The 31 Greatest Nintendo Switch Games You Need to Play Before You Die

The 31 Best Nintendo Switch Games Ever Made

The Nintendo Switch has quietly assembled one of the most remarkable game libraries in console history. From indie darlings to genre-defining blockbusters, the platform has given players an embarrassment of riches over its lifespan ?" so much so that narrowing down the very best feels almost cruel. Nintendo Life's Alex recently took on that unenviable challenge, whittling the entire Switch catalogue down to just 31 essential titles. The methodology? A blend of Nintendo Life's own review scores, Metacritic ratings, general community sentiment, and ?" perhaps most honestly ?" gut feeling.

"No word of a lie, this gets harder and harder every single year. The Switch's library is just phenomenal."

The list was presented in no particular order, which feels like the only sane approach when you're asked to compare a hand-drawn 1930s-style run-and-gun with a sprawling open-world RPG spanning hundreds of hours. What follows is a deep dive into the games that made the cut ?" and why each one earns its place among the Switch's finest.

The RPG Renaissance: Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, and The Witcher 3

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Few Nintendo announcements in recent memory generated as much genuine surprise as the Switch port of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Originally released on the GameCube in 2004, it had languished in the vaults for two decades, accessible only to those lucky enough to own original hardware or willing to pay collector's prices. Nintendo not only brought it back ?" they made it better.

"This would honestly be up there on my list of games that I least expected Nintendo to actually port to the Switch, but they went and did it. Arguably the best Paper Mario game ever released, and they arguably made it even better."

Yes, it runs at 30 frames per second, and in 2024 that's a figure that raises eyebrows. But when the visual presentation is this lovingly refreshed and the soundtrack has been so beautifully reorchestrated, the technical limitation becomes academic. This is a superb RPG with heart, wit, and some of the best battle mechanics the genre has to offer. If you've never experienced it, the Switch version is the definitive place to start.

Super Mario RPG

Nintendo's relationship with RPGs on the Switch has been a quietly triumphant one, and Super Mario RPG stands as a prime example of how to honour a classic. Rather than a straightforward remaster, this is effectively a full recreation of the beloved SNES original ?" Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars ?" rebuilt to look exactly how you'd remember it looking, rather than how it actually did.

"You might look at it and go, 'yeah, that's a bit of an improvement,' and then you see them side by side ?" oh, Lordy."

This is an entry-level RPG in the best possible sense: approachable, charming, and genuinely funny, with just enough mechanical depth to satisfy genre veterans. The Switch version is somewhat easier than the original, but given the game's welcoming nature, that's a feature rather than a flaw. It's the kind of game that reminds you why Nintendo's creative partnerships ?" in this case, the original collaboration with SquareSoft ?" produced some of gaming's most enduring magic.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

If Super Mario RPG is a gentle introduction to the genre, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is its epic, sprawling antithesis. CD Projekt Red's masterpiece arriving on Switch at all remains one of the most technically audacious achievements in the console's history. The system draws a mere four watts of power in handheld mode. The Witcher 3 ?" with its vast open world, hundreds of quests, and densely packed narrative ?" somehow runs on it.

"I cannot believe they got the whole of The Witcher 3 running on the Nintendo Switch. It's mindblowing."

Is it the sharpest version you can play? Absolutely not ?" on Switch, it's the blurriest. Does the frame rate occasionally remind you of the hardware's limitations? It does. None of that changes the fact that this is one of the finest action RPGs ever conceived, now playable on the train, in bed, or wherever life takes you. And crucially, as is pointed out with genuine enthusiasm, the writing is actually good ?" a distinction that remains rarer in the genre than it should be.

Nintendo's Open World Crown Jewels: Zelda and Beyond

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

When Breath of the Wild launched alongside the Switch in 2017, it redefined what open-world games could be. The expectation that a direct successor could meaningfully improve upon it seemed almost hubristic. Tears of the Kingdom did it anyway.

"Nintendo had already rewritten the book with Breath of the Wild when it came to open world games, and then they did it again. Honestly, Breath of the Wild looks basically like a tech demo in comparison."

