute you’re cruising along, on top of the world, and then bam, you’re totally hosed. Just when you thought you had it in the bag, life throws a blue shell.
Mario Kart 8 isn’t really all that philosophical, of course. It’s the same Mario Kart formula re-tuned and polished to an absurd degree, easily one of the most fun party games you can play on the Switch or any other console. Best of all, the Deluxe version on Switch includes all the DLC maps and characters from the Wii U game and also completely overhauls that version’s woebegone battle mode. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the definitive version of an already great game.
A Good Match For: People who like moving really fast, people who like seeing Luigi look really mean.
Not a Good Match For: People who don’t like Mario Kart? Do those people exist?
Read our review of the Wii U version, and of the Deluxe Switch version.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
You might think that Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t for everyone, but Nintendo’s adorable life sim apparently is for everyone. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that this game launched in the midst of a global pandemic. As citizens around the world ramped up social distancing measures, New Horizons provided a pastel-coloured paradise for gamers of all skill levels to collectively get lost in. The gameplay is simple enough: Pick fruit, catch bugs, and hunt for expensive seashells, all in the interest of earning enough dough to build up an idyllic island community. Everything progresses in real-time, so there’s an impetus to play a little (or a lot) every day. Oh, and did we mention that all the characters are talking animals?
A Good Fit For: Anyone seeking a digital hangout. People who like peace, placidity, or cute things. Travel influencers.
Not A Good Fit For: Anyone with burning impatience, commitment issues, or a need for games to offer stern direction.
Read our review.
Study our tips for playing the game, and advice on what to do when you start.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical RPG by way of Dawson’s Creek, as much a challenging game of chess as a matchmaking service for a camp of teenaged anime screw-ups. As much as Three Houses plays close to Fire Emblem traditions and plays tropes of Japanese role-playing games straight, it also takes necessary departures in its plot and mechanics. By the end of the game, you’ll want to play it again immediately”not just to replay the puzzles, but to see the narrative and characters from a new perspective.
A Good Match For: Anyone who loves romance and brain-tingling logic puzzles.
Not A Good Match For: Anyone who hates anime, heartbreak, and playing a game three times.
Read our review
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
Baba Is You
You’ve never played anything like Baba Is You. You might never play anything like it again. It’s a simple block-pushing puzzle game, except the blocks you’re pushing are actually the rules of the game themselves. The puzzles quickly scale up in difficulty, and you have to wrap your brain around the concept that everything, including you, can be redefined on the fly. A triumphant puzzle masterpiece.
A Good Match For: People who, in the words of Mike Selinker and Thomas Snyder, solve puzzles because they like pain, and they like being released from pain, and they like most of all that they find within themselves the power to release themselves from their own pain.
Not A Good Match For: People who immediately run to GameFAQs every time Nathan Drake has to align three spinning wheels or whatever.
Read our impressions.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is all about freedom, and it is glorious. Unlike recent Mario games, the red-hatted plumber no longer must move forward in a straight line. The timer is gone, and each level is a toybox filled with platforming challenges, surprising secrets, and all kinds of goofy fun. It’s one of the best feeling, most charming, freshest games we’ve played in ages, and a cinch to recommend on the Switch.
A Good Match For: Platforming fans, Mario 64 and Sunshine fans, people who like hats.
Not A Good Match For: People who hate 3D platforming, people who hate hats.
Read our review.
Study our tips for how to jump really, really far.
Watch it in action.
Where To Buy It: Nintendo eShop | Amazon Australia | Catch | Dick Smith | Kogan
How has our list of best Nintendo Switch games changed? Read back through our update history:
7/007/2023: We added Scarlet and Violet, Metroid Prime Remastered.
16/02/2023: After much debate, we’ve rather cruelly plucked out Mario Golf: Super Rush, Undertale, Stardew Valley and Grindstone. Joining the party are Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Splatoon 3, Live A Live, and Neon White.
