The Switch is the latest console released by Japanese video game and toy company, Nintendo. The Switch was released in March of 2017, and since that day, the console has seen many releases, with many saying that the best games on Nintendo Switch are some of the best games released in that console generation. With widely known releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and some lesser known ones like Metroid: Dread, the one thing that is for sure, is that any game that appears on Nintendo Switch alongside that patented Nintendo seal of approval is bound to be a fun ride for whoever is playing. With that in mind, today we’re going to take a look at the top 10 best games of the Nintendo Switch.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a Nintendo Switch exclusive game that made a big impact over the last few years since it was released. This is a charming game in which the player moves to a small island town, with the goal of building up a new home, helping the town, and making new friends along the way. The game allows for online co-op, so you can join your friend’s island and play alongside each other! Animal Crossing is a perfect game for kicking back, relaxing, and just tuning out and letting all the stress of the day go as you wander your island and slowly build up your home and town. Though this may not be an action game or a massive open world game, Animal Crossing is a quaint, fun experience that countless players enjoy. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an E rated game that is solely on the Nintendo Switch, this game is almost guaranteed to introduce its players to a happy sense of accomplishment as your in-game life proceeds.
- Online and local multiplayer modes available
- Help build an island town
- NPCs to meet and befriend
- Super cute graphics
- Customize your island and home
- Franchise: Animal Crossing
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2020-03-20
- Developer: Nintendo EPD
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Genre: Simulation
- Multiplayer: Nintendo
- ESRB: E
- Summary: One of the best entries so far in the Animal Crossing series, New Horizons gives players more freedom and customization options than ever before. Players purchase a new island home from the somewhat infamous Tom Nook, and can design and build their island in any way their imagination desires.
- Expansions: Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise
- How Long To Beat: 68-600 hours
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch
- Prequel: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
- Fun game play
- Unique islands to choose from
- Cute, sweet game
- Only one save file per console
Animal Crossing New Horizons
Super Mario is a name that everybody from moms and dads to grandparents and younger siblings seems to recognize, and there is a reason for this notoriety. Mario had his start in the arcade game “Donkey Kong” in the year 1981, but didn’t appear in his very own game until the year 1983 when “Super Mario Bros.” first hit the arcades, and was eventually released for the Nintendo Entertainment System two years later, in 1985. Today, Mario has become a household name, with many releases since his humble beginnings. In 2017, Super Mario Odyssey was released for the Switch, garnering much praise. With gameplay that any avid fan of the series will recognize, that’s not to say that the gameplay is all the same as the previous entries, as Super Mario Odyssey adds many new mechanics. In Mario’s latest adventure, his iconic red hat becomes more than meets the eye, gaining the ability to possess most enemies it’s thrown at, opening up many new avenues of traversal and platforming for the player to experience and enjoy. The game may be rated E10+, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no fun to be had by older players. Mario Odyssey is a platformer, like many entries before it, so if that’s a genre you enjoy (and even if it’s not!) this game will surely speak to you.
- dynamic movement within Mario’s platforming abilities
- enemy possession feature
- massive levels
- unique outfits
- Publisher: Nintendop
- Genre: Action Adventure
- Mode: Single player, two-player co-op
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Rating: E10+
- new game play features are a blast
- combines the most liked features from previous games
- simple easy to learn game play
- game play loop may get boring after a long time
The Star Wars Jedi Knight collection is a Nintendo Switch port of Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2, Jedi Outcast, and Star Wars: Jedi Academy. These games are an absolute blast to play, boasting what many would claim to be the best lightsaber combat in any Star Wars video game to date. These two games are tied together, but the order in which you play them does not matter (Though Jedi Outcast takes place first). These two games were released in 2002 and 2003 respectively, and as such have a certain level of difficulty and clunk that many would associate with early 2000s computer games, but this clunk adds more charm to these games than anything. These two games both take place after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Jedi Outcast puts players in the shoes of rogue Jedi Kyle Katarn, as he attempts to solve the mystery behind the Imperial Remnant’s “Reborn project”. Jedi Academy takes place a number of years after Outcast and puts players in the shoes of Jayden, a student in Luke’s Jedi academy. Along the way, Jayden gets pulled into a plot surrounding the resurrection of an ancient Sith lord. This collection is rated T for Teen.
