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Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
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Credit:
Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
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This traditional 2D Mario platformer recalls the best of the Super Mario series, mixing the fresh and the familiar into a fun, approachable spectacle. Read More
Explore a vast and reimagined Hyrule Kingdom as you gather your allies to take on Calamity Ganon and reunite with Princess Zelda. Read More
This top-selling sequel offers a mix of puzzles, strategic combat, and resource management, all packaged inside a story full of Mario-like charm. Read More
This is Pokémon more or less as it’s always been, set in a fantasy version of the Iberian Peninsula, plus a handful of fresh, fun twists. Read More
This arcade racer populated by Nintendo favorites is a must-own game with a great online multiplayer component and unforgettable raceways. Read More
If you just got ahold of a new Nintendo Switch OLED or Nintendo Switch Lite, what you need is some great video games to play on it. You’re in luck: the Switch’s games catalog is vast and varied.
After a few fun-filled years with our own Switches, we’ve certainly got some thoughts. Whether you’re an old-school Mario fan or looking for new indie games to try, these are the best Switch games to play right now.
Classic 2D Mario feel
Branching pathways
Whimsical design
None that we could find
Playful, inventive combat physics
Huge, serene open world
None that we could find
Trademark Nintendo charm
Custom player character
Impressive scope
Lackluster co-op mode
Limited challenge
Trading, gifting, and multiplayer modes
Classic, satisfying turn-based combat
Convenient Auto Battle option
None that we could find
A host of playable Nintendo favorites
Great online multiplayer features
None that we could find
Calm, meditative sim experience
Strong social component
None that we could find
Inventive puzzle design
Huge vertical open world
Clever crafting systems
Slight learning curve
Some tricky controls
Strategic turn-based combat system
Fresh, colorful galaxy to explore
Familiar Mario favorites
Light on story elements
Hours of blissful platforming action
Unique, cat-themed spin on Mario
None that we could find
Hell is just an afterparty, and this game by the same name takes that saying to a whole other level. You play as best friends Milo and Lola as they try to come to terms with their untimely demise, escape their literal personal demons, and convince Satan to return them to Earth. If you like witty, dark, adult humor that also has a lot of heart, check this game out.
Buy Afterparty on the Nintendo eShop
If you love rhythm games, dungeon crawlers, and Zelda, this is basically your dream game. In this addicting collaboration between Nintendo and Brace Yourself Games, you’ll be grooving through Hyrule and crushing monsters by dancing to the beat of an earworm of a soundtrack.
Buy Cadence of Hyrule on Amazon
Celeste is a challenging and moving journey about climbing a mountain and learning to accept yourself. Another stunning indie game, this one is great for players who miss the 2D platformers of days gone by, and who aren’t afraid to die a few times on the way to the summit. Be prepared to face your demons.
Buy Celeste on the Nintendo eShop
Set in a medieval-era world of magic and statecraft, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is sort of like Harry Potter if it were about teaching people to wage war and didn’t have a problematic creator.
If you enjoy turn-based combat, strategy games, and managing social systems, you’ll love this. It also helps if you’re into tea parties.
Buy Fire Emblem: Three Houses on Amazon
Sometimes we need to get away from whatever has us stressed. For Henry, it’s watching his wife slowly deteriorate from a debilitating disease. After his wife moves back in with her family, Henry volunteers as a fire lookout in a remote mountain range. His only source of human contact—and companionship—is Delilah, his boss.
A lot of strange and funny things happen on the mountain, but ultimately Firewatch is a heartwarming story about the ups and downs of life.
Buy Firewatch on the Nintendo eShop
Gorogoa is the prettiest puzzle game on the Nintendo Switch, hands down. Occupy a slowly unfolding world like something out of a painting in this ingenuous, moving puzzler. You can get this one on a lot of platforms, but it’s a perfect fit for the Switch.
Buy Gorogoa on the Nintendo eShop
Hollow Knight is one of those rare games that’s transcended its Kickstarter origins and become a cultural phenomenon. This hauntingly gorgeous tale of a lonely bug in a post-apocalyptic world will leave you bewitched. While many praise it for being one of the best “metroidvanias” of all time, it’s really the ambiance that makes this an unforgettable experience.
A mind-control facility. Secret science experiments. People and creatures trying to harm you around every corner—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Inside is a dark puzzle-platformer that tests your problem-solving skills as much as your nerves, while telling a compelling story through nothing but gameplay and visuals. Inside is a work of art.
This indie gem from Subset Games, the studio behind FTL: Faster Than Light, will keep you up all night in a tactical game that feels like a blend between robot warfare, tower defense, and chess. While it’s not as famous as some of the other entries on this list, it’s more than deserving of a spot in your Switch library.
Kentucky Route Zero is the Platonic ideal of the modern adventure game. It’s beautifully written and incisive—poetry in motion and in play. One of the best games of the decade, it’s now all completed and out on the Switch.
Take it with you into bed, curl up, meditate on it for a while. Try not to learn too much about this one. Just go into it thoughtfully.
Buy Kentucky Route Zero on Amazon
If you prefer the adventures of a noble hero and his cool sword in two dimensions, this remake of the Game Boy game Link’s Awakening is the best you’re going to find on the Switch. It’s an offbeat, strange game, but has a ton of heart and a lot of beauty packed inside of it. Help Link save a mysterious dream island and make his way home.