5/05/2022: The list grows to 19 with the addition of Metroid Dread.
28/07/2021: Why cap things at 12? We’ve expanded the list to 18, adding Mario Golf: Super Rush, Ring Fit Adventure, Grindstone, and Luigi’s Mansion 3. Also, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze are back on the menu.
22/03/2021: Celeste, an airtight platformer you can get on a whole bunch of platforms, jumps off the list to clear room for the two-in-one Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.
10/02/2020: We gave Super Mario Maker 2 the boot to make room for Supergiant’s Hades.
4/02/2020: We’ve removed Platinum Games’ Astral Chain and swapped in the biggest—or at least cutest—launch of early 2020: Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
12/09/2019: We’ve added Super Mario Maker 2, Baba Is You, Astral Chain, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and removed Splatoon 2, Into the Breach, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Bayonetta 2.
1/14/2019: We’ve added Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and taken off Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
11/07/2018: We’ve added Into the Breach and Undertale and taken off Dragon Quest Builders and Darkest Dungeon.
6/28/2018: We’ve added Hollow Knight and taken off Steamworld Dig 2.
5/17/2018: We’ve added Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and removed Golf Story.
3/01/2018: We’ve added Celeste, Dragon Quest: Builders, Darkest Dungeon and Bayonetta 2 while removing Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, Overcooked, Skyrim, and Arms. Â
12/06/2017: We’ve added Super Mario Odyssey, Overcooked, and Skyrim and taken off The Binding of Isaac, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and Thumper.
10/12/2017: We’ve added Golf Story, SteamWorld Dig 2 and Stardew Valley and taken off Jackbox Party Pack 3, Minecraft, and Snipperclips.
9/14/2017: We’ve added Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and removed Cave Story +.
8/09/2017: We’ve added Splatoon 2 and bumped off Disgaea 5.
6/28/2017: Time for our first update, and it’s a big one. We’ve added Minecraft, Arms, Cave Story+, Disgaea 5, Jackbox Party Pack 3 and Thumper, and removed I Am Setsuna and Mr. Shifty. The list will remain capped at 12 games from here on out.
5/03/2017: And lo, the Switch Bests list was created! No updates yet. Expect more in the near future as we add more games, eventually capping the list at 12.
Comments
104 responses to “The 21 Best Games For The Nintendo Switch”
Sif put Isaac in there ahead of Blaster Master.
There’s 8 games for switch?
All 8 😛
Came here to say this 🙂
No, the whole article is clearly a lie. The literal millions of people enjoying their Switch are actually staring vacantly at a blank screen, suffering of collective delusion. Nintendo’s reports are a fabrication and they are actually about to go out of business.
But you always knew better, eagle eyes piercing the see-through gossamer of that web of lies. And today, you have bravely exposed the truth to us. What a champion.
Salty Nintendo fan detected.
I love how Nintendo fans are always the most akin to zealots.
Say something bad about Nintendo on reddit and they’ll downvote you into oblivion. It’s hilarious. It’s like they just can’t comprehend that Nintendo would ever do wrong. Could ever do wrong!
Look, it’s fine you’re having fun with your Switch. Doesn’t change the fact its a cheaply made Wii U that has a garbage roster of games that are basically all indie games or re-releases that are 3+ years old.
I don’t hate Nintendo. I just wish they would stop this stupidity and release their games on real consoles and PC. Something that has a bit of firepower behind it. That E3 tech demo they did of Zelda like 5 years ago still looks better, graphics and gameplay wise than BotW. Because Nintendo is ALWAYS limited by their shit ass hardware. I’m not talking about graphics only.
Necro much?
Listen, the reason why you get downvoted everywhere is that you have this attitude where your subjective opinion somehow has more value than the opinion of hundreds of thousands of people. I don’t think that Nintendo is perfect and they certainly have made their fair share of mistakes, but people like you will complain, criticize and mock even unarguable successes like the Wii or the Switch only because Nintendo doesn’t do what is more convenient to your established gaming behaviour and catering to the things that you value and prioritise.
