In March 2023, less than three months from now, the Nintendo Switch will have been on store shelves and stacked in online retailers' warehouses for six full years. When it arrived on the scene in 2017, its mobile chipset was already old news in technological terms, but its blistering success in the years that followed proved once again — as if it needed to be reiterated following the string of examples the games industry has seen over the last 40 years — that sheer horsepower doesn't mean much on its own. If anyone has the gameplay design chops to make the most of 'withered' technology, it's Nintendo.
More surprisingly, the console's runaway success attracted the attention of third parties and we've seen some remarkable ports come to Switch, games which before they magically appeared were difficult to imagine running so beautifully on what is essentially a small, chunky tablet.
Of course, 'magic' has nothing to do with it. It's the dedication and ingenuity of developers, and the appropriate resources being afforded them, that enables these 'miracle ports' to exist on Switch. Certainly, not all Switch ports are given the attention they desperately need, but here we're celebrating — just as we did last year — 10 Switch ports from 2022 where the teams really knocked it out of the park.
Where available we've included our video review as a reminder of what these games look like in action. Enjoy!
10. Capcom Fighting Collection (Switch)
We begin with an unfussy entry that we imagine may raise some eyebrows, but Capcom delivered a polished package to please purists, with excellent arcade ports of 10 titles, including the Darkstalkers games, all with online play and that all-important rollback netcode.
It's easy to be blindsided by more modern games running against all odds on Switch, but given how some companies throw together 'bare minimum' retro compilations, it's important to recognise when things are done right — and Capcom Fighting Collection did it right.
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9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (Switch)
The first but not the last Digital Eclipse joint on this list, TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection could have so easily been messed up in the hands of a lesser team. Digital Eclipse is one of those studios, like M2, that elicit a sigh of relief when you see its name attached to a project.
We've yet to be disappointed by one of the developer's retro offerings, and this particular collection showcased some classics we hadn't played in a while in the best possible light, with more refinements and features on the way.
More from DE to come further down...
8. Portal: Companion Collection (Switch eShop)
There would have been zero excuses for 2007's Portal and 2011's Portal 2 to run poorly on 2017's Nintendo Switch, of course. Still, given the high esteem in which we hold these classics and the number of times we've replayed them, any tiny hiccups or discrepancies in Portal: Companion Collection would have stood out like a sore pollex.
Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about. It feels tremendous to have these all-timers on Switch, and if Valve wants to send over the Half-Life games too, the more the merrier.
What's that? 'Steam Deck', you say? Never heard of it.
7. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (Switch eShop)
Another one that had very little excuse to run badly given its vintage — or the vintage of the non-Ultra Deluxe version, at least — but that could be said about so many of the bad Switch ports we come across. So yes, we're absolutely going to highlight Crows Crows Crows' excellent work on this updated version of an off-the-wall classic. If you haven't played The Stanley Parable before, the Switch is an excellent way to play. Chop chop.
And Alex's review was a winner, too.
6. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Switch)
A wonderful hybrid-genre game with incredible style, 13 Sentinels launched in 2020 on PS4 (2019 in Japan) and works beautifully on Switch. It's possible that the planned-and-canned PSP version might have helped keep developer Vanillaware mindful of how the game might play on a smaller handheld screen, but it fits so well it feels like it was made for Nintendo's platform.
Sterling work, and not the only Atlus-published port on this list.
5. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (Switch)
Digital Eclipse returns with a remarkable package that raises the bar for retro compilations. Not only is it filled with lovely hi-res supplementary materials, interview segments, and information broken out with a slick interactive exhibit-style presentation, but it also includes a selection of Lynx and Jaguar games available on modern consoles for the first time.
For anyone interested in video game preservation and education, the inclusion of these alone — emulated with the studio's usual attention to detail — is enough to warrant a purchase. The aforementioned titles may lack the entertainment value of some of the other games in this collection, but their inclusion is nonetheless impressive, praiseworthy, and very much appreciated.
4. Persona 5 Royal (Switch)
Atlus finally did it. And it was good!
Nothing more to say really. Finally!
3. Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion (Switch)
Here we have an example of what can be achieved with new multiplatform games if scaleability is considered from the start of development and the (necessary) compromises are sensible and sensitive. No, obviously 30 frames-per-second isn't as good as the 60 frames-per-second available elsewhere, but Crisis Core keeps things running smoothly throughout whether you're playing docked or handheld.
Given how the Kingdom Hearts games got thrown on Switch via the cloud, the quality of this port came as a most pleasant and welcome surprise. Plenty of give-a-damn from Square, right here. It's great to see.
2. No Man's Sky (Switch)
News of the No Man's Sky Switch port came with a huge question mark hanging over it. Just how could Hello Games squeeze this lonely, procedurally generated, open-galaxy epic onto such modest hardware without untenable compromises and drawbacks enough to make it unviable to all but the most desperate Switch-only final frontier lovers? We were sceptical but, lo and behold, the game arrived and it works! Not only does it work, it works remarkably well.
