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"Switch and play."

The Switch is a handheld/console hybrid by Nintendo released in March 2017.

System Specs[]

  • Chipset: NVidia Tegra X1
  • Screen: 6.2" capacitive multi-touch, 1280 x 720 resolution. (5.5" for the Lite model)
  • Detachable controllers

Other details[]

  • Dock: holds, powers, and charges the system, and outputs video and audio from the system to a TV or external display.
  • Stand: A stand on the back of the main unit can be deployed to position the system upright in tabletop mode.
  • Media: Game cards
  • Video output: HDMI, up to 1080p resolution when played in TV mode, 720p in handheld mode.
  • Audio output: TV Mode supports 5.1 channel surround sound. Using the system's built-in audio jack, stereo speakers or headphones can be used when played in handheld or tabletop modes.
  • Battery: can last for more than three hours, but will vary depending on the software and usage conditions. Can be charged with the dock or USB Type-C.
  • Storage: 32GB of internal storage, expanded with microSDXC or microSDHC memory cards.
  • Other: USB ports on the dock can be used to charge accessories, such as the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con attached to a Joy-Con charging grip. The USB ports can also be used with a USB LAN adaptor to connect to the Internet.
  • Networking: Nintendo Switch can connect to the Internet via a wireless (IEEE 802.1 Iac) connection. Up to 8 systems can connect over a local wireless connection in compatible multiplayer games. The Nintendo Switch can also use a wired Internet connection by connecting a LAN Adapter via the Dock or an OTG Adapter.
  • A handheld-only model of the Switch, named the Switch Lite, was released in September 2019. It is smaller and lighter, but excludes the ability the output to a TV.

Games[]

Have you played these games? They need a description to be added onto the list:

  • Blaster Master Zero 2
  • NEO The World Ends With You
  • Part-Time UFO

Cart-Based[]

Box Art Title Genre Description
71cNySBLHXL. SL1326 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Strategy Visual Novel Fantastic sci-fi adventure by Vanillaware with dense writing and an excellent story. Gorgeous, hand-drawn 2D visuals and limited exploration are punctuated by semi-real-time strategy combat between mechs and combat in grid-based battlefields. The combat isn't too exciting, but the writing and thirteen-person cast are amazing, to say nothing of the art direction and soundtrack. Performance isn't perfect, but works fine.
51WwBU5jBnL AI: The Somnium Files Puzzle Visual Novel Sci-fi detective adventure by Spike Chunsoft, with cel-shaded anime art style and very strong writing. Investigate crimes by entering and exploring the dreams of suspects, where you solve puzzles in fully-3D environments. Requires playing through multiple branching paths to get the whole story, but allows you to pick things up at any narrative branching point using a flowchart.
71EPOF5JNpL. AC SY679 AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative Puzzle Visual Novel Sequel to the previous game, starring new dual protagonists. Another sci-fi detective adventure with colorful characters and an intriguing, near-future world. Allows you to play without spoiling the first game for yourself, but it's still recommended that you play them in order. Story and writing are equally fantastic, if not better than the last (with some bold twists).
M2-Aleste-Collection-Nintendo-Switch---New-Japan-Figure-4589664270081-0 Aleste Collection Arcade Shoot-'em-Up Compiles Aleste (Power Strike), Power Strike II, GG Aleste, GG Aleste II, and the brand-new (!) GG Aleste 3 developed by M2. These are all very old shooters, so don't expect to be blown away by graphics or sound, but the music is great and the gameplay pacing is refreshingly hectic. The new Aleste respects the style and presentation of the original series.
Acnh Animal Crossing: New Horizons Life Simulation The most popular entry in Nintendo's life sim series thus far. Design and build your town from a barren island, welcome various animal residents with unique personalities, engage in daily activities for resources and collectibles, and visit other players' islands for fun and trade. Gives you a greater degree of control over the landscape compared to the previous games, pushing it a bit closer to "god game" territory. Very cute.
81M7OXORxiL. SL1500 Another World / Flashback Double Pack Cinematic Platformer Collects the massively influential Another World and the less-known Flashback, two "cinematic platformers" with fluid animation, rotoscoped 2D graphics, nearly HUD-less presentation, and realistic physics with sci-fi settings. These games are short, but will kill you quickly and frequently, and are sometimes rather cryptic in terms of how to progress.
Apollotrilogysw Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy Adventure Puzzle Includes the original Apollo Justice game as well as the two previously 3DS-exclusive digital-only Phoenix Wright games, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. While they don't hold a candle to the original trilogy, they are all solid adventure puzzle games in their own right, and fans of the series should enjoy them.
Arms Arms Arena Combat Unique 3D arena fighter by Nintendo that plays like a boxing game where everyone has stretchy arms. Includes various modes and a barebones story campaign. Charming world, music, and character designs. Not much of a competitive community whatsoever, but a fun multi-player game for parties. Various updates and new characters were rolled out post-launch.
703062 front Astral Chain Character Action Switch-exclusive character action title by PlatinumGames. Set in a cyberpunk Neo-Tokyo where you command and combine with extradimensional beasts to access different fighting styles. Linear and chapter-based, with some limited exploration. The story's whatever, but the combat is solid and the setting is atmospheric for what it is. Features a male/female selectable protagonist.
71e9EC4if-L. SL1500 Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout JRPG A breakout hit for the Atelier series of lighthearted fantasy JRPGs with in-depth crafting/gathering systems and cozy, low-stakes stories. Turn-based combat and quest-based progression round out the rather slow-paced experience. Surprisingly horny character designs can somewhat clash with this easygoing pace. Requires patience, but is pretty rewarding if you enjoy JRPGs.
71vZvKfEFvL. SL1080 Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy JRPG Surprisingly for the series, a direct sequel to the previous game, with plenty of returning characters and similar gameplay systems. Features more of a coming-of-age story and some touching character moments. The in-depth alchemy system returns refined. The timing-based combat starts out dull, but picks up as you gain more characters. An overall improvement.
Bayo1switch Bayonetta Action/Hack and Slash One of the best action games of all time. You play as a dominatrix witch who needs to rediscover her past by killing demonic angels and angelic demons.


Also available on Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Wii U. PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions outperform Switch port, though Switch version is better than 360, Wii U, and PS3 (AVOID THIS VERSION).

