Top 10 Nintendo Switch Games of All Time
The Nintendo Switch has properly cemented itself as one of the best consoles ever made, with a library that's got something for everyone. Whether you're a serious gamer or just play casually, these ten games are absolute must-haves. Here at Rebootique, we're gamers ourselves and we know what makes a great game, so let's dive into the ones that define the Switch.
This collection bundles together three absolute classics - Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. It's basically a trip down memory lane through three console generations of Mario platforming.
What's brilliant about this collection is seeing how each game pushed things forward. Mario 64 was genuinely mind-blowing back in 1996 with its open castle hub where you could pick which paintings to jump into. The movement still feels spot on today - triple jumps, long jumps, wall kicks, it all just works. Then you've got Sunshine with FLUDD, that water pack thing that lets you hover across gaps and blast up to hidden areas. Took me ages to get used to it at first but once it clicks, you're zipping around Isle Delfino like you've lived there your whole life.
Galaxy though, that's the real showstopper. Running around tiny planets with their own gravity, launching between them with star bits, the orchestral soundtrack - it's just magical stuff. I remember the first time doing the bee levels and thinking this is properly weird but also brilliant.
Playing these on Switch means you can tackle them anywhere. I've spent way too many train journeys trying to get that one star in Galaxy that's been annoying me. The collection was limited edition which has made it a bit harder to find now, but having three generations of 3D Mario in one place is absolutely worth it. Fair warning though, if you start playing you'll suddenly realise it's 3am and you've just been going for "one more star" for about four hours.
This is just the perfect kart racer. There's 48 tracks in the base game and with the Booster Course Pass DLC it goes up to a ridiculous 96 tracks. You can play with four mates locally or twelve online, and it just never gets old.
The clever bit is how it works for everyone. Got a mate who's rubbish at racing games? Stick on steering assist and auto-accelerate and they can actually compete. Meanwhile you're over here trying to perfect your drift boosts and fire-hopping round corners. The anti-gravity sections are class - bumping into other players or those spinny barriers gives you a speed boost, so suddenly crashing into things is actually tactical.
Some of the tracks are genuinely stunning. Mount Wario is this mad downhill sprint with no laps, just pure racing from top to bottom through a mountain. Rainbow Road looks incredible and isn't even that annoying anymore. The retro tracks bring back all the classics from previous games but updated to look gorgeous.
Battle Mode is where things get properly chaotic though. They fixed it from the Wii U version by adding proper arenas instead of just using race tracks. Renegade Roundup is basically cops and robbers with karts and it's hilarious. Bob-omb Blast is just mayhem. These modes are perfect when you've got people round and everyone's had a few drinks.
Online is still really active even now. You'll find races instantly and the competition is decent. Time Trials mode is where I've lost the most time though, trying to beat my own records by tiny fractions of seconds. It's addictive in that "just one more go" way that means you suddenly notice the sun coming up.
This is the game that gets non-gamers hooked. I've seen people who never play games stay up till ridiculous hours because they need to win just one race. It's that good.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Right, this one completely changed open world games. Breath of the Wild gives you this massive version of Hyrule and just says "go anywhere, do anything" with basically no hand-holding.
The opening bit on the Great Plateau is perfect for teaching you the basics - climbing, gliding, the rune abilities - then it kicks you out into the world and you can literally go straight to fight Ganon if you fancy it. Obviously you'll get absolutely battered but the point is you can try. That moment when you first leave the plateau and realise everything you can see is somewhere you can actually go? Properly incredible.
What makes it special is how the physics system lets you solve problems however you want. Found a Moblin camp? You could run in swinging, sure. Or sneak round and nick their weapons while they sleep. Or roll boulders down on them. Or set the grass on fire to create updrafts then rain arrows down from above. Or use magnesis to swing metal objects at them. The game basically never says no to your ideas.
Shrines are these brilliant little puzzle rooms scattered everywhere. They're perfect for quick sessions on the bus or whatever - most take about 10 minutes to solve. The Divine Beasts are your proper dungeons, each one's themed around an animal and has this whole mechanical puzzle aspect to it.