You call me salty but in reality, it is you the one who cannot cope with the fact that you know that Nintendo games are fantastic, but they are not released for the platforms you already own and prefer. And of course, you wouldn’t buy their platform because fuck them for not getting in the stupid spec race and become the /third/ power PC inside a shiny brick of a console. If it is to cater to your desires, you’d gladly wish away their hardware department, costing the company millions and leaving thousands of people jobless. To get their games that you want in the most convenient way to you, you’d gladly take away the enjoyment of thousands if not millions who are engaged precisely by the very features that you elitistly dismiss as “gimmicks”. In order to validate your marketing-indoctrinated values that are mostly tangential to fun such as “power”, “resolution”, “fps” and the such, you’d pretend Nintendo has not proven itself capable of making some of the most critically and commercially awarded games in history /regardless/ of the specs of their machines instead of limited by them. And yet, you crave those games. Such cognitive dissonance predictably result in these angered, dismissive posts, time after time.
*wipes away tear* Beautiful. I love Nintendo’s wacky games. They often do stuff others won’t touch with a 10 foot pole.
If you like that necro, you’ll love this one even more.
I have nothing to add to the conversation.
Except that as an adult with a salary that’s decent, I can afford to buy any gaming system I want and own a PS4, Switch and a beefy gaming PC with a 1080ti and 8700k all shown on a 34 inch Rog monitor (and yes that’s just me bragging ;p ). So I hope my opinion might hold more weight as not just another brainless nintendo zealot.
While I agree the Switch could be more more powerful, they did what they did with the switch to make it accessible and affordable. The Switch isn’t competing against the PS4 or Xbox or even the 3DS. It exists in its own market share as a device that can float between both. The switch has succeeded where the Vita failed. It’s brought a system that allows console games to be played on the fly.
To be honest I play most of my games on my PC. But my switch has gotten a lot more use than my PS4 over the last year and I can’t see that changing any time soon.
Switch isn’t your thing? That’s cool… don’t buy one. But you can’t ignore that it’s sold 8 million units in a year. And if you have nothing better to do then whinge and moan in forums about it, then mate I pity you.
8 million people world wide are enjoying it, and for some reason this offends you? Why does people enjoying something that you don’t offend you much? Would you get happiness by making them stop liking it? People like you make me scratch my head. Why would you want to ruin people’s enjoyment of something? Are you really that sad?
The switch is far from perfect. But it does what its set out to do. And the fact that games like Doom 2016 and Skyrim have been fully ported show that this system has so much potential.
TLDR – Don’t be a hater. Game and let game.
So did you get one yet?
Are you replying to me?
No.
I will not be buying a console for all of 2 games. Mario and Zelda.
Yes I was ; )
I bet you can’t wait for the Pokemon dissapointment hey?
Another game built in the 3DS engine. Another remake.
I haven’t really played any pokemon games since Yellow and Gold. But if you need to puff yourself up by putting down video game systems (how sad) carry on. If you didn’t realise, the fanboy wars kind of ended after the Xbox/PS2/GameCube era.
Did you get one yet? (Currently 1954 games on the system).
They just release 4 games so the list had to be updated to Top 12!
Lol, sort of true I guess, but it’s only 6 months in, the ps4 library was pretty lean at that point too yeah?
Good thing for me is that I’m utterly hooked on Zelda still, so I’m still yet to need or buy another game haha.
Yay, another US article. Isaac still has no Australian release…
And yet I’ve been playing it endlessly. No region restrictions anymore so bugger waiting.
Nor Cave Story + for us Aussies…
Just change your region.
Number 9 with a bullet: Ascribe Your Own Barometer of Success to the New Games Console From Nintendo Even Though It’s Only May 8.
I love a bit of AYOBS NGC FENTIOM 8.
