10. SteamWorld Dig 2 (Switch eShop)
SteamWorld Dig 2 is another confident effort from Image & Form, and a worthy successor to a game that's a treasured part of many eShop collections. Stylish and good-looking, it also has the series' trademark humour and, yes, a pretty good soundtrack. It refines and expands upon the qualities of the original and hits some delicious high points, albeit some of the smartest segments and ideas appear only briefly. It sets the scene for more content and games, too, which is pleasing to see.
For fans of SteamWorld Dig we suspect the recommendation isn't needed as they'll buy this anyway. For those that skipped the first game, however, Dig 2 is a must-have - its charming aesthetic and cast set the scene for a tightly designed and clever exploration game. Now the wait begins for SteamWorld Dig 3, although there's always Steamworld Quest to tide you over if you can't get enough of Image & Form's steamy world.
9. 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. May its dancing northern lights never dim.
8. DOOM (Switch)
DOOM is one of the best first-person shooters we've ever played - an incredible game, flaws and all - and it's certainly the best in its class on Switch. There's a certain magical quality about having a game this good on the go. Its brilliant campaign is reason enough to pick it up, but DOOM's multiplayer also had the surprising ability to entertain us for months. Developer Panic Button had the good sense to build an invitation system into the game that is both functional and easy to use. Because of the small arenas, matches feel reminiscent of the halcyon days of first-person shooters, when Unreal Tournament reigned supreme. While it's perhaps not as polished as it is on other formats, having DOOM in portable form is a revelation, and Panic Button deserves high praise for porting over id Software's classic title so brilliantly.
7. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (Switch eShop)
Shovel Knight has always been excellent, but bundling these three chapters together and including new functionality increases the attractiveness of an already incredibly compelling package. These games are fantastic, and having the complete Shovel Knight experience in one spot, clocking in at around 15 hours of gameplay in our case, makes this a must-have for Switch owners - especially those that have so far failed to dig into this game and its add-ons.
6. Stardew Valley (Switch eShop)
Stardew Valley offers its players a chance to live a second life – one where you can forget the troubles of the real world and get excited over finding a particularly rare carrot. It is a truly magical experience; games can often be enjoyable but they don’t all manage to be as captivating as this. This is the sort of game that ideally requires a significant amount of time to be invested; the enjoyment doesn’t necessarily come from the day-to-day actions you perform, but rather from the general growth of pride, satisfaction, and sense of security as the days go by. Fans of games such as Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing will be right at home here and, for those who aren’t, there is a decent chance this game might just surprise you.
5. Splatoon 2 (Switch)
Splatoon 2 is just about everything you could ask for from a sequel. It builds on everything the original online team shooter set up and then some; almost every single major issue people had with the first game has been resolved, showing that Nintendo is genuinely listening and wants to deliver the absolute best experience possible. It maintains the freshness you’d expect and throws in countless big and small changes and additions, every one of them for the better. Anyone who says Nintendo can’t do online should be eating their words right now; Splatoon 2 is simply ink-redible.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a massive, sprawling JRPG built by Monolith Soft, who developed the previous two entries and the Baten Kaitos games on the GameCube. The team also helped Nintendo design the world of Breath of the Wild, so there's no doubting the pedigree. You'll explore a massive open world made up of Titans – enormous living creatures that house entire civilisations on their bodies. Along the way you'll meet a wide variety of characters, solve a bunch of quests, and save the world. It's Monolith Soft doing what it does best, albeit without shaking off the occasional flaws of the series. This is another Xenoblade gem, though, and a must-have RPG.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a massive standalone DLC, Torna: The Golden Country, that's also well worth playing through. It serves as a prequel to the events of 2, so you can play it before or after.
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe delivers a huge amount of racing goodness right out of the box, and it's a polished version of a Wii U entry that was only a proper Battle Mode away from being top of class. Now that issue has been addressed, what we have is arguably the best Mario Kart release ever seen. It's the definitive Mario Kart 8 experience, content-rich and a delightful feast of comedic, cartoonish karting action. It's a game that continually raises a smile and, occasionally, induces that trademark Mario Kart rage as shells strike and positions are lost. It's addictive and unifying, unfiltered fun that draws in anyone daring enough to take up the wheel.
2. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Super Mario Odyssey represents a shift in direction for Mario. For about a decade we had exceptional but tightly structured 3D series entries, but this new arrival’s building blocks go back to Super Mario 64. It’s a very modern take on ‘sandbox Mario’ - Cappy and his abilities are key additions that freshen up the formula, and we have a sizeable and diverse set of lands to explore. In the second half and post-credits - in particular - it takes on a life of its own, showcasing incredible design and development flair. It’s also a wonderful showcase for the Switch, and would be a fabulous introduction to the wonders of Mario in three dimensions. For the veterans among us, meanwhile, it’s yet another special release to remind us of why Mario is still gaming’s number one.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark release for its franchise and Nintendo. It's the first time that Nintendo truly took on the open-world genre in a current-generation sense; in arriving late to the party, though, it embraces some strengths from top-of-the-class games while also forging its own identity. This game is a revolution for the franchise, but the Legend of Zelda essence is still there - its soul remains. The end result is a captivating experience. This is in the running as the best game in the IP's history, and it is a leading contender in the broader open-world genre. Nintendo bravely took one of its biggest franchises in a new direction, and delivered a triumph.