The weapon durability thing annoyed me at first, not gonna lie. Your sword breaks mid-fight and you're scrambling to grab whatever's nearby. But it forces you to try everything instead of just using one overpowered weapon forever. And cooking is surprisingly deep once you get into it. Working out which meals give you the best cold resistance for climbing snowy mountains or heat resistance for Death Mountain becomes this whole thing.
What really got me was the environmental storytelling. You find these ruined villages with old diaries lying about, telling you what happened when Calamity Ganon showed up. Or you stumble on random hot springs in the middle of nowhere. Or spot NPCs going about daily routines - they actually go to bed at night and everything.
I've put over 150 hours into this and I'm still finding stuff. Random Korok seeds hidden in the weirdest places, secret shrines you'd never find unless you properly explore, new ways to cheese combat encounters. It's just endlessly rewarding for curiosity.
Finally, Game Freak proper shook up the Pokémon formula. This is set in ancient Hisui which is basically old-timey Sinnoh, and it changes so much about how Pokémon games work.
The biggest change is you can just chuck Poké Balls at wild Pokémon without battling them. You're sneaking through grass, hiding behind rocks, timing your throw perfectly. Some Pokémon leg it as soon as they see you, so you're having to plan your approach. Others are properly aggressive and will chase you down, which is genuinely scary when you're low level and some massive Alpha Pokémon spots you. I got absolutely battered by an Alpha Rapidash early on because I got cocky.
The Pokédex research tasks are brilliant. Instead of just catching one of each, you're doing all these little challenges - catch multiple ones, see them use specific moves, catch them at night, catch heavy ones. It transforms the Pokédex from a boring checklist into something actually engaging. Getting each Pokémon to Research Level 10 becomes properly addictive. You'll be up at midnight thinking "just need three more tasks for Bidoof."
The Noble Pokémon boss fights are completely different from normal Pokémon battles. You're dodging their attacks in real time, throwing balms at them to calm them down, then battling them when they're stunned. The Kleavor fight took me ages because I kept mistiming my dodges. It's genuinely challenging and feels fresh.
The story's darker than usual Pokémon games too. It's about people being scared of Pokémon back when they didn't understand them, which makes sense historically. The whole Survey Corps vibe with base camps and crafting items from materials you gather gives it this Monster Hunter sort of feel. You're gradually earning people's trust while completing requests around the village.
Yeah the graphics aren't amazing and some areas look a bit empty, but the gameplay changes make up for it completely. This is what Pokémon games should be doing going forward. I really hope they build on these ideas rather than going back to the old formula.
Odyssey is Nintendo showing off what they do best - taking a simple idea and squeezing every bit of creativity out of it. The cap throwing mechanic where you can possess enemies and objects is just genius.
Possessing things (or "capturing" as the game calls it) completely changes how you play. Chuck your cap at a Bullet Bill and suddenly you're flying across huge gaps. Capture a T-Rex and you're smashing through everything. Take over a Goomba stack and you can reach high platforms. There's over 50 different things you can capture and they all control totally differently. One minute you're a stretchy platform helping Mario across spikes, next you're literally a slab of meat luring a Chain Chomp, then you're zipping through electrical wires. It's constantly throwing new ideas at you.
Each kingdom feels completely unique. New Donk City is this realistic cityscape with normal human-sized people, which makes Mario look absolutely ridiculous running around. The Lake Kingdom is all underwater exploration with these gorgeous swimming sections. Luncheon Kingdom is built on a volcano made of food. The Sand Kingdom, Wooded Kingdom, Snow Kingdom - they're all so different from each other visually and gameplay-wise.
Collecting Power Moons is dangerously addictive. There's over 800 of them scattered about and unlike old 3D Mario games, you don't get kicked out when you grab one. You can chain together loads in one run which feels amazing. Some need tricky platforming, others are hidden behind walls or in pipes, some come from helping random NPCs. I spent an embarrassing amount of time just wandering around kingdoms looking for that one Moon I knew I'd missed.
The movement once you get good at it feels incredible. Chaining cap throws with dives and long jumps to zoom across kingdoms makes you feel like a speedrunner even if you're not. The skill ceiling is mad high but even just playing casually you feel stylish doing basic combos.
Post-game there's loads more content. Darker Side of the Moon is this brutal platforming gauntlet that took me hours to beat. Every kingdom opens up new areas and harder challenges. The photo mode is surprisingly good too, I've got hundreds of screenshots saved.