Gotta agree, Kotaku’s Nintendo fandom is getting beyond a joke.
Really? I hear people say this, but as conisseur of all gaming platforms, I find it balanced and fair. Yeah, doing a Top 8 is a bit iffy (coulda waited for another two games worth adding to make it Top 10), but yeah, the “too much Nintendo content!!!” noise seems to come from people that don’t do Nintendo, feel left out because, and now want to ignore all the fun people have with Zelda.
It’s okay not to own a Switch or 3DS! Sad, but totes okay! Just let the rest of us who do enjoy the content, friendo.
I own a 3DS, and a Wii U. However Kotaku’s nintendo coverage seems to diverge into retro-nostalgia benders that borders on cognitive dissonance.
I mean, no, it doesn’t. If Nintendo articles on a video game website annoy you, perhaps take a break from the internet for a while.
I think the coverage Kotaku has provided on Nintendo has been fair, during the bleak WiiU era developments were lacking and sparse between.
Now that Nintendo has a hit on their hands and with a critically rated launch title – that they deserve what ever coverage news outlets provide. Plus the switch is a breathe of fresh air in this somewhat of a stagnated graphically-focused industry. Positive competition from Nintendo can only mean better games for everyone else and i’m no fanboy either 🙂
Be happy that it at least relates to video games. I’ll take near-daily Nintendo articles to near-daily articles about MMA anytime.
Top 8 Nintendo Switch games! Happens to be the only 8! Also, 75% of this list is compiled of indie 2D games that cost an exorbitant amount on Switch for some reason! Also one of them is literally a Tetris game.
Nintentards.
I read this in a WWE wrestler’s voice.
That was what you were going for wasn’t it.
haha… this guy
You don’t like the switch so how dare anyone else like it! hahaha
Used to love Nintendo. Now I can’t stand them or their gimmicky bullshit.
you know what, i get that. I hated the Wii because of the stupid controllers.
But dude, the switch is shaping up really well. It really does feel and play really well. I never thought the ability to seamlessly go from TV to portable would matter but it doesn’t only make it convenient, its makes it super fun and easy to play.
also, im glad someone is trying something different. Competition and innovation are essential to a good gaming market.
Nintendo! Exploiting Zelda fans since 1986!
yeah, exploiting them by giving them game of the decade…….
By making them buy a Switch for a WiiU game.
how is that exploiting people by giving everyone the option of buying it on any current console?
I bought the Wii U version, then changed over to the Switch version (buying a switch in the process) so that I could play it on the plane to and from Europe. Nobody made me buy anything, and I’m quite happy with the result!
Nintendo is obviously holding a gun to your head! No one really likes Nintendo! (I love Nintendo =P)
The Switch’s library has 34 games so far which is 9 more than the Xbone released in the same period. You come here to disseminate disinformation and feel the need to append -tards to a word describing other people? Back to 4chan with you, little one.
30 indie 2D games and re-releases of 3-5 year old games. 4 actual games designed FOR the switch.
Hilarious.
Clearly, you didn’t bother to check how those percentages looked for the other platforms for the same starting period in their lives. PS4 did somewhat better, having a few more AAA exclusives, but also more shovelware. XBOX definitely did worse, having released fewer titles and with more or less the same ratios of exclusives-rereleases-shovelware. Could have been better? Sure, but it’s nowhere near the exaggerated barren scenario people like you paint, nor is it endemic to Nintendo.
I could play devil’s advocate. I’ve got a neo geo arcade machine with a bootleg cart in it and I have 14 games that are on the switch 😛
Xbone released 57 games in the first 9 months of release.
You are responding to a 5-month old post. The Switch has already gone well over that 57 mark.
This is a hilarious comment at this point in time, lol. Thanks for the chuckle for the future.
8 best games on the switch is pretty easy to do when there is only 8 games released on it.