Multiplayer doesn't feature here, but otherwise the necessary compromises of the Switch version feel carefully considered and, crucially, don't impede your enjoyment of this enthralling game at any time. Top work.
1. NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (Switch)
Another looong-awaited port, if anything on this list warrants deployment of the classic 'It blew us away' line, it's NieR:Automata. Virtuos did a fantastic job bringing this over with a port so impressive that we said "it feels like a truly native title" in our review.
When it comes to multiplatform titles coming to Nintendo's handheld hybrid, you really can't say fairer than that. This is a modern classic and the Switch version is nothing short of excellent.
Good year, good year. Think we've missed something? Let us know the ports you've enjoyed in 2022.
Also, though not included on the list, a shout out to Ark: Survival Evolved — or more accurately Ark: Ultimate Survival Edition. When it launched back in 2018 it was one of the worst Switch ports we'd seen (indeed, we called it "borderline unplayable" in our review), but it got a massive overhaul just recently. Although we haven't been able to go back and test the new update ourselves, by all accounts it improves things dramatically, so credit where it's due. It took four years, granted, but the patch did arrive. Eventually. Let us know below if you've sampled that one and how it compares to the launch version.
Comments 58
I obviously haven't played all of these, but Crisis Core Reunion blew me away not just because it looks so good but because the load times, the bane of many Switch ports, are so short. Great job on that front.
absolute scandal you dont have Shadow Man Remastered in here Nintendo Life. That is one heck of a remaster. another Capcom fighting collection over the sheer effort that went into the Shadow Man master as a massive labor of love, restoring lost content and everything? You just went for the easy and lazy option here
I don't think I find best Switch port in year 2022 as I have experienced pretty much downgraded quality from 3rd party multi console games on Switch and my last purchase Youtubers Life 2 on Switch was my last straw as I found unacceptable unstable fps and longer loading time than the PS4 version I played right after purchased the Switch version.
I played the PS4 version and neglected the Switch version since then.
It made me reconsider my decision in picking 3rd party multi console games.
After that my last straw, I only pick 1st party + 3rd party Switch exclusive + 1st / 3rd party remastered from other Nintendo machines for my Switch games library.
The 3rd party multi console games I will give to my PS4 or PS5 since those games are better played on PlayStation machines than Switch.
Also, my PS4 & PS5 games are really depended on 3rd party games.
Used to be I really want the Switch ports from PlayStation machines during year 2018 - 2019, but the situation changed during year 2020 after I felt the downgraded quality from Switch version started to feel unacceptable.
At this point, I stop thinking about Switch ports and consider the PS4 / PS5 version of 3rd party multi console games for the best version for me as I only purchase the game once.
I want to add something after learnt from Switch port situation, if the games cannot be ported properly, do not port to Switch.
Don't give partial download or streaming treatment for Switch ports, it just insult the fanbase and hurt the reputation of Nintendo Switch for unable to handle too powerful games from other machines.
Just let them be exclusive on PlayStation or XBOX version if the games cannot be ported properly.
to me the best ports this year are Persona 5 Royal, Crisis Core Final Fantasy Reunion and Nier
Is a port a multi platform release that comes out at the same time?
I'm not convinced, albeit P5R definitely is despite coming elsewhere.
Capcom fighting, Cowabunga, crisis core, are not ports for me. Especially when the former two should have no qualms whatsoever running on the hardware.
Square Enix really stood out this year.
Apart from awesome ports like Nier Automata, Crisis Core or Tactics Ogre, we had fantastic console exclusive games like Live a Live, Triangle Strategy, Harvestella or Dragon Quest Treasures.
And next year they start with Octopath Traveler 2, no less!
No doubt SE is the best third party currently on Switch.
Still hoping against hope for a physical Portal Collection and waiting on my replacement Crisis Core after they sent me a PS4 version.
No Man’s Sky definitely feels like a technical marvel on Switch, all things considered. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on it, and once I’m through more of my backlog, I’ll probably go back and do more exploring.
I have Persona 5 and Nier both waiting for a play too.
Any performance reviews on Mortal Shell yet? (Stealth-dropped on eShop earlier this week)
I had NO idea Nier Automata was Platinum developed. I was wondering why Nintendo kept trying to recommend it to me. The combat looks VERY similar to Bayonetta to the point where I first thought it was a rip off
@Scapetti It's actually Platinum's best selling game
Got 13 Sentinels, P5R and NieR sitting under the tree for me.
Played Cowabunga collection and I want FF7CC and No Man Sky.
Do love a good port.
