30. Celeste (Switch eShop)

Celeste (Switch eShop)
Celeste (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Matt Makes Games / Developer: Matt Makes Games
Release Date: 25th Jan 2018 (USA) / 25th Jan 2018 (UK/EU)

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 for 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.

29. Splatoon 2 (Switch)

Splatoon 2 (Switch)
Splatoon 2 (Switch)
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo Software Technology
Release Date: 21st Jul 2017 (USA) / 21st Jul 2017 (UK/EU)

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. Splatoon 2 is simply ink-redible.

28. NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (Switch)

NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (Switch)
NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (Switch)
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: PlatinumGames
Release Date: 6th Oct 2022 (USA) / 6th Oct 2022 (UK/EU)

NieR:Automata is a modern classic. Most importantly for Switch owners, this is a top-notch port that has clearly been produced with respect and focus, often surpassing our expectations in both visuals and performance. Finding a comfortable seat and a pair of headphones makes the Switch version a wonderful way to experience the game, and it is an unforgettable journey. Nothing is as it seems, either in the story or gameplay, and it's one of the finest gaming achievements of the last decade.

27. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Dotemu / Developer: Tribute Games
Release Date: 16th Jun 2022 (USA) / 16th Jun 2022 (UK/EU)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the best Turtles beat 'em up ever made, and a faster, better-looking, and arguably more entertaining affair than even Streets of Rage 4. It looks delicious, sounds superb, and rekindles childhood memories beyond all expectation, time-warping you back to 1987. Its combat system is so much fun to mine that you feel compelled to keep coming back to try new strategies, and with its awesome co-op multiplayer, the experience evolves again and again. Like any beat 'em up, it does get repetitive as you enter the last third, but that’s more a fault of the concept than the game. Shredder’s Revenge really is an unprecedented shell-ebration. Fans co-op brawlers might also want to check out TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection, which features a boatload of Konami classics that'll keep you busy for hours.

26. Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch)

Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch)
Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch)
Publisher: SEGA / Developer: Atlus
Release Date: 12th Nov 2021 (USA) / 12th Nov 2021 (UK/EU)

Shin Megami Tensei V is a modern masterpiece. It successfully delivers on all the aspects that have made the series thus far so popular with fans — namely through its high difficulty, heavy narrative themes, and expansive team-building options — while polishing up and tightening the weaker aspects. Things like a more easily navigable map and more difficulty options to cater to players of all skill levels comfortably make this the most approachable entry in the series, and it feels like there are more things to do in the world than ever before. If you are at all a fan of RPGs or have been looking for a good entry point into this oft-overlooked series, we would strongly encourage you to pick this up as soon as you can. Shin Megami Tensei V was worth the wait; Atlus successfully stuck the landing with this one.

25. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition (Switch)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition (Switch)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition (Switch)
Publisher: CD Projekt Red / Developer: CD Projekt Red
Release Date: 15th Oct 2019 (USA) / 15th Oct 2019 (UK/EU)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains a masterpiece, and being able to take such a grand and engrossing adventure on-the-go is something well worth celebrating. The Switch's Complete Edition is a truly impressive achievement, and although performance isn't perfect, it's still an incredible and impactful role-playing experience. The Witcher 3 set the bar for modern RPGs back in 2015, and this port is a startling reminder that it has yet to be bettered.

24. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Switch)

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Switch)
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Switch)
Publisher: Capcom / Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 27th Jul 2021 (USA) / 27th Jul 2021 (UK/EU)

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is two brilliant games for the price of one, and it not only gives us more of what we love, but gives us something that is visually, narratively, and historically deeper than ever before. There's a bit of a learning curve that you'll have to get on top of to meet the game where it's at, but honestly, we couldn't have asked for a better version of the game we've been wanting for years.

23. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Retro Studios
Release Date: 4th May 2018 (USA) / 4th May 2018 (UK/EU)

There's no doubt about it, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of the most refined and enjoyable platformers money can buy. The levels are all beautiful, the characters move with fluidity and brilliant responsiveness, and the inclusion of Funky Kong brings balance for those who have less experience with brutally tough platformers. It’s so well-made that it’s almost too well-made; there's an absence of a certain 'rough-and-ready' charm found in Rare's original DKC trilogy. You know you're splitting hairs when your biggest complaint is that a game is too polished, though. After beginning life on Wii U, Donkey Kong’s Switch debut is streamlined, rewarding, and immensely good fun; any fan of 2D platformers simply has to get this game.

22. Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Switch eShop)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Switch eShop)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Switch eShop)
Publisher: iam8bit / Developer: Moon Studios
Release Date: 17th Sep 2020 (USA) / 17th Sep 2020 (UK/EU)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is not just a great sequel; in many ways, it outdoes Ori and the Blind Forest. The addition of more customization options, a greater focus on combat and a better-developed story (all in an incredibly beautiful game that's running at 60 frames per second) means it comprehensively outshines the original. It pushes technical boundaries so far beyond the previous game that performance was shaky even on Xbox One X at launch; that it runs on Switch at all is, well, utterly remarkable. That's not to say it was flawless when it launched on Switch, but following a patch from Moon Studios, the game is in even better shape than ever and we really can't recommend it enough. It's a supremely enjoyable platform adventure which everyone should experience.

21. Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch)

Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch)
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch)
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Game Freak
Release Date: 28th Jan 2022 (USA) / 28th Jan 2022 (UK/EU)

Designated a mainline entry in the series by Game Freak itself, Pokémon Legends: Arceus feels like the result of the developers learning lessons for 25 years, refining the formula, and finally taking the franchise in a new, incredibly exciting direction. Technically it may stumble in places, but with an emphasis on extremely rewarding exploration, addictive catching mechanics, a fine roster of Pokémon and a genuine sense of scale that’s unlike anything in the series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is up there with the greatest Pokémon games ever made in our book.