The sheer density of mechanical possibility in Tears of the Kingdom is staggering. New abilities like Ultrahand and Fuse don't just add options ?" they fundamentally transform how players interact with the world, enabling solutions that the developers almost certainly didn't anticipate. It's a genuine sandbox in the truest sense: a place where creativity is rewarded, curiosity is encouraged, and the question "I wonder if I can do that?" almost always receives a surprising answer. Hundreds of hours of content await those willing to explore every corner of Hyrule ?" and the skies and depths beneath it.

Platforming Perfection: Mario, Celeste, and the Art of Movement

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Categorising Super Mario 3D World is a minor linguistic adventure. It's not quite a traditional 3D platformer, not quite a 2D one ?" it occupies its own delightful space, offering a perspective and pacing entirely its own. What's beyond debate is that it's an exceptional game, and its Switch release bundled it with something remarkable: Bowser's Fury.

"Throw Bowser's Fury into that, which is really quite an experimental 3D platformer ?" it's kind of open world, but at the same time sort of not. It's absolutely crammed full of stuff, unlike every other open world game ever."

Bowser's Fury functions almost as a prototype for ideas Nintendo might explore further ?" a compact, densely packed open environment where the titular villain's rampages reshape the challenge dynamically. As a bonus addition to an already excellent game, it's extraordinarily generous. As a standalone concept, it's genuinely exciting. Together, the package represents exceptional value and creativity.

Celeste

Developer Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry's Celeste arrived in 2018 and promptly became one of the most celebrated indie games of the decade. It earned its reputation. This is a precision platformer of the highest order ?" demanding, occasionally punishing, but scrupulously fair in ways that lesser games rarely achieve.

"I don't think I've played a game with better controls. They've got coyote time down perfectly. The game is so responsive ?" every time you fail, it's your fault, and you know it."

That last point is crucial. A difficult game that feels unfair breeds frustration. A difficult game where failure always feels like a learning opportunity breeds obsession ?" the desire to try again, to improve, to conquer. Celeste is the latter. It also pairs its mechanical excellence with a narrative about mental health that is handled with genuine sensitivity and care. Accessibility options mean it never excludes those who need support. This is a game that knows exactly what it is and executes it flawlessly.

The Indie Vanguard: Cuphead and the Art of Artistry

Cuphead

Studio MDHR's Cuphead is one of those games where the description barely does justice to the experience. Yes, it's a run-and-gun boss-rush title with platform sections. Yes, it's notoriously challenging. But to lead with those facts is to undersell its most extraordinary quality: it is, visually, one of the most stunning games ever made.

"One of the most gorgeous art styles I've ever seen. The animation in this game is second to none. The hand-drawn early cartoon aesthetic ironically means that this doesn't feel dated in the slightest."

Every frame of Cuphead could hang in an animation museum. The 1930s rubber-hose style is recreated with such fidelity ?" right down to the film grain and subtle colour limitations of the era ?" that it feels genuinely timeless. Combine that aesthetic triumph with controls as tight as any action game on the platform, and Cuphead becomes something rare: a game that is simultaneously a technical showcase and a brilliant, challenging experience. Its DLC expansion, The Delicious Last Course, is equally worth your time.

The Pokémon Wild Card: Legends Arceus

The Pokémon franchise's relationship with the Switch has been complicated. Mainline entries have drawn criticism for technical shortcomings even as they sold in extraordinary numbers. Against that backdrop, Pokémon Legends: Arceus landed in early 2022 and felt like a bolt from the blue ?" a genuinely experimental entry that dared to ask what Pokémon might look like if it shed decades of accumulated convention.

"It shook up the Pokémon formula so much that, whilst it's by no means unrecognisable, it almost feels like a fan game in so many ways ?" because it's doing so much of what fans want."

Wild Pokémon that actually pose a threat. Action-based catching mechanics. A world that rewards exploration with genuine discovery. Legends: Arceus isn't a perfect game ?" its visual presentation is modest, and its world lacks the density of the very best open-world titles. But as an argument for what the franchise could become, it's compelling, exciting, and easily the most invigorating Pokémon experience in recent memory.

The Competitive Titans: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Party Jamboree

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Numbers tell part of the story here. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch ?" and it isn't close. Its lead over the second-placed title is somewhere in the region of fifty percent, a staggering commercial dominance that reflects something simple: it is the best Mario Kart game ever made, and possibly the best arcade racing game on any platform.