I have downloaded or physicalled ALL those games in the top 10! Some I have played, some on backlog. Persona 5 Royal is perfect for the hybrid Switch console. I haven't played the top game here, Nier, as it's on my backlog. I look forward to it.
"What's that? 'Steam Deck', you say? Never heard of it"
Oh, but I did. From Belarus with love (current exchange rate is 2.8 BYN per dollar):
So yeah, Switch can never have enough games like the ones covered in this article.😄
When do we stop calling these games ports and just say they are multiplatform games?
To me the best port was crisis core because it was day and date.
@Ryu_Niiyama good point, agreed.
As for these "incredible ports", I've always wondered why the Rebellion games (Sniper Elite 4, Zombie Army 4, Strange Brigade,...), World War Z, Wreckfest, are mostly overlooked. And why Alan Wake, which was a great handheld experience for me, gets blasted (sure I can see why it isn't the best, and that the footage I saw from docked play was obviously worse, but it was PERFECTLY playable in handheld and great fun, so a good version of the great game it always was, that even looked great at moments, just like so many "incredible ports" look terrible at moments).
But yeah for this list, from this year, Wreckfest and Sifu were also winners.
@smithyo I have been very tempted to try that one. You may have pushed me over the edge
No Man's Sky? Haha no, i was warm with it at first but the more i've played the more i've seen what a hollow shell it is compared to the other versions. Its a passable port at best and pretty bad at worst.
@LEGEND_MARIOID I have five of them (Persona 5, TMNT, No Man's Sky, Crisis Core, and Portal), but there are a few more I want. I haven't played Nier before.
If you play Switch primarily to play third party games portably (like me), 2022 in terms of third party support was biblical. Persona 5 Royal is my choice simply because the Switch fandom had been port-begging for it for years.
Portal 2 was my favorite game of all time back when it released, and I thought it had been dethroned because I've loved many other games since then. After playing it again, no game makes my brain light up or even comes close to the clever world building, cool setpieces, and great writing of Portal 2. "Favorite game of all time" is such a personal category that I will say you could come at me with all sorts of other great and valid examples and I'd still pick this.
@Melchiahdim best way to play it tbh, they dont make em like that anymore, and it is def worth playing. took me 35 odd hours to get the clear, so it is def got plenty of content. They done an amazing job with it.
While Crisis Core technically runs better on PS5, the game is meant to be played portably.
95% of what I play is ports on the Switch, lol. I think World End Syndrome maybe the only thing I own that isn't a port, lol. Portal: Companion Collection, Persona 5 Royal, Alan Wake Remastered, Bright Memory: Infinite, Chaos;Head Noah / Chaos;Child Double Pack, Corpse Factory, Needy Girl Overdose, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Fragments Note+, Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection and Prodeus were all amazing this year!
@Magician My man!
@Chlocean The dialog in Portal 2 is godlike and very few games can match it.
The only Switch port that released in 2022 I’ve played is NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition, which I’m still playing through to this very day, absolutely phenomenal title made better by the ability to play it anywhere without a decent laptop or a Steam Deck!! Am slightly miffed that Panic Button (the GODS of Switch ports, they did DOOM, DOOM Eternal, etc for the hybrid) weren’t contracted to work on the port, because I bet they could’ve got it to 60fps!!
Oh well, I’m happy with it regardless… : D
Why is The Stanley Parable on this list? It has some noticeable performance drops on Switch, and many of the textures have noticeable dips in quality that even render a bit of text illegible. Perfectly playable, but if it's top 10 material, that means it wasn't a very good year for ports. And if you're going to bring up Portal Companion Collection...you should probably mention how the games run at 60fps, as opposed to the 30fps they ran at on PS3 and Xbox 360, and how Portal retains the unique Still Alive content, considering that those are the main strengths that make it a sensible pick for a list like this.
Inscryption is definitely my top pick for best port of 2022.
It's such an amazing and surprising game! I highly recommend checking it out.
Portal, both games, are timless and unique.
Buy them and play them, you crazy people.
Can't justify sheling $50 for No Man's Sky even tho its one of my favorite genres, same thing for Nier having the ps4 game since launch, will wait for a Sale
For me, NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is the best Nintendo Switch port of the year! 720p30FPS in handheld mode! Game looks and works very good in handheld mode, which is a rare thing for games like this on Switch. And I haven't noticed any annoying blur! Yeah, I've played the game only for 2 and half hours, but still! Game looks really very good in handheld mode, and works very good as well. Oh, and after that... I'm still disappointed about Persona 5 Royal's port quality! Game looks pretty average in handheld mode! I mean, 540p30FPS! Why it's so low?! NieR:Automata runs at 720p30FPS, Bayonetta 3 runs at 600p60FPS, and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope runs at 674p60FPS or 694p60FPS. And I'm talking only about recent releases! NieR:Automata and Bayonetta 3 are open-world action games, while Persona 5 Royal is a JRPG! I'm disappointed! It's worse than original Persona 5 on PS3! Original Persona 5 on PS3 runs at 720p30FPS, while Switch version of Royal runs at 540p30FPS in handheld mode! That's disappointing! Yeah, in docked mode game runs at 810p30FPS, if I don't confuse, but I don't care about it! Persona 5 Royal is one of the disappointing Switch ports of the year, imo. Game can work on Switch at 720p30FPS in handheld mode, but Atlus is lazy and don't care about!
