Topic: Which games play well on a Switch Lite (and which are better docked) ?

We have both a Switch and a Switch Lite. I've been playing Animal Crossing on the Switch, but almost always in handheld mode, since handheld is more convenient, and I feel like Animal Crossing doesn't really "lose" anything graphically by being played in handheld mode. However, I've also played a few hours of Breath of the Wild, and for that I prefer to play docked to a TV, because Breath of the Wild is noticeably pixelated and hard to read when played handheld.

I'd like to organise our games into ones that clearly benefit from played docked (like Breath of the Wild) versus those that play perfectly fine when handheld (like Animal Crossing). That way, we can install some of the games on the Switch and the others on the Switch Lite, and not have to keep swapping cartridges as often.

Since we're new to Nintendo, can you please let us know which of the following games (or franchises) are better played on the Switch (docked) and which ones are perfectly fine on the Switch Lite?

Zelda: Link's Awakening, Hyrule Warriors
Super Mario: Odyssey, 3D All-Stars, Maker 2, Paper, 3D World + Bower's Fury, Luigi's Mansion 3
Pokemon: Sword, Let's Go Eevee
Bayonetta: 1 and 2
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Thanks a bunch!

Other than Fire emblem three houses as I don’t own it. All the other games play well handheld and docked like Nintendo advertises.

I imagine any game where the text size is a bit small and can't be altered, would be better experienced on the tv rather a Switch Lite or in handheld mode. Although I can't rattle off a list of games with small text because I always use the Switch's zoom feature for whenever there's smallish text so...meh.

Thanks for the info!

The normal (dockable) Switch is clearly the "best" platform for any Switch game, since it gives us the most flexibility (in terms of controllers and docking), the largest handheld screen, and longer battery life.

If it were just me playing, I'd stick with the Switch, focusing on one game at a time to eliminate cartridge swapping, playing either on TV or handheld depending on my preference or mood... and let the Switch Lite collect dust.

However, I've got 2 kids and an opportunity to let them (and myself) try different games from the one I'm playing through on the Switch. So if I'm playing through Breath of the Wild on the Switch, I don't want to swap cartridges to let them try out a game which would work perfectly well on the Switch Lite.

So I'm looking for a list of games that I can "safely" install on the Switch Lite (only), where it's unlikely I will ever feel compelled to move their save games to the Switch.

I already know that Animal Crossing New Horizons ticks that box; it doesn't gain much from being played on a big TV (in my opinion), and I prefer to play it handheld, with the TV doing something else in the background.

It also sounds like Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a safe bet, since it's a collection of old low-resolution games.

I started Link's Awakening on the Switch, in handheld mode. It looks a lot like Animal Crossing to me, with similar "cute" graphics. I played a couple hours, and at no point did I even think about trying it docked. So, unless the game changes as you progress through it, I think it would be safe for the Switch Lite.

Hades, on the other hand, feels too cramped on the handheld. The main character is small, the text is small, the action hotspots are small, and although I played it less than Link's Awakening, I frequently felt like it would benefit from being docked.

So, of the other games I listed, which ones look/feel more like Animal Crossing and Link's Awakening, with big, smooth graphics and text... and less like Breath of the Wild and Hades, which feel a bit "compromised" when played on the Switch Lite?

Breath of the Wild was 95% fine for me handheld, but the motion controlled shrines were utterly painful. I didn't realise quite how bad they were until I played through again on the TV with a Pro Controller and breezed through things that took me 30 minutes on the Lite!

Interestingly Mario Maker 2 is perfectly playable on the Lite, despite the masses of info on screen when constructing levels. It's so well laid out with icons instead of text that it performs really well.

Something less obvious though with some games is that they can absolutely burn through the Lite battery really, really quickly. Animal Crossing seems to be wonderfully well optimised and will seemingly go forever, yet some games will deplete the battery basically twice as quickly.

Bayonetta plays better with a pro controller, so I would say docked for that one.

Okay, so does this look correct so far:

KEEP DOCKED:

1) Breath of the Wild (based on my experience)
2) Hades (based on my experience)
3) Super Mario Odyssey
4) Pokemon Let's Go Eevee
5) Bayonetta 1 and 2

OK FOR SWITCH LITE:

1) Animal Crossing New Horizons (based on my experience)
2) Link's Awakening (based on my experience)
3) Super Mario 3D All-Stars
4) Super Mario Maker 2

UNKNOWN (NEEDS FURTHER DISCUSSION/TESTING):

1) Hyrule Warriors
2) Super Paper Mario
3) Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
4) Luigi's Mansion 3
5) Pokemon Sword
6) Fire Emblem Three Houses
7) Pikmin 3 Deluxe

I played and beat Pokemon Sword, Atelier Ryza 1 and 2, and Sakuna all on Switch Lite. Dragon Quest XI S also runs perfectly on the Lite.

Games like Age of Calamity and Astral Chain are better played docked though from my experience, just so you can see the environments better. So I assume Bayonetta is better docked.

Fire Emblem 3 Houses is notorious for having small text according to online forums, so docked for that as well.

I play almost all of my games in handheld mode (and less frequently tabletop) and have had little to no issues. Odyssey required detached Joy-Con at times, so, tabletop or docked would be preferable in those situations, though they are rare.

I do intend to play Skyward Sword in docked and/or tabletop mode as I want to experience the game as it was originally intended (with motion controls).

I've played Three Houses through four times, mostly on handheld, and didn't have any issues with the small text. If anything, it's easier on the eyes than playing the older games in the series for the GBA.

If you have to squint to read text on Portable mode that should enough evidence a larger screens would do more service for the game.

I only play handheld and have had no issues with any games I've played on the switch.
I personally don't see the point in playing docked, if I'm gaming on the TV I want better visuals than 1080 lol

I play on my Lite 98% of the time and haven't had issues enjoying my games.