Bayo2switch Bayonetta 2 Character Action Flamboyant character action title by PlatinumGames with more of the dodge-based combat and extreme combos that the first game offered. The story is even more nonsensical than Bayonetta 1's (not entirely in a good way), but you're here for the gameplay, which is very solid and includes a plethora of ultra-challenging optional missions. Came packaged with the first game.
Bayo3 Bayonetta 3 Character Action The third game in the acclaimed action series follows a multiverse timeline where an evil entity is going around to various universes and killing off their respective Bayonettas. You play as one of the last remaining Bayonettas and jump around various other universes trying to save her fellow witch counterparts. The combat gimmick here is that Bayonetta has an assortment of demonic summons she can utilize in battle to extend combos and do major damage. There are also missions where you play as the punk-rock Viola, who has her own unique moveset and summon. Some people did not care for the direction the story took but gameplay-wise the series remains strong with this entry.
Blasphemous-switch-hero Blasphemous Search Action Indie 2D Metroidvania by the developers of The Last Door, inspired by Symphony of the Night and Dark Souls. Features a Gothic and ultra-violent fantasy world informed by medieval Catholicism. Gorgeous sprite work and demented, baroque monster designs. More than a bit pretentious. Solid DLC expansion.
Igastainedsw Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Search Action Crowdfunded Metroidvania title directed by Koji Igarashi (of Symphony of the Night fame). A pretty solid entry in the "genre," with tons of collectibles, secrets and unlockables, though visual design is a bit all-over-the-place. Runs better on other systems, but the Switch version is perfectly serviceable.
Binding of Isaac Switch The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ Roguelike Action Indie top-down shooter structured like a roguelike, with randomly-generated stages and power-ups. Comically creepy story with a deliberately rough art style and childish sense of humor. Received a physical Switch release with all DLC packed in. A classic of the 2010s indie scene, even if a bit juvenile.
Bdef2sw Bravely Default II JRPG Traditional turn-based fantasy JRPG by Square-Enix, with a very fun job system that offers plenty of party customization. Decent story, with only vague connections to previous Bravely games. Charming, but unsurprising, visual style, and substantial campaign length. A solid option for genre fans.
Cadence sw b Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer feat. The Legend of Zelda Rhythm Roguelike Rhythm-based indie roguelike dungeon crawler where you move and attack to the beat of the music. Tough, but less complicated than it sounds. This spin-off features characters and monsters from the Zelda series, but otherwise offers the same gameplay and top-down, sprite-based presentation. Pretty unique.
Ctoadsw Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Action Puzzle Port of the WiiU puzzler based on the Captain Toad segments in Super Mario 3D World. Includes new levels based on Mario Odyssey and a co-op mode.
Cathsw Catherine: Full Body Puzzle A port of the 360/PS3 puzzler from the Persona devs. You play as a man who deals with the nightmares derived from cheating on his girlfriend with another woman. These manifest as climbing and shoving large brainbending block puzzles. During the day you hang out with your friends at the comfy bar in town. Full Body features a new love interest and gameplay improvements over the original.
Cavestoryswitch Cave Story+ Search Action Physical release of the "indie Metroidvania" that kicked off the "indie Metroidvania" craze. Great story with multiple endings, and charming pixel graphics. Tough, but fair, gameplay that combines platforming, shooting, and RPG-style weapon upgrades. Includes additional content from previous console releases. Support the dev, not the publisher!
Ds1reNS Dark Souls Remastered Action-RPG Cryptic environmental storytelling, sophisticated dark-fantasy ambiance, methodical real-time combat with stat-based build options, and a masterfully-crafted, interconnected open world, with unique assymetric online multi-player modes seamlessly integrated into the campaign. A classic. Runs like shit on Switch, though. At least it's portable.
DarkestDungeon Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition Dungeon RPG Turn-based, dungeon-crawling, dark-fantasy RPG with a unique diorama-esque presentation and a nice sense of style. Recruit characters from various classes and hope they survive. Minimal story. Tough as nails, incorporates despair into its very gameplay systems, and constantly forces you to make difficult choices. Includes DLC.
Dxm Daemon X Machina Mech Combat Spiritual successor to the Armored Core series, now with a stylish, toon-shaded anime look. Customize your mech (and pilot) with parts obtained from downed enemies in discrete combat missions. Sadly, repetitive environments and an overall dearth of content somewhat sour, but don't ruin, the experience. It's also on PC.
DeadcellsNS Dead Cells Roguelite Action Indie 2D side-scroller with a roguelike structure. Fight through procedurally-generated stages while picking up permanently-unlockable weapons and powers that you can choose for your loadout in your next run. Minimal storytelling, and sprite-based presentation. Visually nothing special, but great fun for fans of "roguelites."
Deadpremorgsw Deadly Premonition: Origins Horror Adventure Port of the open-world detective adventure that left reviewers scratching their heads. A surreal, low-budget game where you investigate serial murders in an ersatz-American small town strongly inspired by Twin Peaks, interspersed with lackluster, RE4-like shooting sections and bosses. Zany, and oddly fun, but occasionally tedious or frustrating.
Deadprem2sw Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise Horror Adventure Sequel to Swery65's zany detective adventure. Features the same basic open-world gameplay and exploration, now set in New Orleans, with slightly better action segments. You can skateboard everywhere. Runs like shit, but the framerate is at least bearable after the latest update. A future cult classic. Originally a Switch exclusive that has since been given a PC port.
Divinity-original-sin-2-definitive-edition-switch-hero Divinity: Original Sin 2 CRPG One of the best CRPGs ever made gets a surprisingly solid Switch release. Turn-based combat with a player-created party in a lovingly-realized Western fantasy world, with plenty of player agency and alternate paths. Fully playable in co-op. Great story, and a fantastic introduction to the genre. A future classic.
TropicalFreezeSwitch Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Arcade Platformer Port of the Wii U-exclusive 2D platformer, now with some additional content. A fond tribute to the Donkey Kong Country series, fully playable in co-op (though this arguably makes it harder). Developed by Retro, it doesn't really play like the SNES DKC games, but it is a solid and occasionally balls-hard platformer.
Dq11 switch Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition JRPG Enhanced version of DQXI, now with extra content and a fully-playable, SNES-style, sprite-based mode on top of the standard 3D presentation. Lengthy campaign, in-depth turn-based combat system, charming characters, and an Akira Toriyama-designed fantasy world. A great entry point into Dragon Quest, and an unforgettable JRPG overall.
Dragdonsw Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen Action-RPG Port of the sleeper-hit, Capcom-developed action-RPG. Features a limited open world in a medieval fantasy setting with a pretty mediocre story that picks up towards the end. It really shines for its combat, which incorporates elements of Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, and even Shadow of the Colossus on top of a super-fun job system and AI-controlled party.
Gungeon switch box Enter the Gungeon Roguelite Shooter Top-down, twin-stick indie shooter with sprite-based presentation and (you guessed it) roguelike-style progression. Blast your way through procedurally-generated stages with one of several characters and tons of creative gun types. Another solid offering for fans of the "roguelite" genre, with quite a bit of unlockable content. Silly and fun.
Final-fantasy-vii-switch-hero Final Fantasy VII / VIII Remastered JRPG Physical release of two massively influential JRPGs. FFVII is a port of the PS4 remaster (not the Remake), while FFVIII is a brand-new remaster with HD textures and cleaned-up models. Both are classics of the genre (despite having their detractors), as long as you can put up with PS1-era gameplay conventions, turn-based combat, and lengthy campaigns.
Final-fantasy-ix-switch-hero Final Fantasy IX JRPG Physical release of a fan-favorite entry in the JRPG series. Not a remaster, but does feature some mild improvements. A more nostalgic and fanciful entry in the series, reminiscent of the SNES classics, but with the same visual flair and showmanship that Square was known for during the PS1 era. A great option for 16-bit JRPG fans.
Ffxx2sw Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster JRPG HD remasters of the International releases of FFX and FFX-2 (plus Last Mission for X-2), both of which feature plenty of extra content and super-hard optional bosses. These are remembered as visually sumptuous JRPGs with extremely linear designs and questionable stories/voice acting, but are essential for fans of PS2-era JRPGs.
Ffxiisw Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age JRPG Switch port of FFXII International Edition, which features various gameplay changes and improvements to the original game, and was (despite its title) never released outside of Japan. FFXII is a more "Westernized" take on the JRPG series, with a real-time party combat system, a beautifully-realized, free-roaming world, and tons of optional content.
Fire-Emblem-Three-Houses Fire Emblem: Three Houses Tactics RPG Continues the series' foray into JRPG territory, striking a balance between turn-based tactical combat and a school life/dating sim portion that sees you playing the role of a (male or female) teacher in a fantasy military school. Play three separate campaigns and recruit dozens of unique characters with class-based progression paths. Recommended for fans of FE Awakening/Fates, not so much for classic-era veterans.
Fm1resw Front Mission 1st Strategy RPG A remake of the classic SNES Mech Strategy RPG. As with the PS1/DS version, you can play the campaign from the perspective of either side of the conflict. Moving from sprites to 3D and upscaled character art came with mixed results, but nevertheless the game is a genre classic.
Gaasw The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Adventure Puzzle A pair of spin-off adventure games from the Ace Attorney series, taking place in Meiji-era Japan. Directed by the director of the original trilogy. Originally released only in Japan, they were finally translated for western fans and bundled together for release. Fans of the series who yearned for less reliance on gimmicks and magic will appreciate the game's grounded focus on intuition and clue-gathering to solve cases, while still maintaining the irreverent writing and characters.
Switch Hades Hero Hades Roguelite Action Isometric hack-and-slash action game with roguelike progression. Escape Hades through procedurally-generated stages, acquiring permanent and temporary power-ups that suit your build. Colorful characters, fun (if Tumblr-y) writing, and a compelling story based on the myth of Persephone. Highly recommended for "roguelite" fans.
Hk sw box Hollow Knight Search Action Critically-acclaimed indie Metroidvania that combines platforming and non-linear exploration with RPG-style progression and a Dark Souls-esque penchant for environmental storytelling. Optional content gets very challenging. One of the best entries in its genre, with quite a bit of worthwhile DLC.
Hyperlightdr Hyper Light Drifter Action-Adventure Top-down 2D indie action-adventure set in a mysterious eco-sci fi world. Plays kind of like classic Zelda, but with much faster-paced combat and a lessened focus on puzzle-solving. Cool synthwave/ambient soundtrack. Not among the best of its genre, but a decent option if you're looking for a more kinetic Zelda-like.
Katamarisw Katamari Damacy Reroll Puzzle Action HD remaster of the original Katamari Damacy for PS2. Roll a ball through stages cluttered with all sorts of objects, which you'll roll up to become progressively larger, rolling up bigger objects in turn. An extremely fun game and PS2-era classic, with psychedelic, super-flat visuals, and an unforgettable soundtrack.
Kirbyforgot Kirby and the Forgotten Land Adventure Platformer The first fully-3D mainline Kirby game ever, adapts the gameplay of the series to slightly more open (but still linear stages) set in a post-apocalyptic world reclaimed by nature. You can absorb and upgrade power-ups at a hub. Fully playable in local co-op. Quite easy as usual, though there's a tough secret boss in there.
Kirbyreturnsw Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe Platformer Remake of the Wii platformer. Play with up to four people as Kirby, Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee. Features many copy powers for Kirby, each with a variety of moves and attacks. Motion controls are minimal and optional, while difficulty is low as usual. Has a surprising amount of extra content (and a weird twist at the end). The remake comes with a new graphical style and a couple of bonus abilities.
Starallies Kirby Star Allies Arcade Platformer Another offering from the Return to Dream Land team, another 2D Kirby with gorgeous 3D graphics. Quite easy as always, with some mildly challenging post-game missions. Can be played with up to four players (or CPUs), who play as various Kirby enemies or special DLC characters from the series' past.
La-mulana-switch-hero La-Mulana 1&2: Hidden Treasures Edition Search Action Two non-linear indie platformers about exploring ancient ruins, done in the style of super-cryptic MSX2-era games. The first game in particular requires tons of experimentation (or a guide) to clear, while the sequel is ever-so-slightly more straightforward. Both are excellent, but challenging, entries in their "genre."
BOTWSwitch The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Open-World Action-Adventure Critically-acclaimed open-world entry in the beloved series, allows you to explore a massive world to your heart's content while interacting with roaming creatures, characters, and environmental elements/features which make for an endlessly delightful experience. Eschews the series' traditional dungeons and equipment in favor of dozens of mini-dungeons and a rotating stock of breakable weapons and gear. Essential for Switch owners.
Totk The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Open-World Action-Adventure A rare direct sequel for the series, Tears of the Kingdom picks up after Breath of the Wild where Link and Zelda witness the reawakening of a long-contained Ganondorf. It uses the same overworld map from the prequel, but with a lot of major differences and the addition of many floating sky-platforms and an underground world as large as the main overworld. It also brings back dungeons in the more traditional Zelda style. An excellent followup and an essential open world game.
Linksawakeningswitch The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Action-Adventure 3D remake of the fan-favorite GameBoy entry, with very cute tilt shift-style graphics. A classic-style 2D Zelda taking place on a deserted island. Very fun, with an interesting story, but beware that it's quite short and there isn't much extra content beyond an underwhelming design-a-dungeon mode.
Lilsw Live A Live RPG Originally a Japan-only Super Famicom game, Live A Live was finally released out west with this HD-2D remake. The game follows seven main characters from different time periods with each chapter having different gameplay elements making them all unique. Reminiscent of Chrono Trigger.
Lm3 Luigi's Mansion 3 Puzzle Adventure Excellent entry in Luigi's goofy horror-adventure series, now taking place in a haunted hotel. Can be played entirely on local co-op. As per usual, gameplay revolves around solving puzzles and capturing ghosts with your pimped-out vacuum cleaner. A fantastic game that was somewhat slept on for unclear reasons.
Luminesremastered box Lumines Remastered Matching Puzzle Enhanced port of the PSP classic, a tile-matching puzzle game similar to Tetris but with a rhythmic element that pairs well with the excellent synthpop soundtrack. Contains tons of new content and modes, as well as a brand-new feature that lets you link up to eight vibrating controllers which you can place on your body for a feeling of "synaesthesia."
MK8D Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Fantasy Racing Enhanced port of the acclaimed Wii U release, with all DLC packed in and a bunch of minor improvements. One of the best entries in an excellent casual racing series, which recently received a pack of brand-new courses. Features a visually impressive anti-gravity gimmick. Essential for parties and groups of friends.
Mario Rabbids Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Turn-Based Strategy A bizarre crossover that turned out pretty well, it's an XCOM-like turn-based strategy title developed by Ubisoft where Mario, friends and Rabbids pick up blasters and fight in tactical, isometric stages against invaders of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Donkey Kong DLC campaign is pretty solid, too.
Mgsr Mario Golf: Super Rush Fantasy Sports The Switch's entry in the golf spin-off series, featuring the classic mode as well as an underwhelming adventure mode where you play as a Mii. Most surprisingly fun is a new free-for-all mode where everyone golfs at once, racing to the ball while squashing each other with special moves and power-ups. A solid sports title.
Mariosucc Mario Strikers: Battle League Fantasy Sports The Switch's entry in the surprisingly gritty Mario soccer spin-off. Doesn't reach the heights of the Gamecube original, especially with the dearth of content featured at launch, but Nintendo has promised a stream of DLC in the future. Like with all Mario sports games, it's way more fun with friends.
Mariotennisaces Mario Tennis: Aces Fantasy Sports The Switch's entry in the tennis spin-off series, which has almost always been solid and this is no exception. Features an absolute who's-who of playable Mario characters (many released as post-game DLC) and an excellent, competitive multi-player mode bolstered by very decent netcode and a still-active online community. Story mode sucks, though.
Megaman11Switch Mega Man 11 Action Side-scroller Classic Mega Man returns with beautiful animations and semi-3D presentation, but the same stage-based 2D gameplay as always. Introduces a new "Double Gear" system which allows you to power up or slow down time, and the whole game is balanced around it. Another solid entry in the classic series, after a rather lengthy hiatus.
Mmxlegacyswitch Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 Action Side-scroller Compiles all eight Mega Man X games in a single physical release, though MMX5-8 actually have to be downloaded with a code. MMX1-4 are classics of side-scrolling 2D action which introduced X and Zero to the world. If you want the versions with Japanese soundtracks, the Asian physical release comes with English options.
Zerozxsw Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection Action

