The Best Nintendo Switch Games Of All Time

Key Takeaways

• The Nintendo Switch’s flexible play options made it a fan favorite, leading to a variety of engaging games on the platform.
• With classics like Resident Evil 4 and new favorites like Cult of the Lamb, the Nintendo Switch has a diverse library of high-quality games.

When Nintendo unveiled the Switch, people were excited, to say the least — excited, but cautious. After the Wii U’s rocky life and less-than-desired sales, this could have been another disappointing attempt at something new. However, as is well known today, the Nintendo Switch quickly became one of the most popular consoles available, and still dominates the industry.

With the option to either play at home on the TV or take it with you at any time, the simple feature was something everyone kept loving, and so more and more games made their way to the hybrid console. With ports, remasters, and plenty of original titles, these are the best Nintendo Switch games of all time.

While judging games as the ‘best of all time’ is subjective, we’ve tried to be objective here, considering gameplay, narrative, and the overall experience these Nintendo Switch titles offer.

We’re also including some games that aren’t exclusive to Nintendo Switch, but are essential to experience nonetheless.

Updated on November 22, 2024 by Rebecca Phillips: The Nintendo Switch’s catalog is absolutely bursting with amazing games. Take a look at our list of the best games on the console, and you may just find a new favorite for yourself.

Dragon Quest 3 Remake

If you love old-school RPGs, then Dragon Quest 3 Remake will be right up your street. As a faithful remake, it’s got all the charm of the original, as well as some handy quality-of-life improvements and additions that take it even further.

For example, you can speed up battles if the original speed is too slow for your tastes, and a new vocation, Monster Wrangler, has been added, alongside new quests. As Dragon Quest 3 Remake holds on tightly to the original’s roots, it’s not much of a story-rich game, but exploring the beautifully reimagined world more than makes up for it.

The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom

It’s about time Zelda got her own adventure (we don’t talk about those CDi atrocities…). In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Link is dragged into a Rift, meaning it’s up to Princess Zelda to save Hyrule in his stead. Using the magical Tri Rod, Zelda can make ‘echoes’ of items and enemies, allowing you to explore the world and take on dangerous monsters.

Echoes of Wisdom is an excellent entry in the series and is much more than the gimmick of playing as Zelda. The graphics are stunning for the Switch, which makes the world a joy to explore, the series’ classic dungeons make a return, and there are lots of great characters to meet too (the Deku Scrubs finally make a reappearance as well). Whether you’re already a Zelda fan or new to the series, Echoes of Wisdom is one of the best Switch games to play.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

While the Ace Attorney series typically has you playing as a defense lawyer, the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection lets you take on the role of Phoenix Wright’s rival, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. The collection includes two games — Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit — with both titles starring Edgeworth, Detective Gumshoe, and new sidekick Kay Faraday.

Instead of courtroom battles, you’ll investigate crime scenes and grill the witnesses about what they saw on the crime scene. Then, you’ll analyze the witness’ testimonies to find contradictions and the truth. Both games have excellent cases to unravel, and you’ll soon see why Edgeworth is a fan-favorite character.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

In Chicory: A Colorful Tale, you explore a black-and-white world with your trusty paintbrush in hand, aiming to bring color back into the world. You can also use your brush to solve various puzzles in the environments you explore and attack bosses.

Thanks to the Switch’s handheld mode, you can make use of the touchscreen when using the brush, which makes the game feel almost like a playable coloring book.

Alongside the colorful gameplay, Chicory: A Colorful Tale also has a touching story — you play as an anthropomorphic dog named Pizza, who finds that Chicory has discarded the magical Brush because of the responsibility burdened upon her. Pizza takes the Brush themselves and helps Chicory to see color in the world again.

Tunic

Tunic has you playing as an adorable sword-wielding fox (okay, we’re already sold) as you fight your way through dungeons and various other locations. The game takes a lot of inspiration from the original The Legend of Zelda, and combat is a bit more difficult than its cutesy art style would have you think.

Speaking of which, Tunic’s graphics are stunning. Walking around each location is a joy, but you definitely have to watch your back (and your step) if you want to make it through in one piece. If you like top-down Zelda, you’ll like Tunic.

Always bring bombs, bombs, and more bombs.

Animal Well

Animal Well is one of the best Metroidvanias in recent years. If you enjoy exploring and finding hidden secrets, then you’ll enjoy Animal Well a whole lot. Playing as a blob, you explore a winding labyrinth filled with puzzles and mysterious animals.

While there is no combat, there’s more than enough to satiate you through its challenging platforming, boundless exploration, well-structured puzzles. There’s a lot more than meets the eye with Animal Well, and you’ll be surprised how deep the well goes.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

A faithful remake of the original 2004 title, the Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is everything fans could have wanted. The graphics have been updated to be shiny and new, but the charm that captivated fans all those years ago is still there and better than ever.

The story follows Mario on an adventure to collect Crystal Stars and eventually open the titular Thousand-Year Door, all in a bid to uncover a lost kingdom. Along the way, Mario is joined by a variety of memorable party members. TTYD has fun turn-based battles, humorous dialogue, and great characters — everything you could need from a Mario RPG.

Dave The Diver

Taking elements from RPGs and management titles, Dave the Diver is a fun adventure where you spend your days exploring the ocean, searching for fish and other sea creatures, and then return to land in the evening to run a sushi restaurant. Dave sure has a packed schedule, huh?

Exploration and progression is satisfying as you adventure into the depths and grow your restaurant. There are even bosses to fight while you’re in the ocean, so you’ll need to be prepared for combat, too. Dave the Diver offers a bit of everything — adventure, simulation, battles — so you’re bound to find something in it that appeals to your tastes.