- Use your lightsaber and the Force to combat evil
- Customize your character
- Choose from 13 different weapons for combat
- Six different multiplayer modes allows you to play with up to 16 others
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4
- Publishers: THQ Nordic
- Release Date : November 16, 2021
- Mode: Single player, multiplayer
- Rating: Teen
- Comes packaged with the game Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
- Nostalgic fun for Star Wars fans
- Great ported adaptation of a favorite game
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a remake of the original Gameboy released in 1993. The remake was released in 2019 for the switch and is considered by many to be the definitive way to play the game. The story is one of the deepest and most thought-provoking of any in the Zelda series. This Zelda adventure takes the player away from the land of Hyrule and washes them up on the shores of Koholint Island. The player’s main task is to wake up the ancient Wind Fish, but everything isn’t quite as it seems. This game is perfect for fans of top-down Zelda, or people who have played the original game. This game is also suitable for people that have never played a Zelda game before, and are fans of the action-adventure genre of gaming. Link’s Awakening is rated E10+ but will take players of all ages on a layered and mature quest that leaves them questioning all the deeds they do throughout their adventure. This game is a great entry point for players looking to get into the Zelda series, or who just enjoy adventuring through fantasy worlds and appreciate narrative.
- Players explore Koholint Island and collect items that will help them get home
- Complete objectives in the new Chamber Dungeon
- New soundtrack for Koholint Island
- An assortment of funny and unique characters to meet along the journey
- Release Date : September 20, 2019
- Mode: Multiplayer
- Rating: Teen
- Beautiful, unforgettable graphics
- Lots of new mini-games to play along the way
- Something fun to discover for new and returning players alike
- Gameplay is a little too short
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Splatoon 3 is the third entry in one of Nintendo’s newest franchises, Splatoon. The main attraction of the game is its unique style of pvp, where the match isn’t decided by the number of kills one team has, but by the amount of the map colored in one team’s ink color, this makes beating other players in direct battles less of a requirement, and more of a means to spread more of your team’s ink. The game is not limited just to pvp, however, with the inclusion of “Salmon run” a game mode centered around teaming up with fellow players to fight off waves of enemies and collect salmon eggs. The game also boasts a full single-player story mode. Splatoon 3 is rated E10+ but don’t let that dissuade you from giving it a try, its fun and unique gameplay and combat will provide hours of fun. The game is easy to pick up for a few matches, and then put down for a little, only to be pulled back again later. Splatoon 3 is an innovative take on the third-person shooter, and one that will surely give players a good time.
- This sequel moves players away from Inkopolis to new city, Splatsville
- Players “splat” opponents with ink-filled guns
- Players can collect new outfits and upgrade weapons
- Option to submerge in your ink to escape or move about the map more quickly
- Franchise: Splatoon
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2022-09-09
- Developer: Nintendo EPD
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Genre: Action, Third-Person Shooter, Adventure
- Multiplayer: Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer, Local Co-Op, Local Multiplayer
- ESRB: E10+
- Summary: “Are you a kid, or are you a squid?” Splatoon 3 continues the newest successful franchise from Nintendo. Moving away from the old hubs of Inkopolis and the Splatlands, Splatoon 3 throws players into the bustling city of Splatsville, where they’ll mingle with other inklings, collect new outfits and upgrade weapons as they traverse the game. Players are outfitted with ink-based guns and melee weapons where they “splat” their opponents with their ink color. Players can also submerge in their ink to escape or traverse maps faster.
Additionally, the usual modes all return more fleshed out than ever, with Story mode taking more of the center stage this time with a robust adventure mode. In addition, the co-operative horde-like mode Salmon run returns, as does the standard team-based 4v4 multiplayer modes that popularized the franchise. Splatoon 3 was released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on September 9 2022. - Platforms: Nintendo Switch
- Publishers: Nintendo
- Release Date : September 9, 2022
- Mode: Single player, online, multiplayer
- Rating: Everyone 10+
- Modes are fully fleshed out
- Cooperative Salmon run mode is lots of fun
- Full single-player story mode also available
Metroid Dread is a side-scrolling action-adventure game for Nintendo Switch that was released on October 8th, 2021. This game’s legacy goes back many years before the game’s release, and even long before its announcement. Hidden within Metroid Prime 3, is an Easter egg that reveals the text “Metroid project Dread is nearing the final stages of completion.” Prime 3 was released in the year 2007, making the product of the Easter egg at the very least fourteen years in the making, and easily disproving the point that Metroid Dread was nearing the final stages of completion. Metroid Dread is a perfect game for fans of the action-adventure and shooter genres of video games. The game also may appeal to fans of a challenge, as this game is by no means a walk in the park in terms of difficulty. This game was definitely worth the wait in the eyes of many new and old fans of Metroid, with a good level of difficulty, fun and addicting gameplay, and amazing level design. This game is rated T for teens in the U.S.