Side-scroller

Compiles the GBA Mega Man Zero series (1-4) and the DS ZX series (ZX + Advent) for a total of six rock-hard Inticreates-developed side-scrollers. Includes new (optional) Easy Mode and Save Assist features to smoothen the experience. These games are hard, and will score you harshly, but MMZ3 and ZX Advent in particular are masterpieces.
Metroid Dread box art Metroid Dread Search Action The first brand-new 2D Metroid in decades, and a sequel to Metroid Fusion. Recaptures the non-linear, power-up based exploration and platforming gameplay that gave rise to the Metroidvania "genre," along with new stealth sections that require you to evade unbeatable enemies. Developed by Mercury System. Flawed, but excellent game.
Metpri1re Metroid Prime Remastered FPS / Adventure A visual upgrade for one of the all-time classics. Samus explores an abandoned, contaminated planet taken as an HQ by the Space Pirates. Features a lovingly-crafted, seamlessly interconnected world. Includes the old control scheme, the Wii port control scheme using the joycons, and new dual-analog controls that make it feel more like a modern FPS.
Minecraft Switch Minecraft Survival Simulation It's Minecraft, with all the PC/console content included in the Bedrock Edition, along with an exclusive, Super Mario-themed stage and skin pack. A game that needs no introduction, through it's still best to play it on PC. This would make a great gift for any vaguely-autistic nephews or younger siblings, though.
Mhgenult Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate Hack-'n-Slash RPG Enhanced port of a Japan-only 3DS release. Pick from fifteen weapons and six fighting styles, slay giant fantasy monsters, and carve new gear from their loot. Playable in local or online co-op, with a still-active community. An initially tedious and disorienting, but deep and rewarding game, with hundreds of hours' worth of content. Also a last hurrah for classic-style MonHun.
Mhrsw Monster Hunter Rise Hack-'n-Slash RPG World-style Monster Hunter with great graphics (for the system), a much-smoother learning curve, and a colorful ninja-fantasy setting. Slay giant monsters and craft gear from their loot in local or online co-op. Lacking in content for a MonHun game, though the Sunbreak expansion and additional title updates largely fixed that. Highly recommended for newcomers and veterans alike, even if it's a bit easy for the latter.
Snapswitch New Pokémon Snap Rail-Shooter / Photography Long-awaited sequel to the N64 classic. As a professor's assistant you ride on rails through various settings taking pictures of Pokémon and utilizing tools to affect and maneuver them into higher-scoring photos. Aside from newer generations represented, the only other major change is day/night cycles and how they change the stages.
Niertomata NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition Action Post-apocalyptic action game written by Yoko Taro and developed by Platinumgames. Celebrated for its deep narrative, branching storylines with 20+ endings, solid fast-paced action, and excellent music. The Switch version is somewhat pared down visually but does still run well. Comes with the bonus DLC originally sold separately.
The-ninja-saviors-return-of-the-warriors-switch-hero The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors Arcade Side-scroller Enhanced remake of the 2D Natsume beat-'em-up, featuring cyborg ninjas and single-lane, side-scrolling action. This edition improves graphics, rebalances gameplay, and introduces two new, unlockable characters with very unique fighting styles. An essential experience for retro arcade fans.
Nmh3ssw No More Heroes III Action-Adventure Final entry in the irreverent, boss battle-centric Suda51 action series about an otaku with a beam katana becoming the world's top assassin. Features an open world with various mini-games to indulge in between stages, as well as unique boss mechanics and Suda's typically inane, referential sense of humor, coupled with somewhat janky action gameplay, graphical issues, and a tight budget. An acquired taste for sure.
Octopath Traveler Octopath Traveler JRPG Retro JRPG with "HD-2D" graphics (a combination of sprites, polygons, and heavy use of bloom). Features eight distinct protagonists with their own stories, which you'll have to play through to find the true final boss. A compelling combat system, gorgeous music, and a solid level of challenge make it a good option for SNES-era JRPG fans.
Octopa2sw Octopath Traveler II JRPG Another HD-2D JRPG by Team Asano. Like the first game, it involves eight progtagonists coming together while going through their own individual stories before a finale that unites them all in one. The storytelling is vastly superior compared to the previous game, and characters actually have some overlapping between individual chapters. There are some new additions to the combat and job systems as well that add a little more depth to both.
Oddswsw Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD Action-Adventure An action-adventure set in the Oddworld universe starring a bounty hunter. You go on missions and collect bounties by engaging in first- and third-person shooting with various types of living, biological ammo. The gameplay isn't perfect, but the setting and tone are pretty compelling, as with all Oddworld titles.
Ori-and-the-blind-forest-definitive-edition-switch-hero Ori: The Collection Search Action Collection of two 2D Metroidvanias (the Definitive Edition of Ori and the Blind Forest as well as Ori and the Will of the Wisps) with gorgeous, hand-drawn graphics and touching, fabulistic stories. Don't be fooled by the tone and visual style, though, as these games get pretty challenging and intense.
Pers5rsw Persona 5 Royal JRPG You got an assault charge for punching out a rapist, forcing you to transfer to the only school that's willing to accept you. On top of that you've gained the power to access the hearts of the corrupt, and decide to steal their darkest desires with the power of your Personas.

Arguably the best entry of the Persona franchise, and widely considered one of the best JRPGs of all time, Persona 5 takes its tried and true formula and adds a fun Lupin the Third style heist element to keep things interesting.

With gorgeous art design, a dark, gripping story, a monstrous length (over a hundred hours for the main story alone!), a bounty of sidequests, and a rock solid battle system, Persona 5 must not be missed.


The Royal edition is a massive expansion to the base game. Including new characters, S.Links, combat mechanic changes and Skills; as well as an additional semester of game-play, story, expanded palaces and a whole host of quality of life improvements/additions too numerous to list. The Switch only got the Royal edition.

