You're certainly not short on choice when it comes to the best Nintendo Switch games. From epic open-world adventures and farming sims to quirky cartoon racers: this unique console has it all.
One of the best features about the Nintendo Switch is the addition of the removable controllers known as the Joy-Cons – these fantastic accessories mean you can play in hand-held, table-top or TV mode. For a more detailed understanding of the differences between these, we have a dedicated section to the various Switch modes at the bottom of this article. The detachable Joy-Cons mean you can play a huge variety of games with no limits.
To help you find some gaming inspiration, our below list contains the very best Nintendo Switch games available now that we regularly update based on new releases (if they're any good). We've included a wide range of genres and varying difficulty levels too so you can be sure to find something that will work for you! For more Nintendo Switch goodness, make sure to check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch accessories and best Nintendo Switch travel cases. If you have yet to buy the console itself yet, we also have a regularly updated hub of the best Nintendo Switch deals, wherever you're based.
The best Nintendo Switch games 2023
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been around a while: it's one of the original Switch titles from the console's launch back in 2017. But when it comes to adventure, it's still one of the best Nintendo Switch games you can buy today. Set in a vast open world, it takes the classic Zelda elements and shakes them up to create an absolute pearl of a game.
The core mission is to level up Link and acquire the gear and skills you need for the climactic final battle with Ganon. You can also explore by going off on side quests, train up a stable of horses and prepare potions. Overall, it's a joy to play and really offers something for everyone. We've been playing and replaying this one since launch and still find new missions, secrets and hidden items years since release. There's also plenty of fantastic DLC (downloadable content) available to buy to keep you busy once you finish the main quest.
With every new Nintendo console comes another instalment in the Mario Kart franchise. The fun racing series is chock-full of daft power-ups and a huge cast of Nintendo characters, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most polished of them all.
Yes, it's silly, but its sheer playability still makes it one of the best Nintendo Switch games. Whether you're battling on single-player mode, huddling around the TV for some four-player action, or racing against players from all over the world online, this is essential high-speed action.
Kirby is another classic beloved Nintendo character. Join him on his latest adventure through a mysterious new world in this vibrant adventure. Help Kirby explore this strange environment where civilisation and nature have come together as one whilst saving his friends along the way with the help of his new mysterious companion Elfilin!
Double up the fun by having a friend join in local co-op mode to help you explore and solve puzzles. This game is a must-have for any Kirby fan as it's a fantastic addition to the series.
We all love Mario, and there are plenty of options to choose from on Nintendo Switch. But where better to start than Super Mario Odyssey, which is without a doubt the biggest and best Mario adventure yet?
Every Mario game has its own twist. In Odyssey, that comes in the form of Cappy, a sentient hat that allows you to possess objects, animals and enemies to help you on the journey to save Princess Peach from Bowser. The game offers top-rate Mario action all the way, with some weird touches thrown in. These include New Donk City, a realistic location with real-looking people.
For cooperative fun, there's a two-player option in which one player controls Mario and the other controls Cappy. Whichever way you choose to play, this game offers classic Nintendo fun.
Want a third-person shooter that doesn't feel so, well, violent? Then you'll love Splatoon 3, which uses the same kind of mechanics but shoots ink not bullets, and is full of colour and silliness.
The emphasis here is on online multiplayer mode, and brilliantly, players have two main forms and can switch between them at will. In humanoid form, you can use weapons to spread ink and splatter opponents, and in squid form, you can swim through ink and up walls. With weapons like Splat Bombs and Splashdowns, it's all a ton of bizarre, sploshy fun.
Pokémon is a classic Nintendo staple; and Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a welcome reimagining of the ever-popular franchise. In this addition to the series, you explore the 3D open world of the Hisui region whilst building the region’s first Pokédex. With both classic and brand new Pokémon species, this game is a great choice for both new and old Pokémon fans.