And the music, mate. "Jump Up, Super Star!" still gets stuck in my head randomly. Each kingdom has its own theme that changes dynamically as you move around. It's just joyful stuff all round.
Over 80 characters from gaming history beating seven bells out of each other. That's Ultimate in a nutshell and it's absolutely brilliant.
What makes Smash special is it works for everyone. Got mates round who don't really game? Chuck on items and stage hazards and it's just chaotic fun where anyone can win. Want to play properly? Turn everything off, pick a flat stage and suddenly it's this really deep fighting game about spacing, reads, and frame-perfect inputs. The skill gap between casual and competitive is massive - watching top players like MKLeo makes it look like a completely different game.
Every fighter plays totally differently. Shulk switches between different stat modes mid-fight. Steve from Minecraft actually mines and crafts stuff. Kazuya has these complex fighting game inputs. Pokémon Trainer swaps between three different Pokémon. There's genuinely someone for everyone and half the fun is trying everyone out to find your main. I've probably got about 400 hours in this and I'm still learning matchups.
World of Light mode is huge. It's got this RPG-style map with hundreds of spirit battles - themed fights that represent characters who aren't playable. Like you'll fight a giant metal Bowser on a lava stage to represent Godzilla. It's surprisingly long and quite challenging in places.
The music selection is absolutely insane. Over 1000 tracks from across gaming. You can make custom playlists for each stage so you might be fighting to Persona 5 music on Final Destination or Xenoblade tunes on Battlefield. Just the music player mode alone is worth it if you're into game soundtracks.
Online works pretty well most of the time, though you do occasionally get matched with someone on McDonald's wifi which is painful. But when the connection's good it's brilliant. Quickplay for casual matches, Elite Smash if you're properly competitive, arenas for longer sessions with specific rulesets.
The DLC fighters added some mad picks - Banjo-Kazooie, Terry from Fatal Fury, Sephiroth, Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Each brought new stages and music which kept things fresh. Still can't believe they got Sora in, must have been a licensing nightmare.
Whether you're grinding ranked, hosting local tournaments with mates, or just messing about with items on, Ultimate delivers every time.
7. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
New Horizons came out at literally the perfect time and became this massive cultural thing. It's basically a life sim where you move to a deserted island and slowly build it into your own paradise.
The genius is in how chill it is. The game runs in real time matching actual days and seasons, so if it's Christmas in real life, it's Christmas on your island. Events happen throughout the year which gives you reasons to keep coming back. Your island becomes this ongoing project you chip away at over months.
You can do whatever you want really. Fancy making a zen garden? Go for it. Want a horror island covered in creepy stuff? Sound. Prefer a natural forest vibe? Nice one. The terraforming tools let you completely reshape your island - creating cliffs, rivers, waterfalls wherever you want. I spent weeks just moving things around one tile at a time to get my island layout perfect, which sounds boring but it's weirdly relaxing.
The animal villagers are what make it special though. They've all got personalities and you get attached to them. I had Sherb on my island, this dopey blue goat, and when he asked to move away I genuinely felt guilty saying no. They send you letters, give you gifts, ask for favours. It sounds daft but you care about these little cartoon animals.
It's perfect for unwinding after a stressful day. Just potter about fishing, catching bugs, decorating your house, chatting to villagers. No pressure, no timers, no game overs. Though fair warning, the early game is quite slow - it takes a few real-world days before you unlock everything. But once it opens up, it's brilliant.
The online play is ace too. You can visit friends' islands, trade items, share custom designs. My missus spent ages making custom clothing patterns and sharing them online. There's this whole community aspect that makes it feel bigger than just your island.
Only downside is you can only have one island per Switch which is annoying if multiple people want their own islands. But apart from that, it's just lovely stuff.
The Mario Party series has been hit and miss for years but Jamboree absolutely nails it. This is what Mario Party should be - fun boards, decent mini-games, and online that actually works properly for once.
The boards have proper mechanics to them now. They're not just roll dice and move spaces - there's strategy involved. Some have shortcuts that open up depending on items you collect. Others have changing layouts as the game progresses. The rhythm keeps things interesting rather than just going round and round the same loop.