Pik12sw Pikmin 1+2 Strategy Adventure Ports of the first two games in the classic series where you must guide Pikmin to gather resources in order to survive a hostile alien planet. In Pikmin 1, you play as Captain Olimar, who crash-landed on a planet that's implied to be Earth. Various parts of his ship have scattered across certain areas in a small part of the world (since Olimar's quite small himself). With the aid of plant-like creatures named 'Pikmin' you must retrieve the parts of your ship before the thirty-day limit is up.

In Pikmin 2, you get a partner named Louie to accompany Olimar. You travel back to Earth to pay back a steep debt for your boss by collecting what seems to be various pieces of junk and trash. Once again, you need the help of the Pikmin to accomplish this, and this time, there are two more varieties than in the first game. Unlike the 1st game, there is no limited day system and the levels are much bigger. The focus has shifted from exploring the overworld and archieving as much as possible as fast as possible to dungeon crawling and treasure collecting.

Pikmin3sw Pikmin 3 Deluxe Strategy Adventure Fantastic-looking port of the Wii U third entry in the series where you commandeer a crowd of little alien guys to perform tasks, gather resources, and survive for one more day on a vibrant, hostile planet. Play as one of three captains and keep your campaign going for as long as you can find food. This version adds a new prologue/epilogue, full story mode co-op play, and a few more extras. A great game.
Pik4sw Pikmin 4 Strategy Adventure Another fantastic entry for the planetary exploration series. You once again are tasked with exploring a planet and gathering resources in order to rescue your team as well as the missing Olimar. Two new Pikmin types were added as well as the excellent dog-like creature Oatchi, as well as the return of caves from Pikmin 2.
PstIDsw Planescape Torment & Icewind Dale: Enhanced Editions CRPG Shockingly good ports of two CRPG classics developed by Black Isle. Icewind Dale is a more combat-centric take on the "isometric D&D campaign" formula, while Planescape: Torment is considered one of the best-written games of all time, with less-stellar combat systems. Both are masterpieces of the genre regardless.
Pockyresw Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Arcade Shooter Remake of the fantastic Natsume top-down shooter with co-op play. Adds new gameplay features and unlockable characters. Charming fantasy-Japan setting and excellent chiptune music. Not a long campaign, but meant to be replayed for fun or score.
71HYKF4rO9L. SL1500 Pokémon Legends: Arceus RPG / Monster Sim A refreshing take on the Pokémon formula, taking place in a 19th century Sinnoh region from Diamond & Pearl. Cool new systems include a Breath of the Wild-esque open world, tweaks to combat, catching Pokémon right on the overworld and incentives for catching as many of them as possible. Dull graphics and a lack of multi-player sour the experience, but this is still the most exciting Pokémon game in years.
Myterydun Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX RPG / Roguelike A remake of the GBA's Red/Blue Rescue Team. You are human turned into a Pokémon and must explore randomized dungeons in order to raise prestige and solve mysteries. Has a new paint-like artstyle and a few new features like Megaevolutions.
Popcrownsw Prince of Persia The Lost Crown Metroidvania Shockingly good metroidvania from Ubisoft. You play as a Persian elite soldier who must traverse a mountain-city in order to rescue the kidnapped Prince of Persia. Use your unique time-powers and unlock new abilities in order to advance. Might be most notable for its nice quality-of-life features to the genre, such as the ability to place a singular fast-travel point, and the ability to take screenshots and place them on the map in order to keep track of places to return to once new powers are unlocked.
PuyoPuyoTetris Puyo Puyo Tetris Matching Puzzle An unexpected but extremely effective combination of two matching-puzzle legends, which allows you to play with either ruleset in a single-player campaign or (more exciting) local and online multi-player. Features a fun story mode with lots of cute characters not shown in the NA box art for some reason.
Ppt2 Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Matching Puzzle Basically just improves upon the near-perfect original with improved online netcode, some new modes, and a more expansive, RPG-esque adventure mode. You should jump straight to this one if you haven't played the first game already; it's one of the best puzzle games on the system, if not ever.
RaymanLegendsswitch Rayman Legends Definitive Edition Arcade Platformer Port of the gorgeous-looking 2D Rayman platformer with hand-drawn graphics and up to four-player local co-op. A very fun, and occasionally quite challenging, classic-style platformer with some collectibles and extra modes. Runs better on other platforms, but the Switch version is totally serviceable.
Rdrsw Red Dead Redemption Action / Sandbox Port of the open-world wild-west classic from Rockstar. Play as John Marston as he goes on a revenge hunt for his old crew that betrayed him. The Switch version runs well both docked and handheld, but is not much of a visual improvement for the game. Includes the awesome Undead Nightmare zombie DLC.
Rerevsw Resident Evil: Revelations Collection Horror Shooter A pair of decent RE spin-offs. Revelations 1 is a solid horror shooter in the style of RE4 where you play through the campaign with a CPU partner. Revelations 2 is similar, but playable entirely in local or online co-op, and sees you switching between two pairs of characters where one is the "shooter" and the other is the "supporter." Also features a new Mercenaries-style "Raid Mode" with online co-op.
Smt3sw Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster JRPG Enhanced port of the PS2 JRPG classic. Boasts the moral path-based storytelling of mainline Shin Megami Tensei, informed by Christian eschatology and Zoroastrian mysticism. Devilishly challenging, turn-based combat system where you recruit and fuse demons to fill out your party. Stylish, minimalist presentation. Dante DLC sold separately.
Smtfive Shin Megami Tensei V JRPG A rare mainline entry in the Shin Megami Tensei JRPG series. A stylish post-apocalyptic adventure with tough, turn-based combat and demon recruitment/fusion systems. Features more explorable stages and a more fleshed-out cast compared to previous entries, but don't expect Persona-style anime hijinks. Very solid.
SonicManiaPlusSwitch Sonic Mania Plus Arcade Platformer A partially fan-developed 2D entry in the Sonic series, featuring refurbished levels from previous games, plus brand-new levels and modes. Considered the best new Sonic game in ages, with an excellent soundtrack to boot. Essential for fans of classic Sonic or 2D platformers in general.
Stardew Stardew Valley Life Simulation Uber-popular Harvest Moon-style farming sim. Inherit a disheveled plot of land and turn it into a thriving farmland by tending to daily chores while working towards longer-term goals. Deepen your relationships with a host of date-able NPCs and even play online with others. Charming sprite-based presentation. One of the best in its genre.
Steamworlddig2 SteamWorld Dig 2 Survival Platformer Subterranean, non-linear platformer similar to Terraria or a Metroidvania. Dig into dungeons for loot, enemies, and new adventures. Has a gritty steampunk look combined with cartoon visuals and irreverent humor. A solid option for fans of the genre, and pretty accomodating to younger players.
Streets4 sw box Streets of Rage 4 Arcade Beat-'em-Up Very solid revival of the 2D beat-'em-up series. Retains the same core gameplay but expands upon character movesets and combo systems. Features excellent music and hand-drawn HD animations, as well as local and online co-op. Expect some tough boss fights. The DLC expansion is extremely worth it as well.
Bomberman R Super Bomberman R Puzzle Action The same Bomberman as always: set down different types of bombs on grid-based stages to defeat enemies and competitors in thrilling, explosive rounds. Features a pretty mediocre story mode, but local and online multi-player are really where it's at. Not the best entry in the series by a long shot, but will satisfy fans.
Mariobowsw Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury 3D Platformer Enhanced Switch port of the underappreciated Wii U game, a linear 3D platformer for up to four players where a lot of the fun comes from inventive stage gimmicks and the chaos generated by multi-player mayhem. Features a brand-new, separate campaign that plays more like Mario Odyssey, though it lasts only a couple hours and features limited co-op.
Mariowondresw Super Mario Bros. Wonder 2D Platformer Arguably a return to form for 2D Mario games after nearly two decades of playing it safe with the New Super Mario Bros. series. Containes new odd powerups, including elephant, bubble, and drill powers. The major gimmick change for the game are the new wonder flowers, which after aquired, transforms the level, or the characters in a different and interesting way for each stage. Combined with fantastic visuals and tight controls, it is one of the best 2D entries in the series in a long time.
MarioOdysseyE Super Mario Odyssey Collect-a-thon Platformer The Switch's entry in the series of 3D Mario collect-a-thon platformers, Odyssey's new gimmick allows you to temporarily take over the bodies of various enemies and use their abilities to your advantage. Features more collectibles than ever, and the same super-solid gameplay as always, even if it isn't quite as memorable as Galaxy or Sunshine.
Marirpgremakesw Super Mario RPG JRPG A remake of the beloved Squaresoft SNES classic. Includes new gameplay mechanics and cutscenes alongside sterilized visuals and new lower difficulty options. Might not be preferrable compared to the original, but it is a solid option for new players and makes for good nostalgia for fans of the original.
BoxSmashSwitchE10​​​​ Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Arena Brawler It really earns the Ultimate in the title, with 82 playable characters (including DLC), mind-blowing third-party additions, a robust single-player campaign, revamped graphics and move sets, and a slew of customization options. Won't replace Melee in the hearts of hardcore fans, but is definitely an essential purchase for anyone who loves video games.
Torsw Tactics Ogre: Reborn SRPG A remaster of the 2010 PSP remake of the 1995 SNES strategy RPG classic. Micromanaging your team is now easier as units level individually. New controls and smarter AI make combat way less arduous and more engaging, making this the definitive version of the game.
Cowabung Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection Various A huge collection of classic TMNT games. Includes Arcade/NES/SNES/Genesis/Gameboy releases, including both versions of Turtles in Time and all three versions of Tournament Fighter.
Shredtmnt Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge Beat'em up A love-letter/followup to Turtles in Time by the Scott Pilgrim devs. Play as any of the four turtles or Spliter, April, and the unlockable Casey Jones. Longer than average beat'em up that has you running around New York fighting basically every iconic series villian. Multiple unlockable moves for each character further adds to replayability. You can throw enemies towards the screen.
Transistsw Transistor Action-RPG Supergiant-developed, isometric action-RPG starring a mysterious singer and her talking sword in a rainy cyberpunk world. Real-time combat that's serviceable but unimpressive. Great music, accomplished ambiance, and intriguing story are the main draws here. A very solid single-player experience.
Tsanmh Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Action-Adventure A stopgap between NMH2 and 3 that mostly plays as a third-person action game with various gameplay gimmicks that change with each stage. As usual, full of retro game references and Suda51's particular sense of humor. Non-fans of the series might be a little lost, and it feels a bit slight for a full game.
Trials-of-Mana Trials of Mana JRPG 3D remake of the Japan-only Square classic Seiken Densetsu 3 (SNES). Choose your three-person party and embark on a fantasy adventure with fully-active combat and a class-based progression system. Includes new content and character-specific story resolutions. Fairly easy, but enchanting, and essential for retro JRPG fans.
Tristrats Triangle Strategy Tactics RPG A tactics RPG with the same "HD-2D" visual style as Octopath Traveler, with turn-based strategic combat and class-based promotions similar to Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. A solid entry in the genre with a compelling dynastic story and gameplay that suffers from bloat/tedium in the latter half.
Cornsw Unicorn Overlord Tactics RPG Strategy game by Vanillaware, inspired by the Ogre Battle series. Combat takes place in real time with the ability to pause, and battles play out based on unit attributes. Contains over 60 unique units. There is also an overworld and towns to explore and upgrade your units in, as well as partake in optional battles. Contains the gorgeous art and visuals Vanillaware is known for.
Gooz box Untitled Goose Game Puzzle Adventure Quirky cel-shaded indie game where you play as a troublemaking goose in a rural English village, stealing tools and swapping objects to solve environmental puzzles while avoiding the enraged townsfolk. Short but funny.
Vk4sw Valkyria Chronicles 4 Strategy