Prior instalments in the main Pokémon franchise have followed the same turn-based RPG formula, so playing through a 3D open world is a unique and fun take on the series. It completely changes the way you encounter and learn about each creature, reimagining those classic Pokémon battles into something completely new.
Gaming can be exciting and stimulating, but after a long day, sometimes you'd rather having a chilled, laid-back experience. And when that's the case, there's nowhere better to turn than Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Jet off to your own little island and turn it into your own personal getaway, in a relaxing world-building game filled with delights.
From the starting point of a deserted island, you can build your own home, add furniture and decorations and even customise the landscape until you have a dream destination that starts to attract visitors. When you're not working on improving your island there are plenty of other activities to keep you entertained, from getting to know the local residents, to fishing, fossil collecting or simply gardening. A fun game to play with the whole family.
After almost two-decade wait, this sequel to the action-classic Metroid Dread was released October 2021. Donning bounty hunter Samus Aran's boots once more, your mission this time around is to explore a planet, gain powers and avoid deadly robots.
There are interesting developments as you go, progressing the Metroid Dread story. And along the way, you'll encounter some of the best-designed bosses to ever appear in a 2D action game.
The gameplay will be very familiar if you've played the original. And there's a lot of backtracking, which can be frustrating due to the traditional grid-like design of spaces and some repeated themes. But overall this game is great to play, and it looks especially slick on the Nintendo Switch OLED.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is yet another classic Nintendo franchise finding new fans on Nintendo Switch. This is everything Nintendo does well; familiar gameplay given a fun, accessible and vibrant boost. While the basics of five-a-side football / soccer remain, in Nintendo's hands it becomes a colourful class of special boosts, power-ups and chaos.
If you're after a game that treats football like Mario Kart takes on car racing then Mario Strikers: Battle League Football should be on your radar. There are some excellent personalisation options that enable you to build a club in your own style, while on the pitch the action is fast and frantic.
Where Mario Strikers: Battle League Football stumbles is in its single-player, generally designed as a party and multiplayer game that shines when playing with others but can become repetitive when playing solo. If you're after a fantastic and fun multiplayer sports game to play while the summer sun shines, sign-up for Mario Strikers: Battle League Football.
This charming game fully embraces the farming sim genre. Stardew Valley takes players on a journey of building up their own farm, befriending charming characters in a quaint country town and discovering the secrets of the valley. It's a great game to switch your brain off whilst playing and is completely guided by your choices. Manage your farm through the seasons to make sure you crops don't die off and your animals are happy!
It's important to know this game can feel slow. Stardew Valley is designed to be played at your own pace and it can take time to build up your character and resources. It's a really great "personal project" type of game that's a great choice if you were a fan of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Fans of retro games will adore Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. This new game replicates the visual style, character design and gameplay of the arcade games of the late '80s and '90s perfectly. Shredder's Revenge also manages to add a few modern twists to the formula, making it a great Nintendo Switch game.
The core gameplay of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge replicates the side-scrolling melee combat of games you'd find on a smokey '80s arcade, but some clever combos, controls and implementation of bonus missions and objectives ensure there are reasons to keep replaying.
Naturally, this kind of game is best experienced with friends and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge supports up to six players on screen at once for some chaotic retro fun. If you're after a casual brawler that delivers perfectly recreated retro pixel art, this is the game for you.
Capcom Fighting Collection brings together some of Capcom's most loved fighting games of yesteryear in one collection. For your money you get 10 classic games, including Darkstalkers, Night Warriors, Vampire Savior, Vampire Hunter 2, Vampire Savior 2, Hyper Street Fighter II, Super Gem Fighter Minimix, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Cyberbots and Red Earth.
The highlights include a welcome return of Darkstalkers, the addictive puzzle game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and the rare Red Earth. What's more all these games can now be played online, and there's an excellent Museum mode to dip into classic concept art and more from each game.
While we have seen some of these games before in collections, the Capcom Fighting Collection offers some titles that have been missing in action for some time, such as Darkstalkers and its sequels and Japanese variants.