Buy Link’s Awakening on Amazon
Make house objects tidy in this puzzle game that includes hidden puzzles within household items and a disruptive, yet super cute cat. Many players describe A Little to the Left as being fun, aesthetically pleasing, and engaging with a soothing soundtrack. The game is a bit short, so the price point may not be the most ideal, but most people think it's worth the buy.
Buy A Little to the Left on the Nintendo eShop
Poor Luigi is always in his brother’s shadow. It’s unfortunate, as he’s the star of a stellar series of haunted-house games that see the taller, flightier brother catching ghosts with a fancy vacuum cleaner. This is the ideal pick if you prefer underdogs, like the idea of horror games (but get spooked easily), or are really into Ghostbusters.
Buy Luigi’s Mansion 3 on Amazon
From renovating a shack and building it into a home to starting your own business where you’ll sell goods you’ve made and collected, this game is a great learning tool for anyone looking to play a character who adds value to their community. You will help the mayor save Badgetown, run a farm, make friends, perform dance battles, and so much more—all while exploring eerie swamps, frigid mountains, and exciting boardwalks with arcades.
Buy Ooblets on the Nintendo eShop
Sure, the Switch has a lot of bright, family-friendly fare, but maybe that’s not what you’re into. If you want something on the weirder side, try Paratopic. It’s a short but focused dose of surreal horror, telling the story of videotapes that might be haunted and a series of journeys that don’t go how they’re supposed to. This is the game for people who would rather put on a David Lynch movie when it’s time to relax.
Buy Paratopic on the Nintendo eShop
If you want to get into better shape while you game, Ring Fit Adventure is probably the best purchase you can make for the Switch. Coming with its own peripherals that turn the Nintendo Joy-Con controllers into a neat exercise ring, this game takes you through a role-playing adventure that you win by working your core into shape. It's one of the best exercise games out there in terms of actually being fun. Just don’t play it too long; you will be sore in the morning.
Buy Ring Fit Adventure on Amazon
If virtual farming is your jam, Stardew Valley is an open-ended RPG about life in the countryside that you just might fall in love with. You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot and now’s your chance to bring it to life with all sorts of animals and vegetation. Not only that, you can form friendships with the people in town—and romance them if you choose. Stardew Valley is one part Sims, one part classic adventure game, and all fun.
Buy Stardew Valley on at Target
Playing Mario games is great, sure, but how about you make your own? Super Mario Maker 2 is the supreme creative experience on Nintendo’s home console—a means to make your own Mario levels and share your creations with the world. If you just like playing Mario, there’s a lot for you here, too, with a nearly infinite series of mind-bending, expertly crafted levels to explore.
Buy Super Mario Maker 2 on Amazon
This is Mario’s flagship adventure on the Switch, and it’s a great one. Across a series of beautiful levels on the way to crash a nefarious wedding, you’ll get to collect coins, jump on Goombas, and make friends with a cool hat. If you love classic Nintendo or need more wonder in your life, this is a must-have.
Buy Super Mario Odyssey on Amazon
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is another game you might already know about, but we can’t possibly leave this one off the list. A big, approachable fighting-game bonanza, this one includes just about every Nintendo-adjacent character you could possibly want. It’s a perfect party game, and pretty fun to dig into on your own, too.
Buy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Amazon
For lovers of chaos everywhere, Untitled Goose Game is simple: You’re a goose. You want to steal things and cause problems in a small English village. Bright, silly, and shockingly entertaining, this is one of the best indie games on the Switch. (Small children love it.)
Buy Untitled Goose Game at Target
Ever since Xenoblade Chronicles made its debut on the Wii years ago, long-time fans have been clamoring for a remaster of one of the best role-playing games of the century. We finally got it in May 2020. The Definitive Edition features upgraded graphics, new soundtracks, and hours of new content to enjoy in this emotional, thrilling, and downright fun adventure.
Buy Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on Amazon
We have a lot of gamers on staff here at Reviewed—our video-game Slack channel alone has 21 members. As such, we’ve gone hands-on with most of the biggest titles across all the major platforms, and we feel confident in recommending our favorites to folks who may enjoy similar types of games.
Of course, like with a film or a novel, your response to a particular game is going to be fairly subjective. But there should be a few great games here for every kind of player.
Alex Kane is a senior editor at USA Today’s Reviewed and the author of the Boss Fight Books volume on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He has written for Fangoria, PC Gamer, Polygon, Rolling Stone, StarWars.com, and Variety. He lives in west-central Illinois.
Julie Muncy is a writer based in Austin, TX. She likes the Mountain Goats, sandwiches, and mechanical keyboards.
Joanna specializes in anything and everything gaming-related and loves nerding out over graphics cards, processors, and chip architecture. Previously she was a staff writer for Gizmodo, PC Gamer, and Maximum PC.
Adrien is the PC staff writer for Reviewed with over 4 years of experience covering laptops, desktops, software, games, and more.
Lily Hartman
Staff Writer, Search
Lily Hartman is a staff writer who also enjoys writing magazine articles about health and outdoor recreation. In her free time, she likes to hike, camp, run, and lift weights.
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