RPG

A return to consoles for Sega's series, which combines turn-based tactics with real-time combat in a fantasy-steampunk setting. Is the best game in the series since the first, and playable without knowing anything about the previous games. Pleasant, toon-shaded style and compelling squad-based gameplay.
Wargroove-switch-hero Wargroove Turn-Based Strategy Turn-based indie strategy game in a cartoon fantasy world, with various campaigns based on different factions and unit classes. Remarkably similar to Advance Wars in terms of gameplay and sprite-based visual presentation, though not as solid as those games. Still worthwhile for fans of the series.
Wgresw Wild Guns Reloaded Arcade Shooter Enhanced port of the SNES arcade-style gallery-shooter, featuring two new characters and up to four-player local co-op. Cool Wild West steampunk setting. A great time despite the short campaign, which encourages playing for score.
Withun3sw The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Action RPG You are Geralt of Rivia, a witcher - that is, a monster hunter and mercenary. Travel around the world, helping or hindering others, while fighting the mysterious army known only as "Wild Hunt". While combat may vary in enjoyability from person to person, the real hook is the story. The switch verison looks and runs worse than any other platforms but works well enough if you really want to play on the go.
W101rens The Wonderful 101 Character Action Port of the unique Wii U action game by Hideki Kamiya. Assemble dozens of colorful superheroes into massive structures (like fists, guns, and swords) to fight cartoon enemies in vibrant, isometric environments. Plays like a combination of Pikmin and a character action game. Awesome story.
Xb1sw Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition JRPG Remake of the sleeper-hit Wii JRPG, with revamped, more explictly "anime" visuals. A free-roaming sci-fantasy adventure with large, explorable environments and real-time, party-based combat. Solid story and compelling setting. Captures a real sense of adventure. Features some new story content as well.
BoxXenoblade2ratedT Xenoblade Chronicles 2 JRPG Solid JRPG follow-up to Xenoblade Chronicles, with more of the free-roaming exploration and real-time combat that the series is known for, now with a more overtly "anime" style, tone, and sense of humor, which not everyone will be receptive to. No direct story connections to the previous games.
Xeno3sw Xenoblade Chronicles 3 JRPG Ditches the Blades system and rng elements from 2 but retains the anime stylings. The story revolves around an endless war where soldiers are lab-grown with a limited lifespan. Thematically similar to the previous games in the series, including an open world for exploration and a lot of sidequests, but now you can control up to seven swappable party members at a time in combat.

Digital[]

Cover Title Genre Description
Abzu-switch-hero Abzu Walking Swimming Simulator/Puzzle A mostly conflict free game a-la Journey where you swim and dive through some really gorgeous underwater environments. There are some rudimentary puzzles to solve but you're mostly here for the cool grafix and comfy.
Arren Actraiser Renaissance Platformer/Sim A remake of the first SNES game, you play as a god who must reclaim lands for his believers to settle in by destroying the monsters that occupy them. The 2D action sections are fairly standard old-school action platforming with some new features like dodging added to modernize it a bit. The god-game townbuilding stuff is still the weirdly addicting awesome thing it was back in the day.
Aiswitch Alien: Isolation Survival Horror Shockingly good Switch port. Survive in a ship full of hostile aliens, malfunctioning androids, and paranoid crew mates out to kill everything that moves. One of the most faithful movie-IP games ever and one of the better big budget horror games ever made.

Pacifist protip: the stun baton is a lethal weapon to humans.

Amnes Amnesia: Collection Horror A collection featuring The Dark Descent, A Machine For Pigs, and Justine. The Dark Descent is the one worth playing, a first-person adventure game with a survival horror theme, making excellent use of light and dark, as well as atmosphere and foreshadowing.
Apeout Ape Out Twin Stick Monkey Murder You play as a gorilla that breaks out of captivity and needs to escape. It's a top down twin stick game in the same vein as Hotline Miami except you can only melee or grab and throw gun-wielding enemies. You kill almost everything in one hit but it takes only 2-3 hits to kill you. Fantastic percussive soundtrack throughout the game raises the tension. Long loading time on startup but after that it's pretty snappy.
Atomsw Atom RPG RPG A turn-based isometric post-apocalyptic RPG set in a nuked-out Soviet Russia; very heavily inspired by the first two Fallout games. Tons of different character builds and skills allow you to tackle the main plot and large number of random encounters in multiple ways. Considered by some to be the *real* Fallout 3. Probably best played on a pc but this port works just fine.
Ax Axiom Verge Metroidvania Extremely atmospheric metroidvania heavily inspired by the Metroid series. Tons of cool upgrades and secrets to discover and an interesting story to go along with pretty pixel art.
Ax2 Axiom Verge 2 Metroidvania Nice followup with a plot focusing on parallel dimensions and set in a much brighter setting based on ancient Sumerian art and culture. The gameplay is even more exploration focussed than the first, and combat has been made easier and many bosses can be avoided entirely.


Both Axion Verge games can be bought together in a bundle.

Babaisyou Baba is You Puzzle Brainbending puzzle game where you assign values to objects by manipulating word rules tiles in order to solve each level. There are a lot of extremely clever puzzles that make you feel like a genius whenever you solve them.
Bastion-switch-hero Bastion Action The first Supergiant game, known for its amazing art and music. The gameplay is fine if nothing special, use different weapons to kill enemies. The atmosphere and more famously the narrator who reacts to your every move is the big appeal.
Bbsw Battle Brothers Tactics RPG A low-fantasy tactics RPG where you play as a mercenary band going through procedurally generated encounters. A deep customization system and rough difficulty keep things fresh.
Battlechef Battle Chef Brigade Brawler / Puzzle You play as a chef you must go out into the world in order to defeat enemies to gather ingredients for your chef battles. The world exploring is a fun brawler and the chef battles is a tile-matcher. It's a strange genre mix that works remarkably well and has a fun story to tie it all together.
Blaster Master Zero Blaster Master Zero Platformer / Metroidvania Excellent remake of the original NES classic done in retro style but including lots of stuff. DLCs are available which allow you to play with the likes of Gunvolt and Shantae!
Blazcrsw Blazing Chrome Run and Gun Heavily inspired Contra clone. Cool pixel art and awesome music combined with challenging gameplay. Can be played co-op locally with a friend.
Bloodroots-switch-hero Bloodroots Action/Puzzle Fun little action game where you play as a crazy lumberjack hobo who can use almost any object in the world as a weapon to murder those who wronged him and left him for dead. Has some pretty cool finishing moves with tons of objects and some interesting boss fights.
Blocursw Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Platformer Originally released as a promotional game stretch-goal for Ritual of the Night's Kickstarter campaign, Curse of the Moon takes its inspiration from the original NES-era Castlevania games. Play as a samurai trying to kill a demon in a spooky castle filled with monsters and traps. You can recruit various characters along the way who you can then switch between on the fly. Some make the game way easier and others harder. Arguably the better Bloodstained game depending on your genre preference.
Bug-fables-the-everlasting-sapling-switch-hero Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Turn-Based RPG Since Nintendo fucking refuses to make another traditional Paper Mario rpg, some randos from Panama decided to just make their own and it's great. The writing isn't quite at peak Nintendo quality but it's very charming and funny and the gameplay is the Paper Mario rpg style we haven't gotten in 15+ years.
Goldenidolsw The Case of the Golden Idol: Complete Edition Puzzle Similar to Return of the Obra Dinn where you play a detective in the 1800s trying to identify the whos and whats of a series of events by observing a snapshot of them as they happen, albeit in 2D. Features a unique artstyle and clever puzzles. Complete Edition includes the two DLCs released for the game, The Spider of Lanka and Lemurian Vampire.
Castlevania-anniversary-collection-switch-hero Castlevania Anniversary Collection Action Platformers A compilation of the old classic Castlevanias. Includes 1-4, the two original GameBoy games, Bloodlines from the Genesis, and for the first time in English, Kid Dracula. A great collection of fantastic games.
Castad Castlevania Advance Collection Metroidvanias A collection of the GBA games Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, as well as a port of the SNES game Dracula X. Aria is the real gem but all the games are worth a go.
Ccrdsw Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition JRPG A remaster of the PS1 game. Features over forty obtainable party members, a grinding-free level-up system, and a philosophically-inclined story. Very easy. Sublime ambient soundtrack and gorgeous, pre-rendered stages with dreamlike art direction. A controversial and ambitious game. The remaster comes with AI-generated background upgrades and newer models, but there is an option to stick with the classic graphics. Also features the Radical Dreamers prequel visual novel in its first western release, which helps bridge the gap from Chrono Trigger than the original release ever had. There is a very limited physical copy out there.
Contra-anniversary-collection-switch-hero Contra Anniversary Collection Action Platformers Like Castlevania above, Konami surprisingly dropped a very nice collection of old Contra games. Includes Contra 1-3, plus arcade and JP versions. As well as GameBoy and Genesis games.
Cuphead-switch-hero Cuphead Run and Gun Awesome run and gun game most famous for its 1930's cartoon aesthetic. You play as a humanoid cup who made a deal with the devil out of greed and now you gotta kill all these characters in order to work off your debt. There are some platforming sections but the primary bulk of the game are the awesome boss fights. The game is gorgeous but the gameplay is also fun as hell and shockingly hard as fuck given how popular the game is.
Cybersh Cyber Shadow Action Platformer A 2D sidescrolling platformer heavily inspired by the old Ninja Gaiden games, published by the company that made Shovel Knight. It has a similar oldschool gameplay meets modern design schtick to that game, as in it has checkpoints and is way more forgiving. Has awesome music and a sweet aesthetic.
Devil-may-cry-switch-hero Devil May Cry Action Introduces DMC's "stylish action," high-stakes gameplay, where fluid use of an arsenal of moves and weapons is required to survive challenging enemies. Fixed camera angles, Gothic settings, and a slightly more sober atmosphere associate this game more closely to Resident Evil than later DMC titles, but it's still a different beast. The writing and story are famously over-the-top. Stands the test of time nicely, but has some frustrating boss battles. Skip DMC2, it's awful.