Like your games to challenge you? Then Dark Souls is the title for you. The fiendish level of difficulty in the game has become something of a modern rite of passage for gamers.
The thing you'll see most often in Dark Souls is the phrase, "YOU DIED", in stark red letters as you pay for your lack of skill yet again. With enough practice, though, you'll learn the techniques to overcome enemies while levelling up your character and collecting better weapons, armour and other items that can make your life slightly easier.
You'll also come to marvel at the stunning world-building and lore that underlies the whole Dark Souls experience. It's not for everyone, and certainly not for kids. But once it gets its hooks into you, this game is hard to walk away from.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a real-time battle game with grand-scale fights spread across large-ish maps. If you've played the previous game Fire Emblem: Three Houses or developer Omega Force's Dynasty Warriors series, then you'll feel right at home. This is an action game first but picks up on some of the role-playing and narrative strands of the broader Fire Emblem series.
This follow-up to Three Houses takes place in an alternative timeline to that game and you can play as many characters from the series, including Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and a new character, Shez. Combat is fun and chaotic, with just enough tactical choice to ensure you're kept active. It can get a little repetitive over the 25-hour story, but that's a flaw in all these Dynasty Warriors-like games.
Fans will adore the story, love the character design and enjoy the simple but accessible gameplay. It's also worth considering Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is perfectly suited to Nintendo Switch's handheld mode, with battles lasting just long enough for a train journey and the game overall can be played in bite-sized chunks.
Nintendo Switch Sports is the successor to the system-selling Wii Sports Resort and in many ways succeeds in the same ways as that classic. This is a mini-game focused package that makes great use of the console's motion controls to deliver inventive takes on popular sports.
The mix of sports includes three from the original Wii Sports Resort – tennis, bowling, golf and swordplay – and three new sports takes just for the Switch – football / soccer, volleyball and badminton. While these aren't full sports games but rather the essence of each sport distilled into a series of mini-games, for example football penalty taking is a timing-based mini-game (you can't direct the ball but need to perfectly time your kick).
These new games are 2021 remakes of the 2006 Nintendo DS role-playing video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. And while they don't change a lot from the originals, that's something Pokémon fans will thank them for, rather than complain about. Catching and battling the unique Pokémon creatures proves to be a timeless winning formula, and one to while away hours of play.
Note, though, that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are essentially the same game. The main difference is in the list of Pokémon exclusive to each version, with Dialga and Palkia the mascots of Diamond and Pearl respectively.
Need more Mario in your life? Super Mario 3D All-Stars bundles three classics into one neat package. Bringing back Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Switch, these are pretty much straight emulations. But while some bigger tweaking wouldn't have gone amiss, these are still excellent games.
Super Mario 64 is still a delight to play 25 years on, Super Mario Galaxy is huge fun with its 3D worlds to jump between, and Super Mario Sunshine... Well, it's not quite up to the rest, but it still has its moments.
Ever looked at a game and thought that you could do better yourself? Well, Super Mario Maker 2 lets you do just that. Not only does it feature over 100 built-in Super Mario levels for you to beat, but it also has a Course Maker that lets you create your own.
If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership you can share your creations online and help yourself to an almost limitless supply of community-made levels in return. And so overall, this is a fantastic slice of classic platform action with a side order of creative fun. If nothing else, it'll teach you that crafting a great Mario level is harder than you thought.
What modes does the Nintendo Switch have?
There are three modes that you can play in with your Nintendo Switch. Handheld, Table top and TV mode. But what are the differences between each? They are all pretty self-explanatory, but we'll break down the main differences for those not in the know. Handheld mode means the Joy-Cons are attached to the console and you're playing it as a handheld device not too dissimilar to older Nintendo consoles like the Wii U or the DS. Table top mode is when the Joy-Cons are detached from the console and you are playing on the Switch's primary screen - this is a great way to play multiplayer games whilst out in public. Finally TV mode is the term for when the Nintendo Switch is placed into the dock and the image is being displayed on your TV or monitor.
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