Wow, the Switch really did have an amazing launch year. 2017 will be hard to top in the future, that's for sure. Do you disagree with this ranking? Time to get voting, then - remember, this is a fluid, ever-changing selection governed by each game's Nintendo Life user rating. Head to our library of Switch games for 2017 and see about getting your favourites on the list.
With so many Switch games from 2017, lots are going to fall through the cracks. What are your favourites that perhaps didn't make this top 50 (yet)? Share your thoughts below.
Comments (52)
I really REALLY want another Pokkén game for the Switch.
Missing Pinball FX3 and the Metal Slug trilogy but that'll do.
This is great! I can go through and see what I missed!
3. XC2
2. Super Mario Odyssey
1. BotW
Imo
where's Slime-san?????
Forget going back to 2017, let's see some progress! Let's see BotW's formula merge with the traditional LoZ story, a Splatoon that puts its best foot forward in terms of multiplayer, some actual plot advancement for Mario, a Mario Party that actually plays like one, SMM2 getting the rest of its missing content beyond playing with friends, a new Bomberman that lets you customize multiplayer ala Generation (if you want), and other worthwhile surprises!
I'm slightly shocked by just how many of these I own, whether on Switch or WiiU/3DS. Most are great, but quite a few are in my backlog anyway...
What do we want? Sequels! What do we want them for? Pokken, Golf Story, Fast RMX, Kingdom Battle, and I wouldn't say no to a new Arrrms!
2017 was an amazing year for people who owned both Switch and PS4. Horizon: Zero Dawn. NieR: Automata. Persona 5. Danganronpa V3. Yakuza Zero. Resident Evil 7. Breath of the Wild. Super Mario Odyssey. Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Splatoon 2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
3DS saw Etrian Odyssey V, a major Fire Emblem remake, and a remake of Metroid II.
Heck, even PC/Xbox got some action via the incredible Cuphead.
2017 was the best gaming-related year since the turn of the century.
But, of all those, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still arguably tops for me. One of the best games I've ever played.
Many games on this list are somehow still on my backlog of games I have yet to grab for the Switch. It's almost 2020 and I still haven't even played Xenoblade yet!
Wait, 2017 is over? Someone should have told me!
Oh I wonder what #1 is? For the BILLIONTH TIME.
Skyrim should be in the top ten imo, but yeah this just goes to show what an awesome first year the Switch had.
But where's astral chain?
Pretty decent list but Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle should be higher. Even in 2019 it's still my favorite Switch game.
A magical year it was
@Yoshinator ahh my bad, thought it was just an ongoing list being updated!
For me Steamworld Dig 2 is a really underrated game, to only be 10th on this list! Personally, i'd put it 4th or 5th.
I bought my Switch for the special reason of owning Mario And Rabbids Kingdom Battle and that was easily my top game for the year too.
That top 5 list is gold. I would've put Mario and Rabbids a lot higher.
I always felt like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was hugely overrated.
For me BotW really was the high note of the gaming that year.
And it won Game of the Year, which sealed its success in the gaming history.
There were some fantastic games but thank goodness that 2018 and then 2019 happened. I only care for a handful of these games.
Some great games on the list but some garbage as well
Happy ARMs at least made the top 20.
Feel that game is getting to Kid Icarus Uprising level of underrated.
@JayJ totally agree on XC2, cant stand the combat system.
"Unfortunately, Ultra Street Fighter II represents Capcom at its most lazy and exploitative"
Boy, that's REALLY saying something considering Capcom's output on Switch so far.
One of the best years in the history of Nintendo consoles! Mind you...this year is pretty wonderful too!
I'll give Brave Dungeon + Dark Witch's Story: COMBAT a mention since while it isn't a "big" JRPG, it does well for everything it tries to do and I had fun with it as a result...which is what I can say for the Brave Dungeon part.
@Kalmaro Me too.
2017 was a fantastic year on Switch; Mario Odyssey, Blaster Master Zero, Mighty Gunvolt Burst and Doom were all superb and I’ve replayed all of them multiple times since (I’m actually replaying Odyssey now after finishing Link’s Awakening).
2017 was indeed a great year for gaming.
With Mario Odyssey, NL talk about how ’post-credits it takes on a life of its own’. Aren’t you just revisiting all the same levels looking for more moons? Or am I missing something? To me, post-credits felt like I was repaying the game all over again, and so I stopped after a couple of worlds.
Best Nintendo Switch games. Sees ARMS. Something is not right here.
I was only playing Pokken last night with someone online. The thing I really like about that game is that you don't even have to be that good at it to enjoy it like other fighting games.
2017 Switch library was fantastic and the following 2 years haven't come close to beating it. 2019 may have beaten it if the first half of the year wasn't so empty though.
@Bondi_Surfer There's a few new kingdoms in the postgame too, you just need enough moons to travel to them.