Also available on Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Devil-may-cry-3-special-edition-switch-hero Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition Action One of the best action games ever made. A certified classic. After the disappointing DMC2, Dante's Awakening (a prequel) takes the ridiculous action and style of the first game and turns them up to eleven. Combat has been beautifully refined with four different overarching fighting styles and new, unique moves and weapons, while the RPG-esque character progression remains the same. The story lays the groundwork for the series, combining action-movie stunts with occasional melodrama. The Special Edition adds many extras, including the ability to play as fan-favorite series antagonist Vergil, and crazy difficulty modes.

Furthermore the Switch version includes in-game stance-switching, which opens up avenues for combat and combos not possible before. Thus making it the definitive version of this game.


Also available on Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Discohero Disco Elysium - The Final Cut Adventure RPG "What kind of cop are you?" An incredible isometric adventure game about a drunkard cop who wakes up in a small town where they were supposed to be investigating a murder but had instead been going on a booze bender. You're so far gone that you can't remember your name, or even what you look like. The RPG character building is unlike anything else, where you spec into certain personality traits, which manifest themselves as internal dialogs based on how you build out your character. The writing explores a wide range of topics ranging from personal identity to various political theories and surrealist existentialism. All of this is encompassed by a gorgeous hand-painted art style and an excellent soundtrack by the English band Sea Power.
Donut-county-switch-hero Donut County Puzzle Adventure Quirky little indie game where you play as a hole that goes around eating everything in the world. Very charming but also very short. Worth a go if you have 1-2 hours.
Doom-1993-switch-hero Doom FPS You know what this is. It's on everything else of course it'd be on here. If you wanna play it on the go this is a solid way to do it.


Also available on practically anything with a screen. Play it somewhere that allows mods.

Doom-ii-classic-switch-hero Doom II FPS Again, its Doom. Everyone should play these at least once in their life, this allows you one way to do it.


Also available on practically anything with a screen. Play it somewhere that allows mods.

Downwell-switch-hero Downwell 2D Shooter / Platformer A neat game where you fall down randomly generated vertical levels with guns attached to your boots with the end goal of making it through while racking up combo points. Really challenging to do well but really satisfying when you do.
Duck-game-switch-hero Duck Game Party Fighting Fun four-player party fighter where you play as duck's in various silly costumes and the last duck standing wins. Fight in various arenas with a bunch of random weapons. A whole lot of fun with friends.
EnderLsw Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Metroidvania Atmospheric metroidvania where you play as a cute anime girl traversing a bleak world in an attempt to purify the corruption that plagues it. Rather straightforward fare for the genre but has a good artstyle and fun gameplay.
Fast RMX Switch cover Fast RMX Racing Ultra-fast futuristic racer in the same vein as Wipeout and F-Zero. Makes us wish Nintendo would make an actual F-Zero...
Fightn-rage-switch-hero Fight'N Rage Beat 'em Up A fairly standard but pretty fun beat 'em up. Has a handful of characters with unique moves and combos. Cool graphics and lots of different endings.
Freedom-planet-switch-hero Freedom Planet 2D Platformer Before Sonic Mania, this was the closest thing fans of the old 2D Sonic games had to a modern entry into that series. It's as shameless as it is fun. Some of the Sonic Mania devs are working on the sequel.
Fm2sw Front Mission 2 Strategy RPG This entry in the classic mech RPG series finally sees a release outside of Japan in the form of this remake. Taking place over a decade after the first game, the story follows the perspective of three characters fighting in a coup attempt of the OCU state from the first game's campaign. Greatly improves on the famously bad loading times from the original game, and comes with a full in-game translation, which was never achieved even by fans of the series with the PS1 version.
Furi-switch-hero Furi Action / Twin stick Shooter Fast-paced stylish action game where you fight duel after duel against some amazing bosses(designed by Takashi Okazaki of Afro Samurai fame). The gameplay kicks your ass and the presentation is top notch.
Ghostricksw Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Adventure / Puzzle Port of the DS game by the writer of the Ace Attorney series, and set in the same universe to boot, according to him. You have been killed and became a ghost with amnesia and the ability to possess objects. You have 'til dawn to discover your identity and why you where killed using your powers to set ridiculous Rube Goldberg machines in order to save people from dying. Well known for its really great characters and solid writing.
Gngres Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection Action Platformer Arthur is back in his first real adventure in 15 years. The game's default difficulty is the classic fuckhard GnG style where getting hit twice will kill you and there's only one checkpoint per level. It does add lower difficulties but you're doing yourself a disservice if you engage with them. The graphics are ugly as hell, like a bad attempt at a storybook vibe. That said you're here for the gameplay, and its an incredible old-school asskicking.
H2x1 NSwitchDS GolfStory image1600w
Golf Story Golfing / RPG / Sim An unexpected twist in the RPG genre, this game is the golf equivalent of Harvest Moon. But unlike that one, Golf Story has an actual ending. The golf part is great and the characters are all likeable. A must for those who don't want to spend more than $20 on a game.
Grim-fandango-remastered-switch-hero Grim Fandango Remastered Adventure Set in a "day of the dead" themed afterlife, Grim Fandango involves a Film-Noir style plot revolving around a salesman and a conspiracy in the Department of Death, an organization that helps guide souls from death to their eternal rest. Well known for its excellent in story, art style, music, characters, and dialog, this 3D adventure game is considered one of the finest in the genre.
Gunlordxsw Gunlord X Run-'n-Gun Retro-inspired run-'n-gun developed(in 2012) for the Neo Geo and Dreamcast, of which this is a port from. Despite the gimmick it is a solid game for fans of the genre, and it does run better on newer hardware.
A-hat-in-time-switch-hero A Hat in Time 3D Platformer An adorable throwback to the PS1/N64 era 3D platformers. Collect various hats that provide different powers in order to stop a motley crew of weird characters and power your timeship. Fun gameplay and oozes charm.
HCT DeluxeEdition MainArt
Horizon-Chase-2-banner
Horizon Chase Turbo & Horizon Chase 2 Racing Sequel to Horizon Chase Turbo (also on the Switch), which are basically a homage to classic racers like Lotus Challenge (Amiga), Top Gear (SNES) and OutRun (Sega).

This time around they made the graphics more modern instead of going with the retro-3d artstyle, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your preference. The controls are tight and there's a lot of content to unlock, like cars, wheels and tracks. The variable framerate targeting 60 FPS may be a downer for some people, but you get the hang of it after a while. The first game runs like butter though. Both are strongly recommended.

