Sink into this comfy, top-rated sofa we've found at Walmart. Pick it up yourself, or next-day shipping is available in some areas. | Read Review
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Explore a vast and reimagined Hyrule Kingdom as you gather your allies to take on Calamity Ganon and reunite with Princess Zelda. Read More
If the flawless level design and cat-Mario aesthetic aren’t enough to get you to try this, there’s also a free story add-on called Bowser’s Fury. Read More
This cozy, nonviolent sim is something you could play every day for the rest of your life and be all the richer for it. It’s both fun and therapeutic. Read More
This is Pokémon more or less as it’s always been, set in a fantasy version of the United Kingdom, 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 or a loved one just got ahold of a new Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite, the next thing you’re going to need is a handful of great games to play on it. After a few fun-filled years with our own Switches and Switch Lites, we’ve certainly got some thoughts. Whether you’re an RPG hound, a Pokémon master, or an old-school Mario fan, these are our recommendations for the best Switch games you can buy right now.
Playful, inventive combat physics
Huge, serene open world
None that we could find
Hours of blissful platforming action
Unique, cat-themed spin on Mario
None that we could find
Calm, meditative sim experience
Strong social component
None that we could find
Trading, gifting, and multiplayer modes
Classic, satisfying turn-based combat
None that we could find
A host of playable Nintendo favorites
Great online multiplayer features
None that we could find
Ever since Xenoblade Chronicles made its debut on the Wii years ago, fans have been clamouring for a remaster of one of the best JRPGs 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
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
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.
Wa-ha-hoo! 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
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
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 humour that also has a lot of heart, check this game out.
Buy Afterparty 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
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 defence, 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.
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
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.
Buy Inside on the Nintendo e-Shop
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 slow, tactical combat and managing complex social systems, this is for you. It helps if you’re into tea parties.
Buy Fire Emblem: Three Houses 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. And so you will. Bright, silly, and shockingly entertaining, this is one of the best indie games on the Switch. (Small children love it.)
Buy Untitled Goose Game 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
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.
Playing Mario games is great, sure, but how about you make your own? Super Mario Maker 2 is the supreme creative experience on the 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
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
Kentucky Route Zero is the Platonic ideal of the modern adventure game. It’s beautifully written, 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
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 ingenious, 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
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
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.
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.
Adrien is the PC staff writer for Reviewed with over 4 years of experience covering laptops, desktops, software, games, and more.
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.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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