The Best Fire Emblem Video Games On Nintendo Switch

Key Takeaways

• Fire Emblem: Three Houses is hailed as one of the best games for its modern twists, deep character connections, and branching story paths.
• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes offers action-packed gameplay with a focus on full-scale war and companion storytelling to Three Houses.
• Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade presents a classic installment with excellent mechanics and character-driven storytelling.

The Fire Emblem series has been around for decades at this point, and while North American fans may have only become aware of the series thanks to Super Smash Bros. Melee, it’s been around much longer than that. The tactical games require expert thinking to keep all your valued units alive in nail-biting wars.

The Nintendo Switch is host to more than a few Fire Emblem games of varying styles. Some may be more famous and easier to access than others, but Switch players are at no shortage of Fire Emblem games to play whether on the go or right at home.

We’re keeping things simple and only counting the Fire Emblem entries that have made it to Switch
outside of Japan
, since a couple of ’em are exclusively available over yonder. Those lucky gamers!

Updated on November 27, 2024, by Kyle Chamaillard: We’ve decided to revisit this list to spruce it up with even more information about the best Fire Emblem games on Nintendo Switch.

6 Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon And The Blade Of Light

While certainly a fun entry in the series, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was a limited-time release. This game was the one that kicked off the entire Fire Emblem series, and it’s as tough to play as it’s ever been. It can be fairly unbalanced – lots if wrinkles to iron out in future installments – but it’s not terrible.

Despite being the first game in the series, this game solidified many series staple mechanics and introduced one of its most famous characters, Marth. It also tells a classic story of Marth building his forces to take on great evil, making it a must-play for fans of the series if possible.

5 Fire Emblem Warriors

A decent game that simply does something entirely different from the core gameplay, Fire Emblem Warriors is still a lot of hack-and-slash fun. Those who’ve played through the Musou-style Dynasty Warriors games will feel right at home here with the added twist of getting to control Fire Emblem characters.

The story isn’t necessarily the biggest draw, but the fact that you could actively and personally take part in what you likely imagined as major wars for the first time certainly is. You are in the thick of it, controlling your characters as they decimate waves of enemies to reach their goals.

4 Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

If you loved playing through Fire Emblem Three Houses and wished you could have experienced full-scale war and ever-changing battlefields, you might enjoy this title just as much. A major departure from the core series gameplay, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes throws you right into the heat of battle.

There are still tactical elements you’ll have to think about throughout the game, but it does act much more like an action game. It is, after all, in the same Musou style as Fire Emblem Warriors. The story is also a kind of companion piece to the Three Houses story, allowing you to spend more time with some of your favorite characters.

While it lacks a lot of what makes Three Houses so beloved, Three Hopes knows exactly what it wants to be, and it does a good job at that.

3 Fire Emblem Engage

Fire Emblem Engage made a few new choices for the series that might not have meshed with everyone, but the game is still a ton of fun. As long as you enjoy the gameplay of the core series, you’re going to have a fun time with Fire Emblem Engage and its tough maps, even if you don’t love the story.

Long-time fans of the series will surely look forward to classic Fire Emblem characters returning in full-fledged 3D form. Honestly, many of Engage’s elements don’t feel quite as rock-solid to us as Three Houses’ does – the cast is notably weaker, and the base-building feels oddly tacked-on – but there’s still a fair bit to chew on here.

2 Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade may simply be known in the West as Fire Emblem (as it’s the first entry ever released worldwide), but it’s one of the greatest installments in the series. Being an older title, you don’t get as much gameplay diversity as the modern games, but Blazing Blade poses a steep challenge with excellent mechanics at the forefront.

This game allows you to come to grips with the core mechanics of the series while controlling the key lords of Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood as they journey to defeat Nergal’s schemes. The game is even better when paired with The Binding Blade (which is, alas, unavailable outside Japan), but it’s still one of the best in the series on its own.

1 Fire Emblem: Three Houses

There is a reason that, in the West at least, Fire Emblem Three Houses could easily be considered the best game. Mixing the classic gameplay with a few modern tweaks and a life-sim element, this game lets you connect with every one of your units to a degree earlier entries can’t quite rival. It’s packed with memorable characters and ways in which to deepen one’s appreciation of them.

You’ll choose one of three houses (natch) near the beginning of the story, and that singular choice will have wide-reaching ramifications. Each route has its own second half, and technically, there’s even a fourth path thrown into the mix.

Diehard Fire Emblem fans with heaps of experience playing the classics tend to agree Three Houses’ maps aren’t up there with the very best in the franchise, but they’re perfectly serviceable; the combined package is nothing short of stellar.