Ikaruga-switch-hero Ikaruga Shoot-'em-up One of the most famous shmups ever. Super balls to the wall hard but extremely gorgeous and stylish.
Into the breach Into the Breach Puzzle Strategy A turn-based strategy roguelite game where you know exactly what the enemy is going to do on its next turn. Your goal is to use your team of three mechs with various abilities in order to mess up the enemy's turn. Each mission takes place on an 8x8 grid and if you lose you can send one mech back in time in order to try all over again.
Justshapesandbeats Just Shapes & Beats Rhythm Fast paced Rhythm game with bullet hell elements. Simple art style that they do a lot with and a really cool soundtrack that keeps you in the zone. Has co-op too so you and all your friends can confuse each other as to who is who. Still a lot of fun with friends.
Katanazero Katana Zero 2D Action Platformer Sidescrolling action platformer with a late-80s to early-90s noir aesthetic full with VCR rewind effects and synthwave soundtrack. Insta-kill and insta-die combat and snappy movement keeps the game going at a brisk pace. Also has a cute conversation system that has gameplay and story implications.
Kero-blaster-switch-hero Kero Blaster 2D Platformer From the creater of Cave Story, play as a business frog trying to get to work. Has the same mix of fantastic platforming gameplay and extremely charming writing that made Cave Story so damn good.
Kqbsw Killer Queen Black Party Fighting A console spinoff of the arcade game where each player has a role and a goal to try and win through various strategies and paths to victory. Had an online mode but it has been announced to be shutting down so local-play only now.
Llbsw Lethal League Blaze 2D Sports Fighting High-speed 2D fighter where players are trying to deflect a ball at one another in order to strike and eliminate them with it. Extremely stylish tone with a killer soundtrack. Can be played with up to four people.
Messenger The Messenger 2D Platformer / Action A silly 8-bit platformer inspired by the original Ninja Gaiden series. Cute silly characters, a cool look, and fun gameplay. There's a big twist halfway through that was spoiled to hell and back around launch but if you can manage to go into it blind it's neat.
Mighty Gunvolt Burst cover Mighty Gunvolt Burst 2D Platformer Sequel to the IntiCreates crossover and basically everything that Mighty No 9 should have been. Awesome stages, bosses that aren't cheap and tons of customizations for both characters.
Themissing The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories Puzzle Platformer Gaming's favorite weirdo SWERY made a surprisingly touching game about depression, love, sexual orientation, and self-harm. You play as a girl looking for her friend/lover. The character gets hit by lightning and finds out she can't die. She needs to do terrible bodily harm to herself in order to solve puzzles.
Momodora-reverie-under-the-moonlight-switch-hero Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight Metroidvania Fun bite-sized metroidvania. Play as a priestess trying to find a queen in the hopes that she'll save the land from a curse. Plays like a dream with some awesome boss fights.
Monboysw Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Action Platformer A gorgeous 2D platforming adventure game and first mainline entry in the Wonder Boy series since 1994, with series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa returning for a design role. Switch between various animal forms to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Had a limited physical release.
Moon-switch-hero moon RPG Originally release in 1997 in Japan only, moon is kind of an anti-rpg. You basically follow the footsteps of a typical JRPG hero, who has gone from town to town killing animals for xp and breaking into houses for items. You have to go around and save those animals' souls and lift the spirits of the dejected villagers. Quirky and charming, but has some antiquated mechanics that come with ambitious games like this.
Mr-driller-drillland-switch-hero Mr. Driller DrillLand Action / Falling-block hybrid Originally released in Japan on the Gamecube in 2002, the 5th Mr. Driller game finally comes to the west. As always, the gameplay involves drilling downward through colored blocks while keeping an eye on your air gauge, but this time the game is separated into different attractions, each with differing rulesets and playable character(s).
TheMummyDemastered The Mummy Demastered Metroidvania Great metroidvania by WayForward, loosely based on that awful Tom Cruise movie. You play as a generic spec-ops soldier, and when you die your corpse becomes a zombie so when you load the game you're playing as another soldier who then must kill the now zombified soldier to retrieve all the gear you collected.
NeverStopSneakin Never Stop Sneakin' Stealth There are plenty of games with throwback styles to the 8 and 16-bit eras. Never Stop Sneakin' decided to make a love letter to the early 3D era with a purposefully low-poly low-resolution look. The game itself is an ok snappy stealth game but the MGS1 aesthetic is worth a look alone.
SNES NES and Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online Mixed Replacing the already perfect ''Virtual Console'' from the Wii U, for $19.99 a year, you get access to the Online in your $59.99 games and you get ''Free'' access to a limited variety of NES and Super NES. For what its worth, these 2 apps are fine but it could be improved on.


As of the writing of this Nintendo has yet to add games like Duck Hunt, Devil's World, Urban Champion, Mach Rider, The Mysterious Murasame Castle, Earthbound Beginnings, Simcity, Mario Paint, Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country 3, Super Mario RPG AND they have yet to add more gaming platforms like the Gameboy, Gameboy Advance or the Gamecube. Nintendo 64 games are available through the Nintendo 64 online app, with an increased cost of $49.99 per year.

Ninjagai Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Action A collection of the 3 "enhanced" versions of the Ninja Gaiden games, Sigma/Sigma 2/Razor's Edge. Neither Sigma game is considered as good as the original but are both acceptable if you can't play the originals. Don't bother with any version of 3.
Switch NMH1 Hero No More Heroes Action A port of the Wii classic by the creator of Killer7. Play as an ordinary loser who mail-orders a lightsaber katana and sets out to become the world's best assassin, for which he'll have to take out the current top ten first. Stylish, cel-shaded graphics. The game revolves around its exhilarating boss battles; the rest is rather empty and lacking in variety, though there are some mini-games and side-quests. Has a cult following for its sense of humor and presentation. Unlike the original release, the Switch port is fully uncensored in Asian and Pal regions. This and the sequel were ported to Switch in anticipation for the release of the third game on the console. Has Joycon wagglin' controls if so desired and if you want to do the wrestling moves the right way, then you'll want to use them.


Also available on PS3 and Xbox 360 (JP only), though many feel that version is worse than the original. PC port is now available as of June 9th, 2021

Switch NMH2 Hero No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Action As with the first game this got a nice port to Switch complete with Joycon wagglin' support so you can do cool suplexes the way they were meant to be done. Travis is back (with a few sections as two other assassins) but after a 3-year fall from grace, must once again be #1, but this time, it's personal. This time the non-killing side-jobs are pseudo 8-bit styled (except Suda trolled us all by having the only 3D one be the fucking scorpion-collecting one from NMH1). The ranking matches no longer cost anything, but are still cleverly designed, and there's even more now. Seems notably easier than the first but it's still one hell of a ride.


PC port now available as of June 9th, 2021

Nuclear-throne-switch-hero Nuclear Throne Roguelike/Top-down Shooter Awesome twin stick roguelike with a wide variety of weapons. Fast-paced and challenging. One of the better roguelikes out now.
Odallussw Odallus: The Dark Call Metroidvania Combined Castlevania III aesthetic with later-series Metroidvania gameplay with some modern quality of life enhancements. Challenging but fair.
Okamisw Okami HD Action-Adventure HD port of the classic Zelda-like from Capcom. Play as a wolf god who must save her wood-print styled world from an evil demon bent on corrupting it. Use brush-stroke powers and various weapons acquired over the course of the game to solve puzzles and clear dungeons.
Onimu Onimusha: Warlords Action-Adventure Port of the PS2 game. Boasts similar gameplay to the Resident Evil series, with fixed camera angles, tank controls and tight resource rationing, but takes place in a fantasy feudal Japan and focuses on melee combat with various magical weapons. Though not particularly flashy, the game builds tension nicely and presents a beautiful setting, along with some awesomely grotesque monsters.
Pac-man-championship-edition-2-plus-switch-hero Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus Arcade The fast-paced version of Pac-Man comes to Switch. Still a great twist on a classic game and can now be played on the go.
Partygolf1-740x370 Party Golf 2D Golf Goofy little game that plays like a phone golf game. Where it shines is in its ridiculous amounts of customization and multiplayer modes where everyone can try and golf at the same time. Having 4+ people all trying to play the same course at the same time is a lot more fun than you'd think.
Pennysw Penny’s Big Breakaway 3D Platformer Eclectic and colorful yo-yo-themed platformer from some of the developers behind Sonic Mania where the character must complete stages while trying to maximize their yo-yo trick combo meter for as long as possible, a-la Tony Hawk.
Pentsw Pentiment Adventure Story driven Adventure game by Obsidion, where you play as a man attempting to solve a series of murders in a small Bavarian community in medieval times. Notable for it's unique art style, based on manuscripts and tapestries from medieval times, as well as a branching narrative that changes heavily based on player choice.
Phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-trilogy-switch-hero Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Adventure Puzzle Three of the best adventure games of all time in one slick package with upscaled art. Solve crimes for your silly clients alongside a zany cast of weirdos.


Also available on Xbox One, PS4, PC. Android, iOS, and 3DS. All are pretty similar.

PocketRumble Pocket Rumble Fighting A stylish 2-button fightan inspired by the fighting games from the Neo-Geo Pocket.
Radsil Radiant Silvergun Shoot-'em-up A mysterious artifact is unearthed and wipes out mankind. As their vital resources dwindle, the only survivors are forced to return from their space station and find that, even so, they are not alone. The predecessor to Ikaruga, and one of the best shmups ever. Has a level system: the more you use any of the six weapons, the more powerful it gets.
Rainwsw Rain World Survival Platformer Brutally difficult platformer where you play as a slugcat, a small rodent trying to survive in a harsh ecosystem where they must scavenge for food while avoiding larger predators trying to kill them and try and get back to shelter safely before getting washed away by the rain that floods the map after a certain amount of time. Beautifully animated game with a gorgeous pixel art post-apocalyptic aesthetic.
Lod Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth Metroidvania Symphony of the Night-inspired Metroidvania based on the series of novels and anime. Has an Ikaruga-style color switching mechanic that changes how much certain elemental attacks do. Not the most innovative or challenging game but plenty fun and pretty short.
Resident-evil-4-switch-hero Resident Evil 4 Survival Horror Revolutionized Resident Evil and survival horror in general, for better or worse. RE4 features RE2's Leon Kennedy saving the President's daughter from a backwoods European zombie death cult. Tank controls and static camera angles are gone; this a shooter with an over-the-shoulder perspective. Ammo is still scarce, but you will mow down hundreds of zombies before you're done, and are generally encouraged to fight. Gameplay is excellent, and the story is dumb in an entertaining, possibly satirical way. Also had fantastic graphics, quite a bit of extra content, and while it wasn't really scary anymore, it was still tense and gory.