- unique power ups
- dark and eerie atmosphere
- interesting bosses
- side scroller
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Genre: Action-adventure
- Mode: Single-player
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Rating: T
- provides hours of challenging and dynamic game play
- boasts multiple unique boss battles
- includes well thought out puzzles
- difficulty may be too high for some
No Man’s Sky is a game that will surely appeal to a wide audience. From people that love Star Wars to people that simply love to explore vast worlds… or vast universes. This game will give the player the freedom to explore and explore what they will do in this massive open-ended sci-fi game. With millions of planets to explore and massive amounts of things to discover, the player will never run out of new things to see. Due to the game’s massive size, most of the planets, species, and materials that can be found have never been seen by another human before. No Man’s Sky knows that it’s only fair to allow the first person to discover something the privilege to name it, allowing every player to make their mark in the Universe that is No Man’s Sky. However, that doesn’t take away from any sense of wonder you might feel when coming across a planet that someone else has discovered prior, it’s still worth a look. This massive game is rated T for Teen in the U.S., and is without a doubt worth it to pick up and play.
- An epic space adventure
- Includes 6 years of updates
- Available in both Nintendo Switch and PS5 versions
- Seemingly endless universe of planets to explore
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5
- Publishers: Bandai Namco
- Release Date : October 7, 2022
- Mode: Single player
- Rating: Teen
- Lots to discover means hours of play time
- Great for players who love space exploration and mining
- Good for a wide range of ages
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a port of the original Wii title which was released in 2011. Skyward Sword takes its players on an adventure to explore mysterious forgotten lands that lie below a dense cloud barrier. On the Wii, this game’s main selling feature was its unique combat, which turned the player into the swordsman. Motion controls read the players’ movements, making any swing you make, a swing that Link makes. This makes duels and swordplay much more dynamic and fun, as you yourself get in on that action unfolding before you. However, this form of combat is not for everyone, and in the HD port of Skyward Sword, the player has the option to turn the motion controls off and play the game in a more traditional style. This game tells the story of the very beginning of The Legend of Zelda series, showing the events that kicked off the infamous Legend of Zelda timeline. This game will take players on an adventure unique to not only Zelda but also to action-adventure games as a whole. Skyward Sword HD is rated E10+ and is an amazingly entertaining quest.
- This earliest Zelda story reveals how Zelda and Link met and formed their bond
- Can be played with motion-activated controls or button-only control
- Collect items to open new paths and upgrades
- Link must save childhood friend Zelda and help her confront her destiny
- Meet the personality-filled residents along the way
- Franchise: The Legend of Zelda
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2021-07-16
- Developer: Tantalus Media
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Genre: Action, Adventure
- ESRB: E10+
- Summary: Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword again puts players in the fledgling Link before being part of a heroic lineage. A knight in training, Link has passed his final exam and prepares for a ceremony with his childhood friend, Zelda. When Zelda is taken away by a mysterious tornado mid-flight, Link sets off to the land beneath the clouds to retrieve his friend. Before he can do so, though, he learns of his destiny from a mysterious sword spirit known as Fi, who guides him to the sword of legend. Learning his fate as the one to destroy the evil that threatens the land known as Demise, Link will battle to save his friend and embrace his destiny as the legendary Hero the series knows him to be. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the first and only title in the franchise to introduce motion controls for sword combat, as players would use the nunchuck and Wiimote (or left and right switch joycons in the HD version) to block and strike vertically or horizontally. The HD version of the title added a non-motion control option for players when it was released on the Nintendo Switch in 2021.
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch
- Release Date : February 17, 2021
- Prequel: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Sequel: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Realistic swordplay corresponds to the player’s movements
- HD remaster of this older game is beautiful
- A fun origin story for Zelda and Link
- Motion controlling takes a bit of getting used to and isn’t always accurate
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Minecraft is a game that hardly needs any explanation, as its reputation most surely precedes it. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition is, well, the Nintendo Switch Port of Minecraft. Minecraft is a game about building, mining, and exploring. With enormous, randomly generated maps, Minecraft is a game that never really gets old. With both a survival and creative mode, the idea of Minecraft can be interpreted in multiple ways. Survival mode requires players to eat, sleep, and protect themselves while they build and live in the vast world, while creative mode allows the player to fly and grants them infinite materials to build whatever they wish as much as they wish, in creative mode, the limits on what you can build are virtually non-existent, from giant buildings, to complex electrical contraptions. Minecraft will take players far across infinite terrain, and through strange dimensions that will put players on their toes and test their survival skills. Minecraft is an iconic, timeless game that will keep players coming back time and time again. Minecraft is rated E10+ on Nintendo Switch, and is certainly worth a try. You will not regret it.