Mini-games are the heart of Mario Party and they're really good in Jamboree. There's loads of them and most are actually fun rather than annoying. The mix of skill-based games, luck-based ones, and team games keeps everyone engaged. Even if you're rubbish at video games generally, there's enough variety that you'll be good at something.
What's brilliant is how it creates these stories in every session. You'll be winning comfortably, then someone lands on a special space that swaps everyone's stars around and suddenly you're in last place. Or you'll steal a star from your mate in the final turn and they'll be fuming about it for days. Those moments are what make Mario Party great.
Online multiplayer works smoothly which is a game-changer for the series. Previously you basically had to play locally but now you can get a proper game going with mates whenever. The net code is solid, barely any lag.
Rhythm Kitchen and Paratroopa Flight School modes are nice alternatives to the standard board game format too. Gives you options when you fancy something different.
It's perfect for parties obviously, but it's also surprisingly fun solo against CPUs when you just want to switch your brain off for an hour. Though it's definitely better with mates, especially after a few drinks when the banter gets going and everyone's accusing each other of cheating.
9. Metroid Prime Remastered
This is a GameCube game from 2002 that's been completely rebuilt for Switch and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Proper remaster job, not just a lazy port.
Metroid Prime is a first-person adventure that nails atmosphere and exploration. You're playing as Samus Aran exploring this abandoned planet Tallon IV that's been corrupted by this radioactive substance called Phazon. The whole place feels hostile and lonely in the best way. Rain drops on your visor, your face reflects in the glass when there's bright flashes, steam fogs up the screen. Little details that make it feel immersive.
The interconnected world design is brilliant. You'll see areas you can't reach yet, then hours later you'll get a new ability and realise you can finally access that bit. Backtracking with new powers feels rewarding rather than tedious because you're constantly finding shortcuts and seeing how it all connects together. Getting the Space Jump and suddenly being able to reach loads of new areas is a great feeling.
Combat feels weighty and satisfying. The lock-on system works well, missiles pack a proper punch, charged shots feel powerful. Boss fights are challenging without being unfair - you've got to learn patterns and exploit weaknesses. Thardus took me ages because I kept getting hit by his thrown rocks.
What's mad is how well it holds up. This game is over 20 years old but the level design and gameplay feel completely modern. Shows that good design is timeless. The remaster has updated the controls to work better on Switch which helps - gyro aiming is a game changer for precise shots.
If you've never played it, it's an absolute must. If you have played it before, the visual upgrade makes it worth revisiting. It runs silky smooth in both handheld and docked too. Tallon IV has never looked this good.
10. Minecraft
Yeah Minecraft's on literally everything at this point, but there's something about playing it on Switch that just works. The portability means you can properly sink time into your builds anywhere - trains, waiting rooms, bed, wherever.
The beauty of Minecraft is it's whatever you want it to be. Survival mode is about gathering resources, building shelter, fighting off mobs at night. It's got that "just one more thing" quality where you're building a house, then you need more wood, so you plant trees, but now you need food, so you make a farm, but that needs water, so you're digging channels, and suddenly six hours have vanished.
Creative mode is where the mad building projects happen. People make working computers in Minecraft, recreate entire cities, build pixel art, construct massive sculptures. The only limit is your imagination and patience. I spent weeks building this castle once, getting every little detail right, then stood back and realised I'd made something genuinely impressive.
Multiplayer is brilliant for just hanging out with mates. You're all working on this shared world, building stuff together, going on adventures, pranking each other. I've got a realm with some mates where we've been building this village for months now. Everyone's got their own house and there's communal farms and shops. It's like a weird little society.
The Switch version has all the updates and features you'd expect - crossplay with other platforms, the Nether update, all the mobs and biomes. Performance is decent though it can chug a bit if you've got a massive world with loads of redstone contraptions running.
Being able to switch between handheld and TV play is perfect for Minecraft. Do your mining and resource gathering handheld while watching telly, then dock it when you're doing the actual building to see it on the big screen. It's just endlessly playable stuff.
Browse Our Full Nintendo Switch Games Collection
These ten games are genuinely the best of the best, but the Switch has got hundreds more brilliant titles worth your time. From indie gems to massive AAA releases, there's something for every type of gamer.
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