Also available on practically every system made since the PS2/GameCube with varying levels of enhancements.

Roglegsw Rogue Legacy Roguelike Platformer Combines Metroidvania-like exploration with a randomly-generated castle which changes every time you die. Whenever you die, you pick the next in a line of descendants which comes with it's own particular traits. Not only you'll die A LOT but you're also expected to, since all money you collect goes to the next character, allowing to upgrade your home castle and granting permanent upgrades.
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Rogue Trooper Redux 3rd Person Shooter A remake/remaster of an awesome and strangely unknown game originally released for the PS2. Fight blue soldiers with machine guns and stuff. You know the drill. Also on PS4/XONE and PC.
RS2 Switch Digital Splash Romancing SaGa 2 RPG Awesome remaster of the classic Super Famicom RPG, now fully in English!
The-sexy-brutale-switch-hero The Sexy Brutale Puzzle Murder Mystery A fun little mystery solving game where you have to solve a bunch of murders that all happen in real time, which means you can only solve one at a time per loop. Has a lot of clever and unique ideas.
Shanty Shantae Platforming / Metroidvania A cult-classic metroidvania originally released on the Gameboy Color that has since spawned a bunch of sequels. Play as a sexy-cute half-genie who can change into various animals and over the course of the game gains various upgrades to increase exploration. If you like this try the others.
Plunk Spelunky Roguelike Platformer The game that kicked off the indie roguelike and platformer. Tight controls that let you navigate randomly generated dungeon levels to survive and try and get as deep as you can. A classic.
Spiritf Spiritfarer Management Sim Play as Charon's replacement as the ferrymaster for the dead. Sail the seas picking up wayward spirits and ferry them to the afterlife. Along the way you will need to manage and upgrade your ship to fill the various spirit's needs. Might be a little too tumblr-core for some people but if you can manage that it has a good tearjerking story.
Kotorsw Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic RPG Albeit vastly outclassed by its sequel(do NOT play the Switch version of KOTOR2, it was abandoned by the devs before they added the promised restored content DLC), the original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still a solid RPG and Star Wars game. It is the bridge that gaps the Bauldur's Gate and Mass Effect eras at Bioware, featuring real-time-with-pause combat but in a behind the back third-person perspective. There are a number of different class-styles, but you'll likely want to play as a lightsaber-weilding Jedi. It lacks the deep narrative and interesting characters of the sequel, but it also is best played before diving into the second one, which makes numerous references to this game's plot. Had a limited physical release.
Swrp Star Wars: Republic Commando FPS Interesting Star Wars game originally released on the first Xbox where you play as the bad guys. Features a squad-based system where you command teammates to perform specific tasks. Very enjoyable campaign, but mediocre multi-player. Also on PC.
Steelass Steel Assault Action Platformer Bite-sized retro style action game with nice art and a good soundtrack. It's very short, about an hour long, but pretty difficult and a lot of fun.
Stubbsz Stubbs the Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse Action Another original Xbox game ported to Switch decades later. Silly action game where you play as a zombie with a host of corpse-based abilities and the power to "turn" hapless humans, eventually commanding a small army of the undead. Has a Happy Days-inspired, faux-fifties setting, and a great sense of humor.
Super-meat-boy-switch-hero Super Meat Boy 2D Platformer The grandpa of the indie platformers. Super tight controls offset by 300+ super hard levels. It's a classic at this point.
Superhot-switch-hero Superhot Puzzle FPS SUPER. HOT. Innovative game where time only moves when you do, and the goal is to kill all the enemies coming after you. Basically play as an action god in slow motion. Stupidly fun and satisfying.
Taiko-no-tatsujin-drum-n-fun-switch-hero Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! Rhythm Formerly known as Taiko Drum Master, this extremely Japanese rhythm series returns to the west and comes with a lot of fun songs and mini games. If you can swing it, it's worth it to import a Taiko drum controller to the full experience.
Thumperswitch Thumper Rhythm You'll want to wear headphones for this one. High speed rhythm game where you play as this buglike creature on a track flying through what can only be described as a psychedelic metal album looking hellscape. Extreme percussion-based soundtrack described by the developers as "Rhythm Violence" to get you in the zone to navigate the levels. The best way to beat the game is to completely engross yourself in the music and almost use instinct to time your maneuvers correctly.
Timespinner-switch-hero Timespinner Metroidvania A pretty shameless Symphony of the Night ripoff, but hey, not a bad game to rip off. If you've played all the other metroidvanias that grabbed your eye, this one is worth a go.
Tinymetal Tiny Metal Turn-based Strategy Since Nintendo refuses to make more Advance Wars games some indie studio tried their hand at a ripoff and the results are hit and miss. It looks nice but has a pretty lame story and some missions can be a real drag. Also no multiplayer. Still if you're desperate for a new Advance Wars or want a less complicated Strategy game then it's a serviceable substitute.
To-the-moon-switch-hero To the Moon Adventure RPG Heartwrenching game about two doctors that allow their patients to live a brand new life from the start, but only in their heads, and the procedure kills them. So the doctors perform the operation on people in their deathbeds. You in turn follow the dream life of a dying person through the perspective of these doctors. Fucked up but great story.
Tomb123sw Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Action / TPS Well-done remasters of the original three Tomb Raider games, flaws and all. Recieved texture and model uprades, with the ability to switch back to the original polygonal graphics. A good way for new players to experience the games and great nostalgia for old-school fans.
Towerfall-switch-hero TowerFall Party Fighting A game in the same vein as Duck Game or Smash Bros where you and friends all fight on a single screen and last one standing wins. Art style might not appeal to everyone but it's a lot of fun with friends.
Switch UltimateChickenHorse 1200x675 Ultimate Chicken Horse Platformer / Party game Clever party game where every player chooses from a randomly generated set of obstacles or platforms to add to a stage so that they think that they can finish the stage while their opponents will fail. Enables some clever course building and good platforming skills. Lots of fun with friends.
Undertale-switch-hero Undertale Bullet Hell RPG You know what this is, its one of the most famous indie games of all time. Extremely charming writing, fantastic music, branching narratives influenced by playstyle, bullet-hell gameplay that ranges from pitifully easy to ridiculously hard. It's good just play it, even normies are right sometimes.
Valkyria-chronicles-switch-hero Valkyria Chronicles SRPG Port of the PS3 strategy RPG. Allows you to manually control each unit on their turn, in third-person shooter form. A very anime story that dips into drama, romance and comic relief with a pseudo-magical wartime backdrop. Every recruit has their own traits and personality. Pleasant watercolor-like visuals and sound effects. Definitely a successful genre experiment with somewhat unbalanced difficulty (leaning towards overly easy), worth a look for SRPG or RPG fans. 2 is stuck on the PSP and 3 never came out in the west. See above for 4.


Also available on PS3, PS4, and PC.

Va-11-hall-a-cyberpunk-bartender-action-switch-hero VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action Adventure / Bartending Sim Comfy "talking sim" based in a 90s-style cyberpunk Japan. Make drinks for you customers and listen to their stories. Has a PC-98 style and just cool vibes all around.
Vgsw Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Action 2D-pixel indie inspired by Shinobi and Strider. As with all the other retro-revival games by this dev, it has nice art, fun and challenging gameplay, and great music.
Void-bastards-switch-hero Void Bastards FPS Rogue-like Basically what if System Shock was a rogue like. You roll as a prisoner who has different traits each time(some with upside some with major downside) and try and navigate ships with a wide variety of gimmicks and enemies. Probably best played on PC with m+k but this version is a fine alternative.
Volgarr-the-viking-switch-hero Volgarr the Viking Action Platformer Old-school style platformer notorious for its difficulty. Art isn't anything to write home about but if you're looking for a challenge this is for you.
The-walking-dead-the-complete-first-season-switch-hero The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Adventure The game that made Telltale a household name and predicated their downfall as they desperately tried and failed to replicate its success. It was successful for a reason though. A fantastic zombie apocalypse story and probably the best thing to come out of this property.


Series also available on most platforms.

What-remains-of-edith-finch-switch-hero What Remains of Edith Finch Walking Sim Quaint little walking sim about a girl investigating the mystery of her family curse where everyone for generations has died young and tragically. The whole game is at least cool, but there's one sequence that'll just smother you in the feels and it's worth it for that one alone.
What-the-golf-switch-hero What the Golf? Golf Nonsense A silly little game where you start out just hitting the golf ball towards the hole and eventually your objectives progressively get more ridiculous. Fun for a jaunt.
Windjammers-switch-hero Windjammers Arcade Sports One of the best NEOGEO games has since been ported everywhere. Basically a mix between volleyball and air hockey set in a 1980s Miami Beach setting. A fucking blast to play local with friends.
Wj2 Windjammers 2 Arcade Sports The folks behind Streets of Rage 4 also revived another classic. It has the same basic rules and vibe of the original game, but with some added gameplay elements that complicate things such as super meters and jump moves. It loses a bit of the pick-up-and-play style of the original, but for those who played a bunch of the original this adds something fresh to the formula.
Eighth Generation
Consoles Ouya - Sony PlayStation 4 - Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Wii U - Microsoft Xbox One - Valve Steam Machine
Handhelds Nintendo 3DS - Sony PlayStation Vita