Sea Of Stars

Sea of Stars celebrates pixel RPGs with a modern twist. It’s clearly inspired by the likes of Chrono Trigger with its gorgeous pixel art style and turn-based combat, but it offers a new and different experience. The story follows the Children of the Solstice, the only two able to take a stand against The Fleshmancer and his monsters.

The best parts of Sea of Stars are its exploration and combat. You won’t tire of exploring this rich world, and battles are dynamic, engaging, and most importantly, downright fun. If you’re into the ’90s era of RPGs, give this one a try.

Unicorn Overlord

There’s been something of a resurgence of tactical RPGs thanks to the likes of Tactics Ogre: Reborn and the Fire Emblem series, and while Unicorn Overlord is certainly similar to these titles, it’s not just following trends. Right off the bat, it has gorgeous graphics, so every battle is a visual treat.

More than that, though, its battle mechanics are what’s going to keep you engaged after that initial first impression. It excellently uses real-time strategy (RTS) and team management, with the addition of tactics to determine how all your characters will act in each battle. If you’re looking for classic tactical RPG goodness with the polish of a modern title, give Unicorn Overlord a try.

Snufkin: Melody Of Moominvalley

If you like Tove Jansson’s world of the Moomins, you’ll want to check out Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. This delightful adventure game sees you playing as Snufkin as he returns to Moominvalley in the spring. Unfortunately, the Park Keeper and his police officers have taken over the valley and Moomintroll is missing.

You spend the majority of the game exploring Moominvalley and meeting the wonderful characters from Jansson’s beloved world. The game’s watercolor graphical style is beautiful too, and the cozy experience just feels like it was made for the Switch.

Resident Evil 4

While the Switch sadly isn’t capable of running 2023’s Resident Evil 4 Remake, you can play the original — with all of Leon’s cheesy one-liners included, so who’s the real winner here? If you aren’t familiar with RE4, it’s a survival horror game that follows Leon Kennedy on a mission to rescue the president’s daughter in a rural Spanish village.

It’s no normal village, though. The residents have been infected with a virus, turning them into dangerous monsters. The game combines fast-paced action, horror, and humor all into one, and once you play it, you’ll understand why it’s become such a classic.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

If you never had the chance to the play the three original Ace Attorney games on the Nintendo DS, or they simply passed you by for one reason or another, now is the time to dive in on Nintendo Switch. All three games from the original trilogy are wrapped up in one bundle, enhanced with shiny new graphics and additional gameplay details.

You’ll follow the adventure of defense attorney Phoenix Wright as he investigates cases and does his best to defend his clients in the courtroom. While the games are largely visual novels, there’s also an element of puzzle solving when it comes to putting your evidence together and choosing what, and when, to present to the court.

A Short Hike

A Short Hike is one of those games that’s easy to pass you by. It’s not a sprawling RPG; it’s not a farming sim you can sink hours into; nor is it a multiplayer game you can dive into with friends. Nonetheless, it’s an immersive experience that you’d be amiss to look past on Nintendo Switch.

Playing as a bird named Claire, your goal is to reach the top of the mountain so you can make get reception and make a call on your phone; however, it’s much more about the journey and the characters you meet. You can explore all the nooks and crannies of the island, get to know plenty of interesting characters, play minigames, and more.

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries Of Honjo

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a masterclass visual novel that sees you exploring the Sumida Ward of Tokyo, trying your best to stay one step ahead and not become the victim of several curses controlled by people known as ‘curse bearers’.

Paranormasight’s intertwining narrative, compelling characters, and twists and turns keep you engaged from the get-go, and you’ll be eager to reach the conclusion of each story branch and see how each option unfolds. If you love mysteries, drama, and the supernatural, you need to dive into Paranormasight.

Cult Of The Lamb

In this roguelike title, the main character, an innocent-seeming lamb, is saved from being sacrificed. In return, you must create a cult in the name of the deity who saved them. Your goal is to recruit as many animals as possible into the cult, and then maintain your followers in the village where they gather.

Cult of the Lamb’s core gameplay loop of managing your resources and exploring the randomly-generated world is great at keeping you consistently engaged, so you’ll keep coming back for more to expand the influence of your cult.

It Takes Two

As the title suggests, It Takes Two to beat this Nintendo Switch game — you’ll need to grab a friend and go on an adventure you’ll never forget. When parents Cody and May are turned into dolls, they must put their relationship to the test to return to their human bodies and reunite with their daughter.

It Takes Two is one of the most fun co-op experiences available, with diverse levels, enjoyable platforming, and genuinely funny characters. You’ll want to dock your Switch and play on the TV for this one, and remember that teamwork is the key to winning!

Disney Dreamlight Valley

If you’re a fan of Disney and farming sims, but you haven’t tried Disney Dreamlight Valley yet, then what are you waiting for? Alongside familiar faces from all 100 years of Disney’s history, you’ll work to revitalize the valley by growing crops, cooking, and more.

The game is now out of early access and fully available on Switch, so it’s the perfect time to dive in. Unlock the various Realms and help Disney and Pixar characters make Dreamlight Valley the happy ever after you know it can be.

Gris

Gris is a gorgeous platformer defined by its calming watercolor-like aesthetic and serene atmosphere. In this platformer, there’s no risk of falling and losing lives — just take in the breathtaking environments and scenery as you climb and jump through the levels.

The entire experience is enchanting, especially if you play the game in handheld mode. As you progress, you’ll notice there’s more to the game than just beautiful colors. There’s an emotive meaning behind your journey, and your character, Gris, is learning to cope with some difficult emotions and experiences.