The Nintendo Switch is just over three years old and shows no signs of slowing down. Part of the gaming system’s appeal is the unique home-and-away design that lets you play your favorite titles on a big-screen TV when docked or in handheld mode when you’re waiting in line at the post office. It’s especially convenient for commuters or people with busy lifestyles. There’s now even the cheaper, portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite if you don’t want to bother with a TV at all.
The other huge appeal is the games. The Nintendo Switch saw one of the best first-year libraries in gaming history, and more must-have games are coming out every month. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-RPG that will be spoken about for years to come. Splatoon 2 is a more-than-worthy follow-up to the excellent Wii U original. And Super Mario Odyssey is simply one of the best Mario games ever made.
Critics will likely retort, “You only mentioned first-party games!” Yes, because they’re absolutely darling titles. That said, the Switch has gotten plenty of solid second- and third-party games as well, with surprisingly strong ports from both previous and current generations like Bayonetta 2, Diablo III, Doom, Skyrim, and The Witcher 3.
The system is strong with retro and indie games, too. Hamster, a company that specializes in many arcade-to-console ports, has brought loads of SNK’s classic Neo Geo titles to the system, such as The King of Fighters ’98 and Metal Slug. Nintendo is eking out its own classic pre-NES arcade games, and, though a true Virtual Console is still curiously missing from the system, the Nintendo Switch Online service includes a library of dozens of NES and SNES classics. Meanwhile, indies are extremely well-represented, with games like Cuphead, Hollow Knight, Night in the Woods, Inside, Into the Breach, Slay the Spire, The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories, and Undertale available on the Switch.
In short, even with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X now here, the Nintendo Switch is the most compelling console on the market, and it has plenty of excellent games in its catalog. If you want to experience the Joy-Con life, these games are where you should start. They’re all compatible with the Nintendo Switch Lite, too.
For something more specific, here are the best Nintendo Switch games for kids and some overlooked games we think play especially well on the Nintendo Switch Lite.
