Every Nintendo Switch Game That Isn’t Compatible With The Switch Lite

Summary

• The Switch Lite lacks compatibility with certain games due to its lack of detachable Joy-Cons, such as Nintendo Labo.
• Titles like 1-2-Switch and Super Mario Party heavily rely on Joy-Cons, making them unplayable on the Lite.
• Games requiring detached Joy-Cons, like Ring Fit Adventure, WarioWare: Move It!, and Just Dance, are also incompatible with the Lite.

In the grand Nintendo tradition, it didn’t take long into the Switch’s lifespan before dinkier, more cost-effective variants became available. The GameBoy Micro, the Wii Mini, the 2DS… and now the Switch Lite. This wee tablet excises the TV-to-handheld gimmick of its big brother, as well as lacking detachable Joy-Cons.

With this in mind, there are a handful of Switch games that are rendered pretty much unplayable if all you have is a Lite. Sure, you can purchase separate Joy-Cons to make them work with your Lite propped up on a table – but they still aren’t designed for handheld play, and you’ll find them cumbersome. Here’s a complete rundown of all the Switch titles to avoid if you’re rockin’ a Lite.

A quick note to begin: it’s worth mentioning that all of these games are technically compatible with the Switch Lite; i.e., inserting the cartridge won’t cause it to melt or spontaneously combust. You just won’t get too far into actually playing them!

Nintendo Labo

At Least You’re Saving Paper

Nintendo Labo was a bizarre little experiment that drew a great deal of mockery from gamers and critics alike when it hit store shelves in 2018. In essence, it’s a series of build-it-yourself origami kits made from cardboard, which then slot into either the Switch or its Joy-Cons to make rudimentary tech demos happen. A fishing rod, a robot suit, a piano – you get the picture.

Labo was fun enough (for about half an hour), but the cardboard paraphernalia was too easily damaged, and the minigames were underwhelming considering the amount of arts and crafts setup required. As a consequence, poor sales ensued and Labo fizzled out in less than two years. It’s just as well, then, that you won’t be getting anywhere near it with a Switch Lite.

1-2-Switch

Why Wasn’t This A Pack-In Game Again?

The eternal meme of the Switch library, 1-2-Switch released day-and-date with the console. It’s one of the usual “games that comes bundled with the system and exists almost entirely to show off its technological gimmicks” deals, in the vein of Wii Sports, Nintendo Land, and so on – except there was a catch. 1-2-Switch didn’t come bundled and was instead $60 upfront. Yikes.

Setting aside the extortionate price tag, 1-2-Switch is an acceptable experience. By way of the Joy-Cons, you can have gun-slinging showdowns with your friends, milk a cow (in a comically suggestive manner), answer a telephone, and more. So integral are the controllers to the endeavor that it simply doesn’t work with a solo Lite, period.

Super Mario Party

Ain’t No Party Like A Joy-Con Party

After ten mainline entries, Nintendo evidently decided to drop the idea of numbering the Mario Party series (were they perhaps embarrassed that they’d pumped out so many?), leaving us with just Super Mario Party. It was arguably the best entry we’d seen in years, disposing of all that guff from the Wii U era, where everyone rode around in a vehicle, and getting back to the tried-and-tested, friendship-ruining formula.

Unfortunately, Super Mario Party hinges around the Joy-Cons, so Lite players are out of luck. You’ll be frying meat in a pan, using the HD rumble to detect coins, waggling to row a dinghy down a river, and even applauding your fellow partygoers online. Your Pro Controller won’t be up to the task!

Ring Fit Adventure

Those Squats Are Murder

The Switch’s answer to the perennial casual favorite Wii Fit, Ring Fit Adventure tries to rope in more of the gamer crowd to the exercise shenanigans this time, by way of a full RPG story mode. Instead of the Balance Board, you’ll insert your Joy-Cons into an industry-grade Pilates ring, and squeeze, stretch, and otherwise manhandle it to progress.

Suffice to say, the Lite isn’t anywhere near enough to run Ring Fit. You need two Joy-Cons: one for the ring, and one to strap to your thigh to check whether you’re running or stationary. The actual gameplay is quite fun but relies on constant cardio and squatting, so it’s easy to get tuckered out fast. Be honest with yourself, and ensure you set an appropriate difficulty!

WarioWare: Move It!

Clearly Wario Has Shares In Joy-Con Sales

It’s one of the comforting constants of the world: the sun will rise in the East and set in the West; freezer pizza is never as good as restaurant pizza; and if there’s a new Nintendo system, there will be a WarioWare game or two on it. Move It answers that call, following in the footsteps of its forebear, Get It Together. Is it just us, or are these titles becoming more aggressive?

Much like WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii, which this is actually a direct sequel to, Move It will have you clambering out of your seat to flail around like a pillock. Whether you’re flapping like a chicken, thrusting your hips, or dropping the Joy-Con (better hope your strap stays on tight!), it’s a madcap time that Lite users won’t be able to embark upon.

The Just Dance Series

Ubisoft’s Golden, Boogying Goose

Alongside the likes of Call of Duty and FIFA, you can bet Ubisoft will crank out another Just Dance once per annum. We’re now 16 installments deep, and given the evergreen format they’ve hit upon — making use of whatever the chart-toppers are that year — it’s showing no signs of abating.

Just Dances 2017-2025 (so that’s nine of ’em) are available for the Switch, and all of them require detached Joy-Cons so your grooving can be adequately appraised. Not that you’d want to play these games on anything other than a TV anyway; the whole appeal of the series is moving and singing along to the pretty visuals and crisp audio quality, which you won’t get out of a 720p tablet perched on a kitchen table.

Mario Party Jamboree

Sadly, Not A Scuttlebug Jamboree

After Mario Party Superstars spent most of its time looking backward, with its reimagined host of minigames drawn from earlier titles, Jamboree feels like the definitive step forward the series needed. It iterates on the fresh take Super introduced, making the co-op buddies feel far more important to your strategizing, and boasts a wealth of side content.

Much like Super, Jamboree has a heavy dependence on the Joy-Cons – although, unlike that game, you can at least get a few basic matches going without them. That said, you’ll still be barred out of 80% of the experience on the Lite: half the minigames, the Rhythm Kitchen mode, the Koopa Flight School island, Toad’s Factory, and elements of the riotous Bowser Boom Squad will be completely inaccessible to you. Invest in some Joy-Cons, and join the party!

Fitness Boxing

Little Mac Would Be Proud

Another alumnus from the school of Wii Fit, Fitness Boxing sees you punching and swiping at thin air like it owes you money, all set to a curious selection of licensed backing tracks. Ever fancied boxing to Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, or Justin Bieber? Fitness Boxing fills that very specific niche, but it ain’t happening on a Lite.

As you might expect, you need to detach the Joy-Cons to be able to get to the punching, leaving you high and dry without them. Fitness Boxing somehow spawned four (!) sequels, one of which features Japanese pop idol Hatsune Miku in a supporting role. None of these will work with a Lite, either.

Nintendo Switch Sports

Bring Back The Miis, You Cowards

Switch Sports is, as the title would imply, a spiritual successor to Wii Sports, the game that launched a thousand childhoods. All the activities you remember from that classic are here: bowling, golf, tennis, etc. It even chucks in a few new sports of its own, like basketball, volleyball, and… chambara.

Unfortunately, there’s a spark of soul that’s missing from Switch Sports, leaving it to feel like a hollow imitation of what came before. The Miis are MIA, with you instead making creepily elongated avatars to play, and once you’re done with the core eight games, that’s your lot – there’s zilch in the way of meaningful side content. Not that any of that matters if you’re a Lite owner since none of the included sports are compatible with it. It’s motion controls all the way.

Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training

Glasses, Glasses!

The polygonal, judging face of Dr. Kawashima was a mainstay on the DS, and now you can put your grey matter to the test anew via Brain Training for the Switch. Much like Mario Party Jamboree, you can get some way into this one on a Lite, but its biggest and coolest features will be off-limits without a Joy-Con.

There are the usual suspects in here: memory tests, math challenges, that bloody impossible color-guessing one. With a Joy-Con, however, you can make use of the inbuilt IR camera to play reaction games, rock-paper-scissors, and even count out numbers on your fingers. If all you have is a Lite, you’re better off just playing the DS original, since it includes all the stuff you’ll have access to here.