Puyo Puyo on the the list and Bomberman not being on the list makes me happy 😉
Also Snipperclips is okay but I’m not seeing the huge fuss, must be the new console smell!
I have a Switch, and BOTW, but honestly… The console needs more exclusives, not games I can buy on steam for cheaper (that are locked to my account that will keep working on any computer system I buy or make for the foreseeable future).
More exclusives damn it!
Ok, let’s remove everything that’s not a port/remake/remaster/re-release… We’re left with Zelda & Snipperclips.
I guess on a slow news day you gotta do something in the office. I would like to see this list remade in 12 months when the Switch has a lot more Nintendo only games that could be included… Or just new games in general.
Super Bomberman R, which is better than Mr Shifty, is also a completely new game that you can’t get on other consoles.
In fact 1-2 Switch is also better than it.
Nah just Snipperclips. Zelda is a Wii U port.
More like the BoTW on Wii U is a port of the Switch version.
The Wii U version is a neutered/watered-down version of the original to make porting to Switch easier 😛
You forgot Arms.
Mr Shifty should be replaced by Lego City Undercover and I am Setsuna should be replaced by Fast RMX.
Those two are average games aimed at cashing in on nostalgia value for two narrow genres, and there are many far better games on the Switch.
There’s also Jackbox Party Pack thats worth getting.
Kamiko is also pretty good. Probably not something that could compete with the bests, but it is good.
I could easily appreciate these four rounding out the 12 for now:
• Tumbleseed (tough-as-nails roguelike)
• Master Blaster Zero (retro shmup fun)
• VOEZ (frantic, enormous rhythm game)
• 1-2 Switch (outrageous fun when drunk)
Aside from the 12 games you were showing I would have to say 1-2 Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and ARMS are definitely my most favorite games but The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ is not my favorite game Disgaea 5 I don’t think so SEGA’S Puyo Puyo Tetris I’ve got nothing to say about that game I’m more into some Sonic action with Sonic Mania coming to the Nintendo Switch soon along with Sonic Forces which is also coming to the Nintendo Switch in the holiday season later this year with a new villain aside from other villains like Shadow Metal Sonic the return of Zavok from the Deadly Six Edition of Sonic Lost Worlds.
Wow still no Blaster Master. Guys.
But hey, at least we have TWO actual Switch games now.
GEM is a fun game too. And a handful of NEO GEO games (King of Fighters, Mark of the Wolves, Metal Slug etc). I love ARMS, Shantae and Wonderboy too.
wow, these comments. You don’t actually care about the number of Switch games that are out, you’re just interested in attacking it because you’re feeling threaten by it (Console fanboyz war). It’s only been out for 4 months you silly fish! In 12 months time, you’ll have drop that argument and be arguing about some other silly reason to hate on it.
If you don’t like it, fine, move on with your life. But don’t feel personally threaten about a gaming console some people like, its just sad, man.
I love disgaea games, but the port on the switch seems to crash a LOT 🙁
have autosave turned on if you wanna stay sane
Why are there so many article reposts lately? Is Kotaku making up for a lack of news?
I think it’s because they updated the list again. That’s all.
They should have probably just made an entirely new post instead of updating and reposting this one, because the majority of comments in here are from earlier in the year, replying to a different version of the article, and are outdated.
Agree, but it is the US article and the Aus editors don’t really have any control over that
Can’t wait to see it again in another couple of months!
Here it is! Again!
‘sup.
And again!
lawl. Seems they missed the March repost 😛
(and hi to @lemonmule also)
and again!
I haven’t got the Jackbox Party Pack 3 for Nintendo Switch yet but I do love playing the trivia quiz game You Don’t Know Jack hosted by Cookie Masterson who is always full of mouth every time he bleeps his mouth no matter what bad word he says. I still love Breath of the Wild but I won’t be getting The Master Trials DLC yet until The Champions Ballad DLC comes out at the end of this year because when The Champions Ballad DLC comes out at the end of this year I’m going to get both DLC packs as part of the Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass. Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a great game and I can’t wait for a new story mode early next year as part of the Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle Season Pass.
