The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

You're likely familiar with this one. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first time that Nintendo truly took on the open-world genre, and by arriving late to the party it embraced the strengths of top-in-class games while also forging its own unique identity. Its sequel expanded on the open world and ideas first presented here, delivering constant distraction from your chosen quest in a way that, somehow, doesn't get overwhelming. On your way from A to B you're sure to get waylaid by C, D, E, F, and G, but it never feels like tickbox busywork. It feels like adventure.

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One of the best — and most addictive — games on Switch.

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Rogue Legacy 2 (Switch eShop)

Rogue Legacy 2 is not a game-changing revelation, but it manages to follow up on everything that made the original great and makes it bigger and better. Even once you've bested the bosses, you've barely scratched the surface of what this has to offer, considering the in-depth New Game Plus mode and the wealth of content contained across all available classes and options. Whether you loved the original Rogue Legacy or never played it but like a good roguelike, this is a game you simply can't afford to miss. It's unputdownable.

Minecraft (Switch)

This is yet another excellent port of Minecraft, nothing more and nothing less, although the versatile setup of the Switch allows this to be the most easily accessible and playable iteration to date. That convenience factor is the only real notable difference, so it’s up to you whether that justifies paying for another version. If you want to play the best portable version of the game, however, look no further.

Minecraft
Minecraft

Slay the Spire (Switch eShop)

Slay the Spire is an endlessly addictive roguelike card-battler that’s a perfect fit for Switch; a beautifully balanced game that arrived on Nintendo's system with all the benefits of an extended period of Early Access on PC. Its combination of ferocious battles, entertaining chance encounters, and selection of three impressively different player characters make every run to the top a nerve-wracking and totally absorbing affair. Massively inventive sets of cards combine majestically into hugely destructive combos and attack and defence options fuse perfectly together, enabling you to use the information provided by the brilliantly transparent Intent system to strategise endlessly against hordes of foul monstrosities. Sure, you’ll eventually see every enemy and chance encounter, and yes, there are a few frame rate wobbles here and there, but overall this is one dungeon crawler that will live long in our system memories.

Celeste (Switch eShop)

Celeste is an exemplary amalgamation of style, mechanics, and character. A devilishly brilliant action platformer with enough skill required to excite genre purists and the speedrunning community, while at the same time featuring a breakdown of gameplay elements to customize and cater to all audiences. While the game mechanically is great, if familiar, the art style and narrative are truly special, showing both a visual and emotional range and depth that will resonate and inspire. Celeste is the absolute peak of personal exploration and discovery on Nintendo Switch — a tough but thoroughly addictive adventure that'll keep you coming back until you've finally conquered it.

Celeste - Download code
Celeste - Download code
Celeste
Celeste

Dave The Diver (Switch eShop)

Dave The Diver's charming animations and writing supplement a mechanically dense experience that never stops dangling a new carrot to chase. It rivals Mario Wonder's all-out density and charm while doing something almost completely new with its roguelite fish-catching and restaurant-running. You owe it to yourself to pick up this outstandingly funny, enthralling, and weird gem — it's guaranteed to hook you.

DAVE THE DIVER: Anniversary Edition
DAVE THE DIVER: Anniversary Edition

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Switch)

The Switch isn’t short of games that have already taken a bow, or several, on other hardware, but Skyrim might be the one that most deserves another look from both hardy Elder Scrolls adventurers and absolute beginners alike. Despite its age showing, with countless little cracks in its already fractured façade, it still delivers a palpable sense of space that few games before or since have managed. If you're looking to lose yourself in an enormous world, this remains one of the best.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Tetris Effect: Connected (Switch eShop)

Tetris is one of the greatest video games of all time, and Tetris Effect: Connected is perhaps the best iteration of the classic puzzler yet. While this Switch port doesn't offer a great deal over existing versions in terms of features, it delivers the one key ingredient that its rivals cannot: portability. Sure, some will argue that Tetris Effect: Connected's unique brand of synesthesia only really comes alive when played on PSVR or an Oculus Quest headset, but we'd argue passionately that this game benefits far more from the ability to pick it up and play whenever, wherever. Just as the Game Boy and Tetris combined to create an irresistible, world-conquering fusion back in 1989, Tetris Effect: Connected found the hardware that allowed it to truly shine, making this an utterly essential purchase for all Nintendo Switch owners. Don't forget those headphones. Or to stop for meals and bathroom breaks.

Tetris Effect: Connected
Tetris Effect: Connected

Balatro (Switch eShop)

Balatro is a roguelike for gamers who don't like roguelikes... and then everybody else on top of that. It utterly nails what it sets out to do, providing an instantly accessible, satisfying, and addictive gameplay loop that anybody can grasp. It's an immensely enjoyable experience from the start, but as you get deeper in, there's really nothing else quite like it. A clear and obvious frontrunner for GOTY 2024. Utterly sublime.

Well, there we are — a selection of the most addicting addictive Switch games that, collectively, have claimed decades of Team NL's life force. We loved every minute, of course, although we wonder how much of our colossal backlog we might have chopped away had Vampire Survivors not claimed 700 hours (so far).

Let us know which of these games have had you making unhealthy decisions over the past few years, and feel free to drop other suggestions in the comments.