Nier on Switch does feel like wishcraft, it's honestly hard to believe how good and crisp it looks and how well it plays, even in parts where there are like a million enemies on screen the framerate just does not dip below 30, it's incredible.
Honestly between it, Crisis Core and also Diofield, which at least looked and played great on the demo, I just understand less and less why Square Enix made KH a cloud version, any justification like "it would be too hard because it's based on the PS4 version" or "it would need too much compresion" that I heard from people like Modern Vintage Gamer make less sense than ever now.
@sullivans2004 60FPS... With heavy downgrades in resolution. It's probably will be below 400p and very blurry in handheld mode, like DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal. DOOM Eternal can even drop to 240p! So, I'm very happy with 720p30FPS in handheld mode.
@Oscarzxn Yeah, it's amazing port!
@nhSnork 3000₱(грубо говоря) for Steam Decks!? Really?... That's looks very suspicious and weird...
@Vyacheslav333 that's a Belarusian store and so is the currency depicted. In your rubles it's almost ~78k atm.😆
I have only played Persona 5 Royal, Nier Automata and FF7 Crisis Core Reunion from that list and all three have been outstanding ports. I gotta give it to Persona 5 Royal though since the game looks amazing on the Switch OLED screen. The game uses a lot of black and red colours and those really shine.
@nhSnork O, that's right. Difference between Belarusian and Russian ruble is quite big... 1 Belarusian ruble ≈ 25-26 Russian rubles.
If something runs at 30fps then its not even an acceptable port never mind a good port.
Ark on switch is now one of the best ports around. It's a redemption story for both Ark and dev grove street games
@Anti-Matter downgraded, yes, but if you like portability, then it’s definitely a fair compromise….
@Anti-Matter I mean the article was to highlight the Switch ports that were actually good, what you wrote is kind of well known at this point, some releases on Switch are not nearly as good as the ones on other consoles and others just suck, that has been like that since 2017.
@rockodoodle
I don't really value the portability from Switch anymore if the 3rd party multi console games have downgraded quality with more expensive price than the same 3rd party multi console games on PS4 / PS5 version without portability but deliver better performance.
@Oscarzxn
I don't even like all those ported games above.
Having more thn 150 hours on Nier automata Switch I love this Game
Nier for sure. I remember seeing people doubt that this could run well on Switch because apparently it had framerate issues on PS4, but alas.
Just goes to show that raw power isn't the only thing to consider when it comes to porting. Optimization is also key.
What, no Alan Wake remastered edition?!?😑
Some of the best Nintendo Switch ports of 2022 to me are these:
Voted TMNT, as that's all I own. I look forward to Capcom Fighting Collection, Atari 50 and Nier Automata in time.
@Vyacheslav333 ppft, I’m sure they could find a workaround and get it to 720p60fps and 900p 40fps (is there even 40fps games on switch? 😂)… 🤷♂️
Persona 5 Royal since it's the one I wanted the most (so much so that I started playing it as soon as I got my quite unfortunately late physical copy)...
But either have already got or will eventually buy most of the games mentioned in this list and in the comments because I definitely want to play them at some point, so many fantastic ports/multiplatform games on Switch this year!
Not understand how an emulated port of games from the 80's and early 90's are included. Those should work flawlessly (as they do in most free emulators), and if they don't then it was a really mediocre job. Not sure how can you compare the amount of work done to port Nier: Automata or No Man Sky to Cowabunga Collection or Capcom Fighter Collection.
Can I say something unpopular (most likely)? I bought Persona 5, and while I absolutely love the Tokyo setting and story bits and everyday life “adventure” passages - it’s the opposite for the dungeons. They are crude and not fun at all. The RPG gameplay gets way too complex way too fast (mostly unexplained too)… I don’t think I can be bothered to get into it. Are P4 and P3 the same?
@JustMonika "PULL ME OUT PULL ME OUT PULL ME OUT PULL ME OU-LEAVE ME IN LEAVE ME IN LEAVE ME IN"
Or
"Y'know what? It's holding everything up. Floor is important. It's holding everything up."
@Serpenterror Powerslave Exhumed is a gold standard for retro FPS remasters.
@Vyacheslav333
DOOM 2016 is blurry in handheld mode?
I’ve owned the game on my Switch for like 4 years and have never noticed blur lol
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