- Survival and creative modes
- Plenty of possibilities to build and create
- Practically unlimited amounts of terrain to explore
- Includes expansion skin and texture packs
- Unique art style
- Franchise: Minecraft
- Platform: Android, iOS, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS
- Released: 2011-11-18
- Developer: Mojang
- Publisher: Mojang, Xbox Game Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genre: Sandbox, Adventure, Open-World
- Multiplayer: Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- ESRB: E
- Summary: Minecraft is the worldwide sandbox build-your-own-world game developed by Mojang Studios. Featuring a uniquely uniform block graphic style, Minecraft allows players to enter a procedurally generated world where they can shape what’s given to them as they see fit. Using various tools that can be found and crafted (like the diamond pickaxe), players can build towns, cities, cabins, or castles – if they can dream it, they can do it. Minecraft also features a story mode where players can either adventure alone or together and play through the game’s main story as they head to defeat the Ender Dragon – the game’s unspoken antagonist. Other modes include survival mode, where players can fight against monsters or each other as they rush to grab resources and outlast other players. The game has had several expansion packs released on multiple platforms, such as the Super Mario edition on the Nintendo Switch. Mojang and Xbox Game Studios continuously support it to this day.
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch
- Publishers: Mojang
- Release Date : May 18, 2018
- Mode: Single and multiplayer
- Rating: E10+
- Easy to pick up and put down
- Allows players to test the limits of their creativity
- Lots to explore
- Occasional issues with loading and lagging
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild is a no-brainer for this list. How could a game that won Game of the Year in 2017 be left out? Breath of The Wild is the most recent Zelda game at the time of writing, the game takes place one hundred years after Hyrules defeat at the hands of Calamity Ganon. The player’s objective is simple and given very early in the game: defeat Ganon. And defeat Ganon you can, right after the tutorial if you’re daring enough to try. Breath of The Wild is a game that boasts a massive open world, bigger than other titans of its genre such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Breath of The Wild has many means of transportation, from horseback riding to climbing to gliding and even snowboarding on a shield, there are many fun ways to travel this massive world as you explore. As is standard for this genre, the game is filled with many side quests for the player to experience on their travels, filling the world with a feeling of life. Breath of The Wild is rated E10+ and is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, and one of the best open-world games of the modern generation.
- Non-linear storytelling
- Numerous dungeons to explore
- Massive world to explore
- Loaded with surprises: weapons, plants, animals, and more
- Multiple means of travel
- Franchise: The Legend of Zelda
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2017-03-03
- Developer: Nintendo EPD
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Genre: Action-Adventure, Open-World, RPG
- ESRB: E10+
- Summary: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an open-world, action-adventure RPG from Nintendo’s EPD development team. Recently waking from a hundred-year slumber in a mysterious chamber, Link awakens with no memory of how he got there. Through a disembodied voice, he is told he must stop Calamity Ganon from destroying Hyrule – and to do so, he must regain his memories and gain the power to do so. Link will travel throughout Hyrule to re-awaken the four slumbering Divine Beasts to help approach the darkness-covered castle and retrieve the Master Sword. With the help of four guardian friends and tribes across the land, Link will battle the forces of darkness and save his friend, princess Zelda.
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch
- Publishers: Nintendo
- Expansion Packs : The Master Trials, The Champion’s Ballad
- Release Date : March 3, 2017
- Prequel: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- Sequel: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Lots of side quests to extend gameplay
- A broad assortment of weapons to try
- Find the Sheikah slate to control game in a whole new way
- Load time can be an issue
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Which Game to Choose
When it comes to picking from this list of games, you have to take into account your personal taste in games, and the amount of time you’re willing to dedicate to the experience. If you want to play for weeks, the Skyward Sword may be a good fit, but if you just wanna play for a few hours and then move on, Minecraft may be more up your alley.
What to Look For
When choosing a game, it is important to check the back of the game and the rating. Read over the list beside the rating, to see why it’s rated what it is. Use these reasons and ratings to decide which game you want and for what reason you want it.
How to Maintain Your Switch Games
Keep your console and your games clear of dust. There is no real way to clean your console and games, but you can make sure they stay in nice condition, and you’ll be able to play them for years to come.