Was the absolute best year of my gaming life. Intelligent release schedule; new exciting games that all seemed to have a mandate of "lets to evolve the franchise"; surpise hits like Mario Rabbids; exiting and well executed 3rd party ports. 2018 pooped on that and 2019 met 2018 and 17 halfway by having a horrible release schedule, but eventually focused on new games offering evolved experiences. No clue what 2020 but Im guessing it meets 2018 and 19 halwayd meaning more ports again, a better than 19 release schedule with some new experiences tossed in.
But which is the best year for the Switch- 2017, 2018, or 2019?
I'm guessing that for most of us, 2017 was a very satisfying time to be a Nintendo fan, as it brought the awesome little hybrid itself, along with amazing evergreen titles such as Zelda BOTW, MK8D and Splatoon 2.
It seems the focus for Nintendo in year one was to establish a broad user base whilst remaining the most exciting and innovative new console on the market. Capturing the public's imagination with its unique hybrid design and growing software library was clearly the priority and those first few months were full of memorable moments for me.
Nintendo offered up significant amounts of games from established Nintendo franchises, combined with well loved third party titles like Skyrim and Doom and this approach undoubtedly proved hugely successful. It was fantastic to see Nintendo finally succeeding after years of mis-steps with the Wii U.
The following year, 2018, therefore, was one of consolidation. It was always likely to struggle to live up to the console's outstanding launch year and this fact only becomes more obvious with hindsight. It was a matter of keeping the interest alive, relying more on Wii U ports, indies and third parties, with very mixed results, leaving many of us feeling somewhat underwhelmed.
The 2018 list clearly exemplifies this, with the only new successful titles for Nintendo in the first nine months being Kirby: Star Allies and Super Mario Tennis, both of which received overwhelmingly lukewarm reviews. Super Mario Party and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Edition, released in the final few months of the year, never really made up for this early drought, as third party publishers struggled to fill the gaps between releases.
2019 in contrast, has been fantastic. It appears to be one of the Switch's best ever years in most people's eyes, with the Switch Lite release, Link's Awakening, Super Mario Maker 2, Astral Chain and Fire Embem: Three Houses all having very successful launches, thereby reigniting many people's love for the console, not least my own.
The addition of much loved third party games like Cuphead and Ori from Microsoft merely added to the feeling that this was Switch's breakthrough moment. SNES titles finally appearing on the Switch online service was a big highlight for many too. It could easily end up becoming the best year of Switch's short life, with great games to come in the final three months, not least The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Pokemon Sword and Shield and Luigi's Mansion 3.
Whatever happens from this point on however, there's no disputing it's been a fantastic 9 months for Nintendo, building on the Switch's first two years, establishing it as one of the top two consoles on the market whilst remaining a firm favourite with retro and younger gamers alike. The future clearly looks very bright for this little hybrid but for me, no year will ever match 2017, the year of the Switch's very welcome birth. I can only thank NL for producing this list, thereby reminding me of what a truly great year this was.
ARMS hit top 20!!!
Zelda and Mario Odyssey are still the best games on Switch after 2.5 years. Kinda disappointed to say that, but it also does speak volumes to their excellence.
The first year of games for Switch really was killer! Just look at that top 5 there, those 5 games alone will be remembered for years and years, and there are a LOT of other absolute gems on this list.
The Switch has continued to get one good game after another. I have over 100 games for my Switch at this point, I can't remotely keep up anymore.
You won't see a better top 3 games in a single year ever again.
@Grumblevolcano I think it’s hard to beat a year that has two of the best games of all time plus a really good supporting cast, but 2019 has been really good.
I love countdown lists. Please do 2018 and 2019
@Kalmaro Yea, Pokken is fantastic, and a great foundation for a new, more fleshed out release. Alarming levels of depth.
I’ve got just over half of these games at 26 out of 50. I don’t want to admit how many I’ve actually finished haha.
@JEM 2017 is still a much better year than 2019. A lot of those are hype titles that won't be remembered.
@Trajan I agree to a large extent. It's great to see these new titles attracting a lot of attention to the Switch and expand the audience of the console, which can surely only be a good thing.
But as mentioned in my final paragraph, 2017 will always be the most fondly remembered year of the console's life for me, due to the massive excitement that surrounded the launch of a new system and of course, the unparalleled epic that is Breath of the Wild.
I will never forget 2017 it's when I bought my first switch and got Mario odyssey on release night with splatoon 2 I binged Mario odyssey and fell in love again with gaming and looked forward to all the releases after and the Nintendo directs and e3s . 2019 has been good for switch with good games too lost my mom this year though and she is to go with me to gamestop so its bitter sweet happy gaming everyone and let's look forward to new awesome games to come
@MrGawain 2017 imo this year would beaten it if animal crossing wasnt delayed and December wasnt so dry this year
@Nintendonerd12 I am sorry to hear about your mom, that is a great memory of her going to the game store with you.
Like you, I got my switch in 2017 and got Odyssey at midnight. And we agree that we love gaming on the switch.
Happy gaming, friend, and I wish great strength for you!
@koaeinferno you're absolutely right.
It should have been in the top 10.
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