Interesting how the meta in this discussion is about downvoting people for pointing out, quite legitimately that the switch has an intensely disappointing games lineup (and don’t say it has only been X months – there is no indication it is going to get any better, bar mario odyssey).
Of course it is possible to buy it and have fun, but if you’re someone who already has a Wii U and a stacked steam account, even the biggest switch superfan should be able to recognise that the offerings for the switch are underwhelming.
I don’t want nintendo to fail. I want to buy the switch. But its pure facepalm to read announcements like “Skyrim coming to Switch!”.
I mean, it’s only disappointing if you’re not a Nintendo fan, really. And if you owned a wii u too I suppose. But for someone who has an xbone already and loves their first party stuff, I have Zelda, splatoon 2, mk8, the surprisingly quality looking Mario and rabbids, odyssey just around the corner, and I have yooka laylee, rocket league and more to look forward to. Doom and skyrim point to decent ( admittedly downgraded ) support of older games that people may want to play on the go, and 2k and Wolfenstein 2 are giving people hope that some newer third party games might just make it to switch after all. Yes I’d say ps4 is still the console king, but in terms of exclusives I’m looking forward to Nintendos more than Sonys. For the generic third party games like destiny I have my xbone so I’m covered however as always owning a Nintendo as your only console would be tough ( not so if you had a pc too tho ) .
One day people will realise how good Has Been Heroes is.
Absolutely… For the $10 it cost me in the Switch bundle I bought, I’ve gotten incredible value out of it.
Ya’ll need to wipe the comments when you update these.
I like charting the stupidity. We can follow the trend from “durr, switch has no games!” to “damn, this is a great launch year!”.
I now have a switch backlog, and splatoon 2 and rocket league fill in any spare time. It’s nuts how much I’ve played this thing!
Xenoblade 2 is also fantastic.
Not big enough to be a Wall of Shame, but more a Pocket of Shame?
Jokes aside, I don’t mind seeing the dated comments either. As you say, its fun to track how things have changed from First! to now.
I know what you mean. Splatoon 2 is an evergreen title for me so far and I’ve never played Stardew Valley before either. Poor old Rabbids has hardly had a look in. Mario Odyssey is rounding out my current roster of played games and RL hasn’t been touched once. I’m sure hte addiction will come when I have some time to actually play it!
Ok so now we’ve got four Switch games listed 😛
I’m enjoying my Switch more than I have a Nintendo console since the Gamecube (at least).
It still doesn’t have quite the line-up I’m looking for, but I can’t complain given the standard of some of these titles and the newness of the system.
It’s a bit of a dilemma because Nintendo only ever releases a small handful of good games a year, and because the Switch is a bit of a hybrid console, depending on the type of game and what you use it for sometimes even a big release won’t necessarily appeal to some users.
Obviously a personal choice thing but to me games like Splatoon are a complete waste given the (often Nintendo-imposed) limitations of the system. I can only imagine how well a game like that would work on Xbox live or a PC (or with cross-play), but on a handheld with Nintendo online systems…. no thanks.
Ditto Mario Kart, which is dull as hell without friends and is a desperately hollow experience to play online with strangers. Even though it’s fun, as a handheld game I didn’t get much more than a single play through on 150cc out of it before I’d seen it all.
Ditto ARMS…. and probably Rocket League too.
It’s just hitting that sweet spot where it looks/ sounds good enough to play on a TV, doesn’t require an internet connection and is satisfying to play alone on a small screen. There’s lots of game types that can do that, but for me too many games on that list don’t.
I’d love to see a port of Divinity: Original Sin 2 next year. The first one worked really well on a console and would be PERFECT for the Switch.
Needs more Xenoblade 2
Skyrim is a great game and all, but the Switch port still has tons of known bugs and issues in it that have been fixed for literally years by fan mods etc. Bethesda shouldn’t be getting a free pass on this.
Agree with others that Xenoblade probably belongs on this list.
Realise that it’s a bit niche & far too divisive to ever make this list but for anyone on the fence i’ve been having a blast with Fire Emblem: Warriors.
Given that there’s absolutely jack-all else coming out soon that interests me, I may give in, turn to the darkside & finally try Stardew, waving goodbye to the inevitable hours i’ll never get back.
I work as sales person for a large retail chain and although many retailers have had sales in the PS4 and the XBOX One the system my store always seems to be low on inventory or is sold out of is the Nintendo Switch. I get that some of the features may feel gimmicky I even understand that competitively it is below the average system in in terms of graphics performance. I just think that it fills a niche spot in the gaming community of systems. It’s a console when I want to chill in the couch and it’s a handheld when I’m on the go. I cant think of another system that fills that spot or ever has.
I’m waiting for them to port Resident Evil 4. Then I’ll buy a switch.
Welcome to the club!!
I dont mind reposts especially really great articles from kotakus past… but really?
An article thats barely 5 months old AND NO WARNING ITS A REPOST?
You guys must be getting utterly desperate for content that your recycling old content and masquerading it as a new one and no you cant pull that were on holidays excuse either for this one =/
Welcome back everyone! Grab a drink and mingle. Family reunion is on!
Without even looking: BotW, Skyrim, Hyrule Warriors, Xenoblade, Battle Chef Brigade, Golf Story, Stardew, Dark Souls (give it a minute). (Plus whatever the ‘cool kids’ are playing. Like… a billion different Mario games, probably.) OK, let’s look. Ah, of course. A billion different fucking Mario games. Enh? Dig? Heist is better. Splatoon? No online games allowed – the switch is for travel.
I play splatoon 2 on the go
Traded my switch in 2 weeks ago after finishing Zelda and Mario. I have to say it was worth buying and super enjoyable, but I’m happy to wait a few years when there’s some more exclusive stuff and buy it again. Great console and it is worth it just for Zelda and Mario.
I cannot believe Xenoblade Chronicles 2 isn’t on this list.
12 best games for the switch and only 3 are exclusive. seems like its still not worth shelling out yet :/
Plenty of good games out there for the Switch and it’s impossible to put together a list like this without criticism. I know plenty of people love it but I’m not sure Splatoon 2 should be on a list of best Switch games. It’s one of the best exclusives but that’s not enough to get XC2 a spot (criminal that XC2 has never even been on the list). Also not sure that Darkest Dungeon deserved the boot. I also think Dragon Ball FighterZ and Diablo 3 must have only just missed out on a spot in this update though Undertale is deserving of a place.
In addition to Splatoon 2, I’d probably also not have put Into The Breach on the list. Both excellent games (I especially love ITB) but probably not top 12 on the console. Mario + Rabbids and Tropical Freeze are probably also no longer top 12. The big question is, which game loses it’s place for Smash Ultimate?
Still think XC2 deserves to be on here easily ahead of some currently listed titles. And no DQXIS?!?! That is a glaring omission.
Welcome back Switch List, we missed you!
Those comments never get old.
Another installment of this list means it’s time for me to say, once again….Xenoblade 2 is definitely in the top 12 Switch titles. So are Dragon Quest XI and The Witcher 3. They are great games but Baba is You, Stardew Valley and Undertale are the ones I’d remove. More subjectively/controversially, I’d also dump Smash Ultimate and Mario Maker 2 for other titles like Bayonetta 2 and something like Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Dark Souls. DKC:TF should probably still be on there as well but I’d be hard pressed to bump another title for it…maybe Celeste but that’s a toughie.
I politely disagree only because The Witcher 3, Bayonetta 2, Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Dark Souls are all available on other platforms in higher quality forms.
True, but the list is comparing about other Switch games. They should be considered, other games on there are in a similar boat.