"The driving mechanics have never been tighter. There are 96 tracks on here. They can't all be winners ?" but so many are."

The Booster Course Pass DLC, which expanded the track list dramatically, was not without its critics ?" some courses felt more perfunctory than others. But the sheer volume of content, combined with the impeccable core mechanics and gorgeous presentation, makes this a game that justifies the Switch hardware all on its own. It's also, crucially, the rare competitive game that brings people together rather than tearing them apart. Well ?" most of the time.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Party games are a curious genre. They live and die not on technical merit but on their ability to generate shared moments ?" the collective groan, the improbable comeback, the gleeful accusation of cheating that ends friendships and forges them in equal measure. Super Mario Party Jamboree delivers all of that and more, representing the fullest and most refined expression of the series yet.

With an expanded board selection, refined mini-games, and enough variety to sustain multiple sessions without repetition, it sets a new benchmark for what a Mario Party title can be. It also performs the neat trick of being genuinely enjoyable in both competitive and more casual configurations ?" no small achievement in a genre where balance is notoriously difficult to strike.

The Metroid Masterclasses: Prime Remastered and Dread

Metroid Prime Remastered

Retro Studios' original Metroid Prime, released in 2002, is widely regarded as one of the finest first-person games ever made ?" a claim that still holds up. Its Switch remaster doesn't just confirm that claim; it underscores it emphatically. While technically not a full remake in the manner of The Thousand-Year Door, the reality is that every single art asset was updated, producing a game that looks genuinely contemporary.

"It's not a full-on remake, but to be brutally honest it might as well be. It just looks ?" oh, it just looks delightful."

The genius of the original Metroid Prime was its ability to translate the atmospheric isolation of 2D Metroid into three dimensions without losing any of the tension or sense of discovery. That quality is fully preserved here, wrapped in visuals that make it feel born for the Switch. For long-time fans, it's a joyful reunion. For newcomers, it's an unmissable introduction to one of gaming's most distinctive franchises.

Metroid Dread

If Metroid Prime Remastered is a celebration of where the series has been, Metroid Dread is a statement of where it can go. MercurySteam's 2021 entry ?" the first brand-new 2D Metroid in nearly two decades ?" arrived with expectations that could have crushed a lesser game. It met them and then exceeded them comprehensively.

"As a long, long-time Metroid fan, this game absolutely lived up to the expectations and surpassed them. It answers so many questions that I had about the Metroid universe and also raised some new ones. The climax of this game is ?" it's unparalleled for me."

The EMMI sequences ?" in which Samus is hunted by near-invulnerable robotic pursuers ?" introduce a tension unlike anything else in the franchise, and the gradual escalation of power as the game progresses delivers that quintessential Metroid satisfaction in spades. It's also, frankly, hard ?" hard enough that Nintendo subsequently patched in an easier mode. That difficulty, however, is earned. Every death teaches something. Every victory feels deserved. Metroid Dread is, without qualification, one of the finest action-platformers ever made.

A Library Without Equal

Thirty-one games. It sounds generous until you consider the depth of what the Switch library contains ?" and suddenly it feels almost impossibly restrictive. Titles like Breath of the Wild, Hollow Knight, Hades, Splatoon 3, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and dozens of others all have legitimate claims on a spot in any best-of list. The games highlighted here represent a cross-section of the platform's extraordinary range: from technical marvels that shouldn't work on the hardware to handcrafted indie experiences that could only flourish in an ecosystem this welcoming.

What unites them all is a commitment to quality that transcends genre, budget, or origin. A decades-old JRPG remake sits comfortably alongside a contemporary open-world epic. A punishing precision platformer belongs in the same conversation as the world's best-selling racing game. That breadth, that willingness to celebrate wildly different kinds of excellence, is precisely what makes the Switch library so special ?" and precisely what makes any list like this so difficult, so subjective, and so endlessly worth arguing about.

"This is an incredibly tough list to make. To narrow down the entire library to just 31 games means we've had to miss out so many wonderful entries."

The Switch era may be drawing toward its conclusion as Nintendo turns its attention to what comes next. But the library it leaves behind ?" deep, diverse, and full of genuine masterpieces ?" will be argued over, revisited, and celebrated for years to come. These 31 games